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Arizona State has its men's basketball coach. It's Randy Bennett, as many had predicted.
Now for the next questions: Who will Bennett bring in as assistant coaches, and what players might follow? Also, what will the current players on the ASU roster do now that a coach is in place?
Saint Mary's had just one senior on its roster, so several intriguing pieces might make good fits at ASU.
The leading scorer was 6-foot-8 junior forward Palius Murauskas, a native of Lithuania, who averaged 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds in his second season as a full-time starter, earning first team All-West Coast Conference honors. He averaged 12.1 points and 7.7 rebounds in 2024-25 as a sophomore.
Murauskas was a true freshman at Arizona in 2023-24, so a move back to the Big 12 would seem natural. You need athletes of good size to compete in the Big 12, and ASU did not have enough of them. This is one with starting experience, so he fits the bill in a lot of respects.
Saint Mary's second and third-leading scorers were both guards, and ASU graduates its lead guard in Moe Odum. Saint Mary's sophomore Joshua Dent led the team with 185 assists. That is only two fewer than Odum in the same number of games. Dent also averaged 13.2 points.
Saint Mary's had another sophomore guard in Mikey Lewis, who averaged 13.9 points, starting in the same backcourt.
ASU only had three players who exhausted their eligibility: Odum, forward Allen Mukeba, and guard Anthony "Pig" Johnson. Johnson previously played in community college as well as an NAIA school and is appealing to the NCAA to get another year.
As for the rest of the ASU roster, so far, sophomore forward Marcus Adams is the only player who is set to enter the transfer portal when it opens on April 7. Adams missed the last half of the season with a lower leg injury and was never really a factor.
It is also noteworthy that Bennett is represented by the same agency that represents ASU freshman center Massamba Diop, the player most ASU fans want to see return.
Bennett's lead assistant, Mickey McConnell, was named as his successor at that school, so he would not be making the move to Arizona alongside his longtime boss.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: With Randy Bennett at Arizona State, who else may follow
Continue reading...
Now for the next questions: Who will Bennett bring in as assistant coaches, and what players might follow? Also, what will the current players on the ASU roster do now that a coach is in place?
Saint Mary's had just one senior on its roster, so several intriguing pieces might make good fits at ASU.
The leading scorer was 6-foot-8 junior forward Palius Murauskas, a native of Lithuania, who averaged 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds in his second season as a full-time starter, earning first team All-West Coast Conference honors. He averaged 12.1 points and 7.7 rebounds in 2024-25 as a sophomore.
Murauskas was a true freshman at Arizona in 2023-24, so a move back to the Big 12 would seem natural. You need athletes of good size to compete in the Big 12, and ASU did not have enough of them. This is one with starting experience, so he fits the bill in a lot of respects.
Saint Mary's second and third-leading scorers were both guards, and ASU graduates its lead guard in Moe Odum. Saint Mary's sophomore Joshua Dent led the team with 185 assists. That is only two fewer than Odum in the same number of games. Dent also averaged 13.2 points.
Saint Mary's had another sophomore guard in Mikey Lewis, who averaged 13.9 points, starting in the same backcourt.
ASU only had three players who exhausted their eligibility: Odum, forward Allen Mukeba, and guard Anthony "Pig" Johnson. Johnson previously played in community college as well as an NAIA school and is appealing to the NCAA to get another year.
As for the rest of the ASU roster, so far, sophomore forward Marcus Adams is the only player who is set to enter the transfer portal when it opens on April 7. Adams missed the last half of the season with a lower leg injury and was never really a factor.
It is also noteworthy that Bennett is represented by the same agency that represents ASU freshman center Massamba Diop, the player most ASU fans want to see return.
Bennett's lead assistant, Mickey McConnell, was named as his successor at that school, so he would not be making the move to Arizona alongside his longtime boss.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: With Randy Bennett at Arizona State, who else may follow
Continue reading...
