Arizona State finalizes deal to hire Randy Bennett as next HC
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Arizona State is reportedly finalizing a deal to make Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett its next head coach, weeks after firing Bobby Hurley. Bennett had been with the Gaels since the 2001 season.
According to Jeff Borzello, the Arizona native and 63-year-old will receive a 5-year deal to coach the Sun Devils.
Bennett saw an impressive amount of conference success at Saint Mary’s, despite having to compete against Gonzaga in league play. Bennett led the Gaels to 4 WCC titles and 7 WCC regular season titles, and he was named the WCC Coach of the Year 7 times, including 4 consecutive awards from 2022-2025.
Bennett also brought Saint Mary’s to the NCAA Tournament 12 times, though he only made it to the second weekend once, in 2010. Saint Mary’s, a 7-seed, fell to 10-seed Texas A&M in the first round of this year’s tournament.
Bennett is an intriguing hire for Arizona State because of his international influence. He’s routinely been one of the better international recruiters in college basketball, a good reason why a smaller school such as Saint Mary’s has been able to stand toe-to-toe with some of the best programs in the country. Bennett should be able to better utilize Arizona State’s brand with other powers such as Arizona and California schools in the mix out west.
Arizona State no doubt has one major request for Bennett — take the Sun Devils to the NCAA Tournament on a consistent basis. Arizona State has been to the Big Dance just once since the COVID-19 pandemic and has since floated to the bottom of a strong Big 12 conference.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
