Santa Clara Men's Basketball - Season Opening "Premiere"

 

                                                                                                              

The Broncos' 2023-24 Men's Basketball debut featured bright lights, loud music, and a crowd of Bronco fans welcoming the new team with warm applause.  It felt like a Hollywood film launch with the new Leavey Center lighting and scoreboard looking like a movie set, setting the stage for a story book five star review as our team took the floor for warmups.  

Then the game started.....

Maybe the lights were too bright, the audio too loud, the excitement too palpable.  From the outset, they were a team amped up to make a statement of what they can achieve this season.  We didn't score for the first two and a half minutes.  After five minutes, the score was 7-6 Utah.  Right about then, we settled in, a little bit.  Our defense sparked the first run of the season.  A strike from Francisco Caffaro to Carlos Marshall for a dunk woke up the crowd.  Four defensive stops, a layup by Caffaro and two more 3 pointers and a layup by Marshall, we were cruising 26-14.  With 2:40 to go, we were up 17 and then Utah finished the half with 5 straight points closing the gap to 12.  

The second half was more of the same.  Build a lead, give it up.  Winning by 7 was mediocre at best, but showed our potential.  Caffaro and Tyree Bryan were saviors off the bench combining for 24 points and looked comfortable in the brighter lights at key moments.  Adama Bal, the transfer from Arizona, had a solid, impactful first game with 17 points and 6 rebounds. Point guard Jalen Benjamin showed flashes of deft passing and scoring with 10 points. 

Carlos Marshall (Chef) was terrific; scoring 22 points in only 22 minutes due to cramps.  Podz type numbers in limited minutes.  His experience showed and he calmy put the team on his back in the first half.  Tyree Bryan had a great debut with 11 points and some lockdown defense. 

All in all, an OK start for so many new players in a new system.  It looked like some of our new guys were trying to do too much; hoisting up long looks in transition and passes into traffic.  There’s is a lot to work on.  20 turnovers and 10 offensive rebounds resulted in 26 Utah Tech points.  Enough said.

It's always a good night when it results in a “W” especially when two starters have off nights.  I like that we can go to the bench and expect production.  There was a time Wednesday when our lineup on the floor was 7’1”, 7’0”, 6’10”, 6’7” and 6’5”.  Now that’s what I call real “horsepower.”

Today, St. Francis is a good chance to get in sync before a big test at Stanford next Tuesday.  Let’s hope the horses are ready to run!

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - Are We the Rodney Dangerfield Team of the WCC?

  

                                                                                                           

Respect...Hard to come by...Earned, not just handed out.  In the past three years of the WCC, we have the most total wins with one year cut short due to Covid and, we still, as Rodney Dangerfield said "Don't get no respect!"  

OK, I get it.  This roster is unknown, unproven and, IMHO, underestimated.  No doubt, St. Mary's and Gonzaga have earned their cred with 25 years of consistent NCAA tournament level performances.  Maybe this is exactly where we want to be be this season.  Underrated, underappreciated and under the radar.  If it wasn't for Jalen and Podz we might get no ink at all.  

In the coaches' poll, we are picked fifth in the WCC.  That, most likely, means six of the WCC coaches voted us fifth or worse; assuming coach Sendek picked us third or fourth.  On the surface, easy to conclude we're not supposed to be a big factor when all of your starters are gone along with 80% of your scoring.  Meanwhile, the top four teams have most of their top players back.  Example, LMU who beat both Gonzaga and St. Mary's last season have their core back plus portal adds.  That's a strong resume.  The Zags kept key pieces and raided the portal with some great gets.  SMC, the same story, who are picked to win the WCC this year over Gonzaga. 

Everybody loves an underdog and I think our coaches and players will use our position as afterthoughts this season for motivation.  Particularly to those who came here with the chip of underrated from their previous schools.  

