Should SCU Retire Jalen Williams Jersey?

Sports Alumni
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First off let me say I completely understand the University retiring his number. You don’t want to alienate Jalen from the school, especially after the contract he just signed. Obviously someone in the Athletic Department learned from the Steve Nash isolation.

And maybe I’m a bit of a stickler but what one does in said jersey is why it should be retired. To me it certainly seems like Jalen’s jersey is being retired for what he’s accomplished as a Thunder and not as a Bronco. Had he never been drafted or played briefly and then went to the G-League or international, his jersey would not have been retired. He had a successful career as a Bronco but is it really worthy of jersey retirement?Compared to the other Broncos who’ve had their jerseys retired I’d say Jalen’s Bronco resume is a bit lacking.
Maybe I’m just hoping for more recognition of past Bronco players. When is Marlon Garnett’s jersey going to be retired? He was a two time first team All-WCC, WCC Player of the Year. And he led the Broncos to the WCC title in 97. Plus he played briefly in the NBA. Accomplishments that in my mind are worthy of jersey retirement using Jalen’s college results as guideline. Likewise I think players like Kevin Foster, Jon Bryant, Jared Brownridge and Marc Trasolini are also worthy of consideration for what they did wearing the Bronco uniform.

I think SCU should do more to honor the players who played there. And don’t get me started on whether or not Podz should have his jersey retired.

Just thought this might be a topic that could get a good discussion going on jersey retirements

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Jalen should definitely get his jersey retired but agree there is some catching up to do with a few of the Broncos that came before him. In a prior era , Jalen probably stays a 4th year and becomes an All American… but yes, there is a Bronco/Thunder component to this jersey retirement and I am completely fine with it. He is a Top 15 Basketball Player on the planet right now, something only Nash has also achieved.

I concur about Garnett but will give my brief thoughts on the players from 2000 and on since those are most fresh in my memory.

I think 3 or 4 players getting their jersey retired over a 25 year period is reasonable and keeps it a very exclusive club. My only hard and fast rule is that if you transfer away from Santa Clara then I remove you from consideration.

John Bryant, Kevin Foster, and Jared Brownridge would be my Top 3. Brian Jones played his final season in 1999-2000 and I would have him 4th.

My “Hall of Very Good” but not quite number retired worthy would be Sean Denison (WCC POY, unremarkable stats but the 2007 team was special), Marc Trasolini (the analytics love him), and Vrankic.

Podz’ one season had the highest ever Player Efficiency Rating rating for a Bronco and 2nd highest Win Shares (after John Bryant) but his jersey retirement would basically have to be a Basketball Career Achievement award because of his short tenure. Doron Perkins was also awesome but we only got to enjoy him for 2 seasons since he was a Juco transfer.

Players like Justice, Brandon Clark, and Kyle Bailey had excellent careers and would put them on the next tier…

And not related to jersey retirement but if we had a tough guy tier, I would include Cowells III, Payne, and Angley.

I was not in the locker room so coaches and teammates would have better perspectives but that is just my opinion from the cheap seats.

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I am fortunate enough (and old enough) to have seen 3 of the six retired jersey players play: Nash (representing the 90s), Vanos (representing the 80s), and Rambis (representing the 70s). All are/were exceptional players on the court and solid representatives of SCU off the court. From the stories my father told me, Feerick (1940s), Sears (1950s), Ogden and Awtrey (1960s) were also exceptional and deserving.

I like the 1-2 per decade cadence of jersey retirements. Unfortunately, we have a big gaping hole of players from the 2000s and 2010s!

Regarding Jalen, I wholeheartedly support his jersey retirement. He is a young man who represents the school well, did not transfer (though he easily could have), and was good enough to have gotten drafted after his JUNIOR YEAR. Also, if we want younger generations to feel a connection, ESPECIALLY THE NON-SCU-AFFILIATED FANS THAT WE WISH TO DRAW, we need them to see the jersey of a familiar contemporary hanging up in the rafters. Nash is obviously deserving, but let’s be honest, there are kids in high school right now who never saw him play (or if they did, they weren’t old enough to remember). He is to them what Awtrey and Ogden were to me: legends of yesteryear.

I think Podz is a different situation altogether. He is a great story, but to me that story is really about how Jalen’s success attracted a talented player to leave a power conference team to join the Broncos. If JW hadn’t shined in his 2nd and 3rd years (generating buzz about his NBA prospects fairly early in his junior season, as I recall), would Podz have transferred to SCU? I doubt it.

Lastly, with respect to the list of Hall of Very Good, I’d add Travis Niesen. He was a gutsy player, and I think he deserves a mention solely for leading the Broncos to victory over North Carolina in 2004. That was a signature win, probably DD’s last great victory before his retirement in 2007.

