Randy Bennett had to push back his introductory press conference a week due to illness, but that doesn't mean he's been slacking off in the meantine. On Monday, Bennett's first few hires to his coaching staff were announced, and it's safe to say Arizona State will have its most experienced bencgh of coaches in quite some time.
Sources: Randy Bennett's ASU staff will include former D1 head coaches David Patrick and Rick Croy, as well as SMC AHC Joe Rahon.
— Chris Karpman (@ChrisKarpman) March 30, 2026
Patrick grew up in Australia. As an assistant at SMC (2006-10), he helped land Patty Mills and other Aussie standouts. More:https://t.co/EhJXOezdaR
David Patrick joins the Sun Devils as Bennett's associate head coach, reuniting the two. Patrick's second coaching job ever came at St. Mary's, early on in Bennett's tenure. Over the course of four seasons, Patrick - an Australia native - helped establish a strong recruiting pipeline from down under to Moraga that's proven very fruitful over the past 25 years.
Patrick left the Gaels to work with the Houston Rockets of the NBA, but returned to college to coach at LSU. There, he was instrumental in luring Aussie superstar and eventual first overall pick Ben Simmons to Baton Rouge, along with a handful of other talented prospects.
Patrick later spent two years under Jamie Dixon at TCU before getting his first head job, leading UC Riverside. He left after two years - which saw the team post its best two-year start for any head coach in program history - to take a top assistant job under Eric Musselman at Arkansas. He was quickly poached by Porter Moser at Oklahoma before landing the head job at Sacramento State.
Patrick didn't fare as well there, going 24-42 in two years, but he returned to LSU as the associate head coach two years ago. After LSU's controversial decision to fire their head coach and bring back Will Wade, who they had previously fired for cause, Patrick became available.
Throughout his career, Patrick has been renowned for his recruiting prowess, especially due to his connections throughout the Australia basketball circuit. His previous ties to Bennett only enhance this hire, and Patrick should be able to help jumpstart the Sun Devils' recruiting operation from here.
Joe Rahon also has strong ties to Bennett as he joins as an assistant coach. The California native played for Bennett back in the day, transferring into St. Mary's after initially playing at Boston College. A two-year starter at point guard, Rahon's defensive prowess helped him thrive in Bennett's system.
Rahon joined the Gaels coaching staff four years ago, and he was promoted to one of two associate head coaches at St. Mary's this past season. The other, Mickey McConnell, was promoted to head coach following Bennett's departure for Tempe.
Rahon has been crucial in developing several key players for the Gaels over the past few seasons, and he's been especially involved in coordinating the suffocating defense that's become synonymous with St. Mary's. That's why it was no surprise to see Rahon get off the plane with Bennett when he first arrived at Arizona State.
Joe Rahon, Saint Mary's Associate HC, deplaned with Randy Bennett and families. Presumably joining the ASU staff in a similar capacity. https://t.co/VdyLKLQk86
— Rocco Miller (@RoccoMiller8) March 24, 2026
The third coach Bennett added is another familiar face for the new Sun Devil head coach: Rick Croy.
Croy just wrapped up his 13th season as the head coach at California Baptist, a season that saw the Lancers reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. They came dangerously close to an upset, too, falling to 4-seed Kansas 68-60.
Croy had previously taken California Baptist to the Division II tournament in his first five years as the head coach, twice reaching the Sweet Sixteen. His sixth season saw the team jump to the Division I level, and this year marked his best season since then.
Sources: California Baptist won the WAC Tournament, made 1st ever NCAAT, fought Kansas hard, but it wasn't good enough for the powers that be at CBU. The school simply wasn't willing to double down on resources, and a move for Croy became inevitable. #CBU https://t.co/H8aGEJQmEg
— Rocco Miller (@RoccoMiller8) March 30, 2026
He landed that job after spending three seasons as Bennett's associate head coach at St. Mary's. Bennett hired him away from his post as the head coach of Citrus College, a community college in Southern California.
Between Citrus College and California Baptist, Croy has a career record of 405-172.
This will be the first time in Croy's career - 27 years coaching and four years playing - that he's been outside of California. As such, he brings very strong recruiting connections throughout the West Coast, especially in Southern California.
He's also the father of JRob Croy, a 4-star combo guard who had initially committed to St. Mary's and then flipped to Arizona State.