The walk out of the tunnel, as friends and family stand with flowers and a framed photo to meet you as your name is announced.
You take in the stadium around you, tears welling in your eyes as you realize the finality of the moment.
This is the experience athletes across ASU have felt during senior night, a fan-favorite tradition in both high school and college sports
Senior nights typically celebrate the final home game for players who spent their entire college careers at a specific school. However, the ever-changing world of college sports has shifted the theme of senior nights in Tempe to honoring the athletes' journey, while showing gratitude for their choosing ASU as the final stop of their trip.
This is highlighted perfectly by ASU men's basketball's senior night.
After a 2024-25 season that saw the Sun Devils finish 13-20 and lose some major talent to the transfer portal, the seniors acquired were important this season, especially in the backcourt, where senior guards Moe Odum and Anthony "Pig" Johnson were heavy contributors to ASU.
From a 19-point game for Johnson against Baylor to a 36-point performance for Odum in Maui against Texas, the season led up to a triumphant 70-60 senior night victory for the Sun Devils against then-No. 14 Kansas.
READ MORE: ASU men's basketball shocks No. 14 Kansas in 70-60 home finale
After they celebrated with the fans on the court, then-ASU men's basketball head coach Bobby Hurley credited their backstories in their college career for shaping their mindset and work ethic.
"They're all underdogs," Hurley said. "They came from humble beginnings. They all climbed the ladder, and they really appreciate the opportunity to play here. There's no entitlement with them."
Men's basketball was not the only team to pick up a victory on senior night near the end of an unfortunate season. However, where men's basketball's season was a slight step up from the year before, hockey couldn't say the same.
In the back end of a season that saw a decrease of seven wins from the prior season, following a six-game losing streak, the Sun Devils went into their senior night seemingly extra motivated.
While the senior class of four was smaller than others on campus, tears started flowing very early, leading to an extra-motivated group.
With forwards Bennett Schimek and Cruz Lucius growing up together and having the opportunity to play the final game of their college careers for the same school, the pair seemed determined to avoid extending the losing streak to seven against Omaha on Feb. 21.
The pair combining for 7 points in ASU's 6-3 win over the Mavericks, head coach Greg Powers felt his players' catharsis after snapping the rough stretch.
"I'm just happy for our guys that they got to feel this," Powers said. "It's the last home game they're gonna play together ... Obviously, really happy for our seniors that they got to do this, but happy for our team. It's been a long month for those kids."
Where hockey saw a downgrade of seven losses, women's basketball saw an upgrade of 14 wins.
A large factor in this improvement was senior transfers.
Six of 13 players on the roster were seniors, graduate students or fifth years, and a player in their final year was first on the team in points, assists and steals.
Despite a season that saw the Sun Devils finish 24-11, making the NCAA tournament, ASU's senior night didn't go as planned.
Losing 66-61 to BYU, ASU didn't have the magical sendoff it might have imagined for a group of very influential players. However, ASU head coach Molly Miller still took the time to highlight the importance of the seniors on her roster and their impact on the future of the program.
Her words show not just the importance of the six players at ASU, but the potential impact of seniors picking new schools all around the country.
"To honor our seniors tonight, legacy isn't defined by how long you're at a place," Miller said. "It's defined by the impact you have while you're there."
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Jack McCarthy and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at aswift10@asu.edu and follow @alexswiftsports on X.
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