5 players that Randy Bennett might target to retain on Arizona State's roster

A new coach typically means new players, especially in the age of the transfer portal, but Randy Bennett is an old school coach. More in the mold of making due with what he's got than going big game hunting, Bennett built his St. Mary's legacy on player development.

In that spirit, don't be surprised if the new Arizona State head coach opts to retain multiple players from last year's team despite their disappointing record. Here are five names, in particular, that make the most sense.

C Massamba Diop

The most obvious first priority is holding onto Massamba Diop.

Perhaps Bobby Hurley's best scouting job, Diop committed to Arizona State out of Senegal as a 3-star prospect. The only true center on the team, Diop quickly became a star player for the Sun Devils, and he finished second in both scoring and rebounds while averaging 2.1 blocked shots a game.

Outside of point guard Moe Odum, Diop was the best player on the team this past season, even developing a dangerous three-point shot throughout the year. With a bit more development, Diop can become a lottery pick in the NBA, which is why many expect him to test the transfer portal.

That said, there are reasons for optimism that he may stay put. For starters, Diop is represented by the same agency as new head coach Randy Bennett. While that doesn't mean much, it does hint at some level of familiarity between the two camps. That, in combination with Bennett's own sterling track record, is enough to at least make Diop think twice about transferring.

There's also the very strong relationship Diop has with current assistant coach Nick Irvin, who is reportedly under consideration for retention on Bennett's staff. It was reported earlier this month that Diop's agent - the same one who works with Bennett's agent - wants Irvin to remain around Diop for this upcoming season.

It remains to be seen what will happen here, but keeping Diop in Tempe would go a long way towards raising the floor of this team in Bennett's first year.

F Santiago Trouet

Like Diop, Santiago Trouet was another international player that Hurley had success with this past year. The Argentinian forward transferred in from UC San Diego and quickly cemented his role in the starting lineup.

Coming in with a profile of a stretch four, Trouet made a name for himself around the rim more than anything. He led the team in rebounds, just as he had done at UC San Diego a year ago, finishing with 8.1 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Trouet's game is built on defense and rebounding, cornerstones of Bennett's preferred style of play. Trouet's rebounding numbers this year were somewhat suppressed by Hurley's transition-heavy approach to rebounding, but he would likely come closer to double digit rebounds in Bennett's system, which frequently asks all five players to pound the glass.

There's an added bonus, too, of Bennett already being familiar with him. Trouet's two years at UC San Diego came in the same conference as St. Mary's, twice playing directly against Bennett. So long as more financially sound programs don't come knocking down Trouet's door, he makes too much sense as a fit in this new regime.

G Noah Meeusen

One key aspect of Bennett's offenses at St. Mary's were their use of multiple guards to facilitate the offense, needing players with both ball handling skills and outside shooting. To that extent, Noah Meeusen makes a good deal of sense as a target to be retained.

Coming over from Belgium's pro leagues, Meeusen established himself as a reliable secondary ball handler next to Odum this season. His first year in Tempe could best be characterized as inconsistent, showing flashes of brilliance but never quite sustaining it.

Meeusen had six games with double digit points, with half of those games seeing Meeusen hit three or more shots from beyond the arc. However, Meeusen also had 11 games with either one or zero made field goals.

He finished with a decent enough stat line - 5.9 points, 2.6 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals - but those who watched the season closely know that Meeusen is capable of much more. Given the way guards have developed under Bennett, this might be a great opportunity for the Belgian combo guard to reach his potential.

F Andrija Grbović

Many expect Bennett to aggressively pursue St. Mary's stretch big Pauliius Murauskus, who already announced he'll enter the transfer portal. However, Murauskas will be fielding plenty of offers from programs with deeper pockets than Arizona State.

In the event that the Sun Devils miss out on Murauskas, Andrija Grbović would make sense to be kept around for another year.

Coming over from Montenegro after four years of professional play in Europe, Grbović fits the prototype of a stretch four. At 6'9", he has decent enough size and is a reliable shooter from deep, connecting on 35% of his three's this past year.

The rub for Grbović, though, is his physicality. He frequently lost out on rebounds this year and finished with fewer boards per game than both starting guards, Meeusen and Odum. That won't endear him much to Bennett, who heavily emphasizes rebounding from his bigs.

That said, there is potential to work with here. Grbović would likely be viewed as more of a fallback option if Bennett can't land Murauskas or someone similar.

G Bryce Ford

The local prospect and prodigal son, Bryce Ford transferred back home from Toledo this past year after starring at Pinnacle High School. He was a three point merchant at Toledo, shooting 46.2% and 37.2% in his twi years there.

That number crept downward this year with more playing time, but Ford still hit on 31.4% of his three's and was one of the Sun Devils' most consistent outside shooters this year. His playing time dwindled as the season went on, and Hurley eventually moved him into a sixth man role in the final month of the year.

That seemed to work for Ford, who became a more effective scorer coming off the bench. Whatever his role ends up being next year, Ford now has three years of experience under his belt and a beautiful outside shooting stroke. He'd make plenty of sense in the perimeter-centric offense Bennett wants to run.