Our season starts with a few gimmies; like many other schools do to get game speed reps before the tougher games in the schedule.  The real pre-season test for the Broncos runs from November 14th at Stanford to December 30th vs Yale; where seven of the twelve opponents are top 100 and most top 60 - Stanford, Oregon, Duquesne, Alabama/Ohio St., and Washington St.  I think it's our toughest schedule yet under Coach Sendek.  Make no mistake, this is an NCAA tournament level schedule and that's what the coaches are hoping comes from this underappreciated roster.  There are four players who want to become the next Jalen or Podz.  They have huge ambitions to show what they can do so what better way than with a schedule that sets up for Quad 1 and 2 upsets in the NCAA NET ranking system.  That's the respect they want.  I love it!

You'll see jaw dropping plays from this team above the rim and in the open court.  Everyone can run, catch, score, and rebound.  To me, the key to this season's success has to be better defense - contesting three's, handle the high pick and roll, and stop the freebie layups in what was an open highway to the basket last year.  Lockdown.  

We do that and I like our chances.  We do that and the ghost of Rodney Dangerfield will be exorcised and we'll not only have an NCAA bid, but even better - RESPECT EARNED.

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - We're Unbelievable

 

                                                                                                    

After three 20 win seasons in the past four years, back to back third place WCC league finishes, two straight N.I.T. bids, and two consecutive NBA first round draft picks, we're unbelievable.  Few (including Mark Few) believe in our chances in 2023-24.  I guess that's  what the hangover of 25+ years with no bids to a post season tourney that begins with an "N" buys you.  

Add to that, all last year's starters are gone along with 80% of your scoring and, well, you can see why we are unbelievable.  The past two years was a fluke, right?  Hold on.

I last wrote about "Who are These Guys."  Let me tell you these guys have the potential to be unbelievable - as in great.  

Our roster is big and deep. Six players are 6'9" or taller including three 7'0" bigs that can actually catch and make shots, not only in the paint, but from distance.  No more fumble-rusky down low.  Christoph Tilly and 7'1" 245 lb transfer Francisco Caffaro from Virginia can defend and score.  Freshman Bukky Oboye and Luke McEldon will add much needed depth.  6'10" shooting forward Johnny O'Neil is a potential breakout player who can do it all.  Shoot it from deep and defend.  Last year he led American University with 51 blocks as a forward.  

Our other shooting wings bring a lot of size and firepower.  Jake Ensminger 6'9", Cam Tongue 6'7", Carlos Marshall 6'6" and Kozy Akametu 6'5" return along with Arizona transfer 6'7" Adama Bal and 6'5" Tyree Bryan will all make defenses pay when getting an open look.

Wait there's more.  Our Guards Brenton Knapper, 6'4" Freshman Christian Hammond, and 5'11" Grad transfer Jalen Benjamin will bring needed scoring and speed.  Benjamin lead his team in scoring last year. He's cat quick and will open the floor for our up tempo game. 

Everyone can play.   In prior seasons, when we had to go deep into the bench, there were a lot of cringes from the season ticket holders and fans as the drop off was sizeable.  Not now.

The Sendek model is you practice as you would play in a real game.  With so much better talent, the battle for minutes is intense.  It's so physical, that Coach Sendek has to remind the players that they would be on the bench with 2 or 3 early fouls unless they clean up their defensive approaches.  The good news is we have players to go to when a starter is having an off game.  

The competition heats up this week as we scrimmage UCLA in Westwood and UCSB at SCU early next week.  The Bruins are as usual, young and talented - picked third in the Pac-12.  These are important minutes for our guys to experience game flow ahead of our home opener November 8th against Utah Tech. 

No matter what, we'll be unbelievable.  Unbelievably great or bad.  I'm taking the over on this one and choose to believe in the unbelievably great.   Believe me, you won't want to miss this action.  We'll get a good look in 17 days.  

Next Up:  The 2023-24 schedule breakdown.

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - Who are These Guys?

                                                                                                          

Despite a 23-10 record and a second consecutive NIT berth, Bronco fans and season ticket holders were left with the feeling we let a great opportunity slip away to make some noise in the NIT and raise our national profile.  It was a season to remember as we sent BYU packing with two wins and turned heads with big wins over name opponents. 

