Santa Clara Men's Basketball - Should We Expect Great Expectations?

 

                                                                                                                 

In 2013, SCU Athletic Director Dan Coonan declared with great enthusiasm a "new day" for Santa Clara Athletics when Fr. Michael Engh convened an elite panel to study and recommend the path forward for Athletics.  

In July 2014, the SCU Board of Trustees approved the President's Blue Ribbon Commission Plan for "national relevance" for Bronco Athletics and, in particular, Men's Basketball.  This became a piece of the SCU 2020 strategic plan.  The results for Men's Basketball during this seven year period was three winning seasons without any WCC titles, NIT or NCAA invites.  That's not national prominence.  The only National program was Women's Soccer with six NCAA appearances and, yes, a National Championship College Cup in 2020.

From 2021-2024 there was significant improvement in Men's Basketball.  Four consecutive winning seasons, three 20+ win seasons, two NBA first round draft picks, and two NIT invites.  Our NBA picks got us great national press and exposure; yet for all this improvement, we remain in 3rd and 4th place in the WCC.  

In January 2023, current President Julie Sullivan initiated the Impact 2030 strategic plan that mentions Women's Soccer and Men's Basketball as part of the "Belonging for all Broncos" strategic priority to engage and foster pride in our students.  This 2030 plan, I believe, will be the third time Men's Basketball is mentioned, but this plan is silent on the goal of national prominence.  

For Bronco season ticket holders and fans, we aren't sure if we're hoping for "third times a charm" or "playing the three card monte shell game?"  

No doubt, from 2020-2024, our athletics facilities and staff finally enjoyed the makeover  that the University academic areas have flourished from for the past 20 years.  But if you read the Impact 2030 recap of results from the 2020-2024 strategic plan under National Prominence, there is no mention of Athletics in the "University on the Rise" summary. 

We have been down this road before with Father Locatelli and Father Engh, and, now President Sullivan in addition to previous Athletic Directors Dan Coonan and Renee Baumgartner plus coaches Kerry Keating, Herb Sendek, and staff.  

It would be nice to see a set of Goals for Athletics and, in particular, Men's Basketball, that have specifics and accountability.  President Sullivan, The Trustees, and new A.D. Heather Owen are openly talking about and seem committed to rising another level to challenge Gonzaga and the other big five national Catholic Universities in Men's Basketball.  

It's a perfect time to "go for it" with NCAA sports and Men's Basketball becoming a free agent market - to go get more talent.  Find it and NIL it.  It works for Gonzaga, Creighton, Xavier, Villanova, and Marquette.  The thing is, many of our donors love having their names on a building.  How about a WCC championship or consistent NCAA invites instead?  That's unprecedented national PR exposure.  I love Rhodes Scholars, but I also love basketball All- Americans like we used to have.  Who gets more press for the University? 

Our coaches, while piling up consecutive 20 win seasons, come from conferences where four teams usually get NCAA invites due to the strength of the league competition.  Not the WCC.  Just not going to happen, unless you win the league or the conference tournament.  That's not going to change when Gonzaga bolts for the Pac 10 or 12 or whatever number of teams.  We will still have to deal with St.. Mary's, USF, and others that will challenge for that title and maybe only one NCAA ticket.

I think season ticket holders want either to be bold or fold.  Use this season of winning to build a war chest of what it takes to go to the next level.  We have the roster to make a statement this year.  

How?  Make the NCAA tournament this season.  Then, although the way above my pay grade, maybe SCU to the PAC 12 in 2026?  Sound crazy?  With Gonzaga moving to the PAC 12 they must have assurances the league will survive.  Washington State and Oregon State are moving from the WCC to the Pac 12 in 2026 as well.  

The upside is, it would help our scheduling with more selective non-conference games because the league competition would be much stronger.  It would signify a real commitment to this notion of rivaling Gonzaga and the other teams mentioned above.  Our coaches built their resumes in the PAC 12 type leagues, so it's not a foreign concept.  For recruiting, better players want better competition.  

The downside is we forego the possibility to win league titles or tournaments and qualify for NCAA's in a weakened WCC.  It's is definitely a cheaper solution.  The other risk is similar to our Achilles Heel of the past 30 years - money, commitment, and accountability.

