Game Date: Feb 4th, 2045
St. Marys
Glenn Kushima - PG
Team: St. Marys Gaels [ID #65] 
Location: Moraga, CA (West)
Conference: II.1 [Division 1]
President:
naph
[since February 29th 2020 | last seen May 11th 2025]
Coach: Darren Scales
Arena: McKeon Pavilion
Rating: 383.85 - Overall Position: #21
Fan Mood: 116.13
Alumni Mood: 221.10
Prestige: 228
Team Notes:
• Jan 28 2045: 3-star prospect Derrick Hardy committed.• Nov 26 2044: 3-star prospect Douglas Armetta committed.
• Feb 06 2044: 3-star prospect Braydon Malloy committed.
• Jan 07 2044: 2-star prospect Eric Myles committed.
• Oct 13 2043: Jesse Morey was hired as the new assistant coach.
• Oct 13 2043: Assistant coach Eric Strauss was let go.
• Oct 08 2043: Lenny Hutchins was hired as the new assistant coach.
• Oct 08 2043: Assistant coach Joel Bollinger was let go.
• Oct 08 2043: Les Branch was hired as the new assistant coach.
• Oct 08 2043: Assistant coach Leland Waite was let go.
Record:
Wins: 19 Losses: 13 Pct: .594 Conf Wins: 13 Conf Losses: 9 Conf Pct: .591 Conf Rank: 6 Last10: 5-5 Streak: L2Pts Ave: 78.1 - 74.4 Pts Diff: +3.7 Team Power Index: 148.4
Press Releases:
Apr 02 2044: 2044 Season Review (II.1) - by naph on April 3rd, 2025Season
A successful OOC (8-2) against good competition including a 3-0 sweep of their pod in the D1RT (West Georgia, Georgia Southern & Florida Atlantic) gave the Gaels plenty of optimism heading into conference play. The 2 losses came by a combined 4 points. Round 10 was also a comfortable win against the relatively new regular rival LUPA.
A first up, 1-point loss to WVSU set them back a little, and losses to Kansas and Wisconsin made it a 1-3 start. They steadied winning 5 of their next 6, the exception being a blow-out 35 point loss to MMA. A 6 game winning streak saw the Gaels reach 13-7 with 10 games to play and a somewhat surprising promotion looked possible. But SMC would manage just 3 wins from the last 10 which resulted in them sliding down the table to 8th and out of at large contention.
The conference tournament was their only real hope of post-season basketball, a 34 point win over WVSU raised hopes briefly but Manchester (who would go on to receive a 2-seed in the national tournament) weren't interested in the Cinderella story, controlling the 2nd round match up from wire to wire winning 77-67, but it wasn't as close as the score might indicate.
Reinhardt, McCain and Kushima could not be relied on for offense which allowed teams to crowd the paint, making life more difficult than it should have been for Evans and Denton. A 1-4 record in conference games decided by single-digits. 2 more of those might have seen the Gaels go dancing, but it wasn't to be this year.
Roster
PG: "The Foo" Glen Kushima (RS JR 6' 1" 165lbs PG sg 153 - 19 Rng/Pass, 14 PD/Hnd, 13 OS/Spd)
42gms 42gs 26.4mins 8.8p (.391/.359/.805 eFG%:.510) 2.2r 6.9a 1.2s 0.1b 3.3to 2.3pf OeFG%:.554 POTG:4
SG: Jeff "Hammer" Reinhardt (RS SR 6' 6" 195lbs SG SF 167 - 18 Rng/IQ, 16 Fin, 15 Spd, 12 OS/Reb/PD/Str)
39gms 38gs 27.2mins 10.9p (.380/.288/.744 eFG%:.483) 2.5r 2.8a 1.4s 0.1b 2.0to 1.8pf OeFG%:.498 POTG:4
SF/bbPG: "AJ" Andy Jameson (RS SR 6' 6½" 240lbs SF PG pf 164 - 19 OS, 17 Str, 16 Hnd/Spd, 14 Pass)
41gms 40gs 27.9mins 14.3p (.502/.398/.851 eFG%:.589) 3.7r 1.8a 0.5s 0.2b 1.5to 1.9pf OeFG%:.463 POTG:3
PF/bbC: "Trebu" Chet Evans (RS SR 6' 9½" 240lbs C PF 143 - 16 IS/Sta, 14 IQ, 13 Reb, 12 Drv/Spd)
42gms 41gs 31.7mins 14.7p (.557/.000/.695 eFG%:.557) 8.4r 0.9a 1.1s 1.0b 1.5to 2.5pf OeFG%:.505 POTG:5
C: Burt "Beater" Denton (RS JR 6' 9" 220lbs C pf 167 - 19 Reb, 17 IS, 14 Rng/ID/IQ/Hnd, 13 Str)
40gms 40gs 28.6mins 16.1p (.548/.333/.789 eFG%:.549) 11.1r 0.6a 0.4s 1.4b 1.1to 1.8pf OeFG%:.466 POTG:9
bSF: Juwan "Yippee-ki-yay" McCain (RS FR 6' 6½" 190lbs SF PF c 151 - 13 OS/Rng/IQ, 12 ID/PD/Str/Spd)
41gms 3gs 19.6mins 4.7p (.382/.319/.778 eFG%:.466) 2.3r 0.8a 0.7s 0.1b 0.8to 0.8pf OeFG%:.490
bC/bbPF: Harry "Mozzie" Stanton (RS FR 6' 11½" 235lbs C 119 - 13 IS, 12 Str)
40gms 2gs 13.7mins 6.2p (.554/.---/.707 eFG%:.554) 3.8r 0.3a 0.2s 1.0b 0.5to 1.2pf OeFG%:.446
bSF/bbSG: "Beep" Byron Peterson (RS SO 6' 4½" 215lbs SF SG pf c 142 - 15 Spd, 14 Hnd, 13 Rng/PD/Drv)
39gms 2gs 13.5mins 3.8p (.500/.349/.583 eFG%:.567) 0.9r 0.8a 0.5s 0.1b 1.4to 0.9pf OeFG%:.484
bPG: Neal "Highway" Rhodes (RS FR 6' 8½" 235lbs PG pf c 128 - 16 Spd, 12 Pass)
42gms 7.6mins
bPF: "Bartman" Manny Bartlett (RS SO 6' 7½" 225lbs PF sf c 129 - 15 Str, 14 OS/Reb)
42gms 7.4mins
Farewell Seniors
Jeff "Hammer" Reinhardt (6' 6" 195lbs SG SF 167/11)
After 2 years off the bench at bSF he stepped up to the starting SF role as a junior and was fairly solid, improving his 3-ball, but struggling a little at scoring within the arc. As a senior he transitioned to SG and never really found his footing at the position. Needed to provide spacing he was very streaky, as likely to shoot the Gaels out of a game as into one.
