Is Santa Clara basketball poised for their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the Steve Nash era?
The tradition continues! CBB Review is again ranking the top 100 teams heading into the new college basketball season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Santa Clara basketball.
Santa Clara has not necessarily been a dumpster fire program, and they have manufactured some good talent recently. Still, in spite of quite a few solid seasons since Nash graduated in 1996, they are amidst a 28-year tournament drought.
After having won 20+ games in each of the past three seasons, Santa Clara appears ready to take that next step. They return their leading scorer, Adama Bal, amidst an extremely experienced roster. Herb Sendek may be more respected in the industry than by the average fan but he can flat-out coach and this program’s stability will be invaluable.
Our 97th-ranked Broncos will compete in the new-and-improved West Coast Conference (remember that they scooped up some Pac-12 leftovers in Oregon State and Washington State). They are expected to be just as competitive as anyone not named Gonzaga or Saint Mary’s, though. Santa Clara also loaded up their non-conference slate with quality mid-majors and a few power conference foes.
Click here to learn more about our preseason top 100 teams heading into the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Head coach: Herb Sendek (9th season at Santa Clara, 31st season overall)
2023-24 record: 20-13 (10-6)
2024 postseason finish: No postseason
Notable departures:
- Carlos Marshall Jr (13.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.7 APG, 42.4 3P%)
- Jalen Benjamin (4.9 PPG, 1.9 APG, 1.2 RPG)
- Francisco Caffaro (4.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.4 APG, 65.3 FG%)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Saint Louis (Neutral)
- vs. Arizona State (Neutral)
- vs. Stanford
- at Nevada
- Acrisure Invitational
- vs. Bradley (Neutral)
Projected Rotation
PG: Carlos Stewart (6-1, 185, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 13 GP, 4.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.0 APG (LSU)
2022-23 stats: 15.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.8 SPG, 40.3 3P% (Santa Clara)
SG: Adama Bal (6-6, 190, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 14.4 PPG, 3.2 APG, 3.1 RPG
SF: Tyeree Bryan (6-6, 202, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 8.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 0.6 APG, 39.2 3P%
PF: Johnny O’Neil (6-9, 200, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 11.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.6 APG
C: Christoph Tilly (7-0, 225, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 9.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.9 APG, 55.2 FG%
6: Jake Ensminger (6