Game Date: Mar 1st, 2042

St. Marys

Team: St. Marys Gaels [ID #65]

Location: Moraga, CA (West)

Conference: III.1 [Division 1]

President: naph
          [since February 29th 2020 | last seen December 02nd 2024]

Coach: Darren Scales

Arena: McKeon Pavilion

Rating: 365.41 - Overall Position: #24

Fan Mood: 119.23

Alumni Mood: 212.70

Prestige: 216

Team Notes:

• Jan 23 2042: 2-star prospect Harry Stanton committed.
• Jan 11 2042: 3-star prospect Juwan McCain committed.
• Dec 12 2041: 3-star prospect Neal Rhodes committed.
• Oct 12 2041: Ricardo Covarrubias was hired as the new assistant coach.
• Oct 12 2041: Assistant coach Theo Hudson was let go.
• Jan 24 2041: 2-star prospect Manny Bartlett committed.
• Dec 08 2040: 2-star prospect Andy Jameson committed.
• Nov 29 2040: 2-star prospect Byron Peterson committed.
• Aug 30 2040: Demoted to conference III.1.
• Apr 02 2040: 2-star prospect Glenn Kushima committed.

Record:

Wins: 23 Losses: 17 Pct: .575     Conf Wins: 21 Conf Losses: 9 Conf Pct: .700 Conf Rank: 2     Last10: 8-2 Streak: L1

Pts Ave: 84.6 - 78.9     Pts Diff: +5.7     Team Power Index: 148.7

Press Releases:

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.


Apr 02 2039: 2039 Season Review (II.1) - by naph on June 27th, 2024

Season

Heading into the season the Gaels returned almost everyone and confidence was high. A 9-1 OOC record, including D1RT wins over Columbia, Houston Baptist and West Georgia certainly seemed encouraging.

The Gaels started conference play hovering around .500, but as the season wore on they seemed to find their groove. Still, it was an up and down year. Wins over all 3 promoting teams, Cal Poly Pomona, St. Thomas Aquinas and Marquette were all offset by losses to Mississippi, St. Bonaventure and Transylvania who were all bound for demotion.

The season looked like it may have ended early with a whimper after a first round loss in the CT to bot ETSU. But, the Gaels still finished 7th (again), and were awarded a 15-seed where they were matched against old conference foes Central Arkansas. As has been the case in the two teams' recent history it was all Bears in the NT opener.

"Choc" Chitwood surprised many by almost doubling his junior production to become the team's top scorer. "Leopard" Clark at SF and "Hotrod" Haskell at PF complemented him in what was a balanced offensive attack. Haskell, Cleveland and Benavides did damage on the inside, whilst Clark and Chitwood averaged almost 16 3PA/game at about 40% between them. Dent distributed the shots and made some timely ones of his own. Benny eventually would take over a starting position at the expense of Cleveland, but he slipped a disc against ETSU and would miss the national tournament.

So, and up down season. Early on the fans got to worry about demotion. Mid-to-late some might have had hopes of a late surge to promotion, but in the end it was a mid-table finish and a 4th first round exit from the tournament in the last six years.


Roster

PG: Gordon "Mouth" Dent (RS SR 6' 3" 195lbs PG sg 155 - 17 PD, 16 Pass, 15 Hnd/Spd, 12 Rng/Drv)
42gms 38gs 26.7mins 8.9p (.451/.352/.736 eFG%:.509) 2.2r 5.7a 1.5s 0.1b 3.6to 2.0pf OeFG%:.539

SG: Harley "Choc" Chitwood (RS SR 6' 1" 165lbs SG sf pf 160 - 19 Rng, 17 Spd, 15 PD/Pass, 14 OS, 13 Str, 12 Sta)
40gms 36gs 28.4mins 16.5p (.481/.432/.714 eFG%:.637) 2.6r 2.6a 1.6s 0.3b 1.5to 1.7pf OeFG%:.467 POTF:14

SF: "Leopard" Steve Clark (RS SR 6' 5" 215lbs SF SG pf 164 - 16 Rng/Fin, 15 Spd, 14 IS/PD, 13 OS/Str/Sta)
37gms 33gs 29.8mins 14.6p (.435/.377/.848 eFG%:.554) 4.7r 0.4a 1.0s 0.1b 1.3to 1.8pf OeFG%:.523 POTG:3

