SCU Men's Basketball - It Was a Strong Weak

 

                                                                                                                   

While we have lot to be thankful for, the week of Thanksgiving was a tough week for the Broncos.  It was a reminder that our schedule has more quality opponents than in years past and each game is a battle.  

It was a strong weak.  Strong that we crushed TCU to go 5-0 and weak in that we were manhandled by both Fresno State and UC Irvine.  Playing three games in five days with a short roster was too tough to overcome.  Our starters averaged nearly 36 minutes in the last two games.  

Without Josip Vrankic and already short on bigs, we faced two teams with good big men and we paid the price. Our defense made a strong showing that kept us in both the Fresno State an UC Irvine games, but we just couldn't muster the "legs" to finish those games.  Shots that usually fall, didn't.  Ball movement stalled and assists were down.  Defense lapses happened as we tried to adjust.  Rebounds, our Achilles Heel so far this season, were difficult to come by.  We gave up 9 second chance points to Fresno and 16 to UC Irvine on 14 offensive rebounds.  

It didn't help that both FSU and UCI were slapper, scrappers.  Their active hands knocked away balls and shoved and held our guys trying to back door their overplaying our passing lanes.  When we did get penetration into the lane, their bigs were waiting to make shots around the rim hard to convert.

Both FSU and UCI used high ball screens to create several appealing scoring options.  Their quick guards were better at scraping our guys into their screens and creating switches and mismatches that were hard to handle.  We wound up with their guards on one of our bigs and one of our guards trying to stop their bigs rolling to the basket.  Their guards got good looks and when they missed, there was a 7' big in the paint rebounding against our guards for put backs. Tough to win those battles.

Despite al this, we had our chances to win both games; a credit to the will and fight in our team.  Their tired legs showed up late against UCI who had a 13-0 run to vaporize our 7 point lead with about four minutes to go.

The road ahead in pre-season is a mix of more very good teams and those we should handle.  However, with a short roster anything can happen.  

Hawaii presents another "big" challenge.  Ranked 197, they play 10 deep and everyone can score.  Their two bigs are 7'0 and 6'10" and are very efficient scoring inside or getting fouled.  They have four capable guards that can drive and dish.  Look for the same action with ball screens that we've seen and will see in all our games.  If we have another short roster situation tonight, this will be a tough W.  All in all, if we defend and move the ball on offense, I like our chances.   

Louisiana Tech from Conference USA comes to Leavey on Saturday with a 4-2 record.  Their two losses were against tough opponents, Alabama and NC State.  They are ranked in the top 100.  They are very good offensively led by 6'7"  275 lb Freshman Ken Lofton at 18 ppg.  We match up well in size, but one of their strengths is offensive rebounding.  Defensively they are just OK and that's our opportunity.  If we can score it as well as we did against Nevada and TCU and hold the line on offensive rebounds and second chance points, we can keep the Leavey advantage going with a W.

Should be exciting.  Hoping for a 2-0 finish this week with a strong 7-2 record and momentum moving forward.

SCU Men's Basketball - Are the Broncos The Dark Horse in The WCC?

 

                                                                                                   

Four games into the season, the Broncos are 4-0.  They ran a pre-season Mountain West Conference contender and frequent NCAA level team in Nevada out of the Gym and made the Cal Poly Mustangs look like a bunch of ponies in a 30 point drubbing.

Nevada was a bona fide solid win.  Witness one of the better second halves played by a Bronco squad under Coach Sendek.  It was a heady, forget about we aren't rebounding, we'll just outscore you, run up with 96 points.  Fun to watch.   

The Cal Poly game was reminiscent of prior seasons where slow starts, poor shooting, and defensive lapses kept weaker opponents in the game.  With Josip Vrankic sidelined against Cal Poly and scoring only 4 points against Nevada we still won both with blowouts.  The difference so far this season is that this team just plays on and has belief in each other they will recover and win.  Witness some of the in game runs like the 25-3 run against Nevada.  

