Santa Clara Men's Basketball - The Only Easy Day Was Yersterday

 

                                                                                                                    

After three exhibition and three preseason games, we have a glimpse, albeit on a small sample size, of what this team could achieve.  What I do know is the "easy" part of our preseason schedule is behind us.  

The ethos of many high performance organizations is "the only easy day was yesterday!"  This is certainly true for the Broncos.  The next 12 games present a daunting challenge and opportunity to prepare us for what shapes up to be a wide open WCC race with the head of the snake Gonzaga gone. 

The next 12 games are against six teams with an average rank of (63), which is better than the Broncos at (80), three teams ranked about the same and three teams ranked around (180).  Eight of these are road games.  

While metrics tell only a small picture of a team's performance, they are indicators of their roster's skill.  For our next three games versus North Texas, VCU, and New Mexico, they all have about a 20% higher offensive Points Per Possession (PPP) and two of the three better defensive PPP than the Broncos with New Mexico the best in all categories.  Simply put, they score more efficeintly and make scoring more difficult for opponents (us).  The good news is we have New Mexico and VCU at Leavey.  

So far, the Broncos are as advertised:  uber aggressive, fast and furious up and down the court, and opportunistic, no matter what the clock and score is at any given time.  For example against Sac State, we were ahead by 13 with 14:30 to go in the second half.  Six minutes later we were behind by seven.  During that span, we seemed to abandon moving the ball to get the best shot opportunity.  It seemed some of our players were looking for their own shots, maybe not the best shots.  Fortunately after a time out, the team concept returned.  Five minutes later we were back ahead by eight.  One of our biggest assets is resilience.

Our stats are representative of our style of play.  We average more than 22 assists per game, shoot the three ball at 38%, add 10 steals, and 4.3 blocks per game yielding 89 points per game.  Good stuff.  

Sac State was a good litmus test as they were physical and played at a fast pace.  They took advantage of our aggressiveness and created fouls relentlessly attacking the paint.  Our fouls in and of themselves are generally okay as they result in 10+ steals per game.  The downside is we've put all three opponents in the free throw line bonus early in both halves.  We've gotten away with it so far as the three teams have only made four more free throws than us on 20 more attempts.  That's not likey to be the case with the next 12 opponents.

It's good to be 3-0 when the team is still integrating nine new guys and learning how to get better on offense and defense.  Each game is experience gained for the next game.  While the start is encouraging, there a a few things that need continued focus.  

Sharing the ball.  This has been a bright spot so far as we have a number of very capable shooters that make it difficult for defenses to cover.  When we stop sharing, like in the second half against Sac State, we lose continuity and end up with more highly contested shots.  Rebounding.  We've been decent here, but we are thin at the center position; especially when our bigs pick up early fouls, some not near the basket and have to sit.  It's harder to be successful at defensive and offensive rebounding when your team DNA is "go, go, go." 

So far, there's a lot to feel good about.  The work in progress continues at a feverish pace; much like our playing style. In the weeks ahead, the games get tougher, the tests harder, and the opportunity for key W's is great.  

The work never stops because the "only easy day was yesterday!"

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - Are We The Horse to Ride?

 

                                                                                                                     

It's amazing how two "daggers" changed the landscape and trajectory for Santa Clara Men's Basketball.  Sash Gavalyugov's nite-nite  three pointer to beat Sy. Mary's in the WCC tourney and Kentucky's half court desperation three to beat us in the NCAA tournament vaulted us from being an under the radar mid-major team to now projected to win the WCC. 

In reality, the above was 10 years in the making under the steady hand of Coach Sendek, and his staff, when many wondered if we had the guts and re$olve to compete at the national level.  Well, three first round NBA draft picks in the past five years and an NCAA selection answered those questions.  

We aren't the underdogs anymore, we are the "DOGS" in the WCC.   

No secrets.  We will be the hunters and the hunted as we seek to win our first WCC title in 30 years.  It's interesting that St. Mary's preseason ranking is better than ours.  Might be a Randy Bennett hangover, but more likely because they return two of the top 10 performers in the WCC from last season plus some strong transfers.

