Santa Clara Men's Basketball - The "Test's" are Just Beginning

For Men's Basketball, instead of Ho - Ho - Ho, December so far has been Whoa - Whoa - Whoa!  

SCU quarter final exams may be over.  But, like you, I'm feeling downright testy...Irritable, cranky, cantankerous, grumpy.  Pick one.  We're not alone.  I'm sure the players and coaches feel the same way.  

As much as we’ve “learned" about the season outcome so far; the biggest tests are yet to come.

Of course, the most obvious test that lies ahead is our WCC schedule.  The other tests, although less visible, may be greater.

How so?

As season, ticket holders, fans, and alums our faith in the turnaround of our MBB program has gone from we're on the up and up to what's up?

The Athletic's administration is still on message, stampede ahead, but so far the season feels like a cattle drive.  Not much momentum and a good number of "strays" - late game losses to corral. 

I'm sure the coaching staff is pulling all nighters, cramming for the next test/game and doing intensive reviews to amp up the learning curve of their students - the players.  

You can see and hear the "testiness" on the sideline during games.  Coach Sendek has changed from his Yoda persona into a drill sergeant demanding more from his team.  The assistant coaches are now all standing up and shouting instructions on every possession.  The sense of urgency is palpable.  

This turnaround of MBB might be Coach Sendek's biggest test.

His reputation, prior results and record of post season appearances is enviable.  BUT, as we all know this is Santa Clara.  Where Athletics has been flat-lined, at least since Football was amputated in 1992 until now, when Fr. Engh and the Trustees decided to resuscitate the MBB program with adequate funding and the hiring of proven staff.  

Let's be real.  Recruiting at NC State and ASU is an order of magnitude easier than SCU.  Both of the above have had Athletics as a key University reputation driver for decades.  It's part of their fabric and culture.  

We have great history - but it's ancient.  I'm pretty sure today's top 150 high school prospects aren't blown away by what happened nearly 50 or even 20 years ago.  I'm not being a downer here.  Claradise is an incredible place, but to the NCAA basketball cognoscenti it's not on the radar.  

That said, our newcomers show strong potential that hasn't yet translated to the performance they can/will deliver.  Unlocking that potential is the toughest part of coaching.  What do you do when great practices don't result in great games?  Lots of soul searching and hard questions, that in the end rightly or not, fall on coaches.  It's intense.

It's not just on the coaches.  We are all being tested.  As season ticket holders, alums, and fans our support and resolve is facing severe examination.  The haunting of the past nine years of a name coach who faltered still lingers.  

Our desire for better runs DEEP. 

Senior University Administration and Athletic staff are steadfast in their commitment to national.  No second guessing.  This is a huge test for them; as more investment in MBB isn't yet showing it's promise.  

The hardest test of all:  Patience.  I don't have much and I know most of you don't.  I think that's a good thing.  But let's all push in the right direction - UP.   It's OK to be "testy" just realize we all want the same outcome - national.  

It's on the coaches to deliver on the floor and on us to deliver support in the stands.  I'm confident the coaches can pass their test.

Can we?

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SCU Men's Basketball - Can We "Weather" the Storm?

IMHO, our season so far has been the perfect storm.  Inferior teams dropping 3's late in the clock from everywhere like they're layups. Our shooting has been a disappointment so far; to say the least.  The better teams - Nevada, Idaho were just better...

Add to that, some of our veterans are off to a s-l-o-w start. 

The newcomers have talent, but the transition to D1 has been a huge learning curve.  Don't assume these guys come from high school programs with great coaching.  You can see it on the court, out of position on offense, and defense leads to breakdowns and mistakes.  Vrankic is the exception; he's been very good so far.

Add it up and that's what 3-5 looks like vs reasonable expectations of 5-3.  The road ahead gets harder:  Portland State, USC, Valpo, and San Jose State before league starts.

Going 2-2 in this stretch would be very good.  Portland State is very experienced and talented.  They are coached by former SCU assistant coach Barret Peery.  They've played much tougher competition.  Their two losses were to Duke and Butler.  Most recent wins were against Stanford and LMU.  You know for sure that Coach Peery would love to get a "W" against his mentor, Coach Sendek. 

USC was ranked as high as 7th before the loss on the road to SMU.  BTW, SMU also beat Arizona.  Valpo is 8-1, but hasn't played strong teams until their first loss last Thursday vs Purdue.

As for your questions about rotations and playing time.  Coach's criteria is straight up.  You perform in practice and you earn playing time.

Looking ahead to the next four games and the WCC, it won't be easy, but barring injuries, I think we can get to a .500 season, 15-15.  If the team gels, add an upset or two, 17-13 can be done.

Not horrible, given the start.

The recent move to put K.J. Feagin at the point is a subtle, but important move.  He can both shoot AND penetrate; opening the court for other shooters.  Case in point, Matt Hauser had his best game at the 2 guard spot, going 7-10 from 3pt.  Much needed.

Not everyone agrees, but I think we need to see what Coach can do when he has a roster of HIS recruits.  That's 3 recruiting seasons. I'm OK with being patient if he can deliver post season consistency like his prior stints - Miami, NC State, and ASU.

Enough blabbering.  Click the link below to read about our 2018 commits.  It's a headline you haven't seen about SCU MBB in a LONG time.  There are 18-20 Division 1 conferences and about 200 schools considered mid-majors.  A top 10 recruiting class should be good news. 

Santa Clara 2018 Recruiting Class
https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/ranking-the-10-best-mid-major-classes-of-the-2018-early-period

Coach has had an eye for finding talent that became game changers for his programs - Wally Sczcerbiak, Devin Davis, James Harden, and, our own, Julius Hodge.

Expectations are high.  There is viral impatience for success after 20+ years of mediocrity.   As painful/exciting it may be for this season, we need to give Coach Sendek's "process" time to work.

I can assure you, no one is more impatient than Coach Sendek and his staff.  We're all on the same page.  We just need to see that "page" include better players and post season tourney invites...

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