SCU Men's Basketball - Do We Need A Starter Kit?

 

The vibe before our home opener against the Eastern Washington Eagles was, "who are these guys?"  Must be another no name game.  Not exactly.  Eastern Washington's NET ranking is 197 (SCU 111) and returned three starters from an 18 win season.  They also had four 20 win seasons in the past six years; including eight straight winning seasons in The Big Sky Conference.  

It was a good test for our remade roster and we passed it, but not in the way that we expected.  It was the "newer" kids on the block that kept us in the game and made key plays in the second half to grind out the win.  Word has it that in our three European games, we started slowly, but came on in the second half of those to win two of the three contests.  Same report from our two scrimmages - slow start.  In this opener, slow turned into glacial; making 3 of 19 shots through the first 13 minutes.  Season ticket holders and fans were starting to shake their heads as to what's going on here?  So that's six slow game "starts".  Is this a harbinger for the season to come?  Not this game.

Carlos Marshall III, AKA  as "Chef" to his teammates lit the pilot light, scoring 10 of our next 12 points.  Sophomore Cameron Tongue kept the fire going with two corner threes and sophomore Brandin Podziemski (Podz) took over the last two minutes, scoring 9 points off two steals and a momentum shift dunk to give the Broncos a 6 point half time advantage.  

The second half was more of the same.  At times, we were both suffering and suffocating on defense.  Carlos Stewart (Los) and Brandin Podz were absolute thieves during the runs.  "Los" made two high wire hustle steals for layups and Podz picked off another five.  A nice change was that we "rebounded" from last seasons poor rebounding in this game, scraping 50 off the boards, with Parker Braun taking "offense" with 5 offensive rebounds that were big down the stretch to help close out the 12 point W.

Here's the thing:  The "newer" gang scored 70 of our 84 points!  Stewart in is his first full starting role had 20, Tongue, playing 14 minutes, came up big with 8, Marshall III had 12, and Podz had a monster game - 30 points, 5 steals, and 9 rebounds....Now that's a debut to remember!

As bad as it looked in the first 19 minutes, winning by 12 is a very good thing when you have more solid bench options as a coach than in years past.  The coaches will be trying lots of rotations to find which groups are most productive on the floor.  IMHO, this is both our strength and maybe Achilles' Heel in that too many slow starts make the odds of recovering to win more daunting.  

The thing I liked the most - no "head hanging".  Huge frustration combined with burning competitiveness.  A quality I love and has been missing in the past.  

The sample size is one.  Let's not get too optimistic or pessimistic.  

Georgia Southern presents more of the same on Thursday.  Also nicknamed the Eagles, they are experienced with six seniors or 5th year players and similar in size to Eastern Washington.   They were one of the best defensive teams in the Sun Belt Conference; giving up only 60 points and holding opponents under 40% shooting in their last 22 games.  

I'd love to see us get in the "startup" mentality of Silicon Valley and play well from start to finish.  I'll bring my jumper cables just in case!

SCU Men's Basketball - In the 2022 -2023 Season - It's All About the Quads

 

                                                                                                               

For season ticket holders and fans, last season was one to remember.  Another 20 win season ending with an NIT berth and arguably an injury and a blocked shot away from an at-large NCAA bid.  Witnessing the ascension of Jalen Williams from a promising freshman to an NBA lottery pick brought back reminders of what our program used to be and the possibilities of more success ahead.

For the Broncos in 2022-2023, and beyond, it's all about the quads.  Not as in quadriceps, but quad 1 and quad 2 NET ranking wins.  That's how teams get picked for post season NCAA and NIT bids.  Our coaches build schedules not just to try for 20 wins, but to play competition that offers the opportunity to get enough quad 1 and 2 wins.  These wins are against likely conference winners and teams that will be in the NCAA conversation. 

We all remember the St. Mary's snubs after 20+ win seasons, but too many of those wins were against a then weaker WCC and pre-season teams.  We're not going that route.  The WCC is much stronger now and our current schedule has about 13 teams in those top two quads.  We also have to avoid any quad 3 losses (defined as opponent rankings of 76-150 home, 101-200 neutral site, and 146-240 away games.)  

Our roster has been reloaded to take on the challenge.  We have five returnees who either started or played big minutes. With a roster that includes a grad transfer (Carlos Marshall), fifth year grad (Keshawn Justice), three seniors, four sophomores, and six freshman we have have a good blend of experience and young talent.  Coaches feel we will have more speed, height, depth, and should be able to shoot it at the level we did last year as one of the top scoring teams in the NCAA.

Here's a brief scouting report on our roster. 