If we want to be truly National, we need to earn it.  

If it all doesn't' work out, we can always go down to a level of recreational sports and continue to be a strong academic presence in Silicon Valley.

So, should we expect great expectations?  We hope so.  We would love to see the Broncos as a horse to ride into an NCAA tourney!

Next up.  My interview with our New Athletics Director - Heather Owen.

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - It's a Numbers Game

 

                                                                                                                   

AI - Artificial Intelligence is dominating media headlines as a definitive way to solve massive data intensive problems.  It's use in NCAA Men's Basketball will revolutionize the speed and insight provided to coaches stemming from analytics that capture every detail from every player and every possession.  

It's a numbers game that will become the basis of how "Money Ball" will take over college athletics.  Our new A.D. will have to integrate all the current best practices of traditional college athletics with the rapidly unfolding "money ball" world where the price tag of top talent just got a huge raise. 

Coaches, who for most of their careers, have relied on years of experience and judgement, now have added tools in building competitive rosters, scheduling, game planning, and in-game decisions based on actual situational statistical facts.  They'll need new tools, as the long standing model of recruiting young players and developing them like Jalen Williams has morphed into buy now, win now through the new free agency NCAA transfer portal.  

This is a pivotal year for the Broncos.  The petabytes of NCAA basketball analytics predict success when a team has a roster of returnees and transfers that played more than 60% of the previous season's minutes and teams that execute the "Four Factors" better than their opponents.  SCU's returning roster minutes - 76%.

The four factors in order of importance are: 

Effective FG% Efficiency:  A formula that combines a teams two and three point percentages.   Performance Weight:  40%, SCU 2025 National Rank:  90

Protecting the Ball:  Turnovers.  Performance Weight:  25%, SCU 2024 Rank:  277

Controlling the Boards:  Rebounding.  Performance Weight:  20%, SCU 2024 Rank:  18

Converting at the Line:  Free throw %.  Performance Weight: 15%,  SCU Rank: 215

Here are the projected numbers for the Broncos in 2024-2025.  The predictions are based upon the actual performances of every player on our current roster versus every team on our schedule and using every players total offensive and defensive possessions from last season.  These come from multiple sources.  

Current pre-season NCAA team rank 99.  Expected record 18-12.  WCC Season projection has us tied for 4th with USF.  Projected effective roster talent:  WCC, 7th.  Roster Experience rank:  WCC, 3rd.  Offensive efficiency rank: NCAA  90; WCC, 3rd.  Defensive efficiency rank:  NCAA, 112; WCC, 5th.  NCAA tournament chance:  Seeded 11%; Auto bid 6.4%; Total Odds 6.9%.

On Offense, we have two players ranked in the WCC top 20 - #18 and #20.  Gonzaga has six, USF with five, and St. Mary's five.

On defense, we have one player ranked in the top 10 in the WCC and two others top 20.  Gonzaga, St. Mary's and USF own the other 17 top spots. 

While projections are just data backed assumptions, it's clear we have work to do.  The data doesn't project roster improvement, just the value of the talent and returning roster minutes and experience.  How can our coaches get the maximum development and improvement from our players?  Can we adapt our system of play on offense and defense to unlock the talent that might be unique in this roster?  The top teams, Gonzaga and St. Mary's, are exceptional at creating mis-matches both on offense and defense that propel them to the number # 1 offense and top 20 defense.  

Identifying the improvements needed is easy.  Correcting them is much harder and a big hill to climb for the Broncos.  NCAA tournament level teams in the WCC and on our schedule average rank on offense was 41 and defense 40.  SCU was 107 and 134.  Their turnover rates average 10/game versus SCU at 13.  That amounts to about 100 possessions for the season at an SCU offensive point per possession rate of 109.8 or 110 more points.  I think we all know where we could have used those extra points.

In spite of the hill to climb, we are still in the mix for post season and with some upsets and no losses to 200 plus ranked teams an NCAA.   We're going to need to go full "Podziemski" mode this season - overlooked, underrated and come out of nowhere to impose our will on our opponents.  Post some "numbers" we can all be proud of and prove the prognosticators wrong!

