Three basketball players transferring

By Chris Furnari

Three men's basketball players, all of whom were on scholarship, have requested and been granted transfers from Santa Clara.

Head Coach Kerry Keating confirmed on Wednesday that sophomores Jonathan Gunderson, Cedric Latimer and Zac Tiedeman will be eligible to transfer from the university. All three players have two years of eligibility remaining.

"Johnathan, Cedric and Zac have expressed an interest in pursuing other academic and athletic options," Keating said in a statement. "Everybody at Santa Clara appreciates their hard work and dedication in the classroom and on the court, and we wish them all the best in the future."

Athletes must be granted a release to talk to other universities about transferring, according to NCAA bylaws.

According to Tiedeman, both Gunderson and Latimer had scheduled meetings with Keating before spring break. Latimer confirmed the meeting, and said that Keating discussed his potential role in the upcoming 2008-2009 season.

"He asked me if I liked playing basketball and I said yes," said Latimer. "He said, 'You are going to have a hard time doing that here next year.' "

Keating declined to comment on any meetings with players.

According to Latimer, Keating said that he would be receiving anywhere from zero to 10 minutes per game. Upon learning this, Latimer decided his best move to advance his basketball career was to transfer.

"Anytime a coach has that mindset going into the season, it's not a good situation," said Latimer.

Latimer has begun his search for a new program and is currently looking at Howard University and Morgan State as possible programs for next season.

"It's always a hassle calling schools, but I originally came here to play for Coach Davey -- that's why it's not that big of a deal," said Latimer.

Tiedeman, who was originally scheduled to have a meeting with Keating, made the decision to transfer after speaking with Gunderson and Latimer, despite not meeting with any coaches.

"It was a big ordeal, but it was pretty much my decision when it came down to it," said Tiedeman. "Coach was having meetings with players and he was just telling them that they might not play as much and that he was bringing in some more people. I just wanted to find a new place where I could fit in a little better because I never was really recruited by Coach Keating."

According to Tiedeman, in the meetings with Gunderson and Latimer, Keating told them that they were not going to be receiving as much playing time with the new recruits coming in. Knowing this, Tiedeman made the decision to transfer.

Tiedeman, who transferred to Santa Clara this year after spending one year at Santa Rosa Junior College, said he decided leave Santa Clara for more playing time.

"You spend so much time playing basketball when you are in college, and if I wasn't going to play as much, and I wasn't really sure where I was going to be in the next two years, then I wanted to go somewhere where I am going to play and have fun," said Tiedeman.

He will be playing at Humboldt State next year, a Division II program.

Gunderson could not be reached for comment.

In the 2007-2008 season, both Gunderson and Tiedeman made appearances in the Broncos starting lineup. Gunderson started six games for the Broncos, averaged 4.9 points per game and shot 40 percent from beyond the arc.

Tiedeman started seven games for the Broncos, but missed 13 games toward the end of the season due to injury. Tiedeman logged 19 assists in the 18 games he did play, turning the ball over three times.

Latimer, although not a stater, played in 30 games for Santa Clara and averaged just under two points per game. Latimer's season high was eight points against Utah.

The Broncos already have four incoming freshmen committed for next season, including James Rahon, Marc Trassolini, Troy Alexander and Kevin Foster. The program will also add transfer Decensae White, who left Texas Tech in the middle of the 2007-2008 season. The Broncos are also expected to sign a junior college transfer, Perry Petty, according to Keating.

Contact Chris Furnari at (408) 551-1918 or cfurnari@scu.edu.