The horses are off to a fast start, but it's a long race.  Our eleven remaining non-conference schedule is a blend of six teams ranked near or above us (88) and five a distance lower.  Our next two games are on the road at the SoCal Challenge and will be a good "mid-term" exam versus TCU (64) and, the always tough, Fresno State (128).  

TCU, from the Big 12, presents a good challenge for the Broncos.  They have average size, good speed, and experience starting two Sophomores, two Juniors, and a redshirt Senior.  They play nine deep with balanced success.  Cole Despie, a Bellarmine grad, is on their roster.  They are 3-0 against teams all ranked over 200.  IF we play at the level we did versus Stanford and Nevada, we have a very good chance to win.

Fresno State is our second Big West opponent.  This will be an interesting matchup.  They have a 7' Junior center who averages about 20 ppg and is getting pro scouts' attention.  He is a big presence; scoring and yanking down offensive rebounds.  The Bulldogs are 3-0, but two of those wins are versus Division 2 schools and the other against a 283 ranked opponent. Expect them to pound it inside.  Sounds easy, but these can be trap games where we overlook a team who hasn't played against two top 90 ranked teams like we have. Winnable, but will tell us about the resolve of this team being on the road.  

The other complication is we will be without Josip Vrankic again.  Still recovering from an illness; not Covid related.  His leadership, scoring, and passing will be sorely missed.  With Josip unable to play, perhaps expect more Zone.  He is our assist leader at 6.8 per game; most coming from the inside out to our shooters.  If we keep the ball moving and rebound we will be able to run and score in transition.  This should be enough to get the job done.

Getting these two wins would match our start to last year's Covid season at 6-0.  It would also put us in position to match the 2019-20 season 8-1 start; as we will come home to four straight at Leavey.

If we can pull this off in SoCal, "message sent" to our WCC opponents that SCU may not just be a Dark Horse, but the Horse to Ride and rise in the WCC!

 

SCU Men's Basketball - Tree Trimming

 

 

                                                                                                              

ICYMI, the first week of the Broncos 2021-2022 was very interesting.  After a whipsaw Covid  last season, fans were wondering what to expect from this team back at home in Leavey with people in the stands.  After week one, maybe we should expect more.

It was a "Full" week that finished with victories over the Fullerton Titans and doing some major "tree" trimming with a convincing win over Stanford.  I have to say, after opening night against Fullerton with a small crowd and a butterflies performance, season ticket holders walked away thinking - I don't know what to think?  

Friday versus Stanford provided some clues.  The crowd was there and into it.  Yes, a local team matchup, but there was a big contingent of Broncos on hand to muffle the Stanford fans.  It was a scene usually reserved for home games against the Zags or St. Mary's.  

Yes, it was Friday, but the SCU Student turnout, loud cheers and taunts was SO great.  Whether six-pack fueled or not, it got our team pumped.  We'll take that anytime!  But you know, the team earned it.  

Other than the Covid season, our team FG % for the past three years is around 45%.  With a small, two game sample size, we are shooting it at 58%.  Our points per game average is 86 versus 67 - huge.  The ball has been moving with 27 assists per game versus 15 in prior seasons. It's early, but good to see.  Some perspective: the Zags averaged nearly 56% FG shooting the entire last season!

We'd take that! 

If we are to continue to build on this early success, we need a major rebound in our rebounding.  We have been very poor rebounding the ball, giving up too many second chance points in the paint.  We've put up a pretty solid exterior D, forcing opponents deep into the shot clock in their possessions; only to have them grab an offensive rebound resulting in easy put backs wasting that effort.  Our roster doesn't have a plethora of bigs, so it will need to be a season long effort of five bodies blocking and crashing.

Tonight, against Nevada will be a stern test.  They are 63 in the Kenpom rankings.  They bring size and speed along with two 7' foot inside scorers, and a good complement of forwards and guards that can dish and score.  They lost to USD last week at home, but were without two top scorers who may be back in the lineup tonight.  SCU is ranked 106 in Kenpom, but that all goes out the window at tipoff. 