I’ll second @BroncoBob ‘s nomination of Troy Payne to the tough guy list. Best all-around one-on-one defender we’ve ever had, IMHO.

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Good catch on Niesen. Can’t believe I forgot about him. I am getting old.

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This is an underrated point. Jersey retirement is about a lot of different things, some noble but definitely some practical and marketing-oriented. A student starting SCU today was not born when Nash won his MVP trophies. You just can’t lay claim to an historic basketball tradition and not have any players who were in their prime within the living memory of the student body. Jalen creates a critical bridge in that regard.

I really don’t know how I feel about jersey retirement generally or what parameters I would put on it. But Jared Brownridge would be my pick for the last 15 years with a bullet. He really was both an amazing player and person. He stayed loyal to the school even through a coaching change. I think if he were to come back as an assistant coach or university employee in any capacity–something I could see happening when he hangs it up–then I think jersey retirement would be the right move based on overall dedication to the school.

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My order of priority for HOF consideration: Bryant, Garnett, Jared, Brian Jones…..maybe Kevin Foster but I have reservations there for a number of reasons. I’m torn on Doron Perkins….a dynamic athlete and elite defender (though no Troy Payne), tremendous rebounder for a 6-2 guard and talented scorer who could also. Also had a tremendous pro career in Europe including multiple MVP’s in top level leagues…..but as noted he was a JC transfer and we only had him for 2 years.

I love Jared but I think you have to put Bryant in ahead of Jared. Bryant was dominant his last two seasons, 1st or 2nd in the country in rebounding depending on what metric you use, great shot blocker and efficient scorer.

A couple of other name from the late 80’s for the close but not quite good enough list: Jens Gordon, Mitch Burley.

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I can’t speak for much before 2010 but would love to see Bryant on there from what I gather from others.

To me, jersey retirement should be a rare honor. Heck the GB packers have only 6 retired jerseys in their 106 year history.

It’s a tricky one this day and age as there rarely is the 4-year guarantee involved - not to mention that players are also getting a salary.

To me Jalen fits the criteria of quality on the court, great person off the court, and spreading the brand name beyond his time at scu.

Other than those two, I’d like the next one to be of whichever messiah leads us back to the tourney.

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I support Jalens jersey retirement. He represented the university well, was a tremendous player, brought SCU back to relevance and as it was said before, he stayed versus leaving for greener pastures. Many of the other players mentioned here were good but did not help raise the bar for SCU. You don’t want to cheapen a jersey retirement. It’s meant to be for someone who checks all the boxes. I saw Awtrey, Rambis, Nash and Williams. While I missed the players before the 70’s, to make the moment meaningful the player has to be very special. Jalen fits the bill and his play in the NBA is along the lines of Nash, Awtrey, and Rambis. I agree on Podz not being on the list as he was more of a one and done. Jaylen helped recruit Podz to SCU another plus to his story.

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You can see a lot of the Santa Clara leaders/record holders listed here. It even has some advanced metrics. Click on “Expand All Leaderboards” next to Season Leaders. https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/santa-clara/men/leaders-and-records.html

A couple caveats…There are so many more games in the regular season now versus 40 years ago that oldtimers are at a huge disadvantage when it comes to the counting stats. Also, the data on a lot of the advanced metrics is incomplete because it does not include data from 20+ years ago. Nevertheless, a fun way to remember some Bronco seasons you may have forgotten about this century,

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Looking at the jerseys that SCU has retired, it’s clear that its meant to be a truly serious honor, not something they do every few years. I don’t think any of the players mentioned in the 2000-2020 era above make the cut. The bar is quite high.

It’s worth recalling that the bulk of these were retired one by by over the course of the 100th anniversary season (around 2007).

If there is an over-arching theme to the list - Feerick, Sears, Ogden, Awtrey, Vanos, Nash, Jalen, it’s these three criteria:

  1. Did they play in the post-season (NCAA or NIT)? All meet this, except Feerick, who essentially was too early. I believe SCU turned down an NCAA or NIT bid in the late 30s, but can’t recall for sure. And he certainly coached the Broncos in the NCAA tournament.

  2. Were they an All-American? Or Conference POY? Feerick, Sears, Ogden, Awtrey were all-Americans. Sears (2x) Awtrey (2x), Rambis and Nash (2x) were CPOY. Feerick pre-dates the WCC, but again coached a CPOY. Jalen does not meet this one.

  3. Do they have a significant connection to the NBA? It’s totally arguable whether this should matter since it’s a college honor, but clearly it’s a difference maker.