The optimism for the 2024 season got a big shot of adrenaline after Brandin Podziemski was drafted # 19 by the Golden State Warriors.  This quickly subsided as fans realized the key piece for a 2024 NCAA tournament run was gone.  Departures by Carlos Stewart, Giordan Williams, Jaden Bediako, Parker Braun, and Jacob Holt also added more fuel that a down year of rebuilding was ahead.  Fans wondered, what if anything would back to back NBA first round picks mean for the Broncos?  All our starters are gone!

Then, the phones started ringing.... Times past, WE did the calling.  Now, as a result of Jalen and Brandin's NBA successes, transfers want to talk to US.  They've read the J & B stories and see themselves as the next potential under the radar, underappreciated, player who wants to prove they are worthy of the NBA conversations.  They are leaving National Champions like Virginia and Arizona, and turning down power conference teams like Ohio State.  While many thought the transfer portal put SCU at a major disadvantage the opposite has happened.

Begs the question, why?  Why would these potential top level players choose to come to SCU given their abundant choices?  While each player has slightly different reasons, the common denominator is the ability to showcase their game in an up-tempo offense mentored by a proven, experienced coaching staff.  Oh, and by the way the AEC and Campus are homeruns.

An example is 6' 10" transfer Johnny O'Neil, from American University, was the Patriot League Freshman of the Year and all league defensive team last season with 27 steals and 51 blocked shots.  Not a typo and he wasn't their center.  American, as a team, was # 342 in the NCAA in offensive tempo.  A snail pace.  They were # 275 in offensive efficiency.  O'Neil averaged 10 shots per game with an 11.3 ppg scoring average.  By contrast, SCU  was # 46 in offensive tempo and Brandin averaged about 16 shots per game.  We'll see what O'Neil unhinged can do with 6-10 more shot per game.  

He's not alone.  Adama Bal, Tyree Bryan, Jalen Benjamin, and 7' 1" Francisco Caffaro all want the opportunity to have their talent on display in an high octane team setting.  Add returnees, Knapper, Tongue, Tilly, Akametu, Carlos Marshall, Redshirt Ensminger, and add freshman 7' 1" Oboyu, 6"10" McClendon, and 6' 4" shooting guard Hammond and this roster is as big as it is "DEEP". 

Our coaches have dealt with the Zags when they substitute to players on their bench who would start for any other team in the WCC.  Quote: "We have that depth this season."  So, given the hefty bench, how are all these guys going to get playing time with only 40 minutes to divide?  Herb's rule:  You earn minutes in practice and keep them if you perform.  Simple, straightforward.  

To say practices will be intense competition is an understatement.  Every teammate wants your minutes.  Hard to think of a better preparation formula than needing to win your daily battles.  The trick for the coaches will be to make the right move at the right time with a full complement of chess pieces.  Expect a tsunami and rolling thunder on offense.  A non-stop assault to the rim.  Opposing coaches might have to invoke the famous Butch Cassidy line when they can't shake the posse not matter what they do, "Who are these guys?"  With this depth, we shouldn't have guys run out of gas late in a tight game as we saw last season.  

In a short time we'll know who these guys are and how they'll play.  We may even discover "who" might emerge as the next Bronco NBA prospect or prospects.  We've waited more than 25 years for the last NCAA bid.  Is this the year?

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - Trajectory

                                                                                                                                

                                                                                                               

Thirty something years ago in a gym far away, Santa Clara head coach Dick Davey found a great soccer player who wanted to play basketball, but couldn't get a look from Division One schools.  In 2016, coach Ludwig saw a smallish 5'10" sophomore from Arizona who believed his work ethic could lead to a pro career.  He arrived on campus a 6'6" shooting guard and led SCU to its first post season in over 25 years.  Last year, coach Sendek and his staff found a great baseball player who wanted to play basketball, but didn't get the chance at Illinois and chose SCU to prove he had the game to play at the next level.  

Each of these Bronco's, Steve Nash, Jalen Williams, and Brandin Podziemski, shared a common perception similar to Santa Clara:  one of being overlooked, undervalued, and unappreciated in Men's Basketball.  No more.  Their grit, talent, and achievements have given Santa Clara something sorely missing - trajectory. 

