With Randy Bennett gone, Saint Mary’s likely to take a step back

   Saint Mary’s College President Roger J. Thompson said there is something quite “fitting” and even “meaningful” around the hiring of new men’s basketball coach Mickey McConnell to replace Randy Bennett.

   “A legendary Gael stepping forward to lead the program built by his coach and mentor,” is how Thompson put it.
   Poetic yes, but will “meaning” lead to money, the kind of moola needed to keep the Gaels playing at the lofty level Bennett had led for the last quarter century?
   Frankly, in the dollar-driven and development-diminished new landscape of men’s college basketball, few are expecting even the popular golden boy McConnell to deliver the almost preposterous standard of winning – 18 straight seasons of 20-or-more victories and school-record five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances – the overachieving mid-major power has stamped year after year after year under Bennett, who last month accepted a five-year contract to lead Arizona State in the Big 12 conference.
   Not only has Bennett (589-228 record) scrammed, but arch-rival Gonzaga left the West Coast Conference for the Pac-12, leaving SMC without a vital “Quad 1” opponent to help them gain valuable points to reach the NCAA tourney.
   All of it points to a possible less desirable landing spot for potential SMC recruits. 
   As it is, three key members from last year’s 27-6 team that shared the WCC regular-season crown have reportedly entered the transfer portal:

•   All-WCC forward Paulius Murauskas, who averaged a team-best 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. 
•  Sophomore guard Mikey Lewis, the team’s second-leading scorer at 13.9 per game who made a team-most 68 three-pointers. 
•   Big man Andrew McKeever, a 7-2 post who led the team in rebounds (9.2 per game) while scoring at 8.2 per game. 

   In addition, according to multiple reports, four-star 2026 recruit, JRob Croy, a 6-6 combo guard from Riverside Poly who signed to Saint Mary’s on Nov. 12, has flipped and will join Bennett at Arizona State. (Under new NCAA rules, athletes who sign national letters of intent can now request release without penalty due to a head coaching change.)

   Despite all the upheaval, former players and colleagues in the program believe McConnell is the right man to weather the storm.
   The 37-year-old was a star guard for the Gaels from 2007 through 2011, earning the WCC’s Player of the Year award as a senior. According to reports, McConnell has met with all the returning players and has convinced Joshua Dent, another starting guard, to stay. 
   “Mickey is a phenomenal basketball mind and elite coach offensively,” said two-time SMC All-WCC guard Aidan Mahaney, who transferred to UConn as a junior in 2024-25 before transferring again last season to UC Santa Barbara, where he averaged 14.9 points and 2.7 assists per game, earning first-team All-Big West honors. “He’s young and will be able to connect with the guys as a former player. He’s all about the right things and is an elite competitor and communicator.
   “Obviously, he’ll have to navigate NIL, but he’s super likeable and should be great at that,” said Mahaney, who grew up in Moraga and was a star at Campolindo. “He’s a Saint Mary’s guy through and through. I can’t think of someone more fit to take the job.” 
   Former SMC associate head coach and current De La Salle-Concord head coach Marcus Schroeder agrees fully with Mahaney. He coached with McConnell during his 11 seasons in the program, starting in 2012. 
   “Mickey is going to do a great job,” Schroeder said. “He knows the entire landscape.” 
   But it’s not an easy one, warned Schroeder. Especially now where the Gaels are positioned. 
   “The conference changing is a really big deal,” Schroeder said. “It’s great for Saint Mary’s that now they’re the unquestioned team to beat in the conference with Gonzaga gone. But without a bunch of Quad 1 wins, just going 28-4 might not be good enough to make it to the tourney.” 
   The bigger challenge for McConnell and the Gaels is having enough NIL and revenue share money to attract and keep the top players. SMC Vice President of intercollegiate athletics Mike Matoso told reporters the school will up its revenue-sharing into men’s basketball by at least 40% next season.
   “There’s a third-party collective piece that is a big part of this equation,” Schroeder said. “You’re paying kids now, meaning coaches are more like GMs than player developers. They have to study spreadsheets as much as game film.” 
   Besides all those elements, perhaps McConnell’s biggest challenge is just replacing Bennett himself. The now 63-year-old took over the Gaels when they were in shambles, coming off a two-win season. He built a juggernaut.
   “I say it all the time, not just when I was there, but I truly believe Randy Bennett is the best college basketball coach in the country,” Schroeder said. “What he’s done and what he did there was nothing but extraordinary. I mean, he took over a program that had just won two games. Two games! He did it all the right way, with loyalty to his players, loyalty to his coaches. To continue to be that good for that long at the mid-major level is just unbelievable.” 
   “Coach Bennett helped make me who I am today as a player and a person. I’m forever in debt to him,” said Mahaney.
   “We couldn’t be more thankful and grateful for everything coach Bennett has done for Saint Mary’s,” added Matoso. “We have been in coordination with Randy for years on how to continue this success if he were to leave … 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.
   “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.”