Freshman

Brenton Knapper - 6'1, 170 lbs.  Redshirt Freshman.  Likely a point guard backup.  Has speed, can penetrate and is a good passer.  Good shooter, averaged 19.7 ppg in high school.  He's like Tahj Eaddy from the 2019-20 team. 

Kosy Akametu - 6'5, 210 lbs.  Coaches believe he is an under the radar prospect with lots of potential upside.  Mature body, athletic, and can shoot it, drive it, and finish at the rim. Averaged 19.6 ppg in high school.  

Jake Ensminger - 6'9, 205 lbs.  Good rebounder, rim protector, and can also shoot it from the wing and score in the post.  Has good speed and basketball I.Q.  

Christoph Tilly - 7'0, 225lbs.  Good shooter from the wing (57%) and can score inside (61%).  Will see minutes as a backup and complement to J. Bediako.  Strong rim protector.

Malachi Douyan - 6'3, 180 lbs and Brendan Yarusso 6'1, 160 lbs.  Will play important roles in practice and get court time depending on their expected improvement.

Sophomores

Brandin Podziemski - 6'5, 205 lbs  Elite scorer.  Has speed and great shooting range.  Played solid minutes during the European trip and led the team in scoring all three games.  

Carlos Stewart - 6'1, 185 lbs.  Expected starter at the point. The coaches look for more improvement from a good freshman season.  Physical player who can penetrate and finish at the rim like we witnessed last year with several "poster" dunks.

Jacob Holt -6'9, 235 lbs.  Missed a number of games last season with injuries.  Later in the season showed great promise as a rebounder, effective scorer, and shot blocker. 

Cameron Tongue - 6'7 220 lbs.  Excellent athlete.  Speed, strength, and physical defender.  Looking to improve in his second year in Coach Sendek's system.

Grad Transfer

Carlos Marshall - 6'6 205 lbs. Transfer from Tennessee.  Two time Ohio Valley All Conference selection.  Experienced.  Averaged 41% from three point line and had 18 double digit and five 20 point games at Tennessee.  Will be a key contributor in the rotation.

We return three seniors:  Parker Braun 6'10, 215 lbs, Jaden Bediako 6'10, 245 lbs, and Giordan Williams 6'4, 190 lbs who will help anchor this team throughout the season.  We know how good they are and we look for steady improvement.  

All in all, it adds up to a team with some horsepower and potential.  Five bigs at 6'9 - 7'0 and five others 6'5 - 6'7 that can be interchangeable parts on the perimeter.  According to the staff, there isn't much "drop off" in talent from top to bottom except in experience.  It's great for practices since that's how you earn court time.

Expected starters are Carlos Stewart at PG, Justice and Podziemski at the wings, Braun at the 4 position, and Bediako at center.  SCU had one of the most successful up-tempo points per possessions in the nation last year and you should expect no slowdown.  Having so many players who can rebound, run, and score in transition is what this coaching staff loves and will be our "go to." 

The other major emphasis this year is rebounding and to put up a more aggressive, physical defense.  We all saw the shortfalls in these areas last year.  Thin at center last year due to injuries made us undersized and rebounding difficult, particularly on the defensive boards.  We were not a consistently physical force on defense as well and spots of passive pick and roll defense cost us.  I'm so glad that Tommy Khuse of St. Mary's and Andrew Nemhard of the Zags are gone.  They were surgical against us.  IF, we can get the defense right, we'll be a tough out and in a lot of games.  We need to flex our "quads" here.  

In 11 days we'll get a firsthand look at what we have and what we can become in 2022-2023.  As Bronco season ticket holders and fans, we all want to see us max our "quads," including a quad with four letters - an NCAA invite!!

 

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - Is This a "Banner Year?"

 

                                                                                                                         

After a 33 year drought, the Broncos earned a selection into the NIT.  It was great to have them play in a post season tourney that starts with an "N". 

Is this a banner year both in both our season record and maybe hanging another banner in Leavey?  21-12 is the second 20 win season in three years, but I believe it would have been three in a row if not for the Covid shutdown in 2020-21.

The season included quality wins over NCAA tournament teams in Cal State Fullerton, TCU, and St. Mary's and some good wins over name programs like Stanford, Nevada, and BYU.  In addition to those, there were a lot of grinding out wins in the WCC over the lower half of the league, at home and on the road, that in the past, were games we lost.

All accomplished through Covid, key injuries, and a WCC schedule that had us playing our first six games in 17 days; four of which were against Gonzaga, St. Mary's, BYU, and USF.  Trial by fire.  IMHO, this turned out to be a benefit as we had to focus right away.  The 3-3 start was capped by a buzzer beater win over BYU that gave us confidence.  As a recap, the "predictors" pegged us finishing 6th or 7th in league, not third.  In reality, we were one better possession away at USF and at St. Mary's from taking second. 

