***We have a new oldest player in college basketball***
He is a D2 player and is old enough to have been recruited by Josh Pastner ... when Pastner was still at Memphis.
In the last seven seasons, Gonzaga has scored less than 60 points in a game only three times — all three were against Saint Mary's.
Gaels hold the Zags to 57 tonight to knock off the number one team in the country.
#GaelsRise
@amfva
Regardless of Virginia's history, this is a rebuilding Cavaliers team that lost of most its key pieces from last year.
Look at Rohde and Groves, did they improve after transferring to UVA?
With pro offers waiting & a decorated college career behind him, Alex Ducas had every reason to move on.
Instead, he returned to SMC with a newfound toughness and shot 49.5% from three vs. WCC teams.
Most importantly, he established himself as the leader of a WCC champion.
Saint Mary's has been in contact with four players so far in the transfer portal, all forwards.
Grant Newell, Cal
Zach Martini, Princeton
Dusan Neskovic, Dartmouth
Gus Yalden, Wisconsin
I'll do my best to keep track and will likely have a written piece up next week.
One of college basketball's most colorful coaches, Sundance Wicks has taken Green Bay from
#362
in KenPom's pre-season rankings to top of the Horizon League.
Inside the belief and conviction that Wicks has instilled in this UWGB program:
NEWS: Paulius Murauskas will transfer to Saint Mary's, a source told ESPN. One of the top international prospects in his age group will team up in Moraga with Lithuanian PG Augustas Marčiulionis. Should be a major contributor in the WCC.
A win that can only be described as "Gritty Not Pretty."
Saint Mary's went 6:19 without a made FG to start the game, but through resilient defense and clutch shot-making, the Gaels earned their biggest win of the season in a true team effort.
#GaelsRise
FINAL | SMC 64 - GON 62
GAELS WIN IT ‼️
It came down to the absolute wire in Spokane, but SMC takes the win to remain undefeated in WCC play.
#GaelsRise
Loved the minutes the Gaels got from Joshua Jefferson tonight.
The freshman finished with eight points, three assists, & five rebounds — all season highs.
His knack for grabbing offensive rebounds & ability to hit threes make him an asset off the bench.
#GaelsRise
#WCChoops
With Joshua Jefferson in the transfer portal and Alex Ducas gone, Saint Mary's has a void to fill at the wing and power forward spots.
I outline the transfers the Gaels have contacted and break down portal players who are good fits for SMC.
#GaelsRise
People can complain about this all they want, but one of my favorite parts of sports is the randomness of some of the rules.
This little extra volatility makes sports less straightforward/repetitive and reward one's knowledge of the game.
I continue to love the in-season progress made by the Gaels' role players.
Mason Forbes, Luke Barrett, and Chris Howell combined for 34 points on 15-23 shooting as Saint Mary's earned its first outright regular season conference title since 2012.
#GaelsRise
The Resch Center is hosting the Wisconsin State Hunting and Fishing Expo, so we're at the on-campus Kress Center to check out a key Horizon League showdown between Green Bay and Youngstown State
@mid_madness
"We tell recruits up front that this is how we’ve had success and how we want to have success,” said Bennett. “If this isn’t what you want to sign up for, then don’t sign up and it’ll save us both from having problems." -Randy Bennett
And with that, the Gaels have filled their last scholarship spot for the 2024-25 season.
Oliver Faubert originally signed with Wyoming before Jeff Linder's departure, and the 6-9 wing had offers from Arizona State, Ole Miss and Seton Hall.
#GaelsRise
Is Kyler Filewich the next Cameron Krutwig? The big man from Manitoba has eight points on 4/4 shooting off the bench for Wofford tonight in the first half.
#justneedsthemustache
@mid_madness
@WoffordMBB
Saint Mary's persevered through an ugly stretch and showed real growth. The result — a WCC title.
Alex Ducas stepped up as a leader and defensive presence. Mason Forbes gave key production as a conscripted starter.