  • Feerick played and coached in the NBA/BAA
  • Sears played in the NBA
  • Ogden’s career in the NBA was not distinguished, but is counterbalanced by his Bronco team being the best ever
  • Awtrey had a long NBA career and won a championship
  • Rambis won four rings and coached in the NBA
  • Nash was a two time NBA MVP and is an NBA HOF guy.
  • Jalen has had an immediate NBA impact and has already won a championship.

A few more thoughts:

Vanos is, perhaps, a special category given his death (even though he also checks the achievement boxes).

Feerick has the unique attribute of having coached Sears and one of the better all time SCU teams, as part of 12 years of leading the Broncos. He also coached the Warriors. He, in a sense, helped put SCU basketball on the map and it could be viewed as a broader lifetime achievement award. I believe his number was retired well after his death.

Feerick, Sears, Ogden, and then Nash all probably met a test of “best player so far”. Jalen was the highest draft pick ever, though his collegiate career was not better than most of the list. His pro career may end up being the best in time.

All of the retired numbers were, at a time (college or pro), were close to nationally famous - i.e., Sports Illustrated cover, All-American, First Round Pick, or prominent NBA face (Rambis, Nash, Jalen).

If there’s one missing, it’s Dick Garibaldi, who played on the 1952 Final Four team and coached the 1969 team that went 27-2.

I love the Brody Angleys, Doron Perkins, John Bryants, Sean Denisons and all the rest, but with (1) no NIT or NCAA trip from 2000-2022 and (2) no NBA draft picks, there just isn’t a guy in there who makes the grade in my opinion. I feel no need to retire a jersey just to fill the gap. 2000-2020 was the worst period of Santa Clara basketball on a team and individual achievement basis since WWII.

If John Bryant had played for a few seasons in the NBA and an NIT, I think he’d be up there. Hard to say whether that’s fair.

Should Jalen’s number be retired? His college career was not exceptional in the way the other men on the list’s were, broadly speaking. He did break a long NIT drought, he’s the highest drafted Bronco ever, and he’s validated that with an NBA championship. There are so few mid-major players drafted anymore.

It’s cuspy and a little bit of a momentum grab, but I think it’s okay. I think there’s an argument that we didn’t build upon the Nash era and compound the interest, so to speak - maybe this well help keep the period of success going…

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All retired men’s basketball uniforms at D1 schools. St. Mary’s has definitely adopted the super exclusive approach. USF has not retired anyone that has played since Bill Cartwright. Only Kimble and Gathers for LMU. Sabonis had his jersey retired at Gonzaga last season so the list is not up to date.

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Another name in the “very good.players” category is Mike Stewart, twice first team All WCC and WCC POY. in the early 70’s. My personal favorite Bronco.

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Do you think his grandson wants to transfer to SCU???

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Would be nice. His dad, Michael was a very good player at Cal, who I think got some NBA run. His uncle, Louis, played at SCU for a couple seasons.

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Right move to retire Jalen jersey. Podz is a different story. One and done. I think a guy needs to have kept his career at Santa Clara as part of the retirement criteria.

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Great to see some of the names come into this thread and I love a HOF debate. Appreciate the shout outs for Mitch Burley (a poor man’s Magic Johnson) and Travis Niesen. Two of my favorites.

One issue I have is how [insert responsible party here] doesn’t do enough to pump the volume even on the “very good.” Go into Leavey and the “scholarship wall” is bland, outdated and sends the wrong message IMO.

Instead of promoting who is getting free rides with picture frames and brass plaques from Joe’s House of Trophies, those walls should be emblazoned with the key players who drive success.

If anyone has been at McCarthy in Spokane, you will know what I mean. They may have just retired Sabonis’s jersey, but the images of greats that we hates are 8 ft tall one after the other on the walls of the upper concourse.

People would remember Marlon, Jared, Big John, Kevin, etc, if we kept them front and center. But Santa Clara being Santa Clara, the brand is understated and outdated.

Don’t get me started on the boring swag in the bookstore. Ugh. Crap shack.

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Yeah, I was surprised how uninspiring and generic the apparel/keepsakes at the bookstore were, especially from an athletics perspective.

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Here is the top scores in Bronco history.

Foster jersey would already been retired if not for the DUI and connecting to Keating.

Jalen is the first POC jersey retired I believe.

Career
Rk Player Points Seasons
1 Kevin Foster 2,423 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13
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2 Jared Brownridge 2,313 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17
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3 Josip Vrankic 1,817[2] 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22
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4 Kurt Rambis 1,736 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80
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5 Harold Keeling 1,731 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85
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6 Brian Jones 1,722 1996–97 1997–98 1999–00 2000–01
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7 Marc Trasolini 1,699 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2012–13
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8 Steve Nash 1,689 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96
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9 Dennis Awtrey 1,675 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70
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10 John Bryant 1,667 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09
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