PF/bC: "Hotrod" Rodger Haskell (RS JR 6' 9½" 245lbs C PF 164 - 20 ID, 18 IS, 16 Str, 15 OS, 14 Fin/IQ, 12 Hnd)
42gms 42gs 28.3mins 14.1p (.569/.333/.892 eFG%:.571) 7.2r 0.7a 1.5s 1.1b 1.2to 2.5pf OeFG%:.468 POTG:9

C: "Whirls" Eddie Cleveland (RS SR 7' 235lbs C 140 - 18 Str, 17 IQ, 15 OS, 14 ID, 12 Reb)
42gms 32gs 22.0mins 10.0p (.606/.286/.763 eFG%:.620) 6.9r 0.6a 0.9s 1.1b 1.2to 2.1pf OeFG%:.451


bPF/bC/bSF: Armando "Benny" Benavides (RS JR 6' 9½" 230lbs PF C sf 161 - 17 IS, 15 IQ, 14 Str, 13 ID/Spd, 12 OS/PD/Sta)
38gms 17gs 22.8mins 8.9p (.555/.333/.659 eFG%:.561) 5.8r 0.5a 1.3s 0.9b 1.1to 1.7pf OeFG%:.472 POTG:1

bPG: "Whispers" Josh Harris (RS SO 6' 6½" 205lbs PG sg pf 144 - 16 Spd, 14 Sta, 13 Hnd, 12 OS/Pass)
41gms 4gs 13.5mins 2.9p (.404/.294/.720 eFG%:.461) 1.4r 2.3a 0.3s 0.0b 1.8to 1.2pf OeFG%:.536

bSG: Ed "e.g." Sample (RS FR 6' 2½" 180lbs SG SF pg 145 - 16 IQ/Spd, 15 OS, 14 Rng/PD/Str, 13 Fin)
41gms 4gs 12.1mins 5.1p (.433/.312/.692 eFG%:.514) 0.7r 0.7a 0.6s 0.0b 0.9to 0.7pf OeFG%:.433

bSF/bPF: "Brew" Ken Brewer (RS SO 6' 5½" 215lbs SF PF c 132 - 16 Spd, 12 Rng)
41gms 4gs 12.2mins 2.9p (.378/.278/.600 eFG%:.441) 1.5r 0.2a 0.9s 0.1b 0.6to 0.6pf OeFG%:.421

bPF: Nelson "Bammy" Cooke (RS FR 6' 9½" 245lbs C pf 128 - 14 IQ, 13 OS)
41gms 0gs 11.5mins 2.7p (.414/.360/.750 eFG%:.460) 3.0r 0.6a0.4s 0.6b 0.5to 1.2pf OeFG%:.467


Farewell Seniors
"Leopard" Steve Clark (6' 5" 215lbs SF SG pf 164/11)

A fixture on the wing (123 starts), Steve was a bucket, able to score in a variety of ways from anywhere on the floor. With over half his career FGA coming from behind the arc he will best be remembered for spacing the floor, his devastating pump-fake and extreme reluctance to pass the ball. Whilst he probably peaked as a junior, he was still solid as both a sophomore at SG as well as a senior.

356 3PM (#8)
.378 3P% (#8)
2014 Points (#17)


Gordon "Mouth" Dent (6' 3" 195lbs PG sg 155/11)

A vocal floor general, "Mouth" was given the keys to the offense as a junior and organised the team for 2 years. Not a great shooting threat, but he picked his spots and was reasonably efficient with timely drives and threes in numerous games. Became quite respectable defensively. Had all the skills, but his decision-making was below average, which was able to be exploited by some opponents.

406 Turnovers (T9)
626 Assists (#12)


"Whirls" Eddie Cleveland (7' 235lbs C 140/10)

After two years as an understudy Eddie started most games as an upperclassman. He had a good jumper and was reliable at the free throw line. He kept it basic in the post, became adequate in time, particularly after his work in the gym paid dividends. Whilst decent offensively, I suspect the Gaels will miss his 7' 8" wingspan on defense and the glass more than anything else.


Harley "Choc" Chitwood (6' 1" 165lbs SG sf pf 160/11)

Choc-Chit had really deep range, but it took a while to iron out the kinks in his form. After 2 years in junior college and a redshirt he was a starter, but only the 5th or 6th option as a junior. It all came together his senior year however as he led the team in scoring, almost doubling his production from the previous year and hit a scorching .431 from deep on over 8 attempts a game. The lightning-bug fearlessly launched from anywhere all season long including a memorable game against Kansas where he made ten threes. Although skewed by only playing with the Gaels for 2 seasons, Choc has set the SMC record for 3PM/gm (2.7) and will graduate 4th in career 3P%. Perhaps more impressively his 18 POTG awards sees him tied for 15th in the SMC record books.


