Sources: Arizona State finalizing deal to hire Bennett as coach

Arizona State is finalizing a five-year deal with Saint Mary’s Randy Bennett to make him the Sun Devils’ subsequent head coach, sources advised ESPN.

Bennett knowledgeable the workforce of his departure at a gathering Monday afternoon, sources mentioned.

Saint Mary’s is anticipated to promote affiliate head coach Mickey McConnell as Bennett’s alternative, sources advised ESPN. McConnell performed for Bennett from 2007-11 and has been on the Gaels’ teaching employees since 2019.

Bennett, 63, is an Arizona native who has guided Saint Mary’s to 12 NCAA event appearances since taking on in 2001. Under Bennett, Saint Mary’s has gained a minimum of a share of 4 straight WCC regular-season championships and gone to every of the final 5 NCAA tournaments. The Gaels made a Sweet 16 look again in 2010 as a 2-seed, upsetting Villanova within the second spherical.

Before Bennett’s arrival in 2001, Saint Mary’s had made simply three NCAA event appearances and gained 4 convention championships, and the Gaels went 2-27 the season earlier than he was employed.

He constructed Saint Mary’s into one of many nation’s most constant mid-major applications below his watch, successful a minimum of 20 video games in 18 of the final 19 seasons, together with a 30-win season in 2017-18. After being ranked within the AP prime 25 in simply two seasons in program historical past, the Gaels had been ranked for a minimum of one week in 12 completely different seasons below Bennett, together with eight of the final 10 seasons. Bennett gained West Coast Conference Coach of the Year seven instances, creating a wholesome convention rivalry with Mark Few and mid-major powerhouse Gonzaga.

At Arizona State, Bennett will substitute Bobby Hurley, whose contract was not renewed after this previous season. Hurley was on the helm in Tempe for 11 seasons, guiding the Sun Devils to three NCAA event appearances.

The hire is a big one for ASU and one other sign of the elevated dedication to athletics on the college, which has all the time been in query.

Bennett’s hire and the early NCAA event look of first-year girls’s coach Molly Miller have offered an power increase for ASU basketball. In soccer, ASU made a College Football Playoff look below Kenny Dillingham in 2024 after which locked up Dillingham to a five-year deal that included vital program commitments. Athletic director Graham Rossini, who was employed in May of 2024, has pushed ASU ahead in each the college’s marquee and non-revenue sports activities.

ASU gained the inaugural Big 12’s Commissioner’s Cup, which is decided by commencement success fee, convention common season and postseason titles and on-campus applications that concentrate on work locally, psychological well being and profession growth.