How did Arizona State fare in its hiring of Randy Bennett as men’s basketball coach?
USA TODAY Sports is grading all of the men’s college basketball head coaching hires for this cycle, and it is high on the Sun Devils’ hiring of Bennett, who was previously at Saint Mary’s.
The site gave ASU an A- for the hire, the highest grade so far for any recent coach hire.
Craig Meyer wrote: “For all of their inherent advantages — an enormous and famously fun school in one of the country’s biggest cities — the Sun Devils have been a basketball afterthought for much of their recent history, having not earned better than a No. 10 seed in the NCAA tournament since 2009 when James Harden was suiting up for them. With Bennett, there’s reason to believe better days should be ahead. Bennett completely transformed Saint Mary’s, leading a program with three all-time NCAA tournament appearances at the time of his hiring in 2001 to the Big Dance 12 times in his final 22 seasons there. He did so with a distinct and consistent identity, with plodding, tough-minded teams built around strong defenses and international players. The question becomes how transferable is that blueprint from the West Coast Conference to the Big 12, especially at a school with so little historical success, but Bennett’s fully capable of doing what so many haven’t in Tempe.”
Cincinnati’s hire of Utah State’s Jerrod Calhoun also earned an A- in USA TODAY Sports’ coaching hire grades.
Arizona State basketball gets ‘proven winner’ in Randy Bennett
USA TODAY Sports isn’t the only site high on ASU’s hire of Bennett.
Clutch Points wrote that ASU “landed a proven winner” in Bennett, while giving the hire an A.
Lorenzo J. Reyna wrote: “ASU lands more than a local guy from nearby Mesa. The Sun Devils land one of the more successful non-power conference coaches fully capable of adjusting right away to the heavyweight realm of CBB.”
Randy Bennett’s ‘prospects for success in Tempe are high’ as ASU basketball coach
While he didn’t give the hire a grade, the Bay Area News Group’s Jon Wilner also lauded ASU’s move.
He wrote: “Bennett is a phenomenal coach, deeply respected within the profession and arguably the best developer of talent and game strategist Arizona State has ever employed.”
He added: “Based on the magic Bennett performed in Moraga for decades, his prospects for success in Tempe are high. It’s a tough job in a rugged conference with a powerhouse rival 90 minutes to the south, all of which makes it the perfect situation for Bennett to do what Bennett does. And for everyone else in the Big 12, including Arizona, life just got incrementally more difficult.”
How would you grade Arizona State’s hire of Randy Bennett as head coach?
VOTE: What grade would you give Arizona State for its hire of Randy Bennett as men’s basketball coach? #ForksUp#ASU#GoDevils (Reaction: https://t.co/CHGJhX03Bn)
— Jeremy Cluff (@Jeremy_Cluff) March 24, 2026
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State men’s basketball hire grades for Randy Bennett revealed