"This was a very competitive search and we had a number of very qualified candidates," stated Clapp. "Randy proved to be the best candidate, he is highly respected within the college coaching arena for his work ethic, professionalism and integrity. Along with a great knowledge of the game, Randy's considered one of the top recruiters on the West Coast. Randy will be a great addition to Saint Mary's College."
Bennett has extensive coaching experience in the West Region and specifically in the West Coast Conference. Fourteen of his 16 years as an assistant coach have been spent in the West Region, including 12 years at WCC schools Pepperdine and San Diego, and two years at the University of Idaho. During his career, Bennett has coached under such renowned head coaches as current Saint Louis head coach Lorenzo Romar, Chicago Bulls' head coach Tim Floyd (at Idaho), current San Diego head coach Brad Holland, and former San Diego head coach Hank Egan.
"There is no one more excited or happier than I am today," commented Bennett. "I have decided to lead this basketball program at a very exciting time for Saint Mary's Athletics and it's a great time to come on board. The people at Saint Mary's made the decision easy for me. The West Coast Conference excites me and I look forward bringing Saint Mary's back to the top of the WCC."
As a results of his considerable time spent in the WCC, Bennett also has excellent connections and experience in recruiting talent from the West Coast. This is evident by the 1997 Top-20 nationally ranked class that he and Romar recruited to Pepperdine, including such talented players as Brandon Armstrong and Kelvin Gibbs, both First Team All-WCC in 2001.
Bennett will assume the head coaching position at Saint Mary's following a two-year stint as the top-assistant men's basketball coach at Saint Louis University under Romar. In their first season, following a sub .500 campaign, the Billikens finished up the 1999-2000 season by winning the Conference USA Tournament with a win over #1 seeded Cincinatti and a berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Prior to Saint Louis, Bennett worked with Romar at Pepperdine for three years, during which time they accumulated a record of 42-44 (.488), including an 11-win turn-around following their first season with the Waves. Pepperdine finished second in 1998 and 1999 and moved onto the the NIT following a 19-12 finish to the 1998-99 regular season.
At San Diego, Bennett helped guide the Toreros to a 122-102 overall record under head coaches Hank Egan and Brad Holland. From 1986-88 Bennett served as an assistant coach at Idaho, where he helped coach the Vandals to a 35-25 overall record under current Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd. The Vandals finished the 1988 season 19-11 and placed second in the Big Sky Conference.
