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Randy Bennett is taking things slowly.
After making the move from Saint Mary’s following a 25-year career with the Gaels, Bennett, a Mesa native, has had to rebuild the entire roster from the ground up. Only two players, Bryce Ford and Vijay Wallace, remain from the Bobby Hurley era. The full roster hasn’t even arrived in Tempe — forward Ajak Nyuon and guard Jokubas Rudaitis are not with the team yet.
“This is our fourth week, and we made progress,” Bennett said to local media Tuesday, June 30. “We got to go a little slower because everybody's new, so we're starting from scratch, but we made good progress. It's a totally new team. It's all good, though. They're sharp guys, they're good guys, they have a good attitude.”
Junior forward Paulius Murauskas, a top-10 transfer, came over with Bennett from Saint Mary’s and headlines the new group of players in Tempe. Murauskas, coming in at 6 feet 8, is part of a concentrated movement by Bennett and his staff to beef up the size of the Sun Devils’ frontcourt.
All three centers at practice on Tuesday — Filip Malešević (7-3), Ben Defty (7-0) and Nate Garcia (7-0) — are at least 7 feet or taller.
“I don't think you can play small and get it done,” Bennett said. “We're trying to assemble a team that has guys that can play against other teams that are big. Look at most of those teams in the Final Four and playing at the top of this league.
“Arizona's a good example. They're big as heck this year. You have to have that. You don't have that, you’re going to get crushed on the boards and inside. That was one of our strategic pieces when we recruited. We have to get big.”
Helping with the transition for Bennett is the staff he has assembled, which has familiar faces such as associate head coach Joe Rahon. Tuesday’s practice, with the last portion opened to the media for viewing access for the first time since Bennett took over, was tightly run, with Rahon leading the way.
That’s one of the differences that Ford, a Scottsdale native and a Phoenix Pinnacle alum, has noticed from last year to this season.
“You can tell in practice how organized stuff is,” Ford said. “If something’s going to start at 3, it’s going to start at 3 on the dot. It’s been great. Just looking forward to more. Last year was a great culture, too. This year, I would just say we’re more connected, more on the line, on the dot.”
Wallace said the biggest change is that there’s “more emphasis on the fundamentals.”
It’s all part of the culture that Bennett is trying to establish after turning the tiny private school nestled in the San Francisco Bay Area into an NCAA Tournament mainstay, with 12 total appearances, including five straight.
“Building your foundation, your program, the right way,” Bennett said. “Get that laid down and that'll pay big dividends moving forward. The by-product of it will be wins. You're going to have to be tough. You're going to have to be a team. You have to have great attitudes. You've got to have a great work ethic. Those are givens, and we control those. Nobody else controls those.
"And that's kind of what these eight weeks are for, is build those blocks so that you can build a good foundation.”
This offseason has been about more than just basketball for Bennett.
Following a recent health scare immediately upon his arrival in Tempe, which required Bennett to be hospitalized for 10 days and delayed his introductory press conference for six weeks, Bennett is just happy to be out on the court.
“It's great to be back in the gym with the team,” Bennett said. “I'm good. I feel good. Normal. Feel real good.”
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, college and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at [email protected] or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Randy Bennett, ASU men's basketball debut their new look, foundation
Continue reading...
After making the move from Saint Mary’s following a 25-year career with the Gaels, Bennett, a Mesa native, has had to rebuild the entire roster from the ground up. Only two players, Bryce Ford and Vijay Wallace, remain from the Bobby Hurley era. The full roster hasn’t even arrived in Tempe — forward Ajak Nyuon and guard Jokubas Rudaitis are not with the team yet.
“This is our fourth week, and we made progress,” Bennett said to local media Tuesday, June 30. “We got to go a little slower because everybody's new, so we're starting from scratch, but we made good progress. It's a totally new team. It's all good, though. They're sharp guys, they're good guys, they have a good attitude.”
Junior forward Paulius Murauskas, a top-10 transfer, came over with Bennett from Saint Mary’s and headlines the new group of players in Tempe. Murauskas, coming in at 6 feet 8, is part of a concentrated movement by Bennett and his staff to beef up the size of the Sun Devils’ frontcourt.
All three centers at practice on Tuesday — Filip Malešević (7-3), Ben Defty (7-0) and Nate Garcia (7-0) — are at least 7 feet or taller.
“I don't think you can play small and get it done,” Bennett said. “We're trying to assemble a team that has guys that can play against other teams that are big. Look at most of those teams in the Final Four and playing at the top of this league.
“Arizona's a good example. They're big as heck this year. You have to have that. You don't have that, you’re going to get crushed on the boards and inside. That was one of our strategic pieces when we recruited. We have to get big.”
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Helping with the transition for Bennett is the staff he has assembled, which has familiar faces such as associate head coach Joe Rahon. Tuesday’s practice, with the last portion opened to the media for viewing access for the first time since Bennett took over, was tightly run, with Rahon leading the way.
That’s one of the differences that Ford, a Scottsdale native and a Phoenix Pinnacle alum, has noticed from last year to this season.
“You can tell in practice how organized stuff is,” Ford said. “If something’s going to start at 3, it’s going to start at 3 on the dot. It’s been great. Just looking forward to more. Last year was a great culture, too. This year, I would just say we’re more connected, more on the line, on the dot.”
Wallace said the biggest change is that there’s “more emphasis on the fundamentals.”
You must be registered for see images attach
It’s all part of the culture that Bennett is trying to establish after turning the tiny private school nestled in the San Francisco Bay Area into an NCAA Tournament mainstay, with 12 total appearances, including five straight.
“Building your foundation, your program, the right way,” Bennett said. “Get that laid down and that'll pay big dividends moving forward. The by-product of it will be wins. You're going to have to be tough. You're going to have to be a team. You have to have great attitudes. You've got to have a great work ethic. Those are givens, and we control those. Nobody else controls those.
"And that's kind of what these eight weeks are for, is build those blocks so that you can build a good foundation.”
This offseason has been about more than just basketball for Bennett.
Following a recent health scare immediately upon his arrival in Tempe, which required Bennett to be hospitalized for 10 days and delayed his introductory press conference for six weeks, Bennett is just happy to be out on the court.
“It's great to be back in the gym with the team,” Bennett said. “I'm good. I feel good. Normal. Feel real good.”
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, college and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at [email protected] or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Randy Bennett, ASU men's basketball debut their new look, foundation
Continue reading...
