Santa Clara Broncos 2024-25 Preview: Can They Get Over the Hump?
Can the Santa Clara Broncos Break Through in 2024-25?
The Santa Clara University (SCU) Broncos enter the 2024-25 season with hopes to compete for an NCAA tournament berth after winning 20 or more games in four of the last five seasons. With a roster that lost no players to the transfer portal and added an old friend in Carlos Stewart (15 points per game as a sophomore at Santa Clara), the Broncos can compete with every team in the WCC, including Gonzaga.
Last season, under head coach Herb Sendek, Santa Clara finished 4th in the WCC and beat Gonzaga for the first time in eight years. However, an 0-3 record against Saint Mary’s proved to be the downfall for the Broncos. Can the Broncos get over the hump and make the NCAA tournament?
Overview
Santa Clara University Broncos (Santa Clara, CA)
1x Final Four
11 NCAA tournament appearances
Last season: 20-13 (10-6); 4th in WCC
Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Herb Sendek (8 seasons at SCU, 140-107 (.567))
Assistants: Jason Ludwig, Scott Garson, Ryan Madry
Offseason Changes
Key Departures: Carlos Marshall (graduation), Jalen Benjamin (graduation), Francisco Caffaro (graduation)
Incoming Transfers & Freshmen: Guard - Carlos Stewart (LSU - Santa Clara before that); Guard - Elijah Mahi (West Valley College); Forward - Allen Graves (Ponchatoula HS)
Key Returning Players: Adama-Alpha Bal, Johnny O’Neil, Christopher Tilly, Tyeree Bryan, Brenton Knapper, Camaron Tongue, Jake Ensminger, Christian Hammond
Projected Starting Lineup
G- Carlos Stewart, 6-1 (Sr.) (4.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg at LSU in ‘23-’24, 15.2 ppg at SCU in ‘22-’23)
G - Adama-Alpha Bal, 6-7 (Sr.) (14.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.1 apg)
G - Tyeree Bryan, 6-5 (Sr.) (8.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
F - Johnny O’Neil, 6-10 (Jr.) (11.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
F - Christopher Tilly, 7-0 (Je.) (9.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
Three Points:
Adama-Alpha Bal is the Player to Watch.
A potential first-round draft pick, Bal decided to return to Santa Clara after putting his name into the draft. Bal is a streaky shooter but his upside at 6’7 is ridiculous for a guard with his skill set. He can score at all three levels, but improving his three-point consistency will be a key this season to making the jump to the NBA (only 35% from deep). Even though the Broncos have incredible depth this season, Bal will be the go-to player among many talented players.
Big Non-Conference Games
Santa Clara opens the season with Saint Louis University in the Field of 68 showcase in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Broncos follow that up with a trip to Vegas to face Arizona State and later take on Stanford at home on November 23rd. Santa Clara also heads to a four-team tournament over Thanksgiving with TCU, Washington and Colorado State.
Can SCU get over the hump?
Santa Clara achieved a good deal of success under head coach Herb Sendek, but has not reached the NCAA tournament in his eight years. The Broncos won 20 or more games in three of the past four seasons and recorded double-digit wins in the WCC for each of the past three years. Unfortunately, Santa Clara was 0-3 against Saint Mary’s in 2023-24 and the games weren’t close. Even with an upset win over Gonzaga, the gap between the top two teams in the WCC and Santa Clara might be too big to overcome.
Fun Fact
Since the 1970-71 season, the Santa Clara Broncos have only had four head coaches. Following the long reign of Carroll Williams, Santa Clara hired Dick Davey, who coached for 15 years. UCLA assistant Kerry Keating followed Davey to unimpressive results over nine seasons before Sendek was hired in 2016.
