Randy Bennett is the newly appointed Arizona State University head basketball coach and one of the most accomplished and distinguished head coaches in the nation. He was ranked Best High-Major Coaching Hire of the 2026 cycle by nearly 100 Men’s Division I coaches in a survey by CBS Sports.
While playing Mesa Community College basketball for his father, the iconic coach Tom Bennett, from 1980-1982, the Thunderbirds went 56-10, captured back-to-back Arizona Community College Athletic Conference titles, and finished the 1980-81 season ranked No.10 nationally. His time at MCC was the beginning of a career in college basketball that would span more than four decades.
After graduating from MCC, Randy transferred to the University of California, San Diego where he played for the Tritons from 1983-85 and was named a team captain. As a senior in the 1984–85 season, he averaged 7.0 points and 1.5 rebounds. Randy graduated in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in biology. While still completing his degree, he began his coaching career in the 1985–86 season as an assistant coach at the University of San Diego and later, the University of Idaho.
Randy was named head coach for men's basketball at St. Mary's College of California in 2001, inheriting a team that had won only two games the previous season. He spent the next 25 seasons transforming the Gaels into a nationally respected program. Under his leadership, Randy compiled a 589-288 overall record, led the program to the NCAA tournament 12 times and the National Invitation Tournament 7 times, and guided the program to 18 consecutive postseason appearances overall.
He was recognized 7 times as West Coast Conference Coach of the Year. He also became the program's all-time winningest head coach in 2007, a record he would go on to build into one of the most successful coaching resumes in program history.