Our Coaches didn't just sit around over the summer and bask in the NCAA spotlight.  They went to work right away.  If the Stanford (ranked #78) exhibition game is any indicator of our season potential, you've got to like our chances.  It wasn't just the 83-78 win, but it happened without three of our mainstays who didn't play!  Sash, KJ, and David Castillo as well as Bronco fans were all spectators who watched a tornado of defensive effort disorient a good team into 20 turnovers and we bullied our way into 18 offensive rebounds in the victory. 

In our defensive intensity, we also committed 32 fouls resulting in 46, yes 46, free throws for Stanford who made 37 of those.  It's not a strategy most coaches would use as a standard game plan, but on this night it worked generating 17 more possessions than Stanford.  It's tough to score if your opponent dosen't have the ball. 

The exhibition at Utah State, a top 50 team, was a good road test before our season gets underway.  We were behind 5 at half, but not much seemed to go right in the second half; ending in a 21 point loss.  In that half, the box score shows we either couldn't make an open shot or their defense hotly contested the shots.  We were 2-11 from the three point arc and Utah State was 43% on 6-14 shooting.  That math just doesn't work.  A bright spot was transfer Fedor Zugic, who played his first minutes as a Bronco, scored 14 points in 18 minutes of action.  All three of our experienced bigs fouled out.  In any case, the coaches know a great deal more of the tweaks and fixes needed before the season opener against Towson at Leavey.

In practice, the coaches preach focusing on highest value offensive and defensive efforts.  The design is to maximize our points per possesion (PPP) as well as using aggressive defense to take away opponents' possessions.  Two examples are generating turnovers and grabbing offensive rebounds that turn into putbacks or kickout three's.

Perhaps most iteresting, will be how the team deals with being the WCC favorite and not the underdog role we've been accustomed to for the past 10 years.  A win against the Broncos in the WCC is now an upset and the underdogs will be chomping at the bit to make it happen.  You can imagne that the St. Mary's rivalry will be at Devcon 5 level ths season as they must be chapped at being picked second.  

Our preseason schedule is strong.  Games with expected NCAA tournamemt teams like Nevada, New Mexico, VCU, Grand Canyon, Murray State, Boise State, and McNeese State are real tests along with some easier games like Towson, Sacramento State, and Utah Tech.

I see this team as pugnacious and motivated.  Pugnacious as they are combative and agressive for the full forty minutes.  Motivated, to prove they are NCAA worthy and can shine with the brighter lights cast upon them.  It will be rocky and fun to watch! 

We have five returning players and nine new guys to assimilate and try to be productive.  A big wild card is, IF Elijah Mahi will be eligible.  As of today, he is listed on the roster.  We'll know very soon.  He woud be a needed horse in our corral as we embark on this team's journey of being the "Horse to Ride"!

 

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - Can We Seize the Opportunities Thirty Years in the Making?

 

                                                                                                          

The 2025-2026 season was our year to break through the seemingly impenetrable path into the NCAA tournament. The heartbreaking loss to Kentucky sparked a new reality for Santa Clara Men's Basketball.  We belong.  

Not only do we belong, but our expectations are conference titles and more NCAA invites.  More importantly, our University leadership is also committed to this reality - a long overdue, but essential component.  It's how, then, lowly Gonzaga rose from anonymity 30 years ago to a basketball powerhouse while we and other WCC teams sat flatfooted. 

With Gonzaga gone from the WCC, our new reality presents an incredible opportunity to seize the top spot in the WCC and create a new trajectory into the future.  It's all there for the taking; even amidst the chaos of the new NCAA Moneyball roster building among the Power Conferences.  The 2026-2027 season will be our first chance to ascend to this level by winning the WCC.  It will not be easy.

Part of new reality is that with the Zags out, the WCC conference ranking dropped from 6th down to 10th.  Translation, the WCC may go back to being a one bid league.  More pressure to win the WCC tourney.      