"AJ" Andy Jameson (6' 6½" 240lbs SF PG pf 164/11)
Another solid JuCo pickup for the Gaels he started a season at PG and a season at SF. He was okay at PG, albeit a bit turnover prone. Was probably better as a secondary playmaker on the wing his senior year where he was just a little shy of shooting 50/40/85. Solid all-around multi-positional player.
"Trebu" Chet Evans (6' 9½" 240lbs C PF 143/10)
Was an effective scorer and rebounder in a 6th man type of role his first 3 seasons before eventually starting as a senior. Defense improved in time and added a bit more driving to his game. Ultimately he'll be remembered as he started, a back-to-the-basket scorer who was decent on the glass.
Development Highlights
Juwan McCain (+16 ->151)
Jerrold Malveaux (+15 -> 141)
Harry Stanton (+15 -> 118)
Raymond Burger (+14 -> 130)
Jerome Lynch (+14 -> 109) walk-on
Bennie Nicholson (+13 -> 132)
Glenn Kushima (+12 -> 153)
Byron Peterson (+12 -> 142)
Braydon Malloy (+12 -> 112)
Jeff Reinhardt (+11 -> 156)
Neil Rhodes (+11 -> 128)
Coaching
Whilst head coach Darren Scales remains in the top job all 3 assistants were changed this season. Former offensive coordinator Fred Foster went to Colorado College, who had a miserable season and will demote to division 2. Joel Bollinger hadn't shown enough in his 2 years, moving on to St. Johns. Eric Strauss had 4 years as a recruiter/motivator for the Gaels and landed at division 2 Michigan Tech.
In their place the Gaels added a new offensive coordinator and lead game-day assistant Lenny Hutchins, a real X's and O's kind of coaches coach. He is not allowed near players, particularly recruits, without another member of staff present. Les Branch is the new lead recruiter and adds a third voice in tactical discussions. Jesse Morey is the youngest and rawest of the trio. This was the 44yo's 3rd year coaching, but he's showing a quite well rounded aptitude for the profession, though a little disengaged during the recruiting process.
Recruiting
It was quite a wait for Gael fans as it wasn't until January that their first prospect committed. Eric Myles (2* 6' 6" 210lbs C pf 99/11) has some more growing to do, but already boasts a 7' wingspan and decent frame. He projects as a dominant post scorer and great post defender. Might need some seasoning on the glass, but should keep the Gaels pipeline of post scorers going.
Almost a month later Braydon Malloy (3* 5' 8" 145lbs PG sg 112/12) already has a fairly crafty dribble-drive game, solid shooting mechanics, defensive fundamentals and feel for the game. Needs a redshirt year to work on his body, but is likely Rhodes' backup at PG in 2046.
The Gaels were also pursuing Chris Farrow (3* 6' 3½" 210 PF SF c 116/11) as a SF-prospect, but he was unable to get his grades in order. The Gaels will have to be patient, but at this time remain the favourite to eventually gain his services.
Outlook
The years when the Gaels graduate 3 often see a slight downturn in performance the year after. That seems likely in the upcoming season.
The Foo will hopefully continue to work on his shot selection in the off-season. His range is near limitless and he's capable of some highlight reel passes. The big body of Highway (Rhodes) will continue to back him up and provide a very different look.
Beater will once again man the post and should be a double-double machine. A potential 20/10 season on the cards unless the wings really step up their scoring.
At SF McCain looks ready to step into a starting role. He will need to lift his efficiency if the Gaels are to be successful, but as he starts to move from being okay at everything, to actually good at some things that should happen. RS JuCo Malveaux has a similar talent level and will be waiting in the wings if McCain should stumble.
SG could go to Beep, but 4-star RS FR Nicholson may well get first look. Neither quite look ready, but hopefully the competition drives them both to success sooner rather than later. Beep may be better at the start of next year, but Nicholson is probably at least as good by the end of it and has a much higher ceiling.
PF could also be a duel with Mozzie and Burger both in contention. Very different players so it will be interesting to see which plays better with the rest of the starters. Bartman again looks a bit like the odd man out, but will continue to provide his bruising rebounding and elbow jumpers to the frontcourt.
Competition as ever will be important, but the Gaels are likely to go as far as Beater (Denton) can carry them next season. Hopefully that's another safely mid-table finish where the Moraga faithful can hope for promotion more often than they worry about demotion.
Mar 28 2043: 2043 Season Review (II.1) - by naph on February 4th, 2025
Season
The Gaels were 5-5 in non-conference. Losses to Grinnell, Alabama, Buena Vista, Azusa Pacific and Wyoming were offset by win over Northwest Missouri State, Trine, Harvard, North Greenville and LUPA. 2 home losses to start conference play was cause for concern, but they righted the ship and made their way up to an 8-3 record and moving into 3rd place in the conference? Any promotion dreams came crashing back to earth with a 6-game losing streak and suddenly demotion seemed more likely. 6 wins later the Gaels had settled into their usual mid-table niche and there they largely stayed, eventually finishing 6th, just behind UPRRP on DIFF.
Floating around the bubble, the Gaels needed a good showing in the conference tournament if they wanted to go dancing, and boy did they deliver! Wins over Eastern Kentucky, Transylvania and St. Joseph's set up a 3rd encounter with conference regular season winner Marist who had beaten the Gaels by 11 and 36 during the regular season. But SMC stunned the champs on the back of Andy Jameson's career high 30 points. He hit 6 of the Gaels 15 threes as the Gaels took the auto-bid in a 98-70 boilover. The Gaels had won their first ever D1 conference tournament.
