New ASU men's basketball coach makes long-awaited appearance

The new Arizona State men's basketball coach met with the media on Thursday, six weeks after being named as Bobby Hurley's successor and apologized for the delayed introduction.

"Sorry about the pump fake on the first one," Bennett said.

The first planned news conference was scrubbed due to what sounded like a serious issue that arose shortly after he arrived in the Valley. Longtime ASU athletic trainer John Anderson took him to the hospital the day after he arrived.

"Thank God for Mayo Clinic," Bennett said, addressing the health question. "Trainer picked me up at 5:30 a.m., took care of me.

"They caught it early. I feel a lot better. A little weak, just from being in the hospital, so there's a little comeback. A little confidence in what you can do."

Bennett, 63, said he was hospitalized for 10 days and was out of the office for two weeks recuperating. His first day back in the office was the day before the NCAA transfer portal opened. He credited his assistant coaches for their work while he was laid up, although it was frustrating not to be able to hit the ground running.

"Last thing I needed was stressing out about the portal or the job," he said. "I'm catching my stride now."

The new world of NCAA sports doesn't concern him too much, and he spoke highly of ASU athletic director Graham Rossini and the process. He called this his "dream job" and said that the fact that Rossini was leading the charge made the move all the more palatable.

"It's a different time in college sports," he said, "but it doesn't mean you can't do it the right way. (Rossini) gets it. I was impressed with the culture of the athletic department. The coaches cared about each other."

Nearly two dozen members of the media were on hand at Weatherup Center, along with returning player Bryce Ford and Bennett's full coaching staff. Several family members were on hand, as well, including father, Tom, a longtime coach at Mesa Community College, and son Chase, who will be part of the staff in some capacity.

ASU's decision came together quickly. Rossini said that while other candidates were considered, once the school saw that Bennett was as interested in the position as they were in him, the process came together quickly — so much so that he was named just a week after the Sun Devils season ended.

"We talked to a number of candidates and had a lot of people reach out to us," Rossini said. "Coach Bennett was always a top name on the list."

Bennett said every player on the current roster has eligibility beyond this season, and that this job had particular appeal. He said he has 12 players, three under the scholarship limit. He did meet with the players who were in town after he arrived, and said that while he would have loved to retain freshman center Massamba Diop, the school could not come up with the money he was asking for.

He said this is the only job he would have left his previous job for, and has had other opportunities come up in the past.

"People often asked would I ever leave Saint Mary's," he said. "I always thought it was a great job (but) I would say, there is one: ASU.

"A lot of it is the leadership. I grew up here, late '70s, '80s, ASU was the deal. The best players came here. You had to be the best of the best in Phoenix or Arizona to get an opportunity to go to ASU. That was my feeling on what ASU was. ...

"When Graham called me, it was an easy decision."

After speaking, Bennett was scheduled to go greet donors and season ticket holders.

Bennett hails from Mesa, so he remembers the school's better years and legendary players who were here when he was growing up.

Bennett has led the Saint Mary's program since the 2001-02 season and has established the school as a legitimate and well-respected West Coast power. He holds a record of 589-228 (.721) with a West Coast Conference mark of 304-99 (.754).

He has 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by a Sweet 16 showing in 2009-10, and is a seven-time West Coast Conference Coach of the Year. His teams have won seven regular-season titles and four conference tournaments.

Bennett added that the move of Gonzaga out of the West Coast Conference was a slight factor because that takes two Quad 1 games off Saint Mary's regular-season schedule, and those are getting harder to find, as are quality nonconference games. It made the timing for the move all the better.

He moves into deep waters in the Big 12, largely regarded as the best conference in college basketball. He says that was one of the attractions in bringing him back home.

"It is a tough job," he said. "It is a tough job because we're in the Big 12. I came here because I wanted to be part of that challenge. I want players that want to be part of the challenge."

Ford said he never thought about leaving and liked the vibe he got from Bennett right away.

"I like his vision of me and what I can do," said Ford, who is coming off hip surgery. "I'm a local kid, so I like his vision for this program. That really stood out to me. When I saw that he was one of the top candidates, I was excited. I could see myself playing for him. He knows how to build a winning culture."

Rossini added that Bennett has not actually signed a contract yet, but it was just a formality, and they were working through some "legal red lines."