Santa Clara Men's Basketball - Game On!

Possibilities, potential, prognostications, premonitions, predictions and maybe throw in a prophecy or two.  Don't forget the pundits. The media and Twitterpaters constantly opine.  

I say, just play...Game on!

For the first time, in a long time, Santa Clara Men's Basketball is a trending topic.  People actually care.  Is this the season we come out of mothballs to show we're for real?  

Hold your horses.  

The media-sphere predicts "this is the year of St. Mary's" in the WCC.  Gonzaga and BYU battle for second, while USF and Santa Clara again race down the stretch to see who claims fourth.

It's all just a nothing burger, an "air-ball."

We think we are the only WCC school to amp up Men's Basketball.  No way.  Ever since Mark Few called out the bottom schools in the league - he lit a fuse that is stoking a "firestorm" of funding around the league to make him eat his words. 

Just Google what's happening at USF, Portland, Pacific, and, of course, Gonzaga is not standing pat. New name coaches, national level practice facilities and overt marketing to expand branding.  Sound familiar?

BTW, it's ironic that St. Mary's is the WCC favorite this year with facilities, that well, are modest at best.  They just win.

Let's play...Game on!

SCU fans and season ticket holders will get to see this coaching staff's first recruiting class.  We have something new.  More depth and, dare I say, more TALENT.  

The coaching staff's # 1 recruiting mantra - to be offered at SCU you must be able to shoot the basketball at a high level.  Some of you are saying "duh", but in the past we accepted projects and hoped for potential.  No more clankers.  

Expect a style of play that is up tempo, fueled by defense, opportunistic in transition, and agnostic as to "who" gets the shot.  News flash, we have shooters.  That's plural.  Pivot from "where's Jared" to there's K.J. or Hauser or Caruso or Vrankic or Healy or Turner and more.

So, Let's play...Game on!

Forget about all the "P" words above.  It's a baloney sandwich.

St. Mary's winning the WCC?  I think not.  BYU?  Lots of scoring punch and something to prove after they underestimated the competition coming back to the WCC.  The Zags?  I think Mark Few has a wry smile on his face right now; relishing the underdog tag when he knows he has some surprises on the roster.

The Broncos?  Depends on how quickly we "learn and improve" which is part of Coach Sendek's four pillars.  The coaching staff has tried to accelerate the learning with a recent scrimmage against Air Force and the exhibition against St. Vincent.  Air Force runs the Princeton offense which has constant motion, lots of backdoor cuts and requires defenses to make many "reads" off picks to stop it. 

Our exhibition against St. Vincent previewed our "go to" game plan.  Starters were K.J., Hauser, "E", Pugh and Caruso, the transfer from Princeton.  It was good to get some reps and see how Coach used the roster.  The team did OK in the blowout.  I have to say Caruso and Vrankic were fun to watch.  Caruso went for a working man's 18 points.  He's a grinder.  Vrankic made some deft passes in the zone from the free throw and baseline for layups and dunks.

  

K.J. looks healthy and stronger and contributed an easy 21 points.

My read.  We will win more.  How far can we go?  We'll see.  The team will be prepared and ready.  To quote the zen of Phil Jackson, "The most we can hope for is to create the best possible conditions for success then let go of the outcome."   

For us, as season ticket holders, fans, students and alums, we're not willing to just "let it go."  We're not looking for a trot.  We're looking for a Bronco in full gallop that leaves the "nag" image in the dust so we finally have something to "brag" about!

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