As usual, it was a season that "could have been."  Our best inside-out player, Josip Vrankic, missed eight games with Mono.  In reality it was more like 11 games, as he had to get his game strength back.  Pretty sure we don't lose four games in that stretch with him healthy.  Then there were the "thud" games where we just couldn't make a shot against USF at Leavey, St. Mary's in the WCC semi-final, and Washington State in the NIT, shooting season lows at "prime time."  The above, except Washington, "could of" vaulted us into the Big Dance vs the NIT, shattering the ceiling from the 25 year put down of athletics from prior SCU administrations. 

We also needed better R & D.  Not research as in game planning, but execution as in "rebounding and defense."  We just had too much trouble guarding guards.  Bouyea and Shabazz from USF, Nemhard and Bolton from Gonzaga, and, above all, Kuhse from St. Mary's; who took us apart in the pick and roll time after time and saved them from two more losses to us.  Second chance points from opponents' offensive rebounds were like a nagging headache coming on just when you don't want them to. Through it all, our guys never gave up, which led to our fifth winning season in six years.  Progress.  

All in all, as season ticket holders and fans, it was fun to watch.  Upsets, thunder dunks, torrid shooting nights, and court storming from students were things we are not used to seeing.  The highs were very high which made the lows tougher to swallow - expectations. 

I'll call it a banner year as it generated the most buzz and interest in Santa Clara basketball during Coach Sendek's tenure.  Hoping this is a start of something bigger and not a one and done cameo.  Let's celebrate this being off the schneid with an NIT invite after a 33 year wait.  

Thanks to the Coaches and most of all, the players who showed us something to be proud of!  

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - WCC Tourney Brackets Released

 

                                                                                                          

It was a tough week for the Broncos needing to win two games to get a better seeding in the WCC tournament and it paid off with SCU earning the #3 seed.  

This is a great bracket for us.  The big unknown was how the league would seed based upon the conference records or a combination of league record plus KenPom rankings.  KenPom is a nationally followed MBB statistical cite used by the NCAA and NIT for selection purposes.  If you look into KenPom we are ranked well below St. Mary's, USF, and BYU.  With the St. Mary's win over Gonzaga last night, they certainly earned the # 2 seed and an NCAA tourney higher seed.

However, I was a bit surprised to see us seeded ahead of USF and BYU given some WCC bias.  We beat BYU and St. Mary's once and lost to USF twice.  USF split with BYU, lost twice to St. Mary's and had a bad loss to Portland at home.  My guess is our wins over BYU and St. Mary's and beating all the lower ranked WCC opponents got us the # 3 seed nod.  Our impressive win over Portland yesterday, who had won five straight and came in with a huge "chip" on their shoulder, was a late statement win.  

This opportunity for the Broncos is 25 years in the making and in the sixth year of Coach Sendek and his staff.  His second 20 win season in three years is a feat accomplished three times since about 1950!  The best run was the awesome Awtrey, Ogden, Eagleson nationally ranked group, who had 20+ wins three seasons in a row. 

 

Last night's win was a throwback to the epic showdowns we would have vs USF in 70's and 80's; except it was against Portland.  They came in sky high and mad as a hornet's nest after the cancellation of our game in Portland.  You could see and feel the coaches on both sides wanting a smackdown.  It turned into a trench warfare game as the officials lost control with the coaches by making both phantom calls and bludgeoning's left uncalled.  Portland Coach Legans seemed to lose his mind in joy over a monster dunk by Kristian Sjolund along the baseline in front the Broncos bench to go ahead by three points in the first half.  He got reality back with 10 minutes left in the second half when Josip Vrankic dished in transition to Jalen Williams who made an atmospheric level poster dunk over two Pilot players along the same baseline to put us up by 10 points.  The Pilots were "grounded" after that statement dunk.

Nothing is given in the WCC tournament. If we can get by our second round game versus most likely Portland or San Diego, we get another shot at St. Mary's and more importantly a shot at a post season tourney that starts with a "N."  

Credit this team and the coaches for playing through Covid, Mono, and injuries to get to this moment.

The oddsmakers in Las Vegas will have a tough time figuring out the Broncos.  I'm sure Randy Bennett wants another chance to beat the team that has been a thorn in his side on the way to post season tournaments.  For Bronco fans we don't want "what happens in Vegas, to stay in Vegas."  We want a trip to the "dance."  We'll have to break out the "Macarena" from 1996 and love doing it!!!