Development Highlights
Ed Sample (128 -> 145 = +18)
Armando Benavides (147 -> 161 = +14)
Bennie Ishikawa (78 -> 92 = +14)
Josh Harris (131 -> 144 = +13)
Ken Brewer (120 -> 132 = +12)
Nelson Cooke (116 -> 128 = +12)
Brian Brooks (91 -> 103 = +12)
Rodger Haskell (153 -> 164 = +11)
Harley Chitwood (150 -> 160 = +10)


Coaching

Fred Foster (offensive coordinator) and Sam Flaherty (lead recruiter and motivational guru) have provided great stability in their roles behind head coach Darren Scales. Flaherty has given the college notice that he has the 50 year old itch and won't be content to be an assistant much longer. Theo Hudson has become the assistant defensive coordinator and helps out in all areas except motivation.

Darren Scales moves his head coaching record to 174-88 in his 6th year as head coach, and 18th year on the Gaels bench.

Recruiting

Mid-December signing Jeff Reinhardt (3* 6' 4½" SG pg pf c 106/11) was the first to sign. The heady prospect shows signs of becoming a ranged threat and should be able to play on either wing where he can put his near 7' wingspan to good use disrupting passing lanes.

It wasn't until Mid-February that Canadian Chet Evans (2* 6' 9½" C PF 101/10) would make his commitment. Already a good size, he should become a dominant scorer in the paint and solid rebounder, though his lack of defensive instincts could restrict him to the bench for a while.


Outlook

Losing 135 starts and 4/5 of the most frequent starting line up is always going to be hard. Paint warrior Haskell returns for his final year and will be joined by classmate Benavides in the frontcourt who actually ended up playing more minutes than Cleveland. They will undoubtedly be the first two on the scouting report for opponents next season.

Harris will look to step out of Dent's shadow and become the starting PG, likely for the next 2 years. He's athletic enough, but still lacks the polish, especially defensively that Gaels fans have become accustomed to at the point. Hopefully his extra size and length can help make up the deficit. Joining him in the backcourt, will be Ed Sample. Whilst his splits weren't amazing this year, there was plenty of buzz around the redshirt freshman in 2039 and big things are expected from the shooting guard who has really impressed the coaches with his work ethic in training.

The swingman will most likely be Brewer, who has been good defensively, but has not found a reliable way to score. Hopefully some starting minutes will get him to tap into his vast potential.

The bench will be led by the Jumpin' Jamaican Nelson Cooke who may well see minutes at SF/PF/C. He'll be assisted by Canadian JuCo big, Fenton who has taken quite some time to adapt to division 1 basketball. Also coming off redshirts are the true freshmen pairing of Jankowski and Brooks. Both guards are looking pretty raw and the Gaels could certainly have some issues if the starting backcourt see foul trouble or injuries next season.


Apr 03 2038: 2038 Season Review (II.1) - by naph on May 2nd, 2024

Season

Going into the season expectations were low. On paper this was one of the least talented SMC rosters ever and the competition in II.1 was looking fierce. A soft OOC schedule and a 1-2 record in the D1RT did little to assuage fans' fears. Nobody wanted to hear that LL6 Union College were actually pretty good (1 point home win). The D1RT win over Louisiana-Lafayette was sandwiched between double-digit losses to Azusa Pacific and Arizona State. The lack of a name opponent in OOC round 10 didn't help much either.

Early conference results were surprisingly encouraging. A narrow win over LUPA and an OT loss against ranked UCLA was followed by 4 straight wins. The next stretch quickly brought those early season hopes back to earth as the Gaels would lose 8 of 9, the sole win a 2 point OT win over Northwest Missouri State. The Gaels at the conference turn were 6-9 and well below the demotion line, much as expected.

The legend of Saint Mary's conference second halves continued to grow as the Gaels would win 10 of their next 11 games (somewhat ironically, the only loss was Northwest Missouri State). 2-2 in the final 4 games was good enough for an 18-12 overall record, tied for 5th most wins in the conference, but placing 7th on goal difference. The Gaels would finish with wins over all the teams in conference except Central Arkansas and the University of New England.

