Head coach of NCAA Tournament team considering Arizona State job, per report
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The Arizona State Sun Devils fired head coach Bobby Hurley following their Big 12 Tournament elimination. Hurley took the Sun Devils to 3 NCAA Tournaments in his 11-year tenure. Arizona State has higher aspirations as a program, and is supposedly targeting one of the best mid-major coaches in the country for their job.
According to Chris Karpman of SunDevilSource.com, Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett is considering leaving the Gaels for the Sun Devils. Bennett, who has been at Saint Mary’s since 2001, recently took the Gaels to the NCAA Tournament for the 12th time. He is Saint Mary’s all-time winningest coach (589-228).
The Gaels fell to the Texas A&M Aggies 63-50 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. Saint Mary’s played very uncharacteristically in that contest, committing a season-high 18 turnovers and shooting just 4-of-11 (36.4%) from the free-throw line. Texas A&M deserves immense credit for dominating the game and forcing the Gaels out of their comfort zone, but one must wonder if any chatter about the Sun Devils also contributed to their poor showing.
If Bennett were to leave Moraga, CA for Tempe, AZ, Hawaii’s Eran Ganot could be Saint Mary’s first call. The Rainbow Warriors’ head coach was a Gaels’ assistant for nearly a decade (2003-06, 2010-15) before spending the last 11 years in Honolulu. Hawaii’s move to the Mountain West, though, could compel Ganot to remain in his current role despite Saint Mary’s having a higher pedigree.
