TEMPE, Ariz. — Randy Bennett on Thursday shed light on the health situation that delayed his start as Arizona State’s new men’s basketball coach for several weeks. Although Bennett did not disclose the exact details of his condition, he made clear it was serious and expressed appreciation for those involved in his recovery.
“Thank God for Mayo Clinic,” Bennett said. “I don’t know where I’d be without them.”
Arizona State hired Bennett on March 23, but the 63-year-old coach started feeling ill shortly after his arrival to the Phoenix area. After meeting with the team, Bennett left work early. The next morning a program trainer took him to Mayo Clinic, where he stayed for 10 days.
“Threw me off a little,” Bennett said at Thursday’s official introduction, nearly six weeks after the first event had been scheduled, which Bennett jokingly referred to as a “pump fake.”
“But the last thing I needed to be doing was stressing out about the (transfer) portal or the job,” said Bennett, crediting his staff for leading the transition in his absence. “But now I’m catching my stride and am able to work longer days. We’ve gotten a lot done in five weeks. I feel good now.”
This is a homecoming of sorts for Bennett. The son of legendary high school and junior college coach Tom Bennett, he grew up in nearby Mesa, Ariz., at a time when stars such as Lafayette Lever and Alton Lister had the Arizona State program rolling. Over 25 years at Saint Mary’s, where he led the Gaels to 12 NCAA Tournaments, Bennett said he always had Arizona State in the back of his mind as a future destination.
Bennett, who is known for his work ethic, said he did not consider retirement because of the health scare. He said it was a blessing that the Mayo staff caught the undisclosed issue early. Then he had to deal with the recovery process, which initially left him powerless to start rebuilding Arizona State’s roster.
“Hard,’’ Bennett said, describing the hospital stretch. “You just got this job. You want to get going. You want to start building. You feel a sense of urgency that you need to be in the office. But it just wasn’t going to happen. It was tough.”
Once Bennett returned to work, he joined his staff and helped rebuild the Sun Devils, which had missed six of the last seven NCAA Tournaments under previous coach Bobby Hurley. Among their portal additions: Saint Mary’s forward Paulius Murauskas (18.4 points per game in 2025-26), Portland guard Joel Foxwell (15.6), Boston University forward Ben Defty (15.1) and Saint Mary’s guard Dillan Shaw (7.5).
There are still issues to resolve. The Arizona Board of Regents in April approved Bennett’s contract, which starts at $3.5 million and runs five years. The Arizona Republic reported this week that Bennett had not signed it, but athletic director Graham Rossini said Thursday the parties were simply working through the “legal red lines” and suggested Bennett’s signature was simply a formality.
Rossini also said Bennett has no physical limitations the rest of the summer. However, Bennett admitted he needed to do a better job of taking care of himself.
“We’re resourced a lot better here,” he said. “I mean, this program is powerful. I think all that helps. I don’t want to say it’s easier — it’s definitely not easier because of the league (Big 12) you’re in — but it’s resourced better. And I think I can do a better job as far as managing my time and days.”
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