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Randy Bennett hired as Sun Devil Men’s Basketball Head Coach

Arizona State secures one of the nation's most successful and respected coaches.

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Randy Bennett hired as Sun Devil Men’s Basketball Head CoachRandy Bennett hired as Sun Devil Men’s Basketball Head Coach

Randy Bennett is the new head coach of Sun Devil Men's Basketball

by Connor Smith

Sun Devil Athletics Director Graham Rossini announced that Randy Bennett will be the new Head Coach of the Sun Devil Men’s Basketball program.

Bennett joins Arizona State following an extremely successful tenure at Saint Mary’s. He spent the past 25 seasons at the helm of one of the nation’s most consistent programs. Bennett built the Gaels into a force in the West Coast Conference, collecting a school-record 589 wins and earning seven WCC Coach of the Year honors. Saint Mary’s made 19 postseason appearances under Bennett, 12 in the NCAA Tournament and seven in the NIT. The Gaels’ streak of 18-straight postseason appearances trails only Gonzaga, Michigan State, and Kansas nationally.

Under Bennett, the Gaels held the highest winning percentage (.774) and tied for the most NCAA Tournament appearances (seven) of any NCAA Division I men's basketball program in the state of California since the 2015-16 season. Saint Mary's currently has the fourth best win percentage (.774) of any NCAA Division I team in the nation since 2015-16.

“Coach Bennett is one of the most accomplished and respected coaches in college basketball. 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," said Sun Devil Athletics Director Graham Rossini.

Coach Bennett is one of the most accomplished and respected coaches in college basketball. 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.

Athletics Director Graham Rossini

It did not take long for Bennett to establish himself as one of the premier head coaches in the nation. He took over in Moraga prior to the 2001-02 season. By the 2004-05 season, he had tied the program record for wins with 27. His 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2012-13 teams set a new high mark with 28 victories. In 2010, Bennett led the Gaels to the Sweet 16 thanks to wins over Richmond and Villanova. They were the school's first NCAA Tournament wins in 51 years and first Sweet 16 appearance since the tournament expanded.

“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. 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.”

The past five seasons have arguably been Bennett’s best, as he has shown the ability to adapt to college basketball’s ever-changing landscape. He has compiled a 135-36 (.790) record and made the NCAA Tournament in each of those five campaigns. Saint Mary’s has also earned at least a share of four-straight WCC regular season titles, going a combined 62-6 (.912) in conference play during that span. 

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.

Randy Bennett

Bennett has proven he can win in any era of college basketball. During a six-year span from 2008-2013, Saint Mary’s won 25 or more games, one of only four programs nationally (Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas) to have achieved that feat. 

University Credit Union Pavilion emerged as one of the toughest places to play during Bennett’s tenure. Saint Mary’s is 319-62 (.837) over the past 23 seasons at home, including a 199-26 (.884) record in the last 13 years.

Saint Mary’s has been to at least the semifinals of the WCC Tournament in 23 of Bennett’s 25 seasons, which includes 14 WCC Tournament Final appearances. He led the Gaels to the WCC Tournament Title in 2010, 2012, 2019, and 2024.

Bennett has had 51 players earn All-WCC recognition, with 42 First-Team and nine Honorable Mention selections. Additionally, Bennett has guided six players to WCC Defensive Player of the Year awards. Several Gaels have gone on to have impactful professional careers following their time with Bennett. Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova, Jock Landale, Augustas Marciulionis, Mickey McConnell, and Omar Samhan are a few of the All-Conference players who thrived in Bennett’s system in college and went on to have success at the next level. 

McConnell was named the WCC Player of the Year in 2011, becoming the first Gael since 1999 to earn the award. Dellavedova went on to win the award in 2012, the first time since 1962 a Gael won league player of the year in back-to-back seasons. Landale was also named the WCC Player of the Year in 2018 and became the first Gael to be named an AP First or Second Team All-American after averaging 21.1 points and 10.2 rebounds as a senior. Patty Mills was selected as the 2008 WCC Newcomer of the Year. 

In addition to his 25 years as the Head Coach at Saint Mary’s, Bennett has nearly 40 years of coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level. He served as an assistant coach for 16 years at San Diego (1985-86; 88-96), Idaho (1986-88), Pepperdine (1996-99) and Saint Louis (1999-01).

Bennett has roots in Arizona, having grown up in Mesa and attended Westwood High School. His father, Tom, served as the Men’s Basketball Head Coach at Mesa Community College for 19 years and is a Mesa City Sports Hall of Famer. Bennett played for his dad for two seasons, the first of which resulted in a 31-4 record and an Arizona Junior College championship. Bennett was the team captain for the 1981-82 season, leading the Thunderbirds to a 25-6 record and another Arizona Junior College championship. Bennett went on to the University of California at San Diego, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology in 1986. He played basketball for the Tritons from 1983-85 and was named a team captain. Bennett will be joined in Tempe by his wife, Darlene (Darby), whom he married in April of 1998. They have two sons, Cade and Chase.