03/23/26 05:14:00
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03/23 17:13 CDT Randy Bennett leaving Saint Mary's to become Arizona State's
coach
Randy Bennett leaving Saint Mary's to become Arizona State's coach
By JOHN MARSHALL
AP Sports Writer
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) --- Arizona State has lured Randy Bennett away from Saint
Mary's to become its next men's basketball coach.
Arizona State and Saint Mary's announced Bennett's hiring following a team
meeting with the Gaels on Monday.
"This was a difficult decision after calling Saint Mary's home for so long and
building this program into a national contender each year," Bennett said in a
statement.
"I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to lead Saint Mary's and for
all the special people in this community I've been able to work with over the
years. This was truly my home away from home for so long and I will miss this
place."
Bennett spent 25 years as Saint Mary's head coach, repeatedly turning down
offers to coach at larger programs.
The chance to return home after the firing of Bobby Hurley was too much for the
63-year-old coach to turn down this time.
Bennett grew up in Mesa, Arizona, and graduated from Westwood High School on
the west side of town, not far from Arizona State's campus. He began his
college career at Mesa Community College, playing two seasons under his father,
Tom, before transferring to the University of San Diego.
Bennett began his coaching career as an assistant at San Diego and, after
multiple other stops, became the head coach at Saint Mary's in 2001.
Bennett thrived in his first head coaching job, building a program that went
2-27 the season before into a West Coast powerhouse that went to the NCAA
Tournament 12 times and the NIT seven. Saint Mary's .750 win percentage over
the past 22 years is fourth nationally behind Gonzaga, Duke and Kansas.
He was the West Coast Conference coach of the year seven times and is Saint
Mary's all-time leader in wins with 589.
Saint Mary's went 27-6 this season, reached as high as No. 21 in the AP Top 25
and shared the WCC regular-season title with Gonzaga, the fourth straight
season the Gaels won or shared the title. Gonzaga is leaving for the Pac-12
next season, weakening the West Coast Conference and contributing to Bennett's
decision to leave for ASU.
Saint Mary's reached the NCAA Tournament in Bennett's final five seasons in
Moraga, earning a No. 5 seed in this year's bracket. Texas A&M bounced the
Gaels from March Madness with a 63-50 win the opening round.
Associate coach Mickey McConnell will replace Bennett at Saint Mary's, a person
familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity
because an announcement hadn't been made. McConnell spent the past seven
seasons on Bennett's staff and was the WCC Player of the Year in 2011.
"We can't thank Randy enough for everything he has done for this program and
the college," Saint Mary's athletic director Mike Matoso said. "He will be
missed as a leader and coach, and has left us with a lasting legacy of
excellence. Randy's influence as the architect of building Saint Mary's
Basketball onto the national stage has provided an incredible foundation for
on-going success."
Bennett takes over an Arizona State program that was up-and-down during
Hurley's 11 seasons.
The Sun Devils went to the NCAA Tournament three times under Hurley, including
two straight from 2018-19. Arizona State appeared to be in position to reach
the NCAA Tournament in three straight years for the first time since the 1960s
before the 2020 tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hurley needed to make another NCAA Tournament run this season in the final year
of his contract, but the Sun Devils finished 17-16.
"Coach Bennett is one of the most accomplished and respected coaches in college
basketball," Arizona State athletic director Graham Rossini said in a
statement. "We were drawn to his sustained success over multiple decades, his
strong recruiting relationships across the country, particularly on the West
Coast, and his proven ability to identify and develop international talent.
Just as important, he brings a genuine enthusiasm for leading the Sun Devil
men's basketball program."
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AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow in San Francisco contributed to this report.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and
coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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