"I wish I could say how I really feel right now": Arizona State HC Bobby Hurley fumes over referees after narrow 2-point defeat to UCLA

Arizona State squandered a 15-point second-half advantage in a frustrating 68-66 loss to UCLA on Wednesday night. The defeat left Sun Devils coach Bobby Hurley fuming in a fiery postgame tirade.

Frustration boiled over as Arizona State was whistled for four technical fouls in the decisive second half. Two of those techs went against forward Shawn Phillips Jr., who got ejected for sparking a scrum midway through the period. The technical barrage contributed to UCLA overcoming a large Sun Devils lead, and Hurley unleashed his anger in a verbal explosion afterward.

A livid Hurley stormed the podium, telling the reporters:

"I wish I could say how I feel."

He was incensed over the free-throw gap favoring UCLA, 23 to 14. While granting that his players share some blame for losing composure, Hurley said someone had to be "the bad guys" amid the perceived officiating injustices.

"Some responsibility certainly lies with our need to, in a heated game where I’m sure there’s a lot of communication … and we’re the bad guys," Hurley said. "So, say hello to the bad guys. You may never see a bad guy like us again. That’s what we were tonight. We were the bad guys. I’m sure no one else said anything except us all night."

Hurley's "bad guy" rant reminded many of Al Pacino's intense Tony Montana tirade in the iconic 1983 film "Scarface." The blast echoed Pacino's outburst too closely to seem a coincidence.

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After storming to four straight Pac-12 victories, the Sun Devils (10-7, 4-2 Pac-12) have now faltered in consecutive contests. The comeback win boosted the UCLA Bruins (8-10, 3-4).

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A 1993 accident nearly killed Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley

Arizona State HC Bobby Hurley

Considered one of college basketball’s greatest point guards while leading Duke to back-to-back national titles in 1991 and '92, Bobby Hurley’s NBA career was just getting started when tragedy struck.

On Dec. 12, 1993, just 19 games into his rookie season with Sacramento, Hurley's car was broadsided driving home. Ejected from the vehicle while not wearing a seatbelt, Hurley landed in a drainage ditch, sustaining life-threatening injuries including collapsed lungs, broken ribs and shoulder and back fractures.

Teammate Mike Plowden found Hurley, who miraculously recovered enough to return to the league in under a year. However, the injuries impacted Hurley’s play; his effectiveness and shoulder issues persisted, ending his NBA career prematurely in 1999.

He became a racehorse owner initially, then scouted for the Philadelphia 76ers before embarking on a coaching path – first in college assisting Wagner and Rhode Island, then helming Buffalo, before taking Arizona State’s reins in 2015.

Now 51, Hurley has led the Sun Devils for eight seasons since the car wreck that almost killed him 25 years ago. Although it denied Hurley his full NBA potential, he has forged a new career, pouring his basketball knowledge into coaching.

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