Former Big 12 Coach on Arizona State: ‘They’ve Never Been Assertive Enough to be Great Program’
The Big 12 is still getting acquainted with its newest additions as Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah made the jump from the Pac-12 less than a week ago.
In that time, it’s become clear that one of the new additions has an administration problem. Arizona State fans have long been frustrated with the “what ifs,” as President Michael Crow and Athletic Director Ray Anderson have never really taken the necessary steps to get ASU to the next level.
That sentiment was echoed by former Baylor coach Phil Bennett in an interview with 365Sports on Wednesday.
“When I think of Arizona State, it’s an unbelievable place,” Bennett said. “Their fans are awesome. The setup is awesome – not so much with the administration.
“I don’t think that they really understand what was happening. It was obvious with Ray [Anderson’s] comment about Morgantown that they weren’t that jacked up about it, but really they left themselves no options. So, I wasn’t surprised. Dr. Crow’s been there 20+ years and they’ve never been assertive enough to be the great program that they could be.”
If the fans that follow the Sun Devils are saying it, and coaches at other programs are saying it, there’s got to be some truth to it, right?
The competition in the Big 12 will chew you up and spit you out, so holding the status quo in the Big 12 could end up leaving them in the cellar. Will that be enough to make some changes? I guess we will see.
