Arizona State to Appoint Randy Bennett as Head Coach

Arizona State University is in the final stages of securing a five-year contract with Randy Bennett, the head coach of Saint Mary's, to take over as the Sun Devils' new head coach, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Bennett informed his current team of his decision to leave during a meeting on Monday afternoon. Following his departure, it is expected that Saint Mary's will promote associate head coach Mickey McConnell to fill the vacancy. McConnell has been part of the Gaels' coaching staff since 2019 and played for Bennett from 2007 to 2011.

At 63 years old, Bennett is an Arizona native who has led Saint Mary's to 12 NCAA tournament appearances since taking the reins in 2001. Under his guidance, the team has won at least a share of four consecutive West Coast Conference (WCC) regular-season titles and has reached the NCAA tournament in each of the last five years. Notably, the Gaels achieved a Sweet 16 run in 2010 as a 10-seed, defeating the 2-seed Villanova in the second round.

Before Bennett's tenure began in 2001, Saint Mary's had only made three NCAA tournament appearances and secured four conference championships, including a challenging 2-27 season right before his hiring. He transformed Saint Mary's into a highly competitive mid-major program, achieving at least 20 wins in 18 of the last 19 seasons, including a remarkable 30-win season in 2017-18. During his time, the Gaels were ranked in the AP Top 25 for at least one week in 12 different seasons, with eight of those seasons occurring in the last decade. Bennett has also been recognized as the WCC Coach of the Year seven times, establishing a notable rivalry with Gonzaga's Mark Few.

At Arizona State, Bennett will succeed Bobby Hurley, who was not retained after the last season. Hurley had a lengthy 11-season tenure, leading the Sun Devils to three NCAA tournament appearances.

This hiring is a crucial step for ASU and signifies a renewed focus on athletic excellence, a commitment that has been questioned in the past. Bennett's appointment, along with the early NCAA tournament success of first-year women's coach Molly Miller, has injected new energy into ASU basketball. In football, ASU made a College Football Playoff appearance under Kenny Dillingham in 2024, subsequently securing a five-year deal with him that included significant commitments to the program. Athletic director Graham Rossini, who was appointed in May 2024, has been instrumental in advancing both marquee and non-revenue sports at ASU.

Additionally, ASU won the inaugural Big 12 Commissioner's Cup, which recognizes excellence based on graduation success rates, conference titles, and community-focused on-campus programs.