The seventh-seeded Saint Mary’s Gaels fell 63-50 in the round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament to the tenth-seeded Texas A&M Aggies. Following the game, Gaels head coach Randy Bennett called out his players’ leadership and effort.
“I would say it’s more contributed to the immaturity of our team. And we’ve been battling that all year,” Bennett responded after being asked about the impact of his players feeling under the weather had on the way the game played out. There were reports that multiple members of the team were coming off battles with the flu.
“I just think we weren’t mature enough. Our leadership wasn’t mature enough. Some of our— you know, you want some of your best players to be your leaders. And just that was the biggest difference between this team and last year’s team, just our maturity,” Bennett continued.
Coaches being critical of their players is hardly anything new; just look to UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin. But at the collegiate level, it can really rub people the wrong way.
New York Times bestselling sportswriter Jeff Pearlman took exception to Bennett’s presser, deeming that the coach threw his players under the bus somewhat, sharing his feelings in a video posted to TikTok.
“I watched the St. Mary’s press conference after they lost yesterday to Texas A&M in a game where they didn’t play very well. And I sat there, and it was the worst coach press conference ever,” Pearlman said.
“Just stabbed his players one after another after another,” Pearlman continued. “So they didn’t step up. There was no leadership, blah, blah, blah. Took no accountability whatsoever. Just blame them in front of the media with two of them sitting next to him.”
“I did not like it at all. And there’s a— even when you lose, I know losing sucks, but there’s an element of class that’s required, especially from a veteran coach who’s been there for a long-ass time. Did not like it at all. Not at all,” Pearlman concluded.
@jeffpearlmanauthor St. Mary’s head coach is Randy Bennett. His March Madness press conference was shameful. #marchmadness #basketball #writersoftiktok #booktok #hoops ♬ original sound – Jeff Pearlman
It’s not the first time Pearlman has been critical, with former NBA star Matt Barnes sharing earlier this year that he feels the sportswriter tends to be overly negative. Bennett’s press conference doesn’t appear to have impacted his prospects much, with recent reports suggesting him as a prime candidate for the vacant Arizona State Sun Devils job.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.