Given a 13 seed, the Gaels faced the IV.5 champs Eastern. A balanced attack and solid defensive effort saw the Gaels prevail 79-74. In the second round they faced one of the top backcourts in the country in Kobe Jeffries and Sander Jansen of SUNY Plattsburgh. The Gaels stifled the Cardinals' stars however holding them to 13 points each. An offensive duel between Winter(27p 14r) and McLean (24p 7r) was entertaining, but the Gaels enjoyed an 18-4 bench scoring advantage and hit 10/19 from deep on their way to a 94-76 victory.
Waiting in the Sweet Sixteen was none other than Marist once more, but lightning would not strike twice as Marist shot 60% from the field and forced 20 turnovers in a 63-99 rout.
Given the low expectations heading into the season it has to be said that the 2043 Gaels had a good season. Contended for promotion briefly, staved off demotion threats, won a trophy and made it to a Sweet Sixteen.
Roster
PG: "AJ" Andy Jameson (RS JR 6' 6½" 240lbs PG SF pf 159 - 18 OS, 16 Str/Hnd/Spd, 14 Pass)
44gms 44gs 28.1mins 12.1p (.482/.366/.82 eFG%:.582) 2.9r 4.9a 0.8s 0.2b 3.5to 2.1pf OeFG%:.476 POTG:3
SG: Brian "Beez" Brooks (RS SR 6' 1" 185lbs SG sf 155 - 16 OS, 15 Str, 14 PD, 12 Rng/Fin/Pass/Spd)
47gms 47gs 29.8mins 10.9p (.422/.325/.755 eFG%:.521) 2.3r 3.1a 0.8s 0.0b 1.9to 1.7pf OeFG%:.515 POTG:2
SF: Jeff "Hammer" Reinhardt (RS JR 6' 6" 195lbs SF sg 156 - 18 IQ, 16 Rng, 14 Fin/Spd, 12 Reb)
47gms 47gs 27.3mins 8.2p (.395/.350/.726 eFG%:.512) 3.9r 1.3a 1.6s 0.1b 1.1to 1.4pf OeFG%:.528 POTG:1
PF: Larry "Crowley" Winter (RS SR 6' 9½" 210lbs PF SF C 161 - 19 IS, 15 Reb, 14 Str, 13 OS/Fin/ID/PD, 12 IQ)
47gms 47gs 28.8mins 18.0p (.588/1000/.736 eFG%:.590) 9.0r 0.5a 1.0s 1.2b 1.8to 3.0pf OeFG%:.497 POTG:13
C: Burt "Beater" Denton (RS SO 6' 9" 220lbs C pf 158 - 19 Reb, 17 IS, 14 IQ, 13 Rng/ID/Hnd/Str)
43gms 43gs 27.2mins 17.2p (.563/.000/.704 eFG%:.563) 9.6r 0.5a 0.3s 1.2b 1.2to 2.8pf OeFG%:.524 POTG:5
bC/bPF: Chet Evans (RS JR 6' 9½" 240lbs C PF 139 - 16 IS/Sta, 13 Reb/IQ, 12 Drv/Spd)
45gms 4gs 20.2mins 11.1p (.537/.---/.678 eFG%:.537) 5.9r 0.3a 0.8s 0.6b 1.2to 1.9pf OeFG%:.525 POTG:3
bPG/bSG: "The Foo" Glen Kushima (RS SO 6' 1" 165lbs PG SG 141 - 18 Rng/Pass, 13 PD/Hnd/Spd, 12 OS)
43gms 3gs 19.9mins 6.1p (.433/.423/.707 eFG%:.576) 1.2r 3.3a 0.7s 0.0b 2.6to 1.6pf OeFG%:.530 POTG:1
bSF/bbSG: "Beep" Byron Peterson (RS FR 6' 4½" 215lbs SF pf c 130 - 15 Spd, 12 Rng/Hnd
45gms 0gs 12.8mins 2.2p (.443/.400/.464 eFG%:.544) 1.4r 0.4a 0.3s 0.0b 0.8to 0.9pf OeFG%:.441
Farewell Seniors
Larry "Crowley" Winter (6' 9½" 210lbs PF SF C 161/11)
Two great years. Junior SF. Senior PF. He was a more natural PF, but was good at both positions. Efficient scorer, rebounder, good and versatile defender. Turned it over a little much perhaps, but a very solid forward overall.
Brian "Beez" Brooks (6' 1" 185lbs SG sf 155/12)
Beez was a SG I expected to be a fairly run-of-the-mill backup for most of his career and be a perfectly fine starter as a senior. Most of that went to plan, except that he was really poor as a senior slashing .390/.291/.772 despite having attributes that would suggest he'd be significantly better than that.
Cameron "Jank" Jankowski (6' 215lbs PG sg 142/12)
So the plan was for Jank to a 2-year starter and graduate with SI in the 160's. He simply never developed like I hoped/expected. Neither his OS or his defense developed and his passing/handling never became great enough to overcome those limitations. To the point that he was recruited over whilst he started as a junior, as a senior he averaged under 5 minutes a game. I resisted the temptation to change the vowel in his nickname to a "u", but I certainly thought about it a couple of times.
Development Highlights
Burt Denton (139 -> 158 = +19)
Juwan McCain (117 -> 135 = +18)
Glenn Kushima (104 -> 141 = +17)
Andy Jameson (143 -> 159 = +16)
Manny Bartlett (104 -> 120 = +16)
Jeff Reinhardt (141 -> 156 = +15)
Neal Rhodes (102 -> 117 = +15)
Brian Brooks (145 -> 155 = +10)
Coaching
Ricardo Covarrubias was moved on after showing deficiencies in multiple areas. In his place is a 25yo local named Joel Bollinger. Fred Foster is completing his 7th year as the Gaels' offensive coordinator. This will be his last as the 50yo has expressed his desire to be a head coach. Eric Strauss remains the lead recruiter and hype man. At the top remains Darren Scales. He joined the team in 2022 and has been the head coach since 2034.
Recruiting
The primary recruiting targets for the year were both keen to sign early, and sign early they did. Raymond Burger (3* 6' 9½" 235lbs C pf 116/12) signed on the first of November. Burger appeared on college radars last season and the Gaels pursued him hardest right out of the gate. Whilst recruited to be a big, he increasingly is looking like a SF, that might even be able to play some PG one day.
Just a few weeks later it was Bennie Nicholson (4* 5' 8½" 150lbs PG SG sf 119/12) signing his letter of intent. A small, quick SG should develop some elite perimeter defending skills, and enough ranged shooting threat to help space the floor. His passing game is also blossoming and should add another string to his offensive bow in time.
