ASU men’s basketball is already trying to turn a chaotic reset into something real.
With Randy Bennett installed in late March and a roster rebuilt through transfers, the Sun Devils never got the luxury of a normal spring. That forced the new staff to spend the summer laying the groundwork instead. Now, with practice underway in the fall, the program is moving from roster construction to actual basketball.
“We didn't get a spring, so all we could do was take care of the summer.”
That was associate head coach Rick Croy’s plainspoken summary of how the first months of Bennett’s era unfolded. The early phase was all about getting new players into the building, introducing them to ASU and to one another, and then pushing them through fall conditioning before practice ramped up.
“We really enjoy competing together,” Croy said. “Everyone's in for the challenge. Not only the challenge of the Big 12, but the challenge of putting together a roster the way that we did and then attacking it with these guys and making it show up in real time.”
The group’s familiarity with one another has helped smooth things along. Several players already know how Bennett operates, and that matters when a staff is trying to install habits fast.
Dillan Shaw, a sophomore transfer from Saint Mary’s, has also been part of the transition by helping new teammates get comfortable with the system.
“Everyone wants to learn, everyone wants to get better, everyone wants to play,” Shaw said. “We are all in (under Bennett). We are all striving for the same goal.”
Croy pointed to Shaw and Paulius Murauskas as especially important additions, while also praising the veterans already on hand.
“We're pleased with how it came together. Having Paulius (Murauskas) and Dillan (Shaw) come over was key,” Croy said. “But our vets, from Emmanuel (Innocenti) to the guys who have experience, have really been key with their leadership.”
Bennett’s blueprint from 25 seasons at Saint Mary’s is familiar: size, defense, patience, and crisp movement on offense. Replicating that in Tempe is the next job, and Croy said the team is making progress without pretending it’s finished.
“We're getting there. We're kind of building continuity every day, and he's (Bennett) been one of the very best at building continuity every year,” Croy said. “So we realize it's a day-by-day process, but our guys have bought into that.”
That buy-in has shown up in practice, especially in the Maroon-Gold scrimmages at the ASU Weatherup Center. Croy said the competition has sharpened, with both sides pushing each other harder as the pieces start to fit together.
“In practice, Maroon, they were pretty good defensively,” Croy said. “It was tough for Gold, but now Gold comes in, and Coach (Bennett) moves the pieces around here and there, but it's a much better fight in practice every day. Iron sharpens iron, and the guys have done a good job of that, going toe-to-toe, scrapping, and really being physical.”
The adjustment for this roster goes beyond new terminology and new teammates. Most of the incoming transfers, with Marcus Vaughns the lone exception from LSU in the SEC, arrived from non-power conference programs. That means learning the Big 12 is part of the job, too.
“In this conference, you have to do what Coach (Bennett's) teams have done well over the years: you have to get a shot,” Croy said. “ There are a lot of teams in this conference that try to overwhelm you, and we're still learning. We're going to be learning every step of the way, and we're not even there yet.
ASU went 7-11 in the Big 12 in 2025 and has not finished with a winning conference record since 2022-2023, back in the PAC-12. Shaw said the goal inside the locker room goes well beyond just getting above .500.
“We all want to win. That's our main goal here.
We all want to compete for a Big 12 championship,” Shaw said. “That's our goal.
Everyone comes in with the same mindset. Everyone's here striving to get better and to win.
So that's just the easy mindset for all of us to work toward.”
The Sun Devils will get their first exhibition test on Oct. 25 against New Mexico before opening the regular season at home on Nov. 2 against East Tennessee State. For Croy, the expectation is simple: the energy has to carry over, and the fan base should be able to feel it.
“They (the fans) should be excited because our guys are excited,” Croy said. “They can feel the energy, and they want to reward this fan base with tremendous effort and consistency. So we're in lockstep with Sun Devil Nation, and we're looking forward to getting after it.”
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