7 years, think about it…
Im sure we would also have a smaller crowd than a big land grant but I’ve always told my SO that if SCU makes the tourney, I’m going wherever it is.
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In the history of Santa Clara basketball only once have we won a game in the NIT.
I suppose two first round exits is Herb’s fault, but you then have to credit him with the two trips.
The “we’re only making the NIT with coach x, but with theoretical coach y, we could make the sweet sixteen” is exactly how you end up with coach z and 10 wins.
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And why would coach Y turn his eye at scu in the first place when big east and other power conf have job vacancies?
Zags survive a bad first half. Zags didn’t have tons of easy layups like they do against SCU
This is where I’m at too. Maybe some of this is generational. For you, me, Midwest, and a few others, this is, by far, the best era of SCU basketball we’ve seen. Hell, you and me had the 0-16 conference season our first year at SCU.
Others here remember the 70s or the 90s and see this as just a higher level of mediocrity.
I guess if it looked like SCU were about to spiral down to a sub-150 program next season, I’d be more restless. But Sendek probably has another top-100 squad coming back for a third straight season. And that was after losing the best player in a generation at SCU.
Eventually, you’ve gotta actually build Rome. And maybe Sendek can’t do it. But I’m not convinced by a mile that’s true and am pretty content to play it out another couple seasons to avoid the (strong) possibility of accidentally hiring Keating 2.0.
For what it’s worth, Sendek went 5-0 this season against the WCC’s most beloved young gun coaches (Johnson, Pope, Legans). He’s 10-0 in the last two seasons against that group. Maybe keeping Sendek is how you don’t hire the next Randy Bennett. But it’s always much, much more likely that your replacement hire is, at best, Johnson, Legans, or Pope.
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Patty,
The NCAA expanded the Big Dance to 64 teams in 1985. I am quite confident that SCU would’ve made the Big Dance multiple times during Carroll Williams’ tenure as head coach had the tourney been 64 teams starting in the early 70s. Our path to the 32-team tourney was regularly blocked by a superior USF team. Double D took over the program from CW after serving as his trusted AC for two decades and was able to parlay the Nash signing into some great success.
This Sendek program is certainly an improvement over the drought we had under the last couple years of DD and through all of KK, but it doesn’t approach what SCU had in the 70s and 90s. Combine that with the apparent student apathy toward hoops that has infected the school, and I’m not sure any coach (let alone Sendek) will be able to get the program to its previous “glory”.
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buckets,
You’ve raised a subject which has probably been on the minds of most if not all BroncoHoops Members - “Why is there such an overwhelming lack of interest, “Apathy” toward hoops by SCU students”? What’s the root cause since giveaways and spiffs haven’t solved the problem? I’m really interested in feedback on this question beyond - "California weather, there’s more things to do in the Bay Area. I have my thoughts but I’d like to hear yours.
I think the student support is a bigger issue nationwide. Watch Gonzaga Twitter, they are constantly complaining about the Kennel’s attendance. “Not the same as it used to be.” College Football has the same issue. There have been a number of articles written about it.
Some of it is probably the phones. At SCU, Some of it may be how much more academically “stronger” the school has become. Admissions is tough. . I would have no chance getting into SCU today. I’d be at the game, but maybe my replacement would be studying engineering? 
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Maddog, I won’t call you crazy, but I do see the NIT as more mediocrity than success.
There are about 350 D1 teams. The bottom 150 are absolute garbage and basically an insult to the D1 level. The wouldn’t even be successful teams at the D2 level. Take these “in name only” D1 teams out and you have 200 true D1 teams (and honestly that’s with giving the benefit of the doubt to those near the 200 line).
The NCAA and NIT tournaments take 100 of those 200 teams every year. It’s been nice that SCU has been in that 100 the last 2 years (all be it more towards the end of that threshold than the top).
For the past 2 decades SCU has basically been in that #125-200 in D1 (with a couple of exceptions where they were on the embaressment to D1 side of the equation and a couple others where they were on the good side of #100). For me it’s a slight improvement (the past 2 years)… at least hasn’t gone backwards these last 2 seasons, I guess. What I don’t see is a coach who has what it takes in the modern day to make a meaningful and sustained leap into the top #50.
As much as I dislike SMC, I respect that Bennett is consistently in the top 50 despite the fact that they are a crap school, have crap facilities, and can only attract mediocre talent. To have the talent that SCU has for the past two seasons and not make it into that top 50 isn’t inspiring.
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See both sides
If you grade Kyle Shanahan on improvement then he receives an A over Chip Kelly and Tomsula (KK) but a C vs. Walsh and Seifert (CW, DD)
Sendek is by far the highest paid BB coach in SCU history which makes expectations high
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Expectations seems to be the key word and everyone’s are different.
I’m just happy to not have a repeat 0-16 season like my sophomore year. I knew going to scu would be a “sacrifice” on my sports fandom-side.
But those that have experienced the nash years and earlier, are left wanting more - which I completely understand as well.
Maybe students now are of the similar vein where they expect scu to not be competitive and it’s built into the application and college choosing process, almost self fulfilling. I always thought if after we beat Gonzaga in 2010 and strung together a couple wins (and maybe seasons) then the tide could turn in the stands. Well that didn’t happen.
It’s the age old chicken and egg… do you think we’re missing out on recruits bc of our lack of student crowd atmosphere? And/or vice versa?