SMC with a +18 Reb advantage to take down the Zags.
#GaelsRise
Joshua Jefferson was one of two players (along with Kyle Bowen) with a positive plus-minus, as the Gaels were +2 in the 23 minutes he played.
The freshman had a season-high nine points & was a nuisance defensively.
LJ also stayed hot with 27 points.
#GaelsRise
#WCChoops
This Saint Mary's team is for real. Dominant on the boards, accurate from three-point range, stingy on defense — everything is finally clicking for the Gaels.
Our Player of the Game is Joshua Jefferson, who finished with a career-high 21 points with four made threes.
#GaelsRise
FINAL | SMC 77 - USF 60
That’s 6️⃣ in a row for the Gaels!
Saint Mary’s took care of business from beginning to end tonight and remain undefeated in conference play 🙌
#GaelsRise
This one is out of left field. Hardaway is a former four-star recruit with three years of eligibility.
I believe this leaves the Gaels with one open scholarship spot.
Tarleton State transfer Emmanuel Innocenti has committed to Gonzaga.
The 6’5” freshman wing started 33/35 games, averaging 6.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.7 steals.
Innocenti was named a WAC All-Freshman, and was also a member of WAC All-Defensive Team.
You love to see the adjustments Randy Bennett made this offseason.
After struggling against the length of Grand Canyon, he crafted a versatile, athletic squad with ample shooting, bringing in a 6-8 forward who can stretch the floor, an athletic 6-8 wing, and a 6-4 SG.
This one is out of left field. Hardaway is a former four-star recruit with three years of eligibility.
I believe this leaves the Gaels with one open scholarship spot.
A lot of times upsets feel lucky. But tonight Saint Mary's played as well as they have all season. Perfect scheme by Randy Bennett, and even better execution by the Gaels.
#GaelsRise
In the last seven seasons, Gonzaga has scored less than 60 points in a game only three times — all three were against Saint Mary's.
Gaels hold the Zags to 57 tonight to knock off the number one team in the country.
#GaelsRise
You have to feel for Princeton. The Tigers knew they'd be good so they scheduled seven non-conference road games and a neutral contest against Rutgers.
They only got a pair of Quad II wins from a 24-4 season and did not play a Quad I game despite a top 100 non-con SOS.
I know the committee will never do it, but Princeton deserves serious consideration for an at-large bid
They finished 24-4, 56th in KenPom, all green offensively on that website, 48th in NET rankings, beat Rutgers, Duquesne, Hofstra, Furman, and Drexel.
Losses to 98, 99, and 87
Transfer contact for Saint Mary's over the last two weeks:
Rihards Vavers, Quinnipiac
PJ Hayes, San Diego
Tana Kopa, Long Island University
Mike Sharavjamts, San Francisco
Emmanuel Innocente, Tarleton State
All five are wings who can stretch the floor.
#GaelsRise
Saint Mary's has been in contact with four players so far in the transfer portal, all forwards.
Grant Newell, Cal
Zach Martini, Princeton
Dusan Neskovic, Dartmouth
Gus Yalden, Wisconsin
I'll do my best to keep track and will likely have a written piece up next week.
FINAL | SMC 76 - UOP 28
Saint Mary's takes the win and holds Pacific to just 28 points, which is tied for the lowest of any opponent all season! 🙌
#GaelsRise
LIU forward Tana Kopa (
@tanakopa
) has received interest from the following programs:
Saint Mary's
Drake
Cal Baptist
Evansville
Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Chatanooga
UT Martin
Merrimack
Winthrop
Louisiana Monroe
Bowling Green
The oldest player in DI college basketball finally makes his debut!
Five points and one rebound in 18 minutes for 26-year-old Alexis Yetna in his first game with Fairfield.
