Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett may be known for his ability to recruit Australian players, but he actually grew up in Mesa, AZ. He was born in the Phoenix suburb in 1962, attended Westwood High School, and even started his college playing career at Mesa Community.
Heading into his showdown with the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, Bennett took some time to reminisce on how the college basketball landscape in the state has changed since he was a youngster.
“I was around for (Fred) Snowden’s days when I was growing up,” Bennett started. “(The Wildcats) were actually pretty good then, and then they declined, and then Lute (Olson) came in, and I was friends with Brock Brunkhorst, he was one of his first recruits, and saw the thing go.