MORAGA, Calif. (AP) — Saint Mary's promoted associate head coach Mickey McConnell on Monday to the head coaching job after Randy Bennett left to take the job at Arizona State.
The move to hire McConnell came shortly after Bennett decided to leave Saint Mary's after a 25-year run when he turned a moribund program into one of the most consistent winners in college basketball.
“This was a difficult decision after calling Saint Mary’s home for so long and
building this program into a national contender each year,” Bennett said in a statement. “I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to lead Saint Mary’s and for all the special people in this community I’ve been able to work with over the years. This was truly my home away from home for so long and I will miss this place.”
McConnell, a former star player for the Gaels, will now have the task of keeping Saint Mary's performing at a high level after spending the past seven seasons as an assistant on Bennett's staff.
Bennett took over a 2-27 team in 2001 and build it into a powerhouse in the West Coast Conference. Bennett won a school record 589 games in 25 seasons, leading the Gaels to 12 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including five straight to end his tenure. Saint Mary's had a .750 win percentage over Bennett's last 22 seasons for the fourth-best mark in all of college basketball in that span.
“We have known for several years now that Mickey would be the perfect fit to lead our men’s basketball program and continue the success this program has achieved, while beginning a new and exciting era,” athletic director Mike Matoso said. “We couldn’t be more thankful and grateful for everything Coach Bennett has done for Saint Mary’s. We have been in coordination with Randy for years on how to continue this success if he were to leave. We have and will continue to fund and support this program at a very high level and provide all the resources for Mickey to succeed in this role.”
McConnell was part of the early success for Bennett at Saint Mary's, helping the team reach the Sweet 16 in 2010 and giving Bennett his first regular-season title in the West Coast Conference in 2011, when McConnell won conference player of the year as a senior.
“None of us would be in this position without Coach Bennett and all he has done over the years," McConnell said. "He took the program from 2-27 to five straight NCAA Tournaments and four straight league titles. Everything he has done has been to put the program first and get it onto the national stage. I can’t thank him enough for being such a strong leader and mentor to me.”
McConnell has been on Bennett's staff when the Gaels won at least a share of the last four WCC regular-season titles as Gonzaga's biggest rival in the conference. The Gaels now head into a future without Bennett and without Gonzaga as a conference measuring stick with the Bulldogs moving to the reconstituted Pac-12 next season.
Saint Mary's went 27-6 this past season, losing to Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last week.
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