Men's basketball limps into season

By Ryan Donough

New men's basketball Head Coach Kerry Keating will begin his tenure at Santa Clara with a team that includes three important team leaders from last season, but also a number of untested, inexperienced players.

The Broncos lost their first exhibition game of the season to Division II Cal State Stanislaus on Monday night, 69-68.

Senior guard Brody Angley, junior center John Bryant and senior forward Mitch Henke will anchor a young squad that will begin regular season action this Friday night against Cal State Monterey Bay at 7 p.m. in the Leavey Center.

"Obviously, Brody, John and Mitch are the three guys who have the most experience," Keating said.

Angley was a defensive stalwart and leader for the Broncos last season, helping to hold opposing teams to under 40 percent from the field. Bryant will try to improve on his sophomore season where he saw his numbers jump to over 10 points a game, while providing a presence in the middle with almost two blocks a game.

The Broncos lost six seniors from a 2006-2007 squad that earned a second place finish in the West Coast Conference. Notable losses for Santa Clara include the departure of WCC Co-Player of the Year Sean Denison and All-WCC team members Scott Dougherty and Danny Pariseau.

"All three starters that we lost last year were all All-Conference," Keating said. "Out of the six seniors who left, four of them were fifth year seniors. That is 28 years of experience, plus 30 years from the coach ... 58 years of experience you are trying to replace."

The Broncos will begin their season with an already depleted lineup. Senior center Josh Higgins tore his meniscus this past week and will be out for the next two to four weeks.

Almost all the players are dealing with some sort of injury, including Angley, who has a bruised heel and will participate only in games until it heals.

Junior guard Calvin Johnson has a back injury that will keep him out for the next game, and freshman forward Ben Dowdell, who played Monday night, is nursing a bruised hip and shoulder.

With all the injuries, it has been difficult to maintain any chemistry, and the problems Keating has seen in practice are showing through in competition.

"In our exhibition game Monday night, four guards played 70 minutes at the two and three, and they went 0 for 12. Some of that is inconsistency in terms of competition in practice," Keating said.

To deal with the onslaught of injuries, Keating has brought in six walk-on players, including Michael Santos, who logged playing time in the loss to Cal State Stanislaus Monday night.

"Every team has their share of injuries, but it seems like we've gotten more than our share to begin the season," Keating said. "So it has been hard to maintain a level of consistency."

Santa Clara has a tough schedule lined up this season, as they will play non-conference games against Nevada, No. 23-ranked Stanford, Minnesota and Pacific. The Broncos also have to deal with an extended road trip, all seven games of which Keating believes will be difficult because of the length of the trip.

"It doesn't matter who you play on the road because it is going to be a tough game," Keating said.

Santa Clara's conference schedule isn't any easier this year, with Gonzaga once again pegged as the favorite to win the conference and ranked No. 14 in the nation by the Associated Press.

The Zags will welcome back junior forward Josh Heytvelt, who missed the end of last season due to a suspension resulting from drug charges. Heytvelt was a force in the Gonzaga lineup, averaging 15.5 points and seven rebounds a game. Junior guard Jeremy Pargo, who averaged 12 points and nearly five assists a game last year will also trouble the Broncos.

Other teams Keating said could threaten the Broncos are Saint Mary's and San Diego, who were picked to finish second and third, respectively, in a WCC coaches poll.

St. Mary's returns All-Conference junior forward Diamon Simpson, who led the Gaels with 14.1 points per game along with 2.4 blocks a game last season.

San Diego looks to improve this year with their new head coach, former Gonzaga assistant Bill Grier. Junior forward Gyno Pomare and junior point guard Brandon Johnson will provide tough match-ups this season, combining for almost 28 points a game for the Toreros last season.

Santa Clara was picked to finish fourth in the coaches poll, but Keating selected his team to finish sixth in the conference based on the lack of experience he must try to replace.

"People are picking us based on Brody, John and Mitch being around," Keating said. "But I don't think they are taking into account the six seniors we lost last season and that all three starters we lost were all-conference players."

Contact Ryan Donough at (408) 551-1918 or rdonough@scu.edu.