Just one day after arriving in Tempe on March 24 as ASU men's basketball's new head coach, Randy Bennett felt unwell.
An introductory press conference scheduled for the following day was postponed to a later date as Bennett recovered.
In a press release from Sun Devil Athletics earlier today, Bennett issued a health update.
"Last week, when I arrived in Arizona, a health situation surfaced that I'm working through right now," Bennett said per SDA. "I'm in good hands, we feel good about the plan, and I'm incredibly appreciative of the care I've received from the team at Mayo Clinic. Everything is under control, and I will be back at full strength very soon."
Specifics on Bennett's illness were not revealed in the release, but the addition of associate head coaches Rick Croy and Joe Rahon was announced.
"What I want people to know is that nothing about our momentum has changed," Bennett said per SDA. "We are moving forward, and I am excited to announce two of our associate head coaches, a duo I have a ton of trust in and who truly want to be at ASU. They both bring great experience, strong relationships, and real energy as our program continues to grow. I am very confident in where we are going and how this initial group of coaches is coming together."
Croy spent 13 seasons as the head coach at Cal Baptist University and is the winningest coach in program history with 275 wins. This past season, Cal Baptist won a school-record 25 games under Croy's leadership and was a No. 13 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Before taking over at Cal Baptist, Croy was Bennett's lead assistant for three years at Saint Mary's. Croy's hiring comes less than a week after his son, four-star guard prospect JRob Croy, flipped his commitment from Saint Mary's to ASU.
Rahon's history with Bennett is far more recent. The 32-year-old was an assistant and associate head coach under Bennett for the last five seasons, all of which have ended with March Madness berths for the Gaels.
Rahon also played under Bennett at Saint Mary's in 2016 and 2017, where he was a two-time First Team All-WCC and WCC Defensive Player of the Year as a senior.
According to the release, the rest of Bennett's coaching staff is set to be announced at a later date.
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Senna James and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at pvallur2@asu.edu and follow @PrathamValluri on X.
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Pratham Valluri is a sports reporter at The State Press. He is a junior majoring in sports journalism with business and data analytics minors. He’s in his 5th semester with The State Press working previously as an opinion writer.
