Randy Bennett thrilled to be back home to lead Arizona State basketball

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Randy Bennett turned down repeated overtures to leave Saint Mary’s for bigger schools, yet always kept an eye on his hometown team.

Bennett grew up about 10 minutes from Arizona State’s campus and has always rooted for the Sun Devils, even during his 25 years with the Gaels.

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So when the Arizona State job opened, coinciding with Gonzaga’s departure from the West Coast Conference, the 64-year-old coach decided it was time to come home.

“How many guys get a chance to coach in their hometown at the big school?” Bennett said. “I’ve always thought it could be a great job. I still think it can be.”

Bennett had plenty of success at Saint Mary’s, leading the Gaels to the NCAA Tournament 12 times while earning WCC coach of the year honors seven times.

He faces a different kind of challenge at Arizona State.

While Saint Mary’s typically only had Gonzaga to worry about, the Sun Devils play in the Big 12, one of the nation’s toughest conferences with six teams ranked in the AP Top 25 preseason poll.

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Arizona State had some success under previous coach Bobby Hurley, including consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2018-19, but didn’t win consistently enough. The Sun Devils won a combined 19 Big 12 games over their last three seasons under Hurley and had not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2023 before he was fired after last season.

“It’s a physical conference,” said guard Emmanuel Innocenti, a transfer from Gonzaga. It’s a challenge every game. I think that’s really good for us players.

Bennett has reloaded Arizona State’s roster primarily through the transfer portal, including two players who followed him from Saint Mary’s.

Forward Paulius Murauskas was one of the most sought-after players in the transfer portal after averaging 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds last season. Forward Dillan Shaw had a strong freshman season at Saint Mary’s, shooting 42% from 3-point range last season.

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When they both decided to leave Moraga, there…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/randy-bennett-thrilled-back-home-184131441.html

Author : JOHN MARSHALL

Publish date : 2026-10-29 18:41:00

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