On Thursday night, Randy Bennett led his Gaels into their fifth consecutive March Madness first round game, taking on a rowdy Texas A&M team known for their constant full court press. It did not go well for St. Mary's, who fell 63-50.
Two days later, Bennett is subject to a different type of full court press, one that he's sure to enjoy much more.
Per a report from Chris Karpman of 247 Sports, Bennett is having ongoing discussions with Arizona State to be their next head coach.
BREAKING: Mesa-native Randy Bennett, who has guided Saint Mary's to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances in 25 seasons as the school's all-time winningest coach, is considering leaving the school for Arizona State, sources tell @SunDevilSource. https://t.co/ds7vweIzSE
— Chris Karpman (@ChrisKarpman) March 21, 2026
According to Karpman, Bennett is giving serious consideration to returning to his home state and coaching the Sun Devils. The son of a legendary coach at Mesa Community College, Bennett reportedly wants to move closer to home - in part - to be closer with his aging parents.
Bennett also has strong ties to the Valley, as we've previously covered. A Mesa, Arizona native, Bennett has a considerable recruiting presence in the Valley and has been tied to the Arizona State job numerous times throughout his tenure at St. Mary's.
In addition to Karpman's report, one source also disclosed to Devils in Detail that athletics director Graham Rossini was planning a "full court press" to land Bennett the moment the Gaels were done with their NCAA Tournament run.
As I understand it, Graham Rossini traveled with the women's basketball team to Iowa for the First Four
— David Howman (@_DH44_) March 18, 2026
Zoom is a thing, of course, but I would imagine this puts a temporary hold on the coaching search timeline
My guess? They're waiting on someone who's still coaching
Rossini's decision to travel to Iowa with the women's basketball team for their own tournament run - effectively putting a hold on the coaching search - was somewhat motivated by the decision to prioritize their pursuit of Bennett.
As luck would have it, the Gaels were eliminated roughly an hour before the Sun Devils were also eliminated, perfectly syncing up the timeline for Rossini to aggressively pursue the longtime St. Mary's coach.
Now, it sounds as if things are trending in the right direction.