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - Major Decisions

 

                                                                                                                     

The search for the next SCU Athletics Director should be nearing final interviews with an anticipated selection by September 1st.  Many positive things have happened under Renee Baumgartner, Coach Sendek, and staff in the past eight years.  

While all the upgrades have created a new foundation and successes in SCU Athletics and Men's Basketball, at the end of the day our MBB NCAA ranking has not materially changed since 2010.  We are still stuck in the middle at fourth and a few thirds in the WCC.  Our successive 20 wins seasons are a vast improvement in winning, but the level of competition has risen faster than our ability to claw our way out of the mid-major label and into serious NCAA invite consideration. 

Our new A.D. will have some "MAJOR" decisions to make as will our University Administration and Trustees if we are to compete on a level with the Zags and St. Mary's as well as other nationally established Catholic University brands.  Here's a short checklist of what the above schools are doing and what we need to do to rise to the next level.

The Roster:  Any analytics site that covers Men's Basketball will show that talent drives the results.  Talent arrives though several means.  It takes a keen recruiting eye, a network to access top level prospects in the portal and high schools along with Coaches who can develop talent and a team that can achieve NCAA level tourney results.   SCU talent has improved, but we have just one player with a performance rating in the top # 20 in the WCC at # 19.  The Zags have 6, St. Mary's 6, and USF 5 in the top 20.

Our Facilities are top 25 caliber.  Our reputation and visibility has grown with two first round NBA picks and the coaches who developed them.  It would be huge to have a top 25 team ranking to equal the level of our facilities.

NIL Money needs a Big boost and the new Santa Clara NIL exchange could help.  To successfully recruit skilled transfers and top level high school prospects, NIL money is the tie breaker and trump card SCU needs to have in its arsenal.  IF, we really aspire to play with the Zags we have to pay like the Zags.  To get us in the game, send your $4 million check to Santa Clara Men's Basketball.  

Improved Analytics in NCAA Men's Basketball has exploded; providing top level coaches with sound data driven insights into player performance by being able to review the outcome of every players' total season offensive and defense possessions and rank it versus any specific opponent, player, or other metric.  More on this next article.  Powerful.  

Student Engagement is the "in game" energizer for top 25 teams.  Their students are all in and fill arenas.  SCU student engagement has improved slightly, but is woefully behind our competition.  

Community Engagement is another area offering major benefits.  Our WCC competitors have figured out building a loyal, local fan base that supports their teams.  Winning, conference titles, and NCAA invites is the kindling to ignite local families to enjoy Division 1 competition. While we fill the stands with half time community dance teams, others fill them with paying season ticket holders.  

Marketing has improved somewhat during the past eight seasons.  Budgets are always a problem, but to season ticket holders it appears we act like a small program rather than plan events for what we want to become.  The Zags staffs are not just staff, they're program development and delivery managers.  "Kraziness in the Kennel" has achieved near "Burning Man" level type student and community support.  It's the kickoff event in Spokane.  At Midnight!  Rightfully, their success has inspired this, but maybe we should consider something bigger.  The pre-game Bistro in the AEC and the pre-season preview held in Leavey draw the same 50-75 die hard SCU Basketball fans - not 5,000.   

There are no easy solutions to the above, but it could be beneficial to lay out a new strategy.  Particularly, since this season we will have perhaps our most talented and experienced team in the Sendek era that has real potential to deliver another 20 wins and a post season invite.  We need a 3 point shot of adrenaline in our program.  

This is the season to make it happen!

                                                                                                                                

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - My Conversation With SCU President Dr. Julie Sullivan

 

                                                                                                                          

In March of 2022, the decision was made to hire Dr. Julie Sullivan as the 30th President of Santa Clara University.  The selection was notable for a number of reasons.  It broke the tradition of a Jesuit priest at the helm and the first woman to lead Santa Clara into the future.  

It was a bold move coming at one of the most critical junctures in SCU history;  developing the University strategy going forward following the Pandemic.  How would her past nine years experience at St. Thomas University, in Minnesota, translate to Silicon Valley to meet the challenges of maintaining and, more importantly, dramatically expand the national reputation of the University?

