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Bobby Hurley, Arizona State skip handshake line after chippy finish in loss to Arizona
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Bobby Hurley’s team had a rough Saturday, losing at home to rival Arizona, and Hurley himself had a forgettable day, letting his emotions get out of control.
The former Duke star point guard ordered his Arizona State team off the court before the traditional postgame handshake, motioning to his team to get off the court as the final seconds ticked off of an 81-72 loss in Tempe. Making matters even worse was that it was a national TV game on CBS, so Hurley’s actions were seen by anyone around the country who wanted to watch the Arizona rivals go at it.
CBS Sports tweeted that it was a mutual decision to skip the postgame handshake between Hurley and Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd. But Hurley was seen getting his team off the floor ahead of the final buzzer as Lloyd surprisingly looked on. Once Lloyd realized there would be no postgame handshake or handshake between head coaches, he walked off the floor and motioned to the crowd with a fist pump after the victory without even looking in Hurley’s direction.
It was an intense day for the head coaches and for the players themselves. Arizona’s Caleb Love, a former star at North Carolina, was head-butted by Arizona State’s BJ Freeman and then was ejected after a confrontation with Freeman.
The high emotions continued into the postgame press conference, too, with Hurley saying he will not vote for Love for the All-Big 12 team.
Hurley also said in the postgame presser that his decision to not shake hands with Lloyd and to have his players skip the postgame handshake was done to avoid any further escalation.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
