Randy Bennett, 63, Lands Top-10 Transfer and Nobody in College Hoops Is Ready For It

Alright, listen up! You know the deal, it's always recruiting season in college basketball now, thanks to the transfer portal. These coaches, especially the new guys, are scrambling from day one to build their programs, and their entire season hinges on who they can snag. The Athletic just dropped their grades on how these new coaches are handling the portal, and let me tell you, some of these moves are absolutely wild. Forget building slowly, these guys are reshaping rosters overnight, and the stakes could not be higher!

The Veteran Shocks The System

Can we talk about Randy Bennett for a second? The guy's 63, a total legend at Saint Mary's, and he just blindsided everyone by taking the Arizona State job. Seriously, talk about a curveball! But if you know Bennett, you know ASU was always the gig he secretly wanted. And get this: he only has one major commit from the portal so far, but it's Paulius Murauskas, the No. 10 guy overall, coming straight from Bennett's old system at Saint Mary's! That's a statement. Bennett's known for recruiting Australia, now Lithuania, and Murauskas is the first big piece of that pipeline in Tempe. They also scooped up Emmanuel Innocenti, a forward who started at Gonzaga, and Joel Foxwell, who led the WCC in assists with 6.5 per game. Plus, Ben Defty from Boston University and Dillan Shaw, another one from Saint Mary's. Some might call the other transfers "underwhelming," but Bennett always makes magic with less. Don't be surprised when this crew starts messing with the Big 12. The Athletic gave him an A.

Building From Scratch, Or Keeping Your Own

Justin Gainey over at NC State, and this one's interesting. He gets credit for "recruiting" his own guy, Paul McNeil Jr., who was already there! In this portal era, keeping your talent is absolutely coaching. Gainey, an NC State alum, spent five years as a Tennessee assistant, so he knows the grind. He also brought in Christian Hammond, Kyle Evans who's a legit rim protector, and Preston Edmead. Gainey is betting big on guys who produced at mid and low-majors, trusting his system can elevate them. It's a bold play, and The Athletic also gave him an A.

Over at North Carolina, Michael Malone is easily one of the most intriguing hires this offseason. The guy has been out of college hoops for 25 years! But guess what? UNC's resources and allure still pull top talent. They grabbed Matt Able from NC State, Neoklis Avdalas from Virginia Tech (talk about upside!), and Terrence Brown who can absolutely score. The real question is whether Malone can get these guys to gel. They also had a couple of other commitments withdraw, but Cade Bennerman, who redshirted at Northwestern, is still expected. Grade: A-.

Jerrod Calhoun is heading to Cincinnati. He's building a foundation with guys who know him, bringing Adlan Elamin straight from Utah State. They also added guard Akai Fleming, who averaged 10.4 points for Georgia Tech, and Myles Colvin from Wake Forest, who put up 11.6 points in 27 minutes. Calhoun's a rising star, known for winning at least 19 games for five straight years and getting new rosters to click fast. These moves shape a season!

So yeah, the transfer portal isn't just a side gig, it's the whole ballgame for these new coaches. Every single one of these pickups, every single roster move, it's laying the groundwork for what we'll see on the court. Are these the guys who will lead their programs to glory? Will they crash and burn? We're about to find out, and you know we'll be watching every single dribble!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.