During the season the Gaels decided to pursue a taller JuCo SF and in January he committed. Jerrold Malveaux (3* 6' 8½" 240lbs C SG PF sf 126/12) has a 7' 2" wingspan but almost no post or rebounding aptitude at all. He'll probably be best utilised at SF, though he can probably also play as a non-rebounding 4, and might even get some spot minutes at the 2 as well.
Outlook
Winter is a big out, and Brooks was a decent SG (at least on paper).
The Gaels should have some positional versatility. Kushima can play either guard position. Jameson can already play 1-3 and could perhaps train up at the 2. Reinhardt can play 2-3. I suspect they probably settle at Kushima - Reinhardt - Jameson, probably with Jameson also playing bPG. In the frontcourt you have Denton returning and Evans showed in the conference tournament that he's ready for prime time, at the very least on the offensive side of the ball.
The bench should be fairly solid. One of Peterson/McCain needs to learn bSG, but they should be pretty decent on the wings. Bartlett and Stanton can both help out on the boards and do something on offense and have decent size for their positions. Rhodes is a bit raw, but should is a rare recruit that could potentially be second backup at all 5 positions.
As has often been the case of late the Gaels will have 2 strong post threats, and 2 legitimate 3 point threats in the starting 5. Jameson can also hit the 3, but has a mid-range game that will probably get better explored at SF. Gaels should be strong on the glass and are probably have the best handling/passing starting 5 they have had in a while. On the other hand this is probably the weakest defensive team the Gaels have fielded in some time.
Mar 15 2042: 2042 Season Review (III.1) - by naph on December 9th, 2024
Season
The Gaels scheduled a bit of a gauntlet in the OOC and frankly they, or more particularly their PG's, just weren't ready for it. There was an early win over Utah State and an upset over Westminster Missouri (2 LL2 teams who would go on to have demoting seasons). But there were 8 losses, 7 of them by double digits.
A 2-4 start to conference play, despite a fairly stunning upset of ranked Transylvania, had the Gaels continuing to reel and the crowds started to thin as it was beginning to look like a lost season. A home win over Howard Payne, a road win over Oakland City, then 4 more home wins started to silence the critics. A 2-3 record over the next 5 again showed some danger signs, but then an 8-game winning streak suddenly had the Gaels in contention to promote. They had the best goal difference in the conference and had started to rack up the wins. In a balanced conference (All teams with 8 conference losses or more and six teams finishing between 19 and 22 wins) it was looking like enough. A loss to Washington State was followed by 3 more wins and the Gaels ended up playing for the conference title against a hot Northwest Missouri State team who proved too much on the final day of the regular season and the Gaels had to settle for 2nd behind Transylvania.
The Gaels made it past Butler and Oakland City on the way to the CT-semis, where they would fall again to Washington State, this time by 3. A nervous wait on the bubble proved to be needless stress as SMC was awarded a 13-seed in the tournament. They played 4-seed Kentucky in the opening round. Jank had 10 assists to 0 turnovers, Sample had 20 points including 4 treys and Denton added 19&7, mostly from the charity stripe as the Gaels upset a skilled and deep Wildcats team. In the 2nd round the Gaels would play the iron-men of Trine. Saint Mary's looked great, when they could initiate their offense, but the Gaels PG's committed 17 turnovers. Despite holding the Thunder to under 40% from the field and just 25% from 3, the Gaels would still lose 94-95. Winter and Sample both missing go-ahead jumpers in the final 45 seconds in a game with plenty of what-ifs for both sides.
All told it was a surprisingly successful season. Despite a clearly limited duo at PG the Gaels managed to contend, promote and get a win in the tournament. A fitting end to the Sample/Cooke era.
Roster
PG: Cameron "Jank" Jankowski (RS JR 6' 215lbs PG sg 140 - 12 Spd, 14 IQ/Pass, 13 Rng/Hnd, 12 Drv)
44gms 44gs 25.8mins 5.7p (.339/.220/.550 eFG%:.376) 2.0r 6.3a 0.8s 0.2b 3.3to 2.4pf OeFG%:.538
SG: "e.g." Ed Sample (RS SR 6' 2½" 185lbs SG pg sf 175 - 19 OS, 18 PD/Spd, 17 Rng/Fin/IQ/Str, 14 Drv)
44gms 44gs 29.2mins 19.0p (.465/.401/.847 eFG%:.587) 2.3r 1.5a 1.3s 0.1b 1.7to 2.3pf OeFG%:.431 POTG:5
SF: Larry "Crowley" Winter (RS JR 6' 9½" 210lbs PF SF C 158 - 19 IS, 15 Reb, 14 Str, 13 OS/PD, 12 Fin/ID/IQ)
45gms 45gs 28.5mins 14.1p (.597/.250/.682 eFG%:.598) 7.1r 0.5a 0.9s 0.6b 1.3to 2.2pf OeFG%:.506 POTG:4
PF: Nelson "Bammy" Cooke (RS SR 6' 9½" 245lbs PF C 183 - 19 ID, 17 Str/Sta, 16 OS/Reb, 14 IQ, 13 Pass, 12 Rng/Drv/Spd)
43gms 43gs 30.9mins 16.6p (.484/.385/.809 eFG%:.565) 9.6r 0.8a 1.2s 1.0b 1.2to 2.0pf OeFG%:.439 POTG:15
C: Burt "Beater" Denton (RS FR 6' 9" 229lbs C pf 139 - 16 Reb, 15 IS, 13 IQ)
45gms 45gs 26.4mins 11.6p (.536/.167/.705 eFG%:.537) 8.1r 0.4a 0.3s 0.9b 1.5to 3.1pf OeFG%:.578 POTG:2
bSF: Jeff "Hammer" Reinhardt (RS SO 6' 6" 195lbs SF sg 141 - 18 IQ, 14 Rng, 13 Fin/Spd)
50gms 2gs 18.2mins 4.8p (.374/.337/.842 eFG%:.463) 3.2r 0.9a 0.8s 0.1b 0.7to 1.1pf OeFG%:.563
bC/bPF: Chet Evans (RS SO 6' 9½" 240lbs C PF 130 - 16 IS, 14 Sta, 13 IQ, 12 Reb/Spd)
45gms 0gs 15.7mins 7.0p (.619/.---/.675 eFG%:.619) 4.2r 0.3a 0.4s 0.2b 1.0to 1.9pf OeFG%:.551
bPG: "The Foo" Glen Kushima (RS FR 6' 1" 165lbs PG sg 124 - 15 Rng/Pass, 12 Spd)
40gms 0gs 14.1mins 2.7p (.430/.378/.714 eFG%:.529) 0.9r 2.8a 0.5s 0.0b 1.8to 1.1pf OeFG%:.535
bSG/bbSF: Brian "Beez" Brooks (RS JR 6' 1" 185lbs SG sf 145 - 15 OS, 14 Str, 13 PD, 12 Fin/Spd)
45gms 1gs 13.5mins 4.6p (.446/.367/.923 eFG%:.551) 1.1r 1.3a 0.2s 0.0b 1.0to 0.8pf OeFG%:.555
Farewell Seniors
"e.g" Ed Sample (6' 2½" 185lbs SG pg sf 175/12)
A fantastic 2-way shooting guard. Certainly was not a combo guard, on offense he was a scorer, plain and simple. Excelled at what he was good at, and neglected that which he was not. A truly impressive, lock-down perimeter defender as an upper-classman. A gunner from deep he even increased his efficiency up over 40% as a senior which helped him break the college's 3PM record by 46. He graduates ranked in a number of categories and will be the benchmark for other Gael SG's for some time.
