Randy Bennett, ASU Reportedly Agree to HC Contract to Replace Bobby Hurley After Saint Mary's Tenure

Arizona State reportedly has found its new head coach after moving on from Bobby Hurley last week.

Per Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68, the program is hiring Saint Mary's head coach Randy Bennett, who has been with the Gaels since 2001.

With Bennett on his way out, Saint Mary's is expected to make associate head coach Mickey McConnell the new head coach of the Gaels, according to ESPN's Jeff Borzello. McConnell was a member of the team from 2007 to 2011 and has been on staff since 2019.

Heading into the 2025-26 campaign, Bennett was the fifth-longest tenured head coach in college basketball. Before Bennett took over, the program had made the NCAA tournament just three times, but he quickly turned the Gaels into regular attendees in the Big Dance.

Saint Mary's made the tournament 12 times under Bennett, with its best finish being a Sweet 16 run in 2010. The Gaels have reached the NCAA tournament in each of the last five years and faced a first-round upset against Texas A&M this year.

Bennett was named the WCC Coach of the Year seven times, including four consecutive years from 2022-2025. He led Saint Mary's to seven WCC regular-season titles and four conference tournament titles.

Bennett, a native of nearby Mesa, Arizona, will now take over the Sun Devils' program, marking the first Power 4 job he's held.

While Hurley was at the helm for 11 seasons, he was unable to find much success with Arizona State. The Sun Devils reached the tournament three times, but never made it past the first round. They finished the 2025-26 campaign 17-16.

Arizona State is hoping to finally find success after years of struggles, and a veteran head coach like Bennett could be the person to turn things around.