Episode
Randy Bennett reflects on saying goodbye to Saint Mary's and hello to Arizona State
- Published
- May 12, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1869
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Summary
Jon Rothstein sits down with Arizona State's new head coach Randy Bennett. Randy explains why this was the right time to say yes to Arizona State, saying goodbye to Saint Mary's and what needs to be done to compete at a high level in Tempe. (0:00) Intro + Randy Bennett joins the show! (1:15) Would you leave Saint Mary’s for anywhere other than ASU? (1:30) When the Arizona State job felt like a possibility (3:25) Did losing Gonzaga to the Pac 12 impact the decision? (4:20) Advice to the incoming Saint Mary’s head coach (5:15) Would you ever go play at Saint Mary’s? (5:45) What was it like to finally say goodbye after 25 years? (7:05) Retaining talent in this climate at Saint Mary’s (9:00) Who taught Randy Bennett how to evaluate players (11:00) Getting Arizona State to the NCAA tournament every year (12:20) The realities of scheduling at a mid-major vs. high-major (14:20) Getting a high-major opportunity is a chance to go against the biggest coaches in the sport (16:35) Transfer portal vs. high school recruiting (19:00) Upgrades needed to get Arizona State in the top 25 consistently (20:45) First impressions of the roster (23:50) Coaching against Arizona for the first time (25:00) Randy’s coaching tree (26:40) One win and one loss that stick with Randy (29:15) Getting Arizona State to the tournament in year one #CollegeBasketball #CBB #NCAA #BigTen #SEC #ACC #EyeOnCollegeBasketball #JonRothstein #RandyBennett #ArizonaState #SaintMarys #Big12 🎥 WATCH • Subscribe to this channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CBSSportsCBB • Watch CBS Sports HQ: https://cbssports.com/live • Watch CBS Sports Network on your TV or the CBS Sports App with your cable provider 🎧 LISTEN • Stream and follow Eye on College Basketball & leave a 5⭐️ rating on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2v…