Randy Bennett is returning to the Valley as the Arizona State men’s basketball coach after leading Saint Mary’s for the last 25 years, The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman first reported.
Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro adds it’s a five-year deal with a first year north of $3 million and that Bennett was ASU’s top choice after 20 candidates were whittled down to three finalists. The buyout for Bennett at Saint Mary’s was less than $200,000.
Saint Mary’s associate head coach Joe Rahon, who played two seasons for Bennett (2015-17) and was promoted to the role this season after three years as an assistant, is expected to follow Bennett, Gambadoro adds. ASU will also seek a Power Four assistant to join the staff.
“Coach Bennett is one of the most accomplished and respected coaches in college basketball,” said Sun Devil athletics director Graham Rossini in the official announcement. “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. He has deep ties to the Valley, and we are thrilled to welcome Coach, his wife Darlene, and their family to ASU.”
Saint Mary’s has already tabbed associate head coach Mickey McConnell to replace Bennett, according to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello. McConnell is the son and grandson of long-time Arizona high school basketball coaches himself and played at Dobson High School before joining the Gaels as a player from 2007-11.
Randy Bennett’s path to his new role as ASU men’s basketball head coach
Bennett, who had one year remaining on a 10-year deal, grew up in Mesa and graduated from Westwood High School before playing for his father during Tom Bennett’s 19-year coaching stint at Mesa Community College.
“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.”
Randy Bennett replaces Bobby Hurley, who in 11 seasons totaled the second-most wins by any ASU coach in program history (185-167).
Bennett won seven games across 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, making it as far as the Sweet 16 once. He’s the winningest coach in Gaels history with a record of 589-228 (.721) in 25 seasons with WCC regular-season titles in each of the last four years (seven overall).
No. 7 Saint Mary’s was upset in the first round by No. 10 Texas A&M in this season’s tournament appearance.
Bennett will turn 64 years old in June and among Big 12 coaches will be younger than only Houston’s Kelvin Sampson (70). Kansas’ Bill Self and Colorado’s Tad Boyle will both turn 64 during the 2026-27 season.
The seven-time WCC Coach of the Year also served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2011 U19 World Championships.
Bennett got his first coaching job at San Diego under Hank Egan, who was the Air Force coach who gave former San Antonio Spurs great Gregg Popovich his first coaching job. Bennett also assisted Lorenzo Romar at Pepperdine and Saint Louis prior to getting the Saint Mary’s job.
His Gaels squads ranked top 20 in defense each of the past six seasons, including as high as eighth in 2024-25, per KenPom. They ranked top 25 in offense, including as high as 11th in 2017-18, over the five previous seasons.
The coach has long been in the game of international recruiting before the rise that came with NIL and transfer portal changes, including recent standouts Augustas Marciulionis (Lithuania) and Alex Ducas (Australia).
Ducas is one of six NBA players to come out of Saint Mary’s under Bennett, following Patty Mills (the only former Gael coached by Bennett to be drafted), Matthew Dellavedova, Jock Landale, Malik Fitts and Jordan Ford. All but Fitts and Ford were born outside the U.S.
All three of the Gaels averaging double-digit points this season – Paulius Maruskas (18.4), Mikey Lewis (13.9) and Joshua Dent (13.2) – have eligibility remaining and have played for Bennett at least the last two seasons. They could potentially be transfer additions packaged with the coach.
One ASU player, Marcus Adams Jr., had already planned to enter the transfer portal, which is open April 7-21. Hurley’s final roster has some international talent that could be valuable for Bennett to try and retain, including Massamba Diop and Noah Meeusen.
