Santa Clara held onto their November marquee victory over
eventual national champs North Carolina, but they had a few
problems continuing that success. The Broncos had a five game
losing streak in the middle of the year and ended the regular
season losing five of their last seven.
Who’s Out: Two of the top three
scorers are gone in Doron Perkins and Kyle Bailey. Perkins
averaged a team high 15.4 points and Bailey had a team high 4.2
assists and added 14.8 points per contest. Fellow guard Ethan
Rohde started 12 games, averaging 7.2 points. The frontcourt
will suffer a few losses as well, but no starters. Scott
Borchart averaged 3.4 points, Jordan Legge put up 3.3 points and
Linden Tibbets averaged 1.2 points per game during his final
season at Santa Clara.
Who’s In: The backcourt is in
desperate need of some talent to fill in behind returning
starter Brody Angley. A back injury sidelined Brandon Rohe last
season. When healthy the junior is a quality scorer. Rohe
started four games as a sophomore two years ago and if the back
heals, will be seeing more starting time. Domineek Daniel and
Calvin Johnson need to fill in off the bench as true freshmen.
Daniel averaged 14 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 2.5
assists last year at Barstow High School in California. Johnson,
a 6-3 shooting guard, is a marvelous athlete. The two-time
first-team all-state selection in Texas can fill up the stat
sheet and will get a chance to do it early and often at Santa
Clara. Forwards Okechukwu Mbanugo and Cliff Sammett and center
John Bryant will get some good minutes off the bench. Mbanugo
used his redshirt season in 2004-2005 to gain more experience.
He’s athletic and a strong worker but lacks the understanding of
the game. That very well may come, which would result in “Okey”
becoming a force in the WCC. Sammett averaged 13.0 points, 8.1
rebounds and 2.1 blocks at Santa Cruz High School in California,
leading his squad to a 36-1 record. John Bryant is a big body to
fill some quality minutes. The 6-11, 329 pounder has some work
to do under Coach Dick Davey but could end up being a valuable
player for the Broncos.
Who to Watch: The frontcourt is
pretty set with upperclassmen Travis Niesen, Tristan Parham and
Sean Denison. Brody Angley is the only proven backcourt player
and is just a sophomore. The 5-11 point guard averaged 5.3
points and 2.6 assists per contest. He’s a smart player and
won’t turn the ball over too much, especially with a year of
experience under his belt. Angley was named to the WCC
all-freshman team and will only get better in the coming years.
Projected Conference Rank: The
backcourt is young, but talented. The depth will be an issue and
that will wear down Santa Clara in the long run. Ending up 5th
place in the West Coast Conference isn’t too shabby. If the
incoming guards can make an impact and stay healthy, the Broncos
could be making a run in the post season.
Projected Post-season Tournament:
none
Projected Starting Five:
Brody Angley, Sophomore, Guard, 5.3 points per game
Calvin Johnson, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season
Travis Niesen, Senior, Forward, 15.1 points per game
Tristan Parham, Senior, Forward, 4.9 points per game
Sean Denison, Junior, Center, 3.8 points per game