Whilst the Gaels would miss the tournament, the fact they were even in the conversation to make the field late in the season was a pleasing surprise.

Leopard and Hotrod (Clark and Haskell) emerged as the leaders of the team. The team jelled. Roles were set and commited too and the team learned how to win, resulting in a much better season than expected.


Roster

PG: Gordon "Mouth" Dent (RS JR 6' 3" 195lbs PG sg sf 149 - 16 PD, 15 Pass/Spd, 14 Hnd, 12 Drv)
42gms 42gs 28.4mins 7.5p (.445/.329/.628 eFG%:.502) 2.2r 5.5a 1.5s 0.1b 3.2to 2.2pf OeFG%:.522 POTG:2

SG: Harley "Choc" Chitwood (RS JR 6' 1" 165lbs SG SF PF pg 150 - 18 Rng, 16 Spd, 14 PD/Pass, 13 OS, 12 Str)
41gms 36gs 27.4mins 8.7p (.387/349/.727 eFG%:.508) 2.6r 2.6a 1.0s 0.4b 1.7to 1.5pf OeFG%:.488 POTF:4

SF: "Leopard" Steve Clark (RS JR 6' 5" 215lbs SF SG pf 160 - 16 Rng, 15 Fin/Spd, 14 PD, 13 IS, 12 OS/Str/Sta)
39gms 39gs 31.1mins 16.1p (.484/.440/.776 eFG%:.609) 3.8r 0.4a 1.3s 0.3b 0.8to 2.1pf OeFG%:.422 POTG:5

PF/bC: "Hotrod" Rodger Haskell (RS SO 6' 9½" 245lbs PF C 153 - 18 ID, 17 IS, 15 Str, 14 OS, 13 Fin/IQ)
42gms 42gs 27.7mins 14.5p (.551/.---/.883 eFG%:.551) 5.6r 0.4a 1.4s 1.2b 1.4to 2.7pf OeFG%:.459 POTG:4

C: Eddie Cleveland (RS JR 7' 235lbs C 135 - 18 Str, 17 IQ, 14 OS/ID, 12 Reb)
42gms 39gs 24.7mins 9.1p (.543/.150/.762 eFG%:.549) 7.3r 0.6a 1.0s 1.3b 1.2to 2.7pf OeFG%:.506 POTG:6


bPF: Armando "Benny" Benavides (RS SO 6' 9½" 230lbs PF C sg sf 147 - 16 IS, 14 IQ, 12 ID/Str/Spd)
42gms 2gs 23.7mins 9.3p (.539/.250/.746 eFG%:.540) 5.1r 0.5a 1.1s 0.6b 1.3to 2.1pf OeFG%:.456 POTG:1

bSG: "Lou" Lucas Coombs (RS SR 6' 205lbs SG pg pf 154 - 18 Spd, 17 Rng/Drv, 14 Hnd, 13 PD, 12 Fin)
38gms 1gs 16.2mins 6.3p (.405/.304/.716 eFG%:.456) 1.3r 1.4a 0.7s 0.0b 1.2to 1.1pf OeFG%:.494

bSF/bPF: "Brew" Ken Brewer (RS FR 6' 5½" 215lbs PF sf c 120 - 15 Spd)
42gms 1gs 10.7mins 2.2p (.333/.286/.600 eFG%:.373) 1.6r 0.2a 0.5s 0.1b 0.5to 0.9pf OeFG%:.536

bSF: "Whispers" Josh Harris (RS FR 6' 6½" 205lbs pg sg sf pf 131 - 15 Spd, 12 Hnd/Sta)
37gms 0gs 9.3mins 1.70p (.451/.250/.667 eFG%:.500) 0.9r 0.9a 0.3s 0.0b 1.3to 0.7pf OeFG%:.591


Farewell Seniors
"Lou" Lucas Coombs (6' 205lbs SG pg pf 153/10)

Probably peaked as a sophomore where he had a career best eFG%:.565 including hitting on .414 from behind the arc. Struggled with his shot his last 2 years, unable to produce at those sophomore numbers when handed more responsibility. Picked up his defense and passing game though and was still a fairly steady bench contributor


Development Highlights
Rodger Haskell (133 -> 153 = +20)
Ed Sample (109 -> 128 = +18)
Armando Benavides (130 -> 147 = +17)
Harley Chitwood (135 -> 150 = +15)
Josh Harris (118 -> 131 = +13)
Steve Clark (148 -> 160 = +12)
Gordon Dent (138 -> 149 = +11)
Eddie Cleveland (124 -> 135 = +11)
Ken Brewer (109 -> 120 = +11)
Nelson Cooke (106 -> 116 = +10)


Coaching

Fred Foster replaced Jay Fisher as the offensive coordinator. He also chips in to tactical discussions and with recruiting. Theo Hudson continues to grow his non-motivational, though otherwise well-rounded skillset.