#1 3PM (446)
#7 Points (2533)
#9 FGM (881)
#9 FT% (.821)
#15 3FG% (.368)
T16 POTG (20)
T16 Steals (198)
"Bammy" Nelson Cooke (6' 9½" 245lbs PF c 183/13)
The built Jamaican from Kingston had a 7' 1" wingspan and 39" vertical. A very good stretch 4 that started 125 games for the Gaels after coming off the bench as a freshman. He'll be showcasing his skills in the pros and should be a cornerstone of the Jamaican national team for the next decade.
T7 POTG (26)
#10 Rebounds (1264)
#12 Blocks (155)
#18 3FG% (.363)
Points (1787)
3PM (211)
Steals (178)
Development Highlights
Glenn Kushima (104 -> 124 = +20)
Nelson Cooke (164 -> 183 = +19)
Burt Denton (123 -> 139 = +16)
Larry Winter (144 -> 158 = +14)
Brian Brooks (131 -> 145 = +14)
Andy Jameson (129 -> 143 = +14) - redshirt
Jeff Reinhardt (128 -> 141 = +13)
Byron Peterson (109 -> 122 = +13) - redshirt
Manny Bartlett (92 -> 104 = +12)
Cameron Jankowski (129 -> 140 = +11)
Chet Evans (120 -> 130 = +10)
Coaching
Theo Hudson moved to D2 Syracuse and the Gaels took on Ricardo Covarrubias who looks to be developing some recruiting chops. Other than that the team remains largely the same. Darren "Tipsy" Scales is the head coach. Fred Foster is the offensive guru, and tactical sounding board, though at 49 years of age he's probably starting to think about his own program. Eric Strauss remains the lead recruiter and motivator. Succession planning is beginning to become a concern as a number of assistants now haven't really shown they are likely to be at the level of past Gaels head coaches.
Recruiting
The brief flirtation with Devontae Copeland (eventual Cal Poly Pomona commit) never really went anywhere. Long time target Reginald Ferguson eventually signed with Fresno Pacific. The writing seemed to be on the wall with both of these prospects at the start of the season.
In mid-December Neal Rhodes (3* ~6' 8" PG PF c 102/11) was the first recruit to commit. An interesting player that played time at PG and C as a senior at Huntington Beach HS. He scores with an array of push-shots, floaters and scoops. They drop, but it seems unlikely he'll ever develop any of those into a perimeter game. He's already very quick, especially for his size. His passing, handling and rebounding are likely to become his best attributes. Doesn't jump a lot, but he already has a 7' 3" wingspan and is likely to add a bit more to his 215lbs frame. PG? SF? PF?
Juwan McCain (3* ~6' 6" PF SF c 116/11) was the first signing in January. He's a well-rounded, and already quite well polished, SF prospect who probably becomes a range threat in time albeit without the highest ceiling.
The 2nd commit in January came all the way from Australia in the form of Harry Stanton (2* 6' 10" C 93/11). Whilst he's no Toby Henry, and was a bit late to basketball, playing much of his junior sports as an Australian rules football ruckman, he does project as a dominant scorer and rebounder. He's fairly mobile and has some passing instincts. He'll use his redshirt season to learn from the impressive stable of big men already on the roster.
Outlook
Jankowski and Kushima, late in the season started to actually provide passable play at the PG. Complicating that picture is redshirt Jameson who would provide a larger, more physical, and probably better shooting look should he play at the point.
After 4 years as Sample's understudy Brooks looks primed to step into the starting SG position. He's certainly no Sample, but he could have an okay senior year.
Jameson and Reinhardt both provide different looks at SF. The former is a more physical presence, better with the ball and operating from the mid-range. The latter is probably better off the ball and will stretch the floor more. It will be interesting to see who wins that duel, and whether Jameson gets any time at PG.
After an admirable effort at SF this year, Winter will play his more natural position of PF for his senior year. The JuCo looks likely to be the #1 scoring option on the team. Joining him in the frontcourt is likely to be Denton who had a strong development year. He's the best returning rebounder and is likely to be the best interior defender by the end of next season.
The Gaels' backup frontcourt of Chet Evans and Manny Bartlett should make the frontcourt a strength. Evans is already an accomplished post scorer, whilst Bartlett is more of a high-post/elbow-jumper kind of PF. Both are pretty solid on the glass.
Plenty of competition at PG, but none of the options are ideal. bSG looks like a bit of a hole as Peterson doesn't really look ready yet. Perhaps the non-starting SF ends up as the bSG as well?
If they can get passable PG play again, Winter can ascend to #1 option and the likes of Denton and Brooks can chip in reliably the Gaels might be okay, at least on offense. Sample and Cooke were also the foundation of the defense for years and the Gaels look like they'll just be hoping to be average defensively.
That all sounds like a fairly slim path to staying up in LL2 next year. As is often the case it probably depends on what the rest of the conference looks like.
