Saint Mary's hires Mickey McConnell to replace coach Randy Bennett, AP source says

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MORAGA, Calif. (AP) — Saint Mary's will promote associate head coach Mickey McConnell to the head coaching job after Randy Bennett left to take the job at Arizona State.

A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Monday that McConnell will be Bennett's replacement. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the school hadn't made an announcement.

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 can’t thank Randy enough for everything he has done for this program and the College,” athletic director Mike Matoso said. “He will be missed as a leader and coach, and has left us with a lasting legacy of excellence. Randy’s influence as the architect of building Saint Mary’s Basketball onto the national stage has provided an incredible foundation for on-going success.”

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.

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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