GREAT EXPECTATIONS - The Santa Clara Edition

"The Bucking Bronco"

TAKE A MOMENT...........

Now flashback to 2007.

"Kerry Keating named to replace Dick Davey as Santa Clara University Men's Basketball coach".

Dick was popular and had some great successes over the years - but the expectations of SCU Men's basketball were - well - modest at best.

This abrupt and messy change could only mean one thing.  The "U" was finally getting serious about Basketball. After all, his resume was impressive:  top recruiter, the coaching stint names marquee - Wake Forest, Seton Hall, Tulsa, Tennessee, and UCLA, won the NIT, been to two final 4's, and Catholic values - wow!  Fans began thinking, "watch out Gonzaga"!!

And the expectations grew bigger than Pinocchio's nose...

What if that's all it was, a coaching change, greater expectations on both sides, but little or nothing else.?

What if the new recruiting genius was handed the same set of rusty tools his predecessors were given? The tools would be equivalent in today's world to bringing a top 100 high school recruit to campus and walking him in to the old Seifert Gym.  Well, throw in a video coordinator and an academic assistant to help the players and don't change much else.  All the while, most teams in your league are putting in a whole new workbench and new tools.  Now - GO WIN THE WCC!!

What if he can't do the extra research and trips needed to find the next unknown Nash - since the top 100 is out of our reach with our current program?  What if there isn't, the up to $90,000 per game money needed to schedule higher quality home opponents?

I can go on and on with more what if's.  You get the idea.  Believe me,  I HATE excuses. There is only one thing I hate more - wasted opportunities...

Experts (which I am certainly not) will tell you success in Division 1 Men's Basketball breaks down to 3 things - the resources for recruiting, scheduling, and on court performance.  Find better players, who can compete against better teams which allows you to build a stronger schedule, that raises the reputation of your program that leads to a succession of better recruits, etc.

Think the Duke away game from last season.

NOW - Fast Forward to 2013...

Would your opinion change??

This is where we are.  Do I think we should have won more given the above?  Of course.  Would Kerry Keating say he'd like to have won more?  Absolutely.

There is ONE thing I know for sure...No one's EXPECTATIONS are being met....

And if they are, I'll meet you in Seifert Gym for a game of "horse".

Why Gonzaga Rules the WCC

"The Bucking Bronco"

When Mark Few took over the reigns of Gonzaga Men's Basketball in 1999, hardly anyone expected this to mean "Few-er" wins and WCC titles for the rest of the league.

After all, he had never been a head coach, never even played college basketball, and may have been the last man standing, after being hired as a graduate assistant by Dan Fitzgerald and staying on through the Dan Monson years.

Not exactly a recipe for success - but turns out he's making a meal out of the league.

Maybe Fitzgerald & Monson saw something in Mark that "few" others noticed - he doesn't settle for just good enough, he has his own vision and the drive to go after it.

He dismisses the concept of the good "mid major" program label that most of the WCC teams aspire to become. He blows it away.  Even back in the early days, he chafed at the notion that "don't bother recruiting kids who were good enough to play in the then, Pac 10.  His teams played with a huge "chip" on their shoulders.

Of course there were many other people as well as the University that assisted creating this juggernaut. But Few was certainly the driver.  He found Adam Morrison and parlayed the success to the top of the WCC and frequent flyer trips to the NCAA.

We've had many great players, most recently some guy named Steve Nash and parlayed it into.....

While SCU is trying to get to contending for WCC titles as a mid- major program, Few's thinking about leaving for a new, national stage league with names like Georgetown, Villanova, Marquette - you get the picture.

A seven figure salary and a double digit string of consecutive NCAA appearances, and oh by the way, a local hero gets you into those conversations.

Gonzaga and Mark Few made the most out of their opportunities - sounds like a Silicon Valley story - but.....Spokane?

Don't miss the great read below.

Click on the link below to an interesting New York Times piece from earlier in 2013.

The Rise of Gonzaga


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SCU President's Commission on Athletic's Report Due by Year's End

"The Bucking Bronco"

We love the Broncos.  We celebrate wins and agonize losses.  We WONDER:  why can't we contend with the WCC men's basketball kingpins?  Is it recruiting?  Coaching?  Facilities?  Academic admission policies?  Resources?  I mean, Spokane versus Silicon Valley and some of the best weather in the nation - really!

Maybe it's some of or all of the above.

The tom-toms were beating and Father Engh and the SCU leadership team heard them. This past June he established the President's Commission on Athletics.

Their Mission:  Study and Report

1. How can a stronger Intercollegiate program enhance our mission and vision?
2. To what extent would this increase our national and local reputation as a Jesuit and Catholic University?
3. What resources would be needed to "do it right"?
4. Can it be done without jeopardizing our compliance and academic standards?

This, potentially is VERY exciting news.  IF, we have the resolve to act and implement.  We're talking about contending in the WCC, striving for appearances on the national stage, hey - maybe even a big upset win or two.  This may be a "game" changer.  Not immediately - I know we are all impatient...

The makeup of the committee is impressive.  Not your usual "say yes" cast of characters. These people have real "cred".  They've seen it, done, it, financed it, and measured it - been there.

