It's official. ASU men's basketball assistant Tony Benford confirmed Monday that he's interested in the head coaching position at New Mexico State.
"Definitely," Benford said when asked if he would consider replacing 73-year-old Lou Henson, who retired Saturday because of health reasons. "I'm from there, and I've always had a great affinity for the state of New Mexico.
"We all aspire to be a head coach. I'm fortunate to be with a head coach [Rob Evans] who has taught me the ropes, how to run a program inside and out. If I get an opportunity, I'm all prepared for it."
Speculation is that New Mexico State Athletic Director McKinley Boston won't name a permanent replacement for Henson until after the season. New Mexico State assistant Tony Stubblefield has coached the Aggies to a 5-13 record in Henson's absence.
Evans, a New Mexico State graduate, called Benford, 40, a "viable candidate" for the job.
"If they don't contact him, I'm going to contact them," Evans said.
Benford played a major role in convincing junior forward Ike Diogu to choose ASU over several powerhouses, such as Connecticut, Kansas and Illinois.
As an assistant at New Mexico, Benford helped the Lobos land several top-flight recruits, including Charles Smith, Clayton Shields, Kenny Thomas and former Tempe Corona del Sol standout Lamont Long.
Thomas starts for the Philadelphia 76ers. Smith spent four years in the NBA with four different teams. Benford also recruited Puerto Rican Daniel Santiago, who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Former ASU assistant Russ Pennell said Benford's proven track record as a recruiter should put him near the top of the list for the New Mexico State job.
"He does an outstanding job of finding the talent and staying on top of it," said Pennell, who coached with Benford for six seasons at ASU. "He got on Ike early, and he established a good relationship with his high school coaches. When Ike's reputation got bigger, people started really noticing him, and we already had a pretty good foothold."
Phoenix Christian boys basketball coach Tom Kuyper, who serves as a color commentator on ASU's radio broadcasts, claims Benford has shown he's ready for the next level.
"When there are timeouts, he's so aware of what to do," Kuyper said. "He's instructing the whole time. He's constantly yelling out instructions."
If Benford takes over at New Mexico State, former ASU guard Brandon Goldman figures Benford will utilize athletic wings to adopt an up-tempo style similar to that used by Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson.
"He's known more for his recruiting than he is for his Xs and Os, but he's pretty solid in that, too," Goldman said.
Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@asu.edu.
