Randy Bennett explains why he finally left Saint Mary's for Arizona State

Jon Rothstein sits down with Arizona State's new head coach Randy Bennett. Randy explains why this was the right time to say yes to Arizona State, saying goodbye to Saint Mary's and what needs to be done to compete at a high level in Tempe.

0:00 Intro + Randy Bennett joins the show!
1:15 Would you leave Saint Mary’s for anywhere other than ASU?
1:30 When the Arizona State job felt like a possibility
3:25 Did losing Gonzaga to the Pac 12 impact the decision?
4:20 Advice to the incoming Saint Mary’s head coach
5:15 Would you ever go play at Saint Mary’s?
5:45 What was it like to finally say goodbye after 25 years?
7:05 Retaining talent in this climate at Saint Mary’s
9:00 Who taught Randy Bennett how to evaluate players
11:00 Getting Arizona State to the NCAA tournament every year
12:20 The realities of scheduling at a mid-major vs. high-major
14:20 Getting a high-major opportunity is a chance to go against the biggest coaches in the sport
16:35 Transfer portal vs. high school recruiting
19:00 Upgrades needed to get Arizona State in the top 25 consistently
20:45 First impressions of the roster
23:50 Coaching against Arizona for the first time
25:00 Randy’s coaching tree
26:40 One win and one loss that stick with Randy
29:15 Getting Arizona State to the tournament in year one

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