🇫🇷 Alexis Yetna has finally made his season debut for Fairfield
The former Seton Hall and South Florida forward is the oldest player in Division I this season (will turn 27 in August) after spending much of his collegiate career battling injuries
NEWS: Saint Mary’s guard Aidan Mahaney is entering the transfer portal, he tells
@On3sports
.
The 6-3 All-WCC 1st team sophomore averaged 13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game this season.
What a difference a healthy Alex Ducas makes.
23 points from the Aussie, including 7 made threes (a career-high, but more importantly five assists.
His ability to draw defenders and drive, plus the Gaels' off-ball movement opened up this stagnant offense.
#GaelsRise
FINAL | SMC 89 - DC 55
Saint Mary’s takes the victory against Davidson!
Augustas Marciulionis (17 PTS, 4 REB, 2 BLK) and Alex Ducas (23 PTS, 5 AST, 2 STL) both had big games to help secure the win 👏
#GaelsRise
This offense is tough to stop when Ducas + Mahaney are hot.
Tonight, Joshua Jefferson production showed the Gaels' ceiling when they have five scorers on the floor.
Jefferson had 14 points plus a career-high 8 assists as he continues to grow as a facilitator.
#GaelsRise
FINAL | SMC 95 - POR 52
It's a GREAT day to be a Gael! Saint Mary's wins big over Portland to open up the WCC at home!
Mahaney ties the program record for made threes in a game (7) 🙌
#GaelsRise
Aidan Mahaney: “The coaching staff doesn't rebuild at UConn, they reload. There is no tip-toeing around the fact that the program is going for it all again … One game at a time, obviously, but the goals at UConn are set the moment you walk into the facilities. National champs."
The crowd noise at these arena is nothing short of spectacular.
Every made Loyola bucket is accompanied by a louder roar than I've heard at any venue this year.
49-40 Loyola at the U-12 timeout.
@mid_madness
It's not Detroit-IUPUI but it's the next best thing — a crucial A-10 showdown between Loyola and Saint Joe's at Gentile Arena.
The Hawks lead 30-29 at the half after a back-and-forth first period.
@mid_madness
This dunk is among the best college basketball plays I've ever seen, but it still doesn't do justice to Malik Fitts' talent. Few players possess his inside-out shooting touch, his strength on defense, & his tenacity on the boards. Next stop, The League 💪
March Madness is incredible, but it renders the four months of regular season completely meaningless. Maybe the NCAA should let the higher seeds start each game with a lead, like the PGA Tour Championship
Saint Mary's has been in contact with four players so far in the transfer portal, all forwards.
Grant Newell, Cal
Zach Martini, Princeton
Dusan Neskovic, Dartmouth
Gus Yalden, Wisconsin
I'll do my best to keep track and will likely have a written piece up next week.
It's great to see Aidan Mahaney finally break out of his slump with 25 points on 8-11 shooting, but one player who continues to impress is Luke Barrett.
Barrett is all over the court — especially on the offensive glass — and lately has provided a vital scoring punch.
#GaelsRise
FINAL | SMC 81 - USD 70
The Gaels take the conference opener against San Diego 🙌
Aidan Mahaney was electric tonight as he led the SMC with 25 points, as well as recorded three steals and six assists!
#GaelsRise
Jake Stephens posted the second-best ORTG in the SoCon last year & had the eighth-highest usage rate.
This season, Stephens' USG increased while his ORTG is almost unchanged.
23.6 points & 10.3 REB per game for a seven-footer hitting nearly half his three-point attempts.
No first team honors for BJ Freeman despite leading the league in assists, finishing fifth in scoring, and sixth in rebounds during conference play.
Was the one of just three players in the entire country to average at least 20 PPG, 6 RPG, and 4 APG on the season.
Congrats to BJ Freeman, who becomes the first Panther to earn all-league honors twice in a career since Joah Tucker in 2005-06!
Way to go
@B_greatb
... you'll always be FIRST TEAM to us! 🥇
BJ Freeman Picks Up Horizon League All-Conference Accolades
Related reading to my Saint Mary's transfer portal targets piece from yesterday; last year I looked at the transfers Randy Bennett has brought in over the last decade.