Mar 30 2041: 2041 Season Review (III.1) - by naph on October 17th, 2024
Season
After 6 years in LL2 the Gaels returned back to LL3. Whilst more recently the Gaels had spent time in III.2, it was back to III.1 which still seems like home after the Gaels spent 2021-2028 there in the past.
SMC kicked off the season with a great win over Trinity University, one that would look better and better over time as they would go on to spend time in the top 25 late in the season.
A loss to Central Arkansas (once again back in Legends) was somewhat discouraging but winning the next 8 in a row would see Saint Mary's atop the RPI rankings by the end of OOC. D1RT wins over FAU and Louisiana-Lafeyette helped as did wins over rival Nazareth, Amherst (tournament bound) and a good Quinnipiac squad (LL5) who will promote to D1 next year and are making a D2 Tournament run.
So expectations were high heading into conference. 2 first up losses provided a reality check. Whilst they had their moments the team really struggling in the middle of the conference schedule when they had to deal with a string of short term injuries to starters that kept the team unsettled.
Despite beating most of the teams who finished above them on the ladder, inconsistency against teams below them cost the Gaels in the final standings.
Bogey team Morehead State dropped the Gaels from 7th to 9th on the last day of the regular season and promptly bundled them out of the conference tournament in the opening round to end their season.
Ed Sample took the next step of becoming the team's go-to scorer. He topped 30 points 4 times in 2041. Harris found some scoring form late scoring 74 points in 3 games of a 4-game stretch. Nelson had 13 double-doubles on the year, finishing with a 24p 15r game to carry into next season. Winter and Kushima both showed a bit in their redshirt games as well.
Roster
PG: "Whispers" Josh Harris (RS SR 6' 6½" 205lbs PG 165 - 17 Sta, 16 Hnd/Spd, 14 OS/Pass, 13 Drv, 12 Str)
40gms 40gs 29.9mins 12.4p (.482/.390/.765 eFG%:.535) 3.8r 5.4a 0.9s 0.2b 3.8to 2.8pf OeFG%:.529 POTG:4
SG: "e.g." Ed Sample (RS JR 6' 2½" 185lbs SG pg sf 174 - 19 OS, 18 PD/Spd, 17 Rng/Fin/IQ, 16 Str. 14 Drv)
41gms 41gs 28.4mins 18.8p (.451/.346/.810 eFG%:.545) 2.0r 2.0a 1.6s 0.1b 1.5to 1.9pf OeFG%:.421 POTG:8
SF: "Brew" Ken Brewer (RS SR 6' 5½" 215lbs SF PF c 157 - 16 Spd, 13 Rng/Hnd, 12 IS/Fin/IQ)
39gms 39gs 30.1mins 8.7p (.394/.329/.622 eFG%:.467) 4.0r 0.7a 1.7s 0.3b 1.2to 1.4pf OeFG%:.494 POTG:1
PF: Nelson "Bammy" Cooke (RS JR 6' 9½" 245lbs PF C 163 - 16 ID, 15 OS/Str, 14 IQ/Sta, 13 Reb, 12 Pass/Spd)
36gms 36gs 28.8mins 13.5p (.458/.342/.773 eFG%:.528) 9.3r 0.6a 1.2s 1.0b 1.2to 2.3pf OeFG%:.452 POTG:7
C: "Swampy" Stewart Fenton (RS SR 6' 9" 235lbs C PF 124 - 16 ID/Sta)
40gms 39gs 28.3mins 8.7p (.554/.---/.635 eFG%:.554) 8.7r 0.5a 1.3s 1.4b 1.5to 2.6pf OeFG%:.445 POTG:4
bC/bPF: Chet Evans (RS FR 6' 9½" 240lbs C PF 120 - 15 IS, 12 IQ/Sta)
41gms 4gs 19.6mins 8.1p (.537/.000/.689 eFG%:.537) 6.0r 0.4a 0.4s 0.5b 1.0to 2.0pf OeFG%:.488 POTG:1
bSG/bbSF: Brian "Beez" Brooks (RS SO 6' 1" 185lbs SG SF 130 - 14 OS, 12 Str/Spd)
40gms 0gs 12.3mins 3.1p (.350/.263/.781 eFG%:.413) 0.9r 1.2a 0.3s 0.0b 1.0to 0.9pf OeFG%:.435
bSF: Jeff "Hammer" Reinhardt (RS FR 6' 6" 195lbs sg pg sf 127 - 18 IQ, 12 Rng/Spd)
39gms 1gs 10.8mins 2.6p (.392/.321/.533 eFG%:.485) 1.8r 0.3a 0.3s 0.0b 0.6to 0.8pf OeFG%:.530
bPG: Cameron "Jank" Jankowski (RS SO 6' 215lbs PG sg 128 - 16 Spd, 14 IQ, 12 Rng/Pass)
37gms 1gs 10.6mins 2.4p (.493/.355/.333 eFG%:.567) 0.7r 1.8a 0.3s 0.0b 1.1to 0.9pf OeFG%:.520
bbPF/bbC: Bennie "Chanko Nabe" Ishikawa (SR 7' 1½" 305lbs c pf 113 - 13 Rng/IQ)
40gms 0gs 5.4mins 1.6p (.735/.---/.600 eFG%:.735) 1.5r 0.3a 0.1s 0.2b 0.2to 0.6pf OeFG%:.525
Farewell Seniors
Whispers" Josh Harris (6' 6½" 205lbs PG 165/12)
It was thought that Harris' long wingspan (7' 1") would make up for his lack of defensive fundamentals, but that didn't seem to be the case. He struggled on that end of the floor for most of his career and was just okay as a senior. Offensively he also wasn't really a threat until his senior year and he never got over his turnover struggles. Disappointing senior year development capped off a frustrating career. None-the-less his backups were and are certainly worse and the Gaels will miss his senior numbers next season.
#6 Turnovers (465)
#15 Assists (566)
"Brew" Ken Brewer (RS SR 6' 5½" 215lbs SF PF c 157/13)
Brew never came along as quickly as hoped and was forever compared against a mythical version of himself that never eventuated in college. He was decent defensively and okay on the glass but really struggled to regularly contribute on offense on a roster that could have definitely used some from him. The criticism was probably unfair. Unable to create his own shot he was hampered by a lack of creativity from his team-mates.