Darren Scales moves his head coaching record to 147-73 in his 5th year as head coach, and 17th year on the Gaels bench. Lead recruiter/motivator Sam Flaherty completes his 12th season on the bench, though at 49 years of age his time looks to be coming to an end.


Recruiting

Long-time, in-region targets Brian Brooks (3* 6' SG pg sg 91/12) and Cameron Jankowski (3* 5' 7½" SG PG pf 106/12) both commited in January. Brooks should develop into a two-way player, and has a high ceiling offensively, but at the moment he's a bit raw, and potentially a bit slow for SG and a bit small for SF. Jankowski projects as a defensive, distributing PG with speed to burn. Quite a late bloomer but should get to, or near 6'.

Late in the cycle Scales instructed Flaherty to seek out a JuCo big. Mid-to-late February saw the commitment of Canadian Stewart Fenton (2* 6' 9" C PF 108/10). He has decent size, some defensive upside and should be okay on the glass and finishing around the rim. Unlikely to ever start, but he will at least provide some decent depth and injury-cover for the frontcourt, particularly the year after Hotrod and Benny graduate.


Outlook
With only a single player graduating, and a bench player at that, the Gaels can have more confidence going into next season. The competition looks like it will be strong again, but SMC should be in the fight. Expectations of at least remaining in LL2 seem reasonable and hopes of making a run at a program best finish in LL2, even perhaps contending for promotion to Legends, might be on the cards.

Dent has developed into a solid, defensive distributor at PG. Harris behind him was looking pretty rough at the start of this year, but should be coming on by the end of next.

Chitwood was not overly efficient this year, but he has made the step from being passable to average or better at most guard skills. Sample might not be as good as Coombs yet, but his ceiling is a lot more exciting.

Clark emerged as the team's leader on both side of the ball. Brewer is still a bit of a project behind him, but should come on next year.

Haskell was often the top scorer on the team and is now elite in the post at both ends. Benavides relished his role as first big off the bench and will press for more time at bSF next year.

Cleveland's size and strength in the post allows him to compete with anyone. His scoring touch continues to improve, particularly on jumpers from the elbows. 4-star Jamaican Nelson Cooke and his 39" vert will also join the frontcourt.

A year more of development and experience on the starters. Improved depth and overall quality on the bench. Stability in coaching. The Gaels fans have every reason to think that 2039 will be at least as successful as 2038.


Mar 19 2037: 2037 Season Review (II.1) - by naph on March 3rd, 2024

Season
The Gaels went 1-2 in the D1RT a record that seems to be happening a lot. The opener was a heart-breaking, overtime loss to Wisconsin-Parkside. Florida Atlantic were way too good. Then some face was saved with a small win over Illinois Wesleyan. A 102-82 win over long-time rival Cal State Dominguez Hills was bittersweet as it will be the last year in the series for the foreseeable future. A scheduling quirk saw a "no-starters" game played against conference foe Northwest Missouri State, which resulted in a big win for the home Gaels. The big outlier was a shock 82-85 home loss to Massachussetts College of Liberal Arts, whou would go on to demote back to LL5 at the end of the year.

The Gaels dropped some games they probably shouldn't have this year which ultimately cost them a chance to contend for promotion. A 5 point loss at Florida State (#16). A 7 point loss at Pittsburgh-Johnston (#11). A 22 point loss to bot Misericordia, after winning by 23 at home.

But there were certainly some high points. An 11 point win over conference winner St. Bonaventure. Two OT wins over Sioux Falls. Splitting the series with New Orleans as well gave the Gaels a 4-2 record against the promoting trio during the regular season. Northwest Missouri State may well have promoted if they didn't drop both games to the Gaels. Central Arkansas also was a season split, with the Bearcats and Bears only finishing above the Gaels on point differential, all locked on 19 wins.

The conference tourney saw a narrow win over Pittsburgh-Johnstown. A 20 point win over ranked New Orleans. It was a third great game this year against Sioux Falls in the CT semi-final, with the Cougars finishing over the top.

