Arizona State basketball rumors: Randy Bennett projected to bring former St. Mary’s star to Sun Devils

Arizona State head coach Randy Bennett may look to use some of his old connections at St. Mary’s, which could involve a reunion with star player Paulius Murauskas.

Bennett enjoyed a memorable 25-year tenure with the Gaels, frequently leading them to the NCAA Tournament for most seasons. However, he decided to embrace a new chapter of his head coaching career as he made his way to Arizona State.

Building his vision for the Sun Devils roster this offseason, Bennett has been adding players who can produce for the program as soon as possible. When it comes to other standouts he can pursue, On3 insider Joe Tipton named Murauskas as one who could join Bennett at Arizona State.

“Paulius Murauskas is one of the 10 best players in the portal after a dominant season at St. Mary’s, where he averaged 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds. His coach, Randy Bennett, recently left for Arizona State, prompting the 6-foot-8 forward to enter the portal. While Murauskas doesn’t seem to be in a rush to make a decision, it does feel like ASU is the leader in the clubhouse unless another program can make a big play. UConn and Duke have also been involved recently, but I continue to feel like the Sun Devils currently have the momentum,” Tipton wrote.

What lies ahead for Randy Bennett, Arizona State

Randy Bennett can look back on his 25 years at St. Mary’s and fell quite proud of his accomplishments there. He will hope to carry his success over to Arizona State, who haven’t been able to enjoy similar results in past seasons.

Bennett is coming off a 27-6 campaign with the Gaels this past season, which was the program’s fifth consecutive 20-win season. In that same frame, Arizona State was shaky as the Sun Devils went 17-16 overall, going 7-11 in its Big 12 matchups. This resulted in them letting go of head coach Bobby Hurley after 11 years.

The Sun Devils have reached March Madness three times in the last 10 years, last appearing in 2023. They hope for their first major run in the tournament since 1995 with Bennett in charge.

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