A key ingredient to me, besides her considerable credentials, was her leadership in making the decision to elevate St. Thomas Men's Basketball from NCAA Division 3 to Division 1.  BTW, this transition had never been done before in NCAA Men's Basketball.  The reasons for making the move stemmed from the desire to significantly raise the profile of the University.  Their team, the Tommie's had a 14 year run of trouncing every team in their league to the point where the league booted them out.   They are now thriving in Division 1.

The message is, we now have a President who firmly grasps the significance of success in Athletics and, particularly Men's Basketball, to building a national reputation.  A concept Gonzaga figured out 25 years ago.  Their stat line since 2000:  25 straight NCAA tournament invites, 22 outright or shared WCC titles, 9 straight NCAA Sweet 16 appearances, and, by the way, more than a tripling of their endowment.  Their 20/20 strategic plan that began in the year 2000 admits Men's Basketball saved Gonzaga from significant financial woes.  

Enough history.  As I said in my last column - The next A.D. hire will tell us all that we need to know re: Athletics and Men's Basketball.  Here's what President Sullivan had to say during our conversation.  

I shared with her two major things Season Ticket Holders, Alums, and Fans want to know about Men's Basketball.   They are: What NCAA teams match the competitive level are we seeking?  Will we have the backing of the Trustees and donors to fund this order of magnitude jump?  

She made an impression in her first four words, "Please, call me Julie."  No fluff.  Her command of the state of Santa Clara Athletics and Men's Basketball was evident.  She is keenly aware of the stranglehold that Gonzaga and SMC hold on the WCC and said "we're not where we need to be."  

When asked about the level and experience of the A.D. candidates we are targeting, she sent me the position description and highlighted the search committee members who plan to make a decision by the end of August.  BTW, there are strong people on the search committee who know Basketball.  In addition, the current slate of University Trustees has more members that believe Athletics and Men's Basketball needs to play a bigger role in growing the University's national profile.

She wasn't taking pot shots at Renee or Coach Sendek, rather stating we need to dethrone or compete at a level equal to Gonzaga; acknowledging their significant head start.  She was not reluctant to say we need to be at a similar competitive level as Xavier, Marquette, Villanova, Creighton, as well as Gonzaga.  Nor was there hedging that making NCAA tournaments often was the goal.  Given St. Thomas' unprecedented move from D3 to D1 and $150 million in infrastructure makeover money raised, what she and St. Thomas athletic director Dr. Phil Esten accomplished was remarkable.  Maybe he should be our next phone call?  

Athletics is already a significant number in the University budget, but with the recent NCAA lawsuit settlement and resulting changes in NIL, the budget will need to grow much larger.  As an example, estimates have Gonzaga Men's Basketball NIL money last season approaching $3 million.  SCU has made strides growing our NIL, but the strides will need to turn into leaps to get to the higher competitive level we seek. 

The new A.D. will report to her as part of the President's cabinet and will be given latitude to make the changes necessary if results to build SCU into a higher level national Brand fall short.  She is a believer in two other major fundamentals to expanding our Brand.  First, energizing the students is "hugely important."  Secondly, building community within SCU and Silicon Valley.  Both have been severely lacking as it relates to Men's Basketball.  Many of our current students have little clue of SCU athletics past or present.  Unless it's games versus St. Mary's, USF, or the Zags, other than the Rough Riders, Leavey is less than one-third full of it's 4,500 capacity.  This is not the case with the schools mentioned above located in smaller areas.  They sell out and are sources of pride to their surrounding communities. 

As Bronco Fans we've heard this before about achieving more success at higher levels.  Those plans fell short and needed a more sustained effort.  There's no doubt we are consistently winning more, but still idling in third in the WCC.  The media buzz from two first round draft picks and two NIT's has been so much better, but we still have a big hill to climb.  The biggest thing I took away from our call is President Sullivan's knowledge and conviction of the opportunities national success in Men's Basketball offers.  

I can't remember another President who's knowledge was even close.  There is a sincere, grounded, authenticity to the strategy and I'm hopeful there's immediate action once the A.D. is announced.  This is a potential monumental change with potentially monumental rewards.  Oh, and by the way, call her Julie!