Our schedule supports this quest and our roster is capable.  The difficulty is solving the roster integration Rubik's Cube and integrating 14 players into our system and get the most from them.  It's a lot to learn in three months.  For the Freshman and transfers it's akin to learning to be fluent in a new language and applying it in real-time.  The coaches are now assessing where the pieces will fit best and who will earn the minutes.  

Let's be clear, minutes are earned; not entitled.  Every practice uses a Plus-Minus box score formula to see which players are contributing the most on the floor in live action.  A testament to this formula's success was last year when Allen Graves came off the bench much of the season and his unit was key to many victories.  Obviously, competition in practice is fierce.  Coach Sendek has a lot of options at every position, a potential big advantage in our frenetic up tempo defense and offense.

No one in the WCC is standing pat.  Every team in the realigned WCC conference is investing to take the top spot.  More name brand name coaches have come into the WCC and facility makeovers are in progress.  NIL budgets are expanding in the search for the next under the radar stars.  

In the past five years, we have distinguished ourselves as the only mid-major program that developed three players into first round NBA draft picks.  There are only five power conference teams who have achieved this. They are the Bluebloods of NCAA basketball.  This momentum needs to continue as the NIL price to buy top talent is out of our reach. The global growth of college basketball should help us greatly as the top 20 power teams will just buy what they need.  

Scouting and recruiting become even more important as the transfer portal makes it very difficult to retain players.  Congress is about to vote on a College Basketball rules package that will cap University monies at $41 million, but this does not include NIL.  Transferring will be allowed only once in the five year eligibility rules. That should help SCU be able to recruit talent and have a season or two to develop them under these new transfer rules.

We'll see.  Our first preview is today at Leavey when we take on Stanford in a preseason exhibition contest.  Stanford had the 15 best transfer roster per several college basketball analysis sites; including the son of Hall of Famer, Hakeem Olajuwon.  I think coaches open with likely starters if they are healthy, but will play a lot of different combinations to see the newer players get experience in full game situation intensity. 

Update: SCU beat Stanford last night in this exhibition 83-78 making an 8-0 run in the lasy two minutes.  Fun to watch!

Nice to have had this exhibition for Bronco season ticket holders and fans.

The irony to this season is a real "Back to the Future" moment.  It was exactly 30 years ago that Santa Clara finished first in the WCC and went to the NCAA Tournament with a roster of Steve Nash, Marlon Garnett and Lloyd Pierce.  Will this harbinger of our past success give us the momentum to seize this new opportunity 30 years in the making?  

                                                                                                                    

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - It's Prime Time to "Run it Back"

 

                                                                                                                            

The 30 year NCAA tourney qualification draught is finally over.  Season ticket holders, fans, alums, and students have been exposed to the adrenaline rush of March Madness and can't wait for more!  Live the new motto - Run it Back!!!

If it were only that simple. The days of being able to count on returning players to lead the effort to duplicate or exceed one great season with another are gone.  Oddly enough, our last back to back returning rosters were in 2023-2024 and 2024-2025.  In those seasons, we returned 80% of our scoring and had successful 20 win seasons; which resulted in one post season invite to the NIT.  

In the upcoming 2026-2027 season, we will return only 30% of our scoring and 40% of the total minutes played.  Analytic sites claim your season's success is highly dependent on how many points and minutes you return from the prior year's roster.  Last season we proved that model was not always accurate as we effectively replaced 70% our scoring with new players while on our way to the NCAA tourney.  For new roster performance we ranked in the top 5 in the NCAA.  Our success may have helped run Randy Bennett out of town to ASU after our convincing series "night-night" win in the WCC tournament.

To our coaches it's mostly noise.  You have to build the best roster you can and try to maximize their unique talents within your system and live with the results.  The NCAA portal was of shorter duration this off season, but more chaotic.  The NCAA has principally lost control over the portal and NIL system.  They can control eligibility rules; which are now capped at 5 years max.  No credit seasons for redshirts or injuries.  Gone are the Drew Timme 7 years at Gonzaga and other abuses with 27 and 30 year olds playing college basketball.  