#GaelsRise
Just how crucial has Joshua Jefferson been to Saint Mary's this season?
The Gaels' ADJD in WCC play is 9.8 points worse per 100 poss (97.3 vs. 87.5) w/ Jefferson off the floor.
SMC's TO% forced also drops from 20.2% to 14.9% & 3P% allowed goes from 26.9% to 36.9%.
#GaelsRise
When planning my games to attend this year, I passed on UWGB because I figured they'd be among the worst teams in the country again.
I have seen the error in my ways and will add a trip to Green Bay to my calendar.
This was only the beginning of a 12-0 run for Green Bay.
Noah Reynolds with a career-high 36 points.
The Phoenix are 3:12 away from officially putting the Horizon League on notice.
Gibson's story is something else. The 26-year-old:
-Dropped out of high school
-Became a tattoo artist
-Never played organized basketball before this year
-Discovered by his current assistant coach who played against him in a men's league
SUNO (NAIA) F Jamal Gibson is available, per source.
The 26 year old freshman had some INSANE stats in his first season as a collegiate player:
21 PPG
15.8 RPG
2.3 BPG
1.1 APG
The 6’8” F has 3 season of eligibility remaining.
Just visited a bar with High Life on tap for $2.50 and a working payphone.
Every guy on there had some sort of Harley Davidson shirt-camo hat-goatee combo going on.
The place erupted upon hearing Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root.
Tarleton State transfer Emmanuel Innocenti has received interest from the following programs:
Gonzaga
Grand Canyon
Saint Mary's
St. Bonaventure
New Mexico State
+More
Averaging 6.6 Points, 6.4 Rebounds and 2.9 Assists per game this season
Gaels are back?!
After an early 8-0 deficit, it felt like Saint Mary's early-season skid would continue.
But the Gaels showed their grittiness and eked out a gutsy road win thanks to contributions from the entire lineup.
#GaelsRise
/4
FINAL | SMC 64 - CSU 61
THE GAELS DOWN NO. 13 COLORADO STATE 🔥
Saint Mary’s battled the Rams all game long and take their first road victory of the season. Augustas Marciulionis recorded a new career-high 18 points while Joshua Jefferson recorded a double-double 👏
#GaelsRise
Chris Howell saw an uptick in minutes this season but the path for meaningful playing time was always going to be blocked by Marciulonis and Mahaney.
The Gaels have significant backcourt depth so this helps open up a spot for another wing or power forward.
#GaelsRise
The 6-6 Hayes is the latest portal player Saint Mary's has contacted.
The junior had a solid first season at USD, shooting 41.2% from deep in WCC play while providing hustle off the ball.
San Diego forward PJ Hayes has received interest from the following programs:
Rutgers
Saint Mary’s
Virginia Tech
Seton Hall
Drake
Texas A&M
Temple
Saint Joseph’s
East Carolina
UMass
Rice
Indiana State
George Washington
Winthrop
Illinois State
Idaho
NDSU
Oral
With my job search still ongoing, I wanted to highlight some of the content I have worked on over the last few months.
As always, I am open to any writing opportunities!
(Thread)
After almost 2.5 years, my time at The18 has ended. Thank you to everyone who has collaborated with me and guided me along the way.
I am now a sports writing free agent.
If you have any leads, whether it be job openings or people to contact, please reach out!
This week Tommy Kuhse has played like a guy who knows he has three weeks left in his college career. 22 points against San Francisco on Thursday and an absolute clinic with 20 in the first half against BYU tonight.
#GaelsRise
Remember when we were all like, "well maybe if Saint Mary's just stops losing they could sneak into the NCAA Tournament?"
The Gaels have won 21 of 22 and are good as a lock for the tourney.
Saint Mary's always felt impervious to the pull of the transfer portal. Not anymore.