The committee bench-marked the WCC and other national programs (we are not talking Duke here) to find out how they've done it and how WE could do it.  Our own athletic program presented their "as is" case and what they felt would be needed to achieve better results.

It's too bad we are a bit late to the party - but I hope we just got on the invite list.

Our competitors have discovered that they can "monetize" athletics - particularly basketball and not lower any standards.  The PR and Brand exposure received on the national level is estimated to be a hundred million to duplicate - yes that's right, $100M.  Sold out games, TV contracts, corporate sponsors want in.  

In many cases, it also helps fund raising - leading to more yearly contributions and growing endowments.  Do applications to these schools rise?  They do - not in every case, but in a number of them.  Does this reputation help other sports - yes it can.  

The timetable goes down like this.  The report has been completed and due to Father Engh on December 15th.  Disseminated to the Board of Trustees for review and consideration at their February 14, 2014 meeting.

If the answer is go forward, changes will be necessary.  It will take more University budget commitment, fund raising, and most importantly, a plan with clear achievement measurements and accountability.  

More like the real world of Silicon Valley we live in.  

It's a fantastic opportunity....Do we have the vision and resolve?  The season ticket holders and other Bronco fans will be thinking about the possibilities every game...

SCU Bronco's 2013-14 Season & WCC Outlook

"The Bucking Bronco"

The Broncos are 4 games into the season with a record of 2-2, a good win against local rival San Jose State and a tough, but valuable road loss to Notre Dame in South Bend.

There are many ways to "rank" teams. I used the RPI indexes from the NCAA and an aggregate from the TeamRankings Group and ESPN.  Why does RPI matter?  Like it or not, RPI is a key stat ranking of a team's performance and strength of schedule used by the NCAA & NIT selection committees.  RPI is intended to rank teams relative to how a team is playing (wins) and who they are playing against.  

Here's two examples of how quickly RPI rankings change: 

As a result of the Broncos winning the CBI tournament at season's end 2012-13, they started this year with a preseason RPI ranking of 68.  Impressive.  After a 2-2 start, with one of the wins against a non-division 1 opponent, their overall RPI ranking is now 284.

St. Mary's RPI (9) is higher than both BYU (27) and Gonzaga (30) even though Gonzaga is nationally ranked.  St. Mary's hot 5-0 start were all home games' which pumps up their RPI.  

Ranking are only indicators - wins, and wins against quality teams matter most.  

SCU 2013-2014 Season Schedule and RPI Ranking Breakdown: As of 11/26

Season Outlook

The Broncos enter the season after graduating 4 productive and talented seniors.  2012-2013 without a doubt was Kerry's best overall team, his own recruited seniors leading the way to a CBI Championship.

The 2013-14 squad has 3 seniors, 6  juniors, and 5 freshman - and will usually start 2 seniors, 2 juniors, and 1 freshman.  Although you will hear the term "Diaper Dandies" to describe the team (a PR ploy), the Broncos are not a young team with 75% of the final 12 man roster upper classmen.  Expect 2 redshirts - Pugh, Ndumanya. The team has some depth, and some speed.  

Early areas of strength: Brandon Clark, Jared Brownridge, Julian Clarke, and Jalen Richard are finding their stroke.  Yannick Atanga and newcomer senior transfer, Jerry Brown have been active on the offensive boards and Robert Garrett has shown bursts of scoring and has 4 blocks in limited minutes. 

Areas to work on:   Defensive consistency: our opponents are out shooting and out rebounding us.  Offensive playmaking and penetration - our offensive sequences seem out of sync and we settle for 3-point shots late in the clock and have been challenged getting the ball inside to establish some scoring presence in the paint.  

Evan Roquemore's return to the lineup should help.

Projected Season Record:  Win 15,  Lose 16   Average Opponent RPI = 164

WCC Conference

The conference once again is top heavy with Gonzaga, St. Mary's and BYU expected to challenge for the title.  Upset pick:  BYU - big, deep, talented.  The middle of the conference is up for grabs with Pacific and San Diego early faves for 4th.  I think that both Portland and the Broncos can "surprise" the middle position
.  
To "surprise" the Broncos must shoot it great and find a way to defend the paint.  Atanga is a superb athlete and Garrett has some size.  McArthur is a bigger body, but plays a "small" 6'9". The "bigs" in the WCC are a combo of "bangers" and have solid post moves.  If opponents attack us in the paint - this leaves the kickout to an open three - potential double trouble.  

** Late breaking news:  Cody Doolin leaves USF.  Re-ranking will occur after week one in WCC.

WCC 2014 Conference Finish Predictions:  Source: TeamRankings 11/26

1. Gonzaga 
2. St. Mary's
3. BYU
4. San Francisco
5. Pacific
6. San Diego
7. Portland
8. Santa Clara
9. Loyola
10. Pepperdine

Projected Conference Record:  Win 7, Lose 11 Average Conference Opponent RPI = 136


Summary

The 2013-2014 Bronco's will need everything from their upper classmen as well as some "step up" from the freshmen.  Jared Brownridge is going to attract attention leaving Roquemore, J. Clarke, B. Clark, and Denzel Johnson with "looks" if we can make our passing work earlier in the clock.  Jerry Brown could be a nice "impact" player - with the speed and muscle to help in the middle and in the running game.