Friday against Cal Poly should be a more manageable matchup.  Similar in size, but they are always feisty against SCU and we can't have a let down.  Sort of a trap game...

Keys will be to rebound, push the ball up the court and keep the ball moving for good shots.  If we can put up the same effort near our first two starts, I like our chances for the week. 

Hopefully, we can get a crowd there to ignite more energy for our team.  So far they do seem more self motivated than in the past and trust their mates to pass it and make it.

Goal tonight is to send the Wolfpack away howling in the wind after a Bronco takedown.

SCU Men's Basketball - Will We Make a Move Up in 2021-22?

 

                                                                                         

With our schedule and roster in place, Bronco season ticket holders and fans are hoping - is this the season when we move up?  Currently, we are picked to finish 6th in the WCC.  Can we move up into the top three, and, dare I say it, a post season nod?

Our last NCAA appearance - 1996.  Last NIT - 1989.  You can do the math.  

During Coach Sendek's tenure we've done a lot of building.  A beautiful AEC, a full complement of staff in all key areas, and more consistent winning seasons.  It's been 20 years since the Broncos have had three winning seasons in a row.  Last time was under Dick Davey.  The foundation for long term success is there, but will we start to move up in 2021-22?  

For many SCU basketball fans it seems like a no brainer.  Flip the switch and we're national - right?  It's anything but that.  Not making excuses, but it's a daunting task to have a premier academic AND athletics institution.  Many think Gonzaga just rose to the top, when in reality, it took more than 20 years for them to "flip the switch" and make a post season tourney (1993 NIT) under Dan Fitzgerald.  

It was then that Gonzaga's administration had it's "ah ha" moment.  Men's basketball was their "all in" investment to raise their reputation nationally.  Credit them.  SCU was defunding athletics during the same period and the rest is history.  SCU woke up in 2015 when the Commission on Athletics' discovered what Gonzaga had long ago figured out - where the "Benjamins" are.   

The words Renee Baumgartner and Coach Sendek use to describe the new AEC is "game changer".   A no compromise facility to rival any top 20 program.  Click the link below to see videos of what facilities Villanova offers their athletes.  Now, we do as well.

Villanova Men's Basketball Facilities : Fast forward to the 3:00 mark to see the weight room

Villanova Basketball

At SCU, gone are are the days of two treadmills, old weight racks, and two metal whirlpools for all our athletes to use, hidden under, as Coach puts it, the "catacombs" underneath Leavey.  Obviously, this was not a stop for many recruits considering Santa Clara.  Now the AEC is the first stop.  If you haven't seen it - very impressive...

But will moving into the AEC move us up?  

In reality, it's a new start five years in the making.  Our Coaches can now actively recruit better prospects who are looking at major conferences.  One example of a recent committed recruit is Carlos Stewart - the number 1 ranked high school player in Louisiana...On many top school's radar.  

While that's great, a bigger opportunity may be in transfers that now, according to NCAA rules, can transfer one time to another school without sitting out a season.  We picked up P.J. Pipes and 6-10 Parker Braun using the new rule.  Both should make an impact this season. 

So, can we move up this season?  Our roster is perhaps our best blend of experience and youth.  We return about 70% of our scoring in the six veterans.  With Pipes and Braun who have experience and several talented Freshmen and the potential is there.  Ten of our fifteen pre-season games are at Leavey.  That should help getting us some good wins before league.  

The time to start a move up is now and there couldn't be better way to show payback for the AEC.  As fans, we need to see a move up or some may decide to move on.

Building the foundation for long term success is smart, but takes years.  Accelerating the build takes winning.  Not just the easy games everyone schedules, but a few upsets that are wake up calls to our opponents and, more importantly, recruits. They want instant gratification just like season ticket holders.  

It's time to get moving.  This needs to be a season where our team's "moves" on the court, moves us up into a higher tier; the top 3 in the WCC.