ST. MARY’S
20-plus games in 16 consecutive years. They’ve collected at least 25 wins in 13 of those 16 seasons.
Now, though, St. Mary’s must navigate a complicated offseason in the era of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness deals. Bennett historically keeps his players for four seasons, and often five, but the challenge is more severe these days.
If Mahaney, WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis and sophomore forward Joshua Jefferson all return, that’s a strong core. If senior center Mitchell Saxen, another firstteam all-conference selection, uses his extra season of eligibility (because of COVID), then it’s a really strong core.
The Gaels will lose swingman Alex Ducas, who played in his school-record 150th game Friday night, and power forward Mason Forbes, who stepped into the starting lineup when Jefferson hurt his knee. But they have reinforcements waiting: Sixth man Luke Barrett took a significant step forward this season, and 7-foot-1 center Harry Wessels showed he’s probably ready for a bigger role.
Backup point guard Jordan Ross, a true freshman, also displayed impressive composure when pressed into duty by Marciulionis’ foul trouble in the first half against Grand Canyon.
The loss still raised familiar questions for St. Mary’s. Why can’t the Gaels match their big regular seasons with an occasionally deep run in the tournament? Is there a ceiling on their recipe of stingy defense and relentless rebounding? How can they conquer uber-athletic opponents such as the Antelopes?
Ducas dismissed any suggestion St. Mary’s might need to tweak its approach to extend regular-season success into the NCAA Tournament.
“You can’t jump the gun on that sort of stuff,” he said. “I think we’re right where we are — we’re a small school in a small area, and we don’t get much love. But we play hard, and we’re good at what we do.
“We’re just at the start of our growth. Come back and talk to these guys in 10 years and hopefully interview them after the Final Four.”
Ducas is right about this: The Gaels are really good at what they do. Bennett has defied the odds to build a mid-major powerhouse in Moraga, using his Australian pipeline and a distinctive style — deliberate offense and a defense annually ranking among the nation’s best.
Those strengths help explain why St. Mary’s thrived on the road this season, going 9-0. The Gaels typically take care of the ball and contain high-scoring opponents. But they fell out of character when it mattered most, struggling with live-ball turnovers against a quick, long, hungry Grand Canyon team.
“I think we were pretty good (defensively) when we had it in the half-court,” Bennett said of Friday night’s game. “But we turned the ball over too much; in a game like this you’ve got to be good with the ball. You can’t just throw it to their guy and let him go down there and dunk it.”
That is a problem, and among the things St. Mary’s must resolve if it wants to make a memorable splash in March Madness.