Photo by: SMC Athletics / Piper Westrom
MBB | Head Coach Randy Bennett Named As Finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award
3/5/2025 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BOSTON, Mass. — The recognitions keep on coming for Saint Mary's Men's Basketball Head Coach Randy Bennett, who has been named as one of the 20 finalists for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award. This is the second consecutive year that Coach Bennett has been named a finalist for this esteemed award.
The Jim Phelan Award is presented annually to the top head coach in division I college basketball and is named in honor of a legendary bow-tied coach who spent his entire head coaching career at Mount Saint Mary's University, where he won 830 games over a 49 year coaching career. The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com. The 2025 award will be announced in San Antonio, TX, site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship.
The winner of four straight WCC Coach of the Year honors, Saint Mary's Head Coach Randy Bennett had his work cut out for him at the start of this season, with the departure of six student-athletes (4 portal, 2 graduation), including three all-conference selectees. That said, he and his staff brought in four true freshmen and two transfer portal athletes, while mentoring players on last year's roster to make jumps into bigger roles on this year's squad. As such, the team finished the regular season with a 27-4 record, a 17-1 conference record (most wins and highest win percentage in conference play in program history), and their third straight WCC Regular Season Title, a new program record. After winning three of the five conference superlatives a year ago (Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year), the Gaels, under Bennett's tutelage, had all three of those winners repeat this year (Marciulionis, Saxen, Bennett respectively) while adding Paulius Murauskas (Newcomer of the Year) and Mikey Lewis (6th Man of the Year) to this year's roster. In total, the Gaels had five all-conference honorees this season, matching their total from a year ago.
Bennett will look to add to what has already been an illustrious 2024-25 resume as the Gaels will begin postseason play on Monday, March 10 with the WCC Semifinals.
#GaelsRise
The Jim Phelan Award is presented annually to the top head coach in division I college basketball and is named in honor of a legendary bow-tied coach who spent his entire head coaching career at Mount Saint Mary's University, where he won 830 games over a 49 year coaching career. The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com. The 2025 award will be announced in San Antonio, TX, site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship.
The winner of four straight WCC Coach of the Year honors, Saint Mary's Head Coach Randy Bennett had his work cut out for him at the start of this season, with the departure of six student-athletes (4 portal, 2 graduation), including three all-conference selectees. That said, he and his staff brought in four true freshmen and two transfer portal athletes, while mentoring players on last year's roster to make jumps into bigger roles on this year's squad. As such, the team finished the regular season with a 27-4 record, a 17-1 conference record (most wins and highest win percentage in conference play in program history), and their third straight WCC Regular Season Title, a new program record. After winning three of the five conference superlatives a year ago (Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year), the Gaels, under Bennett's tutelage, had all three of those winners repeat this year (Marciulionis, Saxen, Bennett respectively) while adding Paulius Murauskas (Newcomer of the Year) and Mikey Lewis (6th Man of the Year) to this year's roster. In total, the Gaels had five all-conference honorees this season, matching their total from a year ago.
Bennett will look to add to what has already been an illustrious 2024-25 resume as the Gaels will begin postseason play on Monday, March 10 with the WCC Semifinals.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
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