The NCAA is becoming a feckless body hoping to hold on to their cash cow; the NCAA tournament.  They've announced there will be 76 qualifying teams this upcoming season.  It's an appeasement move to add more power conference teams to the field to prevent them from leaving and forming their own system; much like FBS college football.  Some feel the NCAA's new plan will accelerate this transition as small conference winners and mid-majors get pushed down the seeding ladder to "play in games" to get into the final field of 64.  It's all about huge TV contracts and sponsors rather than equitable competition.  

The portal is a nightmare.  High Major college coaches are enjoying the lack of transparency for NIL deals as well as the NCAA's cursory approval "review".  Several of the top 15 programs have "bought" players back who declared for the NBA draft by paying them NBA first round money to stay and play in college to win the NCAA tournament.  In the NBA and NFL, all teams can see details of new contracts as they are made public days after signing.  Not the NCAA, all secret.  

Moreover, there are concerns the "student - athlete" model is being eroded and compliance of maintaining academic eligibility is lacking.  Why go to class when their $5-6 million NIL deal is what's important? 

I expect more lawsuits to come as transfer tampering, NIL multi-season contract disputes, compensation for transfers paid to schools whose players leave early for another school before their contract ends, agent abuses impacting players, and various other sordid schemes.  There are already instances where transfers were offered NIL money only to have the school renege at the last minute because a better player accepted.

Coaches used to plan on two to three years to develop talent.  Now it's perform or goodbye. Buying talent is easier for winning quickly; the only metric some donors care about.  Oddly enough, IMHO, this could work to the Broncos advantage as more 4 and some 5 star players from power schools know SCU's proven rep for developing talent into NBA Pros or high level Euro programs.  According NBA data, since the 2022 draft around 40 mid-major players were drafted in the first or second round.  It's a viable option for overlooked players to look at programs like the Broncos. 

All the above chaos aside, our new roster looks very intriguing.  Five guards (6'0" - 6'5"), five forwards (6'6 - 6'9"), and three centers with 7'0" ++ shot blocking wingspans.  That's 13, with the NCAA max being 15.  Room to add another key player or a summer surprise?

Expect a similar playing style to last season.  Fly paper pressure man to man, opportunistic shot selection in the flow, power rebounding with an emphasis on offensive second chance points, and high pick and roll action to exploit resulting mismatches; all the while using a 9-10 player rotation.  

"Run it back" has already started.  The returning players are in the weight room and gym and will be joined shortly by the recruits and transfers for summer workouts and school.  We can do our part to run it back as well.  Get our friends and neighbors to buy tickets to get Leavey as loud and proud as possible. 

And that will be something our players will feel the energy to "Run it Back" to the 2027 NCAA tourney!

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - The NCAA Basketball Store

 

                                                                                                                

The retail world has its major shopping days including Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  In the world of NCAA Men's Basketball, it's the spring basketball transfer portal that spans two weeks; where player talent is available for purchase, but there is very little "on sale." 

In last season's portal, the Broncos picked up four great bargains; who should return this year.  Coaches hope to find a few more before the portal closes on Tuesday, April 21st.  So far, Christian Hammond and Bukky Oboye have accepted transfers to North Carolina State and Auburn.  Gherig Normand was a late add to the portal with no destination as of today.  Allen Graves has a "no contact" tag on his portal entry as he plans to purse the NBA, but he could choose an NCAA destination if he decides on a program after the NBA Combine which starts on May 10th.

As coaches shop in the Men's Basketball store, Bronco fans have their ideas as to what might be good players to add.  Some prefer another big forward or center to replace Bukky and Graves. A chance to add experience to returnees 6'10" Francis Chukwudebelu, 250 lb, 6'7" medical redshirt Chris Tadjo, and incoming freshman Alex Ensor at 7'1".  As this column is being written, Sidi Gueye, a 6'11" forward/center transfer from the University of Arizona, has committed to Santa Clara. He played in 26 games last season and, before that, was a standout for Real Madrid.  It will be great to have another experienced big to bolster the post when inevitable foul trouble occurs in our pressing defense.  It may also allow us to redshirt Ensor, if needed, to gain a year in the Sendek system.

