TEMPE - Randy Bennett’s first regular-season game on the Arizona State sideline came with the kind of entrance that makes a building shake. The lights dropped, flames burst upward and Sun Devils fans greeted him loudly at Desert Financial Arena. Bennett, though, kept his attention where it belonged: on East Tennessee State and the game unfolding in front of him.
That steady presence matched the way he handled the night itself. Bennett’s Sun Devils beat East Tennessee State 75-65, giving him a win in his ASU coaching debut and a clean start to a new stretch in a career that spent 25 seasons at Saint Mary’s. The Mesa Westwood High School graduate is back in Arizona, coaching the team he grew up following.
Getting to this point took more than a simple move across the country. Bennett accepted the job on March 23 after Bobby Hurley’s departure, then dealt with an undisclosed heart issue that kept him in the hospital at Mayo Clinic for 10 days and pushed his introductory press conference back to May 7.
Even with that interruption, he was on the bench Monday night, guiding a roster that looks nothing like the one from a year ago. Only two players returned from last season, which left Bennett with the task of teaching his approach while the group learns how to function together.
“The only way I can say it is, this means a lot to me,” he said.
The game itself showed both the promise and the rough edges of the early version of Bennett’s team. Arizona State led the entire second half, but East Tennessee State made things uncomfortable by trimming the margin to five midway through the period. Bennett noticed the stretch, and he liked the way his group handled it.
“What I was pleased with (was) composure,” Bennett said. “Because it was kind of ratty there for a while, and we were choppy on defense.”
His calm demeanor was the norm for most of the night, with assistants handling much of the in-game communication on offense. Bennett did show some fire on defense, though. He sprang up after a charge was drawn and stayed on his feet for several possessions after disagreeing with a foul called on Paulius Murauskas.
The offensive blueprint looked familiar to anyone who watched Bennett’s Saint Mary’s teams. His Gaels became known for defense, pace control and efficient offense, and that same structure was on display in Tempe.
ASU generated open looks but missed too many of them early, going 3-for-14 from 3-point range in the first half. The Sun Devils were better from deep after halftime, hitting 41.7% of their attempts in the second half.
They also took care of the ball better than the Buccaneers, finishing with 10 turnovers to East Tennessee State’s 13.
Joel Foxwell, the Portland transfer, was central to making the offense work. He finished with 15 points and five assists and spent much of the night navigating the pressure and blitzes coming from East Tennessee State’s defense. His role was simple in theory and demanding in practice: make fast decisions, keep teammates involved and create the best shot possible.
“Randy’s just giving me the opportunity to go out there, run the team and give the guys the best shot possible,” Foxwell said.
That extra-pass mentality showed up throughout the game, a reflection of Bennett’s long-held offensive principles. But the defensive standard still needs work, and Murauskas made that clear after following Bennett from Saint Mary’s to Arizona State.
“I don’t think we played great tonight,” Murauskas said. “I’m not satisfied with it, but it’s good that we grabbed the win. That’s the most important thing.”
Bennett arrives in Tempe with a track record that speaks for itself. At Saint Mary’s, he went 589-228 and reached the NCAA Tournament 12 times, including six appearances since 2019.
Now the challenge is different. The Big 12 is waiting, and Bennett knows the climb won’t happen overnight.
“We gotta play better,” Bennett said. “If you act right and play hard, I think people appreciate that. And we’ll do that, but we’re just not where we need to be yet, and we won’t be for a while.”
When the final horn sounded, the celebration around him was loud. Bennett stayed mostly reserved, as if he were already looking ahead to the next practice, the next game, the next step.
For Arizona State, the result was a season-opening win. For Bennett, it was the first page of a new chapter back home.
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