One of them is the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Mark Few is one of four coaches that have been with their current school longer than Randy Bennett of the Saint Mary’s Gaels.
Saint Mary’s is the peanut butter to the Gonzaga jelly. To say these two programs have dominated the league would be an understatement. The Bulldogs and the Gaels have completely owned the conference for more than two decades.
From Assistant Coach to Gaels’ Leader
Bennett will open the new season at 63 years old. After a playing career at Mesa Community College and then UC San Diego, he started coaching in 1985-86 at San Diego. After a couple of stops as an assistant, including his final one at Saint Louis from 1999-2001, he was hired as the new head man in Moraga, California.
Since taking over at Saint Mary’s, he has won the West Coast Conference regular season six times and the conference tournament four times. It took him until 2010 to win the conference tournament and 2011 to capture the regular season crown.
Bennett’s Achievements and Program Growth
Bennett has 562 wins in his career, with 288 of them coming in West Coast Conference play. The Gaels have reached the NCAA Tournament four straight seasons, winning three games in March Madness during that span. Overall, the Gaels have reached the NCAA Tournament 11 times since Bennett’s arrival.
The Gaels reached the Sweet 16 in 2009-10 after going 28-6 in the regular season and 11-3 in conference action. Outside of the 2020-21 season, Saint Mary’s has finished first or second in the league every year since 2014-15.
Bennett signed a ten-year extension that runs out after the 2026-27 season. Over the years, he has been tied to other high-profile jobs such as California, Oregon State, Oregon, and Utah, but has remained loyal to the Gaels. It’s a program that plays in front of just 3,500 fans at the intimate University Credit Union Pavilion.
The 2025-26 Gaels: Discipline and Grit
The 2025-26 version of the Gaels opens on November 3 against St. Thomas-Minnesota. The team will not play a true road game until December 7, when they head to Davidson. That matchup, along with a tilt against Boise State on December 14 and a home clash with Northern Iowa on December 22, highlight their non-conference schedule.
When fans watch Randy Bennett’s teams, they see disciplined, methodical, and tough play. The 2025-26 squad appears to be built in that same mold, and as the season tips off, the Gaels once again look poised to challenge Gonzaga for West Coast Conference supremacy.