The Season ticket holders are looking for positive "momentum".  Will this be the year?

Missed Opportunity - SCU @ Notre Dame

"The Bucking Bronco"

Tonight is SCU vs Notre Dame at 6:00 PST.  Let's see - Notre Dame has been on the schedule for weeks...
Unless you can fly to South Bend - How will Bronco fans watch the game on ESPN3??

It's an online streaming channel - so you can see it on your "little" computer screen OR if you are lucky to have a Smart TV you can get it through your cable provider.

What a wasted opportunity to bring Bronco fans together to watch the game!  Maybe at a local bar or hey, at The Bistro or other room at Leavey??  Hello Bronco Bench?

Once, when SCU was playing in the CIT in 2010 fans met at a local Bar and enjoyed the camaraderie and game on a big screen..

We wonder why we don't get more BUZZ for our team - Here's one reason....


Best of Luck tonight SCU!!!



Fred Crary
Season Ticket Holder

Santa Clara Men's Basketball Snapshot 1950-2013

"The Bucking Bronco"

Many Bronco season ticket holders and loyal fans graduated from SCU during the 1960's through the 1990's.  There are TOO many great stories, games, players, and memories to include in one post.

Here's a quick 63 year recap and some stats:

Santa Clara was one of the top teams in the country and certainly a West Coast powerhouse during the 1950's through the early 1970's.  Known for marquee players and a bruising defense, when you played SCU, win or lose, you were in a dogfight.
The 1980's and 90's featured more "name" players, but our image on the national stage and after 1997 in league play began to fade.  
There were some huge wins, but our performance in the WCC was not only being challenged but overtaken in the late 1980's by Loyola and in the early 1990's by Pepperdine.  Then in 1993 Gonzaga, a newcomer to the league, won its first title. 
Santa Clara's last outright WCC title was in 1994-95 and we were co-champs in 1995-96 and 1996-97 - 16 years ago.....

After 1997, with a few interruptions from St. Mary's, it's been all Gonzaga in the WCC.

WCC Coaching and Post Season Statistics*  SCU in Chronological Order

Coach                           Seasons    W     L      PCT   WCC Titles  NCAA 's   NIT's

SCU

Bob Feerick   '50-62         12           77    43      .642           3               4

Dick Garibaldi  '62-'70       8            74    34      .685           3               3

Carroll Williams '70-'92      22         165  137     .546           0**            1         4

Dick Davey  '92-'07           15         122    88      .581           3              3         0

Kerry Keating   '08            6            33    52     .388            0              0         0***

Mark Few - Zags  '99       14         179   21      .895           11             14

Randy Bennett - SMC      12         117   55      .680            2               5        2

* Source: WCC record book
** Won WCC Tourney 1987

*** Won CIT.com in 2010 and CBI Tourney in 2012.  These are post season event for teams not selected to the NCAA and NIT fields. 


Why just focus on WCC results?  Day in and day out the surest way to get an NCAA invite is to win your league or league tournament. (The WCC tournament winner gets and automatic invite to the NCAA tourney.) 
Gonzaga's run in the WCC has elevated the program to national prominence and at the same time raised the visibility of WCC over the past 5 years. 
The addition of BYU and the return of Pacific makes the WCC a much stronger conference. Every WCC University has been investing to try to "step up" their program to compete with Gonzaga and St. Mary's.  

That's my brief history of where SCU has been and where we are entering 2013-14.  I hope you enjoyed the snapshot!

NEXT POST:  2013-14 EARLY GAMES RECAP AND SEASON OUTLOOK. 



Fred Crary
The Bucking Bronco 

The Bucking Bronco - Santa Clara University Men's Basketball Blog Launch!

"The Bucking Bronco"

Welcome to The Bucking Bronco - Santa Clara Men's Basketball Forum!   

This Blog is all about Santa Clara Men's basketball from the point of view of season ticket holders and other dedicated Bronco basketball fans.  You know, all the things we talk about in the stands that we want answers to. 

I'll cover everything about the team and program - where it's been and where it needs to go to be legitimate contenders for WCC titles and NCAA berths.  The coverage will be "real". I'll congratulate as well as criticize.

First, a few caveats:  I'll do my very best to get the "facts" right, but I'll make mistakes.
I'm not a grammatical wizard and the Blogger formatting platform is not very forgiving.

What Bronco Fans Want?

Many Bronco Season Ticket Holders and Fans hope, want and expect at least 3 things from Men's Basketball:

1.  Contend for WCC Titles
2.  Qualify for the NCAA Tournament on a regular basis
3.  Ensure our players graduate and represent the culture and spirit of the University, on and off the court

I know there are many others that could be added.

Let's start with # 3 first:  For the most part, we do this very well, except for a few hiccups.

Numbers 1 and 2:  need immediate attention.  We'll spend some time delving into those topics in the future.

Along the way, I welcome comments and suggestions. 

Now, enjoy the first Post:  SCU Men's Basketball Snapshot 1950 - 2013