Trajectory is position and momentum toward an upward path.  A progression.  Clearly, that's happening.  Twenty win seasons, top three in the WCC, and back to back post season NIT invites.  

Fans and season ticket holders wonder, what happens now that these greats have moved on?  As we all hope - more.

More didn't seem to be on the horizon after this season with seven departures via the transfer portal, graduation, and the NBA.  All last year's starters gone.  That's where the boost from the great players above has kicked in.  

Think about it.  There are many high school recruits and D1 players who feel the same as our initially overlooked NBA players.  Santa Clara offers a bona fide path, facilities, and coaches to help players maximize their potential.  Santa Clara is now a beacon for those players.  Our phones are ringing and talent is committing.  Many believed the transfer portal would hurt SCU, but after two consecutive first round NBA draftees its actually become a great pipeline.

Seven players lost - seven gained.  Our roster will have three seven footers, six players 6'6" to 6'10", and the balance 5'10' to 6'5".  We will have speed, experience, depth, and enough firepower to replace what we lost from last season.  As a testament to this roster, the schedule will be one of strongest in the Sendek tenure.  More on that next article.

A big challenge for this upcoming season will be all the newcomers learning Coach Sendek's system.  The competition for minutes will be fierce which is a big advantage with a deep roster.  The team will face tough practices every day as the players compete for floor time.

While NIT's are an improvement, it's NCAA bids we covet.  

Trajectory can get us there.  It all starts with keeping our momentum.  A third NBA potential player or players is the type of momentum we all can't wait to see!

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - Will Brandin Podziemski "Measure" Up

                                                                                                                   

When Jalen Williams was drafted # 12 last year by the Oklahoma City Thunder, he became the second Bronco since Steve Nash to go from being an unknown to a breakout star in the NBA.  It would be difficult to be more "under the radar" for Nash and Williams playing for Santa Clara.  Is Brandin Podziemski the next undercover breakout talent and a "one and done" for the Broncos? 

The current media chatter at the NBA combine is trending upward fast with his early projection mid second round (40th or so) to now as high as #18 according to the Bleacher Report mock draft.  

For those not familiar with the combine, it's a tryout where NBA scouts and teams determine which of the 78 players are draft worthy and where they could be picked.  It all starts with a crazy number of physical measurements and tests and ends with two days of on court scrimmages where players are evaluated on everything.  

So far for Podz, the physical tests have gone well.  Vertical jump, how high can you sky, T - 6th at 39.0".  Shuttle run, how fast to you shuffle backwards and forwards around obstacles on a floor.  Measures speed, burst footwork and agility: T-5 at 3.09 seconds.  For reference, both of the above are as good or better than Jalen last year; who was also at the top in those stats.  There's everything from body fat measurements to standing reach, hand width/size, bench press and on and on.  

While those stats matter, the real deal is the shooting tests and full court playing sessions.  Show what you can do against your draft class AND individual selected matchups on the court.  It's about showcasing your basketball I.Q. and the range of things you can do to help a real NBA team win.  As expected, Podz has done well in his first set of "shootout" drills.  

I think the 5 on 5 play is where Podz will stand out.  He can do a lot besides fill it up from everywhere.  If Drew Timme wasn't in his like 9th year at Gonzaga, Brandin was hands down the POY in the WCC.  He had more rebounds, the same number of assists, similar number of steals, and points.  All as a guard.  Impressive.  

5 on 5 Scrimmage Results

In Wednesday's scrimmage, Brandin was the Brandin we saw at SCU; filling up the stat sheet with his all around play.  He was heralded as one of the standouts from day one by several scouts who wrote recaps from the day.  

His line for the day:

In 21 minutes:  FG: 40%. 3pt FG: 40%. 10 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, no turnovers and 2 steals.  Comments from scouts were that he surprised them with his on ball play, easily moving in the open court and finding teammates for open looks with his ability to make reads and crisp passes for baskets.  His work off screens was equally impressive including hitting an eye opening three from the deep corner.  One scout said, "he was easily the best all around player on the court and validated his projection as a first rounder."  