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - No "Hail Mary's" Needed

 

                                                                                                                       

It's been 18 years since the Broncos took out a nationally ranked team.  

The win this past Tuesday was no "Hail Mary."  Our last three wins against the Gael's going back to 2015 were decided by a total of four points.  In 2015, Jared Brownridge won it with a buzzer beater.  In 2019, Josip Vrankic won it with a put back in the final seconds and in 2021, Keshawn Justice blocked a Tommy Kuhse shot and sank a free throw to close it out.   

At Leavey on Tuesday, Randy Bennett's team had a plumbing problem.  It wasn't a water pipe that exploded, but it was P.J. "Pipes" that took advantage of leaky Gael transition defense burying three, 3 pointers that gave us a huge boost.  Josip Vrankic did damage at the end with two key layups and then Keshawn Justice got to Tommy Kuhse again, like he did in 2021, with a clutch steal.  Our 77 points were the most allowed this season by one of the best defenses in the NCAA.  

The crowd provided big adrenaline rushes fueled by plays made by this team; which they are not used to seeing.  The Pipes' 3's, along with a one step thunder dunk from the baseline by Carlos Stewart off an assist by Jalen Williams, ejected fans from their seats.  The second court storming by the students at the end should light a fire for Saturday's game against USF.  A solid total team win.  

It will take that type of performance and more to take down USF on Saturday.  Although St. Mary's beat USF in San Francisco, they were down by 23 points mid first half and by 17 at halftime and came back to win by two. 

USF features two outstanding guards, Shabazz and future NBA draft pick Bouyea.  Both are cat quick and can shoot it from anywhere, drive it and pass it.  They have a good big in 6'10" Massalski who can score from the low block and is a frequent find off their driving guards for layups.  They have two other shooting guards that are 41% and 45% from the 3 point area.  They are good enough defensively and are able to outshoot most opponents.  If we keep the ball moving, find, and trust our guys to take/make good shots, it should be fun to watch.

The road ahead gets tougher from here as we have three straight road games* vs LMU, Gonzaga, and Pepperdine.  We then host Portland February 26th, who just beat USF. 

It would be great to keep our run going and finish the league schedule in the top 4 to ensure a bye in the WCC tournament.  That would give the Vegas oddsmakers and some post season committees something to think about.

 

*Note:  The Monday February 14th game versus Portland has been cancelled.  

SCU Men's Basketball - Lost and Found

 

                                                                                                              

The Broncos may have had the most difficult schedule in their first six WCC games of any team.  Four of the first six games were against the top teams in the WCC.  A 2-4 start looked to be the best case.  What energy and confidence the Broncos may have lost against Gonzaga and St. Mary's, they found in the matchups versus San Diego, BYU, and USF to claw to a 3-3 record.

We started with a good road win at Pacific after a long Covid pause and then on to Gonzaga who put on a clinic in Spokane winning by 32.  The Broncos saw first hand how elite teams handle their business.  It's not just the five star caliber of their athletes - but a complete focus on the task at hand.  Their defense was stifling, their offensive showed us razor sharp passing to cutters going to the rim with a purpose, and an immediate recognition and capitalization of mismatches.  Although a blowout loss, I felt we "learned" something from it. 

We competed better at St. Mary's against IMHO, a team not as talented as ours, but they won the battle with experience and execution both on defense and offense.  It was a good potential "W" that got away. The St. Mary's game showed our team they can be in the conversation of the top three in the WCC and are not overmatched with exception of Gonzaga.   

This gained confidence played out in the USD and BYU victories.  San Diego was on a roll, having won three of their last four games including a close loss to BYU.  The overtime win tested our resolve and we answered the call holding USD scoreless the last 2:30 with P.J. Pipes draining two free throws to seal the deal.  

BYU came to Leavey with wins over both St. Mary's and at USF.  Their rep as a perennial 20 win program and their recent four straight win streak against us hung large like the banners in our rafters.  The game was close all the way until BYU blinked and we struck.  After a strange full court pass by BYU sailed out of bounds, P.J Pipes drilled a deep corner 3 pointer to cut the lead to one..  After trading baskets, with six seconds left, BYU missed a free throw and Jalen Williams made them pay by tear dropping a floater with a second to go for the game winner.  It was great to see the students rush the court to celebrate with the players, rather than heading for the exits after losing another close game.

That "MO" carried over at USF.  We stayed in it with key plays and good opportunities to win, but came up short 88-85.  