Next up: What will need to change to approach this new competitive profile on Men's Basketball.

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - Now What?

   

                                                                                                                         

The hiring of Santa Clara's next Athletic Director will tell Bronco season ticket holders, fans, alums and students all they need to know about the trajectory and future of Athletics and, in particular, Men's Basketball.  

When Dr. Renee Baumgartner was hired nearly nine years ago as Santa Clara's Athletics Director, the selection was met with great optimism and skepticism.  Skeptics didn't feel she had the "creds" and optimists believed her past stops at bigger name schools and energy would help take Athletics, especially Men's Basketball, to another level.  

Renee's hiring came on the heels of the 2015 SCU President's Commission on Athletics which declared, among other goals, that it was their intent to achieve and maintain a National Reputation in Men's Basketball.  Her first major move was to hire Coach Herb Sendek as Men's Basketball coach who came from stints at N.C. State and Arizona State.  Again, the idea was to take us to another level to rival Gonzaga who has dominated the WCC for the past 25 years.

Fast forward to now.  Four recent 20 win seasons, two NIT's, and back to back NBA 1st round draft picks and we are definitely at another level; a winning level in Men's Basketball.  

The question has to be asked, is this the level we aspire to?  Can we build off the successes of Renee and Coach Sendek and become a legit "national" level program to match our national level facilities, or are we satisfied with winning and settling for third in the WCC and our "mid-major" label?  

Due to the changing NCAA landscape, this may be the biggest decision in Santa Clara history regarding Athletics that Dr. Sullivan and the Trustees will have to make.  In the past, the University has not compromised building out our Academic facilities or hiring the best Professorial talent.  IMHO, until recently, Athletics has not been a strategic part of the mission on the Mission campus.  

Other small religious based Universities figured out 25+ years ago that using Athletics and, in particular, Men's Basketball as a strategic weapon that built National recognition and Endowments that funded key aspects of their Academic and facility needs.  Witness the successes of Villanova, Marquette, Xavier, and of course, Gonzaga.

The challenge will only get more expensive and harder as transfer portals, NIL pay for play, and the recent $2.8 billion NCAA legal settlement with the Power Conferences will change the landscape of the NCAA.  You're talking about perhaps the most significant changes since Title IX was adopted in 1972.

We've been down this road before and punted until 2015-16.  

The choices and financials associated with becoming truly National are equally daunting.  One choice is to pack it in, go down to non-scholarship Division 3, like Chapman or Lewis and Clark, and have athletics be more like intercollegiate intramurals; an extracurricular activity at minimal cost.  BTW, there are more schools in Division 3, (434) than in Division 1, (352).   With the legal settlement mentioned above, this will be an option as the cost of Division 1 will rise dramatically as athletes will have to be compensated by the Universities and/or NIL corporate contracts.  

Another choice is to invest.  Make the commitment to actually become national rather than just buzz words.  Why settle for mid-level in Men's Basketball?  The optics and financial payoff of success are enormous.  

Even with the recent improvements, much will need to change.  First, and foremost, is hiring a "been there, done that" Athletics Director who has the mandate and funding from the Trustees to get to National.  National means no less than a top 40 and preferably a top 25 ranking.  These are NCAA invite worthy rankings.  

Following that, staff, facilities, marketing, fundraising, both community and alum outreach,  fan experience and much more will need upgrades.  Our basketball schedule will need to continue the upward competitive level from last season.  This cannot be a "words only" get to National like the 2015 declaration from the Commission on Athletics.  

The search committee is nearly in place.  The "draft" board of candidates will follow and hopefully by end of summer we might know where SCU Athletics and Men's Basketball are headed.  

For season ticket holders and fans, we hope we don't settle for less than we can become.  So, now what?  

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - Unfinished Business

 

                                                                                                                       

After a successful 20-13 season, there were many questions as to what might happen with the Broncos given the new "free agency" rules in Men's Basketball resulting from NIL and the transfer portal.   Pay to play is the new stratagem to building rosters versus the tried and true high school recruiting process.  Matching big NIL dollars is not in the SCU playbook.  The most visible example being National Champion UCONN who lost 4 players but found 5 others in the portal to repeat as Champs.  It makes total dollars and sense.  