I think part of the blame can be on the administration getting local engagement and butts in seats.
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I do agree with a lot you have to say. I do remember the 70-80’s and have high expectations. The reality is that we have been mediocre for so long I do believe it takes time to right the ship. Nasty pretty well stated my feelings on the coach. If I knew we would get a firebrand coaching genius and great recruiter, then fine, but we could very well end up as Nasty put it, Coach Z. I have to hope with two first round losses in the NIT and some disappointing losses in the last two years, coach Sendek will be assessing what he needs to do to help SCU get over the hump. It’s his job to try to get better and I do think he is smart enough to see what needs to be done.
Even though the NCAA is expanded to 68 teams, taking all tourney winners means that about 6-8 teams in any year are below 150 and in the NCAA’s. FDU was 301 but they beat #1 Purdue which is what makes it March Madness. I don’t think the NIT is mediocre but it is not the goal. I have to think if Podz comes back we will be a force next year and if he gets drafted it should help SCU down the road in recruiting.
As always, GO BRONCOS!!
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You can build a student following in college basketball today. Look at Grand Canyon, only D1 for a few years but get 2,000+ students to every game and fill their 7,000 seat arena every night even when students are gone How do they do it? They promote their games as a “party”. Great music, 100 member band, 50 cheerleaders and paid student cheer leaders. SCU is moving in this direction. Mo is a great student leader- we need 10 more like him. SCU needs to coordinate cheerleaders, band and cheer leaders better.
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Does appear to be somewhat generational.
Understandable that those under 40 who’ve only previously experienced KK and later half of DD’s tenure would have lower expectations.
I’m not advocating for Sendek’s dismissal…not at all. But also not giddy with results. The last two seasons represent missed opportunities. Making the NIT but getting bounced 2 or 3 days later doesn’t really do much for the program. You don’t have a chance to get media attention, and doesn’t really register with students. Needed to win a couple games, then at least local media maybe picks up the story and a little buzz starts. Moreover, there were disappointing results in each season leaving several potential wins on the table.
2021/22 was too many non-con losses to decent but not great teams…Fresno St., LA Tech, UC Irvine, Cal, Boise St. I recognize Vrankic missed many of those but still, 1 guy shouldn’t derail your team especially when you still have a future lottery pick leading you. Those teams mostly dominated us in the post (Fresno’s big, LA Tech’s Loften, Boise St.'s big, etc.) and we just played vanilla man D, little to no adjustments. Not only was zone an option against many of those teams but also different approaches on Man D as well. See FDU vs. Purdue and Edey…they fronted him then had backside help to defend against the lob…he still scored 21 pts but they limited his overall touches and it derailed their offense. I wouldn’t expect to win all 5 of the aforementioned losses, but win 2 or 3 of those and the season looks different…you get seeded in the NIT with one home game at minimum, maybe two and maybe even make a few ‘2nd 4 Out’ NCAA Tourney lists.
2022/23…not adjusting to Pacific’s ‘no big - All 3’s’ lineup and then later letting the one obvious and key player for both USF (Shabazz) and SamHouston (Grant) go crazy on offense with little to no answer or ‘Plan B’ to stop them is disappointing.
I know expectations for this season were somewhat modest for many here, I’d say most were hoping for say 18 to 21 wins. But that was based on not really understanding what we had in Podz. But we did in fact have him, a league POY and potential NBA guy. And given that, the expectation should be adjusted accordingly.
Again, missed opportunities. Just my take.
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I listened to Mike DeCourcey talk about NCAA basketball today on Ferrell’s show. He said he had a long chat with Sean Miller (Xavier coach) asking him how he handled their great 3-pt shooting opponents. He said that he told his players “this opponent can beat us with the 3’s, but not 2’s, so play a fierce perimeter defense and let them take long 2’s”.
Can somebody velcro Sendek to a seat tomorrow and make him watch Arkansas vs Uconn? If there were ever a matchup to show the value of strategic fouling on D then this is it. Both of these teams commit multiple fouls on every possession, yet do it in a way that the whistles aren’t a constant thing. Every guy on the floor is touching (if not grabbing/holding) his opponent constantly and it typically gives them a huge advantage over someone who doesn’t play that way (SCU).
Hurley and Musselman are rather annoying, self centered a-holes, but they understand what it takes on D to take a good team and make them elite. We could use a good bit of that at SCU.
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Before we get too nostalgic about the “glory years”, please don’t forget how many conference titles the great CW brought home in his 22 years as the Broncos head coach from 1970 -1992. None.
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Great and CW don’t belong together from where I sit.
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BroncoHoops5: Don’t know what’s being chatted on Twitter regarding attendance at Zags games since I looked up Gonzaga’s 2022-23 home attendance records per their box scores, and each one has been a sellout of 6,000 when played at the Kennel (McCarthey Athletic Center). In addition, their home game against Kentucky played at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena drew a capacity crowd of 12,333. Perhaps Zags fans aren’t using their season tickets, however that’s not for a lack of enthusiasm nor support of Zags basketball. Contrast that with SCU’s home attendance at Leavey Center (capacity of 4,200) averaged
1,670. Low 750 Portland State 12/15. High: 4,200 Gonzaga 01/07. Curious at our the number of season ticket holders?? Anyone have any idea…
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