Our team has found through this stretch that there is more they can achieve.  We have the offensive tools to win bigger games.  We have to put up great effort not just against the best teams, but all opponents.  Let downs happen, witness BYU losing to Pacific two nights after losing to us.  We are not a tough, physical team, but we are resilient.   We don't quit.  The next step up for us is to learn to close out more games.  Both St. Mary's and USF closed us out by getting the ball to the right players at the right moment - purposeful, not random.   We have soring leaders but what the top teams have is a floor leader or two.  We need someone who sets the tone and gets our players on the same page at the right moments and picks the best option for us to score in tight games.  

We stand at 3-3 with ten league games remaining.  Three more against the top three - St. Mary's and USF both at Leavey and the other at Gonzaga.  Winning at least one of those and not having a letdown against the other seven teams would be huge.  This could get us to  a 21-10 record and no less than 5th in league.  In 5th, we get a first round bye in the WCC tournament and could see a rematch with St. Mary's in the second round.  We would love that!

We can't afford let downs.  Our offense can keep us in games but we need our defense and rebounding to step it up.  Our points allowed is a full 10 points higher per game and we are allowing our opponents 49% FG shooting, up 5% from pre-season.  We can make critical stops like we've done versus USD and BYU, but we need to lock down the easy pick and roll layups and offensive put backs.  

Tonight versus Pacific will be a test.  They're also coming off a big upset of BYU like ours two nights before.  These are the games we can struggle with, hopefully not tonight.  

IF, we can get to 21-10, what we have "lost" may have "found" us in the conversation for a post season NIT.  

SCU Men's Basketball - The Long and Short of It

 

                                                                                                                    

It's already been quite a season for the Broncos.  Since our first three games, we've been long on minutes and short on healthy bodies.  Our 10-5 record is a good start, but we were  "minutes" away from entering league at 12-3.   

The WCC season is a long one and recent indications are that it may turn out to be a short or shorter season for everyone.  The resurgence of COVID adds an ugly wild card to every roster.  Once a roster "bubble" is burst, it affects and can infect many others.  There will be more postponements in addition to this week and, my guess, eventual cancellations as we run deeper into the season and run out of make up times before the March WCC tourney in Las Vegas.  As of today, the plan is to start our WCC league play is against St. Mary's on January 6th at Leavey.

Let's hope for the best.

If there are no COVID cancellations, what could we expect from the Broncos this year in the WCC?  

The consensus of the predictors is SCU is likely to finish 7th or, with upside,  6th.   At the top is the perennial leader Gonzaga.  Even with landing the #1 recruit, Chet Holmgren, I don't think they are as good as last year's team.  They are still VERY GOOD and a top 5 national team.  Odds are for 16-0 in the WCC.  Upset possibilities - BYU, St. Mary's, or USF. 

The most interesting part of the WCC this year will be the battle for the 2, 3, and 4 spots in the standings.  Favorite:  BYU.  They have size, speed, and experience.  St. Mary's badly wants the # 2 spot back.  After an "off" year, they have everyone back, plus key transfers including Matthais Tass from USD, a big piece in their reload.  They have a very consistent offense and the #11 defense in the NCAA.  They hang tough.  I don't feel they are the most explosive or athletic team and that may be their downfall versus USF. 

USF has built a great roster in the transfer portal to go along with two outstanding guards; Bouyea and Shabazz.  They can do it all.  Score, defend, and make the right read to others who can score it.  That, along with a top 17 defense is a great combination.  They have all the tools to push BYU for the second spot.  

I see the Broncos at 9-7.  I'd love to have SCU prove everyone wrong and get to 10-6.  To do this, we have to have to go 5-1 vs LMU, USD, and Pepperdine and sweep Portland and Pacific.  All something we haven't done in the recent past.  To get to 10 wins, we'll have to pull off an upset against St. Mary's or get a win versus USF.  Doable, but hard.  

Our central issue is that we are "short" on "long" players; while the heart of the WCC isn't.  Josip is great and Braun a strong addition, but we need more horses coming out the corral.  Factor in that WCC coaches know SCU's game plan and they'll defend our strengths aggressively and make us win using our weaknesses.  Finishing at 10-6 with an upset as mentioned above will get us into the NIT conversation with a season record of 20-11.  In Las Vegas, we will need a semi-final appearance to make a stronger NIT case. 

Our best option to achieve the above is to maintain the 50% solution I mentioned several times before.  Shoot our way to 10 wins with at least a 50% FG percentage.  We most certainly won't rebound our way there.  In our 10 preseason wins, we shot 50% or better in 7 of those games.  Our lowest FG % was about 45%.   We CAN do it.  The tempo has to rev up, the ball has to be moving and finding teammates making crisp cuts to the rim to make it happen.

Shooting short of 50% could make it a long WCC season.

And that's the Long and Short of it...