"Swampy" Stewart Fenton (RS SR 6' 9" 235lbs C PF 131/10)
Swampy was signed as a transitional big. He helped bridge the gap between the exceptional bigs of last year (Haskell/Benavides) and the emerging talents of Evans, Denton and Winter behind him. He was okay on the glass and finishing around the basket. Where he really excelled was protecting the paint and on the defensive side of the floor. Hard-nosed defense together with his high motor made him easy for fans to appreciate.
Bennie "Chanko Nabe" Ishikawa (SR Walk-on 7' 1½" 305lbs c pf 112/11)
Whilst appearing in just 9 games prior to 2041 the man mountain of Japanese descent had long been a fan favourite in the warm up line and for his bench celebrations. He made 40 appearances as a senior and shot an astounding .735 from the field as a senior. His famed sumo soup will remain on the college menu indefinitely.
Development Highlights
Glenn Kushima (85 > 99 = +14)
Nelson Cooke (150 -> 163 = +13)
Larry Winter (130 -> 142 = +12)
Ken Brewer (146 -> 157 = +11)
Brian Brooks (119 -> 130 = +11)
Andy Jameson (117 -> 128 = +11)
Jeff Reinhardt (127 -> 137 = +10)
Burt Denton (112 -> 122 = +10)
Coaching
No changes on the bench this year. Darren "Tipsy" Scales remains the head coach. Fred Foster the offensive co-ordinator and assistant tactician. Theo Hudson assists with offense, defense and player development. Eric Strauss is the Lead recruiter and motivator.
Recruiting
Late November saw the first signing for the season in the form of Byron Peterson(2* ~6'5" C SF pg pf 109/10). He projects a 3 & D wing, though there are some concerns about his unorthodox jump-shot and how consistent it can be at the next level. shooting .365 from deep on 4.2 attempts and .529 from the field overall as a senior were encouraging, but its worth noting that a lot of that efficient came on easy buckets inside as he split time between PG and C his senior year. The charity stripe clip of .584, though considerably better than his junior year, highlights the concerns.
Early December saw decision day for JuCo Andy Jameson (2* 6' 6½" PF SF pg 128/11). He has an interesting skillset. A silky smooth jumper (15 OS) saw him slash .501/.422/792 for his 14.1ppg as a senior mostly at PF. Those percentages were a little down on the previous year where he spent more time at SF. He tips the scales at 240lbs, but may even see some time at PG in college as his passing and handling have shown steady improvement. Quick and strong he should be able to play 1-2-3 in college.
The Gaels did not get the Christmas present they were hoping for as long-recruited big Stan Hubbard spurned both the Gaels and the DUCA penguins, instead signing with UCLA.
Forced to pivot late, Eric Strauss came up with local Californian Manny Bartlett (2* ~6' 7" PF SF C 91/11). Though his defense is very much a work in progress he already has a refined elbow jumper and projects as a monster rebounder. He should help shore up the Gaels frontline in time.
Outlook
Its hard to get excited about next season due to the holes at PG and SF. Misses in either recruiting or development have left the cupboards bare at both positions. Jankowski will have to play PG. Reinhardt is the most natural candidate for SF. Despite 3 and 2 years respectively in the program, neither look ready.
Sample will remain the star of the team and should have a big year. If things go really pear-shaped he might even end up at PG with an ultra-green light.
Cooke has been a good stretch-4 and could reprise that role, but could he perhaps makes the move to SF? Whilst a bit late in his career to be starting a new position his shooting and developing passing game could possibly be utilised at the 3, which would give more minutes for others in a deep frontcourt.
Winter's quality appearances this year has seen plenty of signs with Game of Thrones references in the stands. Well, Winter is no longer coming. Winter is here. He'll provide the post scoring option that was missing this season and has long been a staple of the Gaels offense. If the Gaels are to succeed next year it will be because the 1-2 punch of Sample on the outside and Winter on the inside proves too much for opposing defenses to cover.
Kushima starts at bPG, but may have a chance to overtake Jankowski for the starting role, he might already be a better shooter and defender, but he's a bit behind as a floor general. Brooks will remain the bSG and he needs to improve his shot-selection. He's too good of a shooter in practice to maintain his in game shooting splits forever.
bSF could be Reinhardt if he doesn't start. If he does start bSF becomes a real question mark as whoever is chosen is likely to be out of position.
Mar 31 2040: 2040 Season Review II.1 - by naph on August 21st, 2024
Season
Gaels fans are used to a roller-coaster in their recent history and this season provided that again. Against a tough OOC schedule they compiled a 7-3 record that included a rare 3-0 record in the D1RT against Oral Roberts, Arizona State and Iowa State.
Season expectations were rapidly adjusted however after they opened conference play with a 5-game losing streak. The team started winning some games and after winning 6 games in a row mid-season it looked like they could at least stay up again. The Gaels were even projected in the tournament field and at 12-10 in conference play probably needed just 3 wins from the last 8 games to remain in LL2 for another year.
Injuries to Sample and then Haskell started a losing streak which became a full on death spiral as they lost 7 games in a row, which made their win in the season finale irrelevant. There were some close games in there, narrow 5 point losses to ranked Minnesota State and Methodist University as well as Howard Payne. But there was also the 51 point blow-out loss to fellow demotee Gonzaga.
The Gaels would finish 12th, their poor DIFF meaning they were realistically 2 games below the demotion line. Historically the team has been stronger in the second half of conference play and the late season swoon resulting in demotion was bitter pill for the Gaels fans to swallow. Whilst they would show some fight making it past Valparaiso and Temple, the Gaels ultimately fell 69-73 to regular season champs Methodist University in the conference tournament semi-final which ended their season.
