He averaged 8 points, nearly 7 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. And he raised his free % from 57% to 65%. Good for him.
Dar is talented but streaky. His Torvik stats show games with very impressive output and others with quite poor showings. That said, he has had multiple 20+ point games at D1 and would still have 3 years of eligibility remaining…though I don’t know how to even factor that anymore now that players are one-year mercenaries much of the time. He will have to develop consistency, but there’s plenty of potential there.
The thing is that if it were Dar + Tadjo and that’s it, then Santa Clara would be without its second most pressing need going into the off-season: a large-bodied center. McEldon was supposed to be that this past season but left the team. Chukwudebelu is tantalizing and big enough, but I never bet big on frosh front court players. So SCU would either need to use a 14th scholarship on a big center or hope that Bukky and Chukwudebelu can cover guys like Ike and Wessels. Possible, but not a bet I’d make lightly. Bukky fouled out in like 8 min of play in Moraga trying to keep Saxen and Murauskas in check. It would take a huge leap forward and then some.
I guess all else being equal, Dar and Tadjo would be good pickups. But the need for a Caffaro remains clear as ever.
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I believe scholarships bump up to 15 next season so there would still be capacity to add a Caffaro v2.0 even if we land both Dar and Tadjo.
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True, and SCU has effectively operated with 14 “scholarship” players for the past two seasons with a player each year presumably receiving NIL to compensate for the amount of tuition. CMJ two seasons ago, not sure who this past year. Now that Santa Clara can have an official 14th scholarship, it wouldn’t be an aberration to have all of those players (though the other part of the new rules seems to be that you can’t have any walk-ons past the 15th player…it’s a cap for the roster overall, not just scholarships).
I just feel that 14-15 is a lot of players, like you said above. But yeah, there’s still “space” for another recruit and even two.
https://x.com/tiptonedits/status/1914395442877521938?s=46&t=PXTiTKoGV0aVfWCl4sMW5Q
Interesting news from St. Mary’s - the player and the timing
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Jordan Ross enters the portal from SMC with a few hours to the deadline. Big loss for the Gaels as the heir apparent to Marciulionis. The Gaels made a big bounce back last season after losing Jefferson and Mahaney, and I never count out Bennett. But between the graduating players and the loss of Ross, they join every other WCC team with a whole lot of work to replace and reload.
Edit: Add Pacific’s Lamar Washington (aka the Cougar-slayer) and Pepp’s Jefferson Coulibaly to the list of deadline transfers. The portal closes in about 10 hours, so the madness is almost over, but it may get a little madder yet this afternoon.
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Wow, Ross is a big loss for the Gaels.
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When the portal closes, can players opt to remain with their existing team? Or are they required to go to a new school? Sorry, I know very little about the rules.
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They can opt to remain. Kosy entered last year and stayed at SCU. Tyrone Riley is doing the same this year at USF.
It’s just quite awkward to enter as a likely starter, especially this late. You never know what’s behind the scenes but assuming normal relations between coaches and players, waiting until the last day really stings. The staff has probably not been working hard to identify replacement options over the last month and is way behind on recruiting a replacement. That may be a good strategy for a player to maximize an offer to return, but man is that not a way to engender loyalty.
The “nicest” way to transfer for money is the way Tilly did it: enter the portal on Day 1 and make clear that you’re open to staying if the original school can match the best offer. If not, at least the former school has maximum time to find a replacement.
Again, without any knowledge of what is specifically going on with Ross (or Washington or Coulibaly), transferring basically on the final day is a rough way to leave the program.
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Aidan Mahaney was still on the market as of a few days ago.
Maybe he’s considering a return to SMC and Ross doesn’t want to share playmaking duties??? Complete speculation on my part….or maybe Ross has had suitors who are willing to pay him much more than SMC.
SMC’s squads always feature a significant role for their PG, have the ball in their hands a ton and play 35mins or more a game. You’d think that would make it desirable for point guards to stick around.
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The portal closes tonight. Everyone hold your breath.
Any update on who the new Assistant might be?
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The portal is now closed with a few last minute portal entries but none that I’ve seen from SCU. The most interesting are probably Dimitrije Vukicevic, a center from Wazzu, and Ben Gregg from Gonzaga.
If you don’t think Gregg has eligibility left, it’s probably because he doesn’t. It’s apparently a trend for seniors without eligibility to put their names in the portal just in case there’s a court decision or waiver approval allowing them to play another season. They are basically there just in case a team will pay them $$$ in reaction to a rule change or an individual waiver over the spring or summer. That helps contextualize guys like Malik Thomas who is probably following the same tack. If he had confirmed eligibility, I’d think a team would have snatched Thomas by now. It makes more sense that he is just seeing if luck gets him an extra year.
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They’re not hiring a new assistant everyone on staff is being promoted. I know it doesn’t make sense but that’s what I’ve heard. Maybe things will change before the start of the season.
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It’s crazy how many players without any eligibility have entered the portal.
I believe there’s a case in North Carolina challenging the NCAA’s years of eligibility rule. Has to do with the recent JUCO ruling that gave junior college transfers like Tyree an extra year.
How far are we away from a retired professional athlete coming back to college to finish using their eligibility?
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Do you know which support staff is promoting up to a full/regular assistant?
Will Burkett was listed last season as ‘Asst Coach-Operations’ and Jackson Gion as ‘Asst Coach-Video Coordinator’…I assume one of them is promoting up???
I’m disappointed they aren’t bringing in some new blood. The program could sorely use a veteran, defensive minded assistant. Someone who has been a defensive coordinator or head coach with exp calling the shots.
I have given up expecting any defensive imagination, and unique or out of box defensive game plans…and certainly not any zone…
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Maybe they’ll use any salary differential from coach Garson For NIL. I heard Garson ran most of the day to day practices while Coach Sendek watched and critiqued when needed.
It will be interesting to see how Coach Sendeks “system” works in the new reality of NCAA Men’s Bball..
Iowa transfer Chris Tadjo has committed to Santa Clara.
— PortalUpdates (@portal_updates) April 23, 2025
The 6’8” freshman forward appeared in 11 games, averaging 1.7 points, and 1.2 rebounds in 5.0 minutes per game.
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Thanks for posting, @jcardoza77! While the article reads like a rose-colored glasses pump-up (in the voice of a fast-talking New Yorker), there are some good nuggets in there. Seems he is listed at 6’8" and 225 pounds. Isn’t Tilly about the same weight but 4 inches taller?
This sentence really struck me:
“The average NBA player for the 2023-24 season, is 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds.”
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