Arizona State has identified a successor for the recently departed Bobby Hurley.
On Monday afternoon, the university confirmed the appointment of Randy Bennett from Saint Mary’s as the new head coach for the Sun Devils. Reports indicate a five-year agreement was finalized between the parties.
“It was going to take a special situation for us to leave Saint Mary’s, and I am energized, driven, and focused on taking over Sun Devil basketball, a program I am very familiar with and grew up watching,” Bennett said in a statement. “We are in the best basketball conference in the nation and I look forward to the opportunity and am excited to meet everyone who wants to help this program reach our goals in the new landscape. My staff and I will be ready for the challenge.”
Saint Mary’s acted swiftly in response. The Gaels promptly elevated assistant coach Mickey McConnell to fill Bennett’s vacancy. McConnell had previously played for Saint Mary’s under Bennett and served as an assistant coach at the institution since 2019.
Bennett, aged 63, has dedicated his entire head coaching profession to Saint Mary’s, having taken on the role initially in 2001. He rapidly transformed the team into a formidable mid-major force. The Gaels secured seven West Coast Conference regular season championships during his tenure, notably the most recent four, and participated in the NCAA tournament on 12 occasions. Prior to his appointment, Saint Mary’s had only made three NCAA tournament appearances throughout its entire history.
The Gaels achieved a minimum of 20 victories in every season since 2007, with the exception of the condensed 2020-21 COVID-19 season. This season, they recorded a 27-6 record and advanced to the NCAA tournament, where they were eliminated by Texas A&M in the opening round.
Bennett, a native of Arizona, is tasked with revitalizing the Sun Devils’ athletic program following a succession of challenging seasons overseen by Hurley in recent memory. The squad failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament in its last three campaigns, and concluded the most recent season with a narrow winning record of 17-16.
Despite leading them to the NCAA tournament three separate times, and the squad reaching an impressive No. 3 national ranking for a short period during the 2017-18 season, Arizona State did not advance past the First Four in any NCAA tournament and never secured a seed higher than No. 11 throughout Hurley’s oversight. Arizona State opted not to renew Hurley’s contract upon the conclusion of their season, thereby concluding his eleven-year period with the team.