Another thought is to add an additional guard to have more depth with only Sash and Brad Longcor as our primary ball handlers.  We have a big guard, KJ Cochran, but he has not been used in the point guard role.  Incoming Freshmen 6'5" Brayde Kuykendall and 6'7" Elie Jolin may play larger roles as well; if they develop during summer workouts.

Since we're shopping, landing another 6'6" great three point shooter and defender would do a lot to replace the scoring and presence of Elijah Mahi.  As important as the talent is, attitude and being a great teammate is just as vital.  

Our roster for 2026-2027 will be tall, but not "big."  Rebounding was a huge success for us last season. Without Allen Graves and his offensive and defensive rebounding, Gueye could be that shot blocker and rebound "sweeper" needed to help Jake Ensminger handle the load.

Ironically, our recruiting and transfer strategies look like they are being copied by other WCC teams.  Our WCC foes are now also targeting transfers from high majors who can be potential stars in the WCC and have NBA opportunities.  Fortunately, our track record here is great, so we have been getting higher quality players knowing they will get the exposure and resources they need to be successful. 

After last season's success, with an NCAA bid after 30 years, teams will be gunning for us and the WCC will be wide open as a result of the Zags departure.  We'd love to see the "Madness" continue the momentum for another NCAA run and that would be a present worth shopping for!!

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - Portal Blues: "Should I Stay or Should I Go"

 

                                                                                                              

NCAA Men's Basketball was forever changed back in April of 2021 when a weakened NCAA organization tried to fend off lawsuits accusing it of using players' images and likeness to make a profit without compensation. 

Fast forward to today and NCAA Basketball is a pay for play world offering unrestricted "student athlete" transfers via a Portal that is being driven by Agents seeking to enrich themselves and players to the highest bidders.   

In any sport roster talent reins supreme and it's no different for Men's Basketball.  The teams that have the most money, along with their winning history, have the first crack at the top players.  

For the past five years, the competitive gap between Mid Majors and High Majors has grown larger each year and the gap between the top 10 ranked teams and the top 30 teams has also increased in the past four years.  The miracle of the NCAA tournament "Cinderella" going past the round of 32 is largely becoming extinct.  The Broncos lost a nailbiter to Kentucky, High Point (12) beat Wisconsin (5), VCU (11) beat North Carolina (6) and Texas (11) beat Gonzaga (3).  All, but Texas, vanished at the round of 32.  

For the Mid Majors, like Santa Clara, roster construction along with talent evaluation are the crucial elements to get in position to have a season NET ranking able to earn one of the few at-large NCAA slots.  The remake of the WCC for the upcoming season presents us with a huge auto bid opportunity with Gonzaga gone and it's choke hold on the WCC tournament. 

For the record, according to analytic sources, Santa Clara had the highest overperforming roster in all of NCAA basketball last season rising 70 places above it's expected preseason ranking!  We'll need more of the same for 2026-2027 to vie for consecutive NCAA bids.  

It's not just money and access to talent that makes strong rosters.  It helps, but building a roster of complimentary skills it just as important.  Finding and recruiting players that possess multiple key skills - shooters, defenders, rebounders, passers, and the hardest one, chemistry.  We had all of that last season. 

There are great roster construction analytics tools that help coaches evaluate every portal player's performance for every game for any stat.  It's very realistic for us to snag a few more High Major transfers to elevate the roster.  This assumes we are able to keep most of our "core" players who will face the decision "should I stay or should I go?"  

We return 12 players.  We have three incoming high school recruits 6'5" Brayde Kuykendall, 6'7" Eli Jolin, and 7'1" Alex Ensor.  We have two High Major transfers on our roster, Chris Tadjo and Gehrig Normand coming off injury redshirts and two regular redshirts, Brad Longcor and Noah Badibanga who should be solid contributors next season.  

On April 7th, transfer portal opens for two weeks.  Coaches are not supposed to contact players until then, but Agents may ignore that date.  Players can state they are entering the portal and so far Christian Hammond has declared.  It is assumed that Allan Graves will declare for the NBA draft after a breakout season.  Both will test the water$ and can return if they wish.  It's no secret SCU would love to retain those two.  