Over 1,000 players entered the portal;  all seeking a better deal or playing time situation on a higher profile team.  Even St. Mary's, known for "home grown" development, lost two key players including Aiden Mahaney to, you guessed it, UCONN.  Santa Clara benefitted from the portal the prior two seasons getting Brandin Podziemski and last season landing five transfers who played significant minutes.

With the Broncos parked in third in the WCC, some hoped the portal would help us find key players needed to move up.  Well, guess what?  Only one, uno, transfer.  Former Bronco Carlos Stewart decided to come back from LSU.  Basically, we are standing "pat".  No new blood.   

The only major departure for SCU will be Athletics Director Renee Baumgartner, who is stepping down on June 30th, to attend to family matters.  While Renee didn't play a game or score a point for MBB, she paved the way for more success; revitalizing a neglected program by former SCU administrations adding facilities and programs that have the potential for SCU to rise to legit National status.  More on this topic coming.

So why did the players stay?  So far, no coaching departures either despite opportunities.  Certainly there was money out there for a few players to showcase their talents on a bigger stage.  My feeling is, there's unfinished business these coaches and players desperately want to accomplish.  

As fans and season ticket holders we know what "could" have been.  I think these players feel the current stage is big enough.  They just need to play to their potential which, to be honest, didn't happen consistently last season.  The highs were high, but the lows too low.  We beat Gonzaga, but lost to Portland and lowly others.  

Let's face it, everyone in the WCC is raiding the portal to get immediate results.  Higher profile name coaches are coming to the WCC.  They're not coming here to lose.  Gonzaga is still Gonzaga.  They lost players to the portal, but still improved their roster.  St. Mary's lost top players, but was able to retain key pieces and harvested promising talent that Randy Bennett will know how to develop.  No one is standing "pat" except SCU.  

Let's be clear, standing "pat" doesn't mean standing still.  Players can, and do, improve when they have the talent, work ethic, and detailed coaching.  I believe each SCU MBB player has their own development plan and measurements to track progress.

The question is what will be different?  Should we expect more from the same players, running the same offense and defense, and coaching game plans with just one more season of experience?  Maybe.  If, in fact, this is what the players are thinking, that's a good start.

Here's what fans and season ticket holders think need improvement to get out of third gear in the WCC and contend for an NCAA invite.  I've added some benchmark stats to compare  the Broncos performance to both the WCC and NCAA qualifiers we played in 2024.  While there are other key factors beyond just stats that position teams to warrant NCAA bids, the stats for these qualifiers reveal performance baselines to get into the selection conversation.

On offense:  Reduce turnovers by 25% from 12.8 to an average of 10 or less per game.  Improve our assists to turnover ratio 25% with more efficient ball movement from 1.2 to an average of 1.5 per game.  Improve our inside/out offensive production where our bigs are better positioned to score down low AND pass outside to open 3 point shooters.  Over a third of our 422 turnovers came from our bigs when they were stopped in the post; often too far from the basket.

On defense:  Improve the defensive scheme to handle the pick and roll.  Play physical without fouling.  Our opponents overall shooting percentages were 5% higher than the above peer group of NCAA teams.  We shoot the ball well, but give up better shots to opponents.  Sounds like a nit, but 5% on 2,000 shots, not trivial.  We gave up more free throw attempts to opponents and to the peer group than we shot.  Lastly, we generated 30% fewer steals from our opponents than they stole from us.  

Overall:  Run offenses and defense with "purposeful"  intentional motion.  The peer sample teams don't just go through the motions, they catch defenses with their screens, actively go to exploit clear mismatches, and can stop opposing teams best players from taking over games.  

A lot went right for us to get 20 wins.  We were "in the mix" with 11 games left for a postseason invite.  Our 5-6 finish might be the reason our players are staying.   That's why I call it unfinished business.  

In a way, it's a gutsy call on the part of the players and coaches. They could have run away into the portal or other coaching gigs, but didn't.  Instead, face the challenge straight on.  Stare it down.  That's a competitive spirit you're got to love.   IMHO, this will be also be the greatest challenge for our coaches as well.  

