Naming Potential Saint Mary's Targets for ASU's Randy Bennett

There's a high probability that the freshly minted Arizona State head coach will eventually target Saint Mary's players to come to Tempe.

March 9, 2026; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Saint Mary's Gaels forward Paulius Murauskas (23) dribbles the basketball against Santa Clara Broncos guard Christian Hammond (1) during the first half at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- A new era of Arizona State men's basketball has dawned.

Randy Bennett became the 18th head coach in program history on Monday when agreeing to a five-year deal - making the move from a 25-year stint at Saint Mary's to Tempe.

Dec 21, 2021; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Fans look on after the game between Florida A&M and Arizona State was canceled due to power issues at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The Arizona native now has much work cut out for him in the months ahead of the season opening in November - ASU on SI explores the possibility of the first-year head coach bringing players over from Moraga to the Valley below.

Paulius Murauskas

Murauskas is one of the most fruitful acquisitions that Bennett's secured from the international market.

The Lithuanian forward technically began his career under Tommy Lloyd at Arizona (potentially an interesting storyline) before moving on - ultimately going the mid-major route.

PAULIUS MURAUSKAS...RELENTLESS ON THE OFFENSIVE GLASS!#GaelsRise @WCChoops pic.twitter.com/LHxiYgbeYf

— Saint Mary's Hoops (@saintmaryshoops) March 10, 2026

The versatile 6'8" forward provided a bit of everything for the Gaels this season, including relentlessly crashing the offensive glass, providing serviceable floor-spacing, serving as a secondary playmaker at times, and averaging 18.4 PPG based around a well-distributed shot chart.

Ultimately, it feels like Murauskas would be a player that makes an immediate transition to power five basketball - and he would be an immediate culture fit under the guidance of a coach that he has become familiar with in recent years.

Joshua Dent

Dent is another soon-to-be junior (two years of eligibility remaining) that took a major step forward in year two with the Gaels.

The 6'3" point guard has an opportunity to continue advancing the foundation of ASU building a permanent footprint overseas.

Mar 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Saint Mary's (CA) Gaels guard Joshua Dent (7) dribbles the ball while Texas A&M Aggies forward Rashaun Agee (12) follows during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Dent shot 40.4% from three-point range on respectable volume, nearly 92% on free-throws, and averaged 5.6 assists per game - pacing the team. There's quite obviously a world in which Dent would be able to co-exist with potential Arizona State returnees such as Noah Meeusen and Vijay Wallace, which makes the potential acquisition of the Australian guard all the more intriguing.

Mikey Lewis

Lewis is a 6'3" guard and native of Oakland that spent the first two seasons of his career in Moraga. The soon-to-be junior has built up quite the career already - scoring 747 career points, and shooting 37.1% from three-point range over 68 games (33 starts) for the Gaels.

Lewis is comfortable in Bennett's system, has a prowess as a shooter that should translate to the next level, and has given the head coach very few reasons to not target him once the transfer portal opens.

Mar 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Saint Mary's (CA) Gaels guard Mikey Lewis (0) controls the ball during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images