The late-season surge at home and decent showing in the CT final proved just enough to get the Gaels into the National Tournament. With a third consecutive 15-seed, Gaels fans are certainly used to sweating it out on selection sunday. This year they drew the prestigious Penguins of Dominican University of California in the opening round. The Legends stalwarts got the jump on the Gaels early and raced to a 38-21 half-time lead. Whilst the second half was better, the Gaels could never seriously challenge, eventually going down 48-59 in a turnover plagued, defensive grind.


Roster

PG: Kelly "Skelly" Steeter (RS SR 6' 3" 190lbs SG sf pf 170 17 IQ/Sta, 16 Spd, 15 Rng/Drv, 13 PD, 12 IS)
44gms 43gs 30.9mins 14.3p (.407/.349/.756 eFG%:.493) 2.3r 6.5a 1.4s 0.2b 4.1to 2.4pf OeFG%:.506 POTG:7

SG: Steve Clark (RS SO 6' 5" 215lbs SF PF c 148 - 14 Rng/Fin/Spd, 13 IS, 12 OS/Sta)
43gms 40gs 29.2mins 14.5p (.431/.345/.772 eFG%:.534) 2.8r 1.1a 1.0s 0.1b 1.8to 1.8pf OeFG%:.431 POTG:2

SF: Alan "Victor E." Goodwin (RS SR 6' 7" 225lbs PF sf 153 - 16 IQ, 14 ID/Sta, 13 Reb)
44gms 35gs 26.5mins 5.9p (.500/.240/.660 eFG%:.528) 6.1r 1.4a 1.3s 0.3b 1.6to 1.6pf OeFG%:.507

PF: Theo "The Greg" Gregory (SR 6' 9" 235lbs PF SF c 176 - 17 Reb/ID/IQ, 16 IS, 15 PD/Sta, 14 Spd, 12 Fin)
40gms 39gs 30.9mins 14.5p (.546/.353/.639 eFG%:.553) 10.6r 0.9a 1.3s 1.3b 1.5to 2.3pf OeFG%:.440 POTG:14

C: Les "Throat" Zeng (RS SR 6' 10" 215lbs C pf 141 - 15 IS/Reb/ID, 13 Hnd, 12 IQ/Drv)
40gms 36gs 23.6mins 8.6p (.556/.000/.540 eFG%:.556) 6.9r 0.8a 1.1s 1.0b 1.4to 2.2pf OeFG%:.472 POTG:2


bSG: Lucas "Puffy" Coombs (RS JR 205lbs SG pg sf pf 148 - 18 Spd, 16 Rng/Drv, 13 Hnd)
43gms 10gs 15.2mins 6.1p (.412/.319/.702 eFG%:.496) 1.1r 1.1a 0.5s 0.1b 1.1to 1.1pf

bC: Eddie Cleveland (RS SO 7' 235lbs C 124 - 17 IQ, 16 Str, 13 OS, 12 ID)
42gms 2gs 14.6mins 5.8p (.541/.143/.689 eFG%:.546) 3.9r 0.3a 0.5s 0.6b 0.7to 1.4pf POTG:1

bSF: Armando Benavides (RS FR 230lbs C sg sf pf 130 - 14 IQ, 13 IS, 12 Spd)
42gms 4gs 14.3mins 3.0p (.463/.500/.731 eFG%:.486) 1.6r 0.4a 0.6s 0.1b 0.9to 0.8pf OeFG%:.449

bPF: Rodger Haskell (RS FR 6' 9½" 245lbs PF C 133 - 15 IS, 13 OS/Str, 12 IQ)
44gms 7gs 12.5mins 4.5p (.520/.---/.800 eFG%:.520) 2.8r 0.2a 0.6s 0.5b 0.7to 1.5pf

bPG: Gordon Dent (RS SO 6' 3" 190lbs PG sg sf 138 - 14 Spd/PD/Pass, 13 Hnd)
44gms 1gs 9.4mins 2.0p (.357/.219/.778 eFG%:.399) 0.8r 1.8a 0.5s 0.0b 1.0to 0.7pf


Farewell Seniors

"The Greg" Theo Gregory (6' 9" 235lbs PF SF C 176/13)

The first five star Gael not to redshirt. A natural 4, his defensive versatility let him slide to the 3 or 5, which the Gaels utilized extensively, particularly in the 3 years he played with Z-Bit. Played as a combo-forward off the bench as a freshmen, then started 124 of 129 games from his sophomore season. He was a decent secondary scoring, graduating with a passable face-up game to go with his good post game. Was a force on the glass averaging a 14.5/10.6 as a senior from PF.