The Thursday 5 on 5 was more of the same with Brandin pushing the ball up the floor and finding teammates for easy looks.  He also dropped a bomb from half court to end the first half.  

Our coaches in attendance weren't surprised at all and feel he showed his full range of athleticism and skills.  Prior to the combine, feedback from scouts expressed doubts about whether his athletic skills were at an NBA level.  Heads turned with his 39" vertical jump, and a near triple double in the Wednesday scrimmage.  IMHO Brandin also stood out as a team player, not forcing shots and unselfishly distributing the ball.  Other prospects had a  "me first" attitude and tried to score one on one nearly every possession.  A bad look. 

All in all, a great start under huge pressure.  

Next up is the Pro Day in Santa Barbara where more testing and evaluations occur; followed by more measuring and workouts with specific teams.  Don't be surprised if the Oklahoma City Thunder take a hard look at Podz.  He is a combo guard they lack in their rotation although he may not be available when the Thunder might want to pick him.  BTW, his agent already has two players on the OKC roster - Chet Holmgren and our own Jalen Williams....

One thing for sure - Brandin absolutely "measured up" at the combine as an NBA caliber player.

A proud day for Brandin and Santa Clara Basketball!

Santa Clara Men's Basketball - A Season of "Pros and Cons"

 

After back to back twenty wins seasons and NIT selections, was this Santa Clara Men's Basketball coming out party as a legit rising mid-major team?  For the second consecutive year, we finished third in the WCC, ahead of USF and BYU, and in front of pre-season "experts" picks of LMU and Portland; who placed fourth and seventh.  

So much for all the experts and stat rags predicting outcomes.  Witness the NCAA tournament.   The highly touted NET ranking system, used to make tournament selections, was about as accurate as a WCC referee making the right call on a charge or blocking foul.  Awful.

Facts are the WCC and, in particular Santa Clara, is better than the talking heads think.  In addition the "gap" between the perennial top teams, Gonzaga and St. Mary's, and the rest, is narrowing.  Our late game losses to the above loom large as our potential for an NCAA bid went down with two hail Mary's three pointers against the Zags and the Gaels.  As good as this season was, those losses, as well as, meltdowns versus Pacific, San Jose State, and USF in the WCC quarterfinal were the "cons" - consequences to not making the NCAA Tournament.  

There are those who say Coach Sendek is too "old school", set in his ways, doesn't make enough in game adjustments, and that the rest of coaching staff is sticking around because they're aren't opportunities for them to move on and grow.  Truth is, they like what's happening at SCU even though there are offers of bigger coaching opportunities.

There are those who look at our records, momentum, and four consecutive winning seasons against better competition and feel we are on the right track.  Twenty-Five years between post season invites that begin with an "N" are evidence of consistent progress.  Of course, for some it's too slow.

Amongst the "pros" mentioned above, there's been the recruiting and development of NBA pros.  The progression we as fans and season ticket holders have witnessed with Jalen William's, the # 12 pick and now Brandin Podziemski testing the NBA draft waters has been fun to watch.  BTW, it's been 27 years since Steve Nash began his NBA career.  These successes make us want more. 

In today's college basketball, there are LOTS of players who fly under the radar that have seen what Jalen and Brandin have accomplished.  They now view SCU as a place where they can stand out and develop with a team rising and a WCC conference that competes at a higher national level.  

It makes a difference.  Our phones are ringing with prospects vs us making all the calls.  The AEC and the SCU campus are powerful drawing cards; giving our coaching staff more options than ever in this "transfer portal" world.  SCU student turnouts and noise levels have improved as well. 

We could have a many as five roster spots available if Brandin formally enters the draft after the May NBA combine.  Holt, Bediako and Giordan Williams have entered the transfer portal.  Brandin will test the NBA and Carlos Marshall is likely to look for Pro opportunities abroad.

Odds are with more "Pros" and fewer "Cons" we will again be a very good team and looking to challenge the top two teams in the WCC.  Those are the kind of odds we should all look forward to!

More on the 2023-2024 roster next column.