There's no doubt to the potential of this roster.  Molding this roster into a team that contends in the WCC and for post season is the "unfinished business" our coaches want to and need to deliver for Bronco fans. 

We all hope it will be worth the wait!

Santa Clara men's Basketball - 2023-2024 Season Recap

 

                                                                                                                 

It's taken me more than a month to write this 2023-24 season recap, as it's not just me, but many Bronco season ticket holders and fans are conflicted as to what kind of season it was or wasn't. 

Given the past 30 years of Men's Basketball, one has to be happy with another 20 win season; the fourth 20 win season in the past five.  Add two NIT appearances, two first round NBA draft picks in that stretch and it's undeniable that Coach Sendek and his staff have made great progress.

The open question from many is progress towards what?  In 2015, there was a big hoopla over the President's Blue Ribbon Committee on Athletics where the strategic decision was made to fund athletics and commit to a "National Reputation" by 2020 for Santa Clara.  With the hiring of Renee Baumgartner in 2015, and, soon after Coach Herb Sendek, Men's Basketball was the focal point for this national focus as Women's Soccer was already established as SCU's most successful program. 

The "what" measure of success for Men's Basketball has yet to be either defined or made public.  Women's Soccer's goal is clear - make the NCAA tournament every year AND compete for the NCAA championship.  

What is our Goal in Men's Basketball?  Winning breeds the desire from season ticket holders to want more.  They don't think we built the AEC just to win 20 games a season without more, like - WCC titles or NCAA tournament invites. 

Commitment to goals can be difficult for universities and SCU is no exception. If you've ever read an administrator or coaches' bios, you know that they are always rosy.  Why go out on a limb?  Just ask Jerod Haase, now former Men's Basketball Coach at Stanford, who stated publicly, they expected to be in NCAA tournament or the season would be a failure.  It got him fired when they fell woefully short.  It would be refreshing for SCU fans to know what we are shooting at for MBB.

There are many schools our size who really are "national" in Men's Basketball and have top 25 rankings to prove it.  I mean if the Zags in Spokane and Creighton in Omaha can, why not us?  If two first round draft picks, and another NBA candidate declaring, is moving the needle, imagine what adding NCAA tournament bids would do?  Coach Sendek is a builder and has built a solid foundation but with eight seasons in the books, it seems we're still parked in third in the WCC.  More on this in another write.

This past season was designed to make a push upward.  We played eight NCAA tournament qualifiers and had big wins over Oregon, Washington State, Duquesne, and Gonzaga. That was a step up and could have been six wins if not for two meltdowns late in the second half.   As good as those wins were, losses to SJS, Cal, Portland and San Diego were death knells to the post season.

Injuries were also a factor, but every team faced them and we just didn't respond as well as we could have.  To be honest, it seemed as though we played to our hype level too few times and key players were non factors too many times.  Some believe there was "playing for pro scouts" instead of teammates.  Not buying that, but it seemed we were unable to find a floor leader to get us into a rhythm and exploit favorable matchups like the top three in the WCC have on their rosters.  

As a team, we turned it over more and had more than 30 fewer steals than in the past two seasons.  That's a tough combination and a lot of possessions to overcome; especially with eight new players to the roster.  At the highest echelons in college basketball, teams like UCONN can make that happen and as their Coach Hurley said "we recruit 5-6 future pros and let them play."  A luxury we can't reach.  

Everyone has their opinions, but for me, I'd grade this season a "B."  Achieving 20 wins is great, but it's no secret to fans who watched we left a lot on the table.  Yes, people got hurt, and there was lots to overcome, but we just didn't play to our potential often enough to break out of third in the WCC and reach an NCAA.  It was there, but we fell short, only if the expectations of fans is one shared by our A.D. and coaches?  

It seems to me the staff and players feel this way as with the exception of Adama Bal declaring for the NBA draft, no one on our roster jumped into the transfer portal.  My guess is they want a mulligan for last season and by sticking together believe more can be achieved.  

So, we're back to the infamous line, "there's always next year" chatter.  After almost 30 years since the last NCAA invite, it's starting to feel like "Groundhog Day."