25 POTG (T8)
+1073 _/- (#9)
1256 Rebounds (#10)
52.7% FG% (#19)
349 FTM (#19)
177 Steals (#20)
108 Blocks (#20)


"Skelly" Kelly Steeter (6' 3½" 190lbs SG PG sf pf 170/12)

A natural SG, he was asked to play PG as a senior, but despite giving it all, it clearly wasn't his position. Started for three seasons. Had an unorthodox stroke, but he could launch it from distance and he was certainly a beneficiary of his team-mates. With Z-Bit, Throat and The Greg all demanding plenty of attention in the paint, he was the one shooting the long-ball and punishing teams that collapsed too much in the paint. Used his smarts and quicks to become one of the most prolific thieves in Gaels history.

275 Steals (#4)
+1032 +/- (#13)
278 3PM (#13)
358 FTM (#17)
.357 3P% (#18)
1988 Points (#19)


"Throat" Les Zeng (6' 10½" 215lbs C 141/10)

Was given his unusual nickname on a team trip to New Zealand, where the concierge in the team hotel seemed to be calling him Lozenge. It stuck. Not the most talented player, particularly in the weight room, but he maximized his game becoming a solid post player at both ends of the floor. Started 82 games, 77 as an upperclassman.


Alan "Victor E." Goodwin (6 '7" 225lbs SF PF 153/12)

After struggling to get consistent minutes in his first three seasons he was thrust into a starting role, mostly at SF as a senior. He was probably a more natural PF, but the Gaels were loaded at the position during his career. Was a decent glue-guy. Hard-worker, particularly on the fitness track, but fairly unremarkable on the court.


Development Highlights
Alan Goodwin (138 -> 153 = +15)
Steve Clark (135 -> 148 = +13)
Rodger Haskell (120 -> 133 = +13)
Josh Harris (105 -> 118 = +13)
Gordon Dent (126 -> 138 = +12)
Harley Chitwood (124 -> 135 = +11)
Armando Benavides (119 -> 130 = +11)
Lucas Coombs (138 -> 148 = +10)


Coaching
Head coach Darren Scales runs the defense, game-day tactics and development. Sam Flaherty is the recruiter and motivator. Jay Fisher made way for Fred Foster who is both younger and even more of an offensive savant. Theo Hudson continues to improve and is now the assistant for defense and player development.


Recruiting

Ed Sample (3* 6' SF PG SG 109/12) has been on the Gaels radar for years and he wasted little time committing early in November. He's a classic 3-&-D guard that is unlikely to create much for others. Already has pretty solid finishing at the rim which should keep teams honest if they over-play him on the perimeter.

Before Christmas the Gaels were done with the commitment of Jamaican big man Nelson Cooke (4* 6' 9½" C 106/13). Nelson projects as a great rim-protector and all-around defender, should be solid on the boards and has a wet jumper. He averaged 15.4p 10.9r with a steal and block in 25 games as a HS senior, slashing .567/.452/.700 in the process. He's surprisingly mobile for his 230lbs and his 39" vert is gravity defying.


Outlook

The Gaels almost never graduate four players at once. This year they do. Four of them were starters. There's no way to sugar-coat it, next year's roster is under-manned by Saint Mary's standards and it is going to be a struggle to stay up in LL2.

That said, opportunity knocks as there will be more minutes for younger players than usual. Dent will be given the keys to the offense and whilst he doesn't have the offense of Skelly, he's already a better all-around floor general. Coombs will likely start at SG, but will have solid competition from former JuCo Chitwood, who has a similar game. Clark won the battle for SG this year but will move to SF next.

The trio of Cleveland, Haskell and Benavides will get the lion's share of the minutes at the 4 & 5 next year. All three were reliable contributors off the bench this year. Tipsy is particularly high on Haskell who is already filling out nicely and growing into a good 2-way threat.

Josh Harris (bPG) and Ken Brewer (bSF) round out the bench after completing their redshirt seasons. Both are still a little raw, but they should both see regular minutes in any case.

LL2 always has plenty of stars, and its arguable that the Gaels will have none. It will be interesting to see who, if anyone, steps up to change that in 2038.



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