IF they leave, that opens up spots for transfers.  I'm pretty sure our coaches have their prospect boards ready to move quickly.  I expect a few other Broncos may also declare for the portal as the date approaches.  Agents are swarming like locusts to land lucrative NIL deals for players and, of course, themselves. This past season was littered with Mid Major transfers to High Majors that, yes got some money, but more likely hurt their careers by getting buried on the bench by High Major five star players.  Santa Clara has proven it can develop high performing pros and that's real money for life versus one season. In other words, you might get "Nil" for your NIL.

After such a successful season, we may even see some coaching movement to take advantage of openings to further their careers.

Might be wishful thinking, but it appeared these players really liked each other and felt connected and committed to the significant task of getting the NCAA invite.  That's a special feeling.  The gut wrenching loss to Kentucky is one that some or most of this team may want to avenge by staying and qualifying for the tournament again and winning some games.  How about a quest for the "Sweet 16?"  

Now is the time for the Bronco Administration and Trustees to make decisive move$ and not let this moment lapse like we have in the past. It would be great to see our leadership be aggressive like we ask our Athletes to be.  If they do, that could be something sweet to savor for a long time!

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - Is This the End of the Beginning?

 

                                                                                                                            

After a 30 year drought, the Broncos returned to the NCAA Tournament and battled a legacy blue-blood Kentucky team to the final three seconds before they made a miracle 40 ft buzzer beater to send the game into overtime. Only UCLA, under the great John Wooden, has won more NCAA titles than the eight owned by Kentucky.

It was perhaps one of the most exciting and painful three seconds in Bronco history.  As hard as the loss was in overtime, it had the effect of having Santa Clara Men's Basketball go viral on a global basis on every sports and news outlet imaginable.  A loss yes, but also a huge win.

It's interesting to note, that since the 1950's we have achieved consecutive years NCAA bids in at least three different decades; only to have it slip away back into anonymity for long spans of 18 and now 30 years.  

That's why I ask, "Is this the end of the beginning?"  Is it the new beginning of a sustained University and Athletic Department goal driven effort to make NCAA's annually or frequently like St. Mary's or let this opportunity slip away like in the past?  Those who were lucky enough to attend in St. Louis witnessed fans and season ticket holders on fire and loud in support of this team.  Maybe Coach Sendek's dream of filling Leavey for most every game can now be made a reality.  What a concept!

It will not be easy or for the faint of heart.  It will take a clear and measurable vision, backed by lots of money, and not accepting mediocrity along the way to growing the SCU franchise.  Everyone has to be all in including trustees, fans, season ticket holders, students, and, of course, staff.  That includes all of us chipping in to fund this fundamental shift of SCU becoming a more legit recognizable National brand like Gonzaga has enjoyed for 25 years running.  

The process has already started.  The WCC has changed as Gonzaga, Oregon State, and Washington State leave and Denver joins to form a 10 team conference.  SCU was 15-1 versus this remaining lineup last season.  St. Mary's will be without Randy Bennett, who is leaving to coach Arizona State.  The Gaels still have four starters and two solid bench players returning. This may change quickly, as players declare their intentions ahead of when the transfer portal opens April 7th.  

WCC coaches are evaluating likely roster scenarios for transfers out and in.  Santa Clara did an awesome job in the portal and high school recruiting last season.  Our NCAA press coverage should open new doors for more high major transfers into our program.  We have three high major transfers on our roster now who validate that other high major players will thrive at SCU.  The Broncos will not be exempt from current players announcing for the portal and transferring.  

The opportunities for NCAA bids remain the same.  Earn an at-large bid or win your conference tournament.  The NCAA tournament has plans to add more play in games for teams who can earn a berth into the final field of 68 teams.  With the new WCC, the Broncos have both qualification avenues as real opportunities with Gonzaga leaving and it's stranglehold on the WCC tournament.  

We'll know a lot more on April 7th when the portal opens.  In any case, it's a great time to be a Bronco and see if we can capitalize on the NCAA tournament success.  That's an opportunity 30 years in the making!

Next up:  The Portal: Should I stay or Should I go?