Iowa State dominates Arizona State 91-42 in Bobby Hurley's final game as Sun Devils coach. (1:18)
Arizona State is finalizing a five-year deal with Saint Mary's Randy Bennett to make him the Sun Devils' next head coach, sources told ESPN.
Bennett informed the team of his departure at a meeting Monday afternoon, sources said.
Saint Mary's is expected to promote associate head coach Mickey McConnell as Bennett's replacement, sources told ESPN. McConnell played for Bennett from 2007 to 11 and has been on the Gaels' coaching staff since 2019.
Bennett, 63, is an Arizona native who has guided Saint Mary's to 12 NCAA tournament appearances since taking over in 2001. Under Bennett, Saint Mary's has won at least a share of four straight WCC regular-season championships and gone to each of the last five NCAA tournaments. The Gaels made a Sweet 16 appearance back in 2010 as a 2-seed, upsetting Villanova in the second round.
Before Bennett's arrival in 2001, Saint Mary's had made just three NCAA tournament appearances and won four conference championships, and the Gaels went 2-27 the season before he was hired.
He built Saint Mary's into one of the nation's most consistent mid-major programs under his watch, winning at least 20 games in 18 of the last 19 seasons, including a 30-win season in 2017-18. After being ranked in the AP top 25 in just two seasons in program history, the Gaels were ranked for at least one week in 12 different seasons under Bennett, including eight of the last 10 seasons. Bennett won West Coast Conference Coach of the Year seven times, developing a healthy conference rivalry with Mark Few and mid-major powerhouse Gonzaga.
At Arizona State, Bennett will replace Bobby Hurley, whose contract was not renewed after this past season. Hurley was at the helm in Tempe for 11 seasons, guiding the Sun Devils to three NCAA tournament appearances.
The hire is a significant one for ASU and another signal of the increased commitment to athletics at the school, which has always been in question.
Bennett's hire and the early NCAA tournament appearance of first-year women's coach Molly Miller have provided an energy boost for ASU basketball. In football, ASU made a College Football Playoff appearance under Kenny Dillingham in 2024 and then locked up Dillingham to a five-year deal that included significant program commitments. Athletic director Graham Rossini, who was hired in May of 2024, has pushed ASU forward in both the school's marquee and non-revenue sports.
ASU won the inaugural Big 12's Commissioner's Cup, which is determined by graduation success rate, conference regular season and postseason titles and on-campus programs that focus on work in the community, mental health and career development.