Roster
PG: "Whispers" Josh Harris (RS JR 6' 6½" 205lbs PG sg 161 - 16 Spd/Sta, 15 Hnd, 14 OS/Pass, 13 Drv, 12 Str)
42gms 42gs 29.9mins 6.9p (.420/.206/.743 eFG%:.435) 3.0r 5.2a 1.2s 0.1b 4.5to 2.1pf OeFG%:.574
SG: "e.g." Ed Sample (RS SO 6' 2½" 185lbs SG pg sf 164 - 17 OS/PD/IQ/Spd, 16 Rng, 15 Fin/Str, 13 Drv)
39gms 39gs 28.1mins 17.0p (.408/.369/.865 eFG%:.535) 2.2r 1.8a 1.1s 0.1b 1.8to 1.9pf OeFG%:.473 POTG:6
SF: Armando "Benny" Benavides (RS SR 6' 9½" 230lbs SF PF C 176 - 18 IS, 15 ID/IQ, 14 PD/Str, 13 OS/Spd/Sta, 12 Rng/Drv)
43gms 43gs 30.4mins 12.0p (.502/.396/.757 eFG%:.526) 6.0r 0.7a 1.8s 0.5b 1.6to 2.1pf OeFG%:.463 POTG:3
PF/bC: Nelson "Bammy" Cooke (RS SO 6' 9½" 245lbs PF C 149 - 14 OS/IQ/Str, 13 ID, 12 Reb/Spd/Sta)
43gms 43gs 29.8mins 10.5p (.427/.343/.802 eFG%:.504) 8.4r 1.1a 1.4s 1.0b 1.4to 2.2pf OeFG%:.483 POTG:4
C: "Hotrod" Rodger Haskell (RS SR 6' 9½" 245lbs C PF 164 - 20 ID, 18 IS, 16 Str, 15 OS, 14 Fin/IQ, 12 Hnd)
39gms 39gs 28.5mins 16.5p (.583/1000/.855 eFG%:.585) 7.1r 0.5a 1.4s 1.5b 1.3to 2.7pf OeFG%:.454 POTG:9
bSF/bbSG/bbPF: "Brew" Ken Brewer (RS JR 6' 5½" 215lbs SF PF c 145 - 16 Spd, 13 Rng/Hnd, 12 IS/Fin/IQ)
43gms 7gs 23.3mins 7.9p (.413/.327/.568 eFG%:.493) 2.7r 0.8a 1.2s 0.3b 1.2to 1.6pf OeFG%:.550
bSG/bbSF: Brian "Beez" Brooks (RS FR 6' 1" 185lbs SG SF 112 - 13 OS)
42gms 1gs 12.2mins 2.5p (.324/.229/.727 eFG%:.375) 0.9r 0.8a 0.3s 0.0b 1.2to 0.7pf OeFG%:.545
bC/bbPF: "Swampy" Stewart Fenton (RS JR 6' 9" 235lbs C PF 124 - 15 ID/Sta)
43gms 43gs 11.8mins 3.3p (.549/.000/.612 eFG%:.549) 3.3r 0.3a 0.5s 0.8b 0.7to 1.1pf OeFG%:.356
bPG: Cameron "Jank" Jankowski (RS FR 6' 210lbs PG sg 119 - 16 Spd, 14 IQ)
42gms 1gs 10.7mins 1.3p (.310/.179/.650 eFG%:.353) 0.7r 1.2a 0.4s 0.0b 1.8to 1.2pf OeFG%:.580
Farewell Seniors
"Hotrod" Rodger Haskell (6' 9½" 245lbs C PF 164/12)
A polished offensive game paired with truly elite paint protection. Hotrod patrolled the paint at both ends of the court for 130 starts for the Gaels. His rebounding was merely adequate. The defensive anchor of the team will certainly be missed.
Armando "Benny" Benavides (6' 9½" 230lbs SF PF C 176/12)
Benny was the victim of a bit of a logjam in the frontcourt. He finally won a starting position part of the way through his junior season and made the move to SF to start as a senior. He probably shone best whilst Haskell was injured when he finally got the opportunity to play center. Still, he was a great all-around defender, accomplished post threat, and had a bit more range on his jumper which gave him a lot of positional flexibility.
Development Highlights
Nelson Cooke (128 -> 149 = +21)
Ed Sample (145 -> 164 = +19)
Elmer Costello (82 -> 101 = +19)
Josh Harris (144 -> 161 = +17)
Armando Benavides (161 -> 176 = +15)
Ken Brewer (132 -> 145 = +13)
Stewart Fenton (114 -> 124 = +10)
Jeff Reinhardt (106 -> 116 = +10)
Coaching
Flaherty finally aged out of the assistant coaching program and left to become the head coach of Sul Ross State. He was replaced by former DUCA assistant Eric Strauss who becomes the teams lead recruiter and motivator.
Fred Foster remains the offensive coordinator and assistant tactician. Theo Hudson is the defensive coordinator and is slowly improving his well-rounded skillset.
Darren Scales recorded his first losing conference season, in what was a trying year for the program.
Recruiting
Recruiting again didn't get going until mid-December when Burt Denton (3* 6' 8½" C PF 109/12) signed. Despite a marked lack of footspeed, he projects as a dominating post scorer, monster rebounder and good defender. He should be a big part of the Gaels future after a few development seasons.
Late February saw JuCo Larry Winter (2* 6' 9½" C PF 128/11) made his commitment. Winter is coming in as an accomplished post-scorer and decent rebounder and all-around defender. He's expected to take a season learning the Gaels way, and then will likely start for 2 years.
Long-recruited guard Deon Rush (3* 6' 1" PG sg sf pf 114/11) was unable to overcome his off-court troubles that occurred during his senior year and regretfully declined the Gaels offer.
On the very last day of the season as Richmond were cutting down the nets Glenn Kushima (2* 5' 10½" PG SG 84/11) filed all of his paperwork. He's pretty raw for a guard, but looks like he might be able to be a decent backup in time.
Outlook
The Gaels will be back in LL3 dealing with the wounds of their late season collapse in 2040. PG Harris, SG Sample and PF Cooke all return and are unlikely to change position. Brewer was projected to start last year and is surely the starter at SF in his senior year. Fenton provided a solid defensive presence off the bench last year as understudy to Haskell and looks a likely starter unless Winter forgoes a redshirt which seems unlikely.
Jankowski's poor development is cause for concern, a situation exacerbated by Rush's non-commitment. With no alternative he'll remain the bPG, along side Brooks at bSG. Reinhardt (SF) and Evans (PF/C) both come off their redshirt seasons, though nobody's quite sure what Evans was doing with his as his development rivals Jank's in the wrong way. Fan favourite walk-on behemoth Ishikawa might even see the floor his senior year.
The Gaels will badly need some improvement from the likes of Harris, Sample and Brewer if they want to be competitive in LL3. After a long run in LL2 the team appears to have taken some backward steps and its not clear this roster is one capable of climbing back up that ladder. Hopefully they can at least stabilize in LL3 whilst the continue to compete on the recruiting front against some of the big fish in the West.