Know The Devils: Meet Randy Bennett's Inaugural Sun Devil Squad Ahead Of ASU's Season Opener

The wait is finally over.

As the Sun Devils look forward to their 2026-27 season opener against East Tennessee State, new head coach Randy Bennett has pulled talent from many different places to come together in Tempe. On the roster, there are nine foreign players, eight Division I transfers (including two following Bennett from St. Mary's), and just one Arizona native (Bennett already secured another into next year). Here's who he'll roll out Monday at Desert Financial Arena, in order of minutes played during the exhibition against New Mexico.

#11 Dillan Shaw (SO)

The first of two transfers from St. Mary's, Shaw is expected to take on a big role while staying with his head coach. Playing all 40 minutes against the Lobos, scoring 22 points and grabbing seven rebounds, he's already stepping into it.

During his Freshman season with the Gaels, he was an important piece of the lineup, beginning on the bench before starting 22 straight games to end the year, including in the NCAA tournament. Despite averaging just 7.5 ppg and 5.4 reb per game, he showed flashes of stepping into a top-scoring role already as he goes into his second season under Bennett.

Shaw was a top 100 recruit (89th) in the class of 2025, according to 24/7 Sports, and top 10 in the state of California. A native of Northridge, CA, and standing at six-foot-seven with a 7' wingspan, expect a lot out of No. 11 this year for the Sun Devils.

#5 Emmanuel Innocenti (SR)

Innocenti brings more tournament experience to a team looking to get back to the dance for the first time since 2023. A transfer from Gonzaga, he played in every game for the Bulldogs en route to a top-three seed. A versatile player with the ability to help on both sides of the ball and in the locker room as a veteran presence, Innocenti should step in as a starter for Bennett's team immediately.

With the Bulldogs, Innocenti played about 25 minutes a game, chipping in 6 PPG, about four rebounds and multiple assists and steals per game. He already showed more flashes of increasing his points-per-game number with Arizona State, as after scoring 10 or more just six times last season, Innocenti poured in 13 points on 10 shots against New Mexico.

Before Gonzaga, Innocenti began his college career at Tarleton State, where he was an All-WAC Freshman his first year and an All-WAC Defensive team member as a Sophomore. Hailing from Petit Badien, Ivory Coast, he will try to lead the Sun Devils back to the tournament.

#23 Paulius Murauskas (SR)

The second high-impact transfer following Randy Bennett over from Moraga, CA, Murauskas might be the number one player to watch wearing a Sun Devil uniform this year. Among other reasons, pouring in 31 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and knocking down 70% of your threes against a perennial NCAA tournament hopeful in New Mexico will do that.

The Lithuanian Murauskas brings a high level of play to Tempe, as one of the biggest transfer acquisitions available in the offseason. A multi-time All-WCC First Teamer, Murauskas is used to winning alongside Bennett, winning four out of every five games they played, and heading to the NCAA tournament in back-to-back years (five appearances in a row overall for Bennett). Coming off a career year, he increased essentially every statistic, putting up 18.6 ppg, 7.6 reb, and shooting 84% from the free-throw line. At 6'8, that shooting(along with the 7-for-10 from deep he showed in the exhibition) will be a driving force in everything Arizona State does this season.

Despite originally heading south to Tucson for his Freshman year, Murauskas has shed the navy and red in favor of maroon and gold. Expect a monster season for the preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.

#3 Joel Foxwell (SO)

The expected point guard for the Sun Devils in 2026-27, Foxwell showed off immense talent as a Freshman for Portland. Averaging over 15 ppg and 6.5 assists per game(which ranked 13th in the country for total assists), he was an All-WCC First Teamer, just the second Pilot to ever accomplish that feat as a Freshman. He also set the single-season record for assists for Portland.

The Melbourne, Australia native stands at just 6'1, but his ball movement will be critical for Randy Bennett's slower-paced offense. Foxwell also shot over 80% from the free throw line, and played nearly 36 minutes a game for Portland, starting every game. He could also be a key cog on the defensive end and in transition, averaging 1.5 steals per game.

A 4-star and near top 100 transfer in the country in this off-season, Foxwell was extremely under-recruited coming out of Australia. A 0-star prospect and receiving just one Division I offer (both according to 24/7 Sports), Foxwell has exploded on to the season, and will look to continue his ascension at the power conference level.

#14 Ben Defty (JR)

The starting Center for Arizona State in their exhibition against New Mexico, Defty stands at 7'1 and will likely be part of a rotation of bigs up front for the Sun Devils. A 3-star transfer coming from Boston University, he was an All-Patriot League 2nd Team member a season ago. Moving from a bench piece as a Freshman to a nightly starter last season for the Terriers, Defty used great efficiency to dominate the conference. Putting up more than 15 points a night on nearly 70% shooting from the field, he also grabbed 7 rebounds and blocked 1.7 shots a contest his Sophomore year.

Coming out of Berlin, Germany, but attending high school in Connecticut, Defty will head across the country to Tempe as another portal pickup for the Sun Devils.

#8 Johnathan Griman (SR)

One player who did not participate in the exhibition game was Griman, but after gaining eligibility, he is set to suit up for the Sun Devils. His role will remain to be seen, but at 6'11 and a wingspan of nearly 7'5, Griman could end up playing crucial frontcourt minutes. The Caracas, Venezuela, native followed his head coach to Tempe as well, but it wasn't with Randy Bennett.

Rick Croy, the former head coach at Cal-Baptist, has joined the Sun Devils in an associate head coaching role under Bennett and brought Griman along with him. Under Croy for the last three seasons, Griman's role grew from an end-of-the-bench piece to a key contributor in his Junior season. Playing in 31 games and starting 19, Griman played about 23 minutes a night for the eventual WAC champions. He's another incoming Sun Devil that brings NCAA tournament experience, where he had 6 pts and 5 reb in the Lancers first round matchup with Kansas.

Also playing internationally for his home nation of Venezuela, in the South American U18 Championships (which caused the eligibility snafu), Griman makes the move to Arizona State in his final season in search of another successful season.

#6 JRob Croy (FR)

Another player following associate head coach Rick Croy is his son, JRob. A 4-star recruit from Riverside, CA, and ranked just outside the top 100 players in the country, he may already play a role in the Sun Devils squad this season.

In the exhibition game against New Mexico, Croy played the role of the '6th man', playing 14 minutes off the bench, scoring five points and adding two rebounds and an assist.

With numerous others vying to mix into the rotation, the Sun Devils boast plenty of WCC and international talent across the roster. They open the season against ETSU at Desert Financial Arena tonight.

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