The loss to GCU illustrated Joshua Jefferson's value to the team and replacing him is paramount.
The headlines will be about the clutch scoring of superstar freshman Aidan Mahaney, but this was a true team effort.
Without the second half defense of Saxen, the rebounding of Bowen, or key bench spurts from Wessels & Marciulionis, & Saint Marys doesn't get the win.
#GaelsRise
After a slow start, Indiana State showed why it has KenPom's 52nd ranked offense, using sublime off the ball movement and sharp outside shooting to finish with 90 points.
90-67 the final over Northern Illinois in Dekalb.
@mid_madness
I made it I point to attend more college basketball games this season.
My first of the winter: Northern Illinois vs. Indiana State in Dekalb, IL.
@mid_madness
Saint Mary's has been in contact with four players so far in the transfer portal, all forwards.
Grant Newell, Cal
Zach Martini, Princeton
Dusan Neskovic, Dartmouth
Gus Yalden, Wisconsin
I'll do my best to keep track and will likely have a written piece up next week.
In the age of NIL and unrestricted player movement, improving through the transfer portal is a must for college basketball programs.
With the need for a starting wing and a veteran backup guard, here are seven transfer targets for Saint Mary’s.
#GaelsRise
About as embarrsing of a nonconference result as I've seen from Saint Mary’s.
Where did it go wrong for the Gaels tonight and what are the laeger issues at play for the team early in the season?
#GaelsRise
(Thread)
FINAL | SDSU 79 - SMC 54
Mitchell Saxen led the Gaels with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Joshua Jefferson finished with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists.
#GaelsRise
Utah State transfer Ian Martinez tells me that he's receiving interest from the following programs:
Gonzaga
Virginia
St. John's
SMU
USC
Washington
Maryland
Clemson
George Mason
St. Mary's
UC Santa Barbara
A return to Utah State is also on the table.
Detroit is showing no quit. Jayden Stone, the Horizon League's leading scorer, has 13 points over the last five minutes and change.
64-63 Detroit at the under-eight timeout.
Saint Mary's isn't the same without Joshua Jefferson, but the Gaels show no quit.
Seniors Alex Ducas & Mitchell Saxen epitomized SMC's grittiness. Ducas had 18 points while Saxen scored 20 & hit key late-game FTs.
The nation's longest winning streak reaches 14 games.
#GaelsRise
FINAL | SMC 70 - USF 66
Saint Mary's wins the Battle of the Bay ‼️
Mitchell Saxen comes up BIG for the Gaels, with a 20-point 13-rebound double-double 🚨
Alex Ducas follows close behind with 18 points and six rebounds 💯
#GaelsRise
UWM wins! The Panthers defeat Northern Kentucky 80-75 to regain sole possession of first place in the Horizon League.
BJ Freeman finished with a career-high 28 points for Milwaukee, which took the lead early in the game and never relinquished it.
@mid_madness
Looking back at my Saint Mary's season preview; I'd say my predictions were fairly accurate, just not optimistic enough of the Gaels' team potential
#GaelsRise
Marciulonis had a career-high 28 points, but the output by secondary players determines the Gaels' ceiling.
Ducas had 18 points — hitting 12 3s in his last three games — while Forbes added 11 points, 3 STL, & 2 BLK.
SMC scored 76 points over the last 24:38 tonight.
#GaelsRise
The transfer portal continues to baffle me. Virginia was dead last in tempo this season.
I'm not sure how Joshua Jefferson expects UVA to be an upgrade over Saint Mary's.
“I was able to watch them this year I think a player like myself would fit in well. Offensively, my game would translate well & quickly. I think I could help them speed up the game a little bit & push the ball up the floor & really impact the game.”
😑
Who wants to tell him?
Can't say this was unexpected. BJ Freeman was such a fun player to watch during his two years in Milwaukee and helped turn this program around.
The city welcomed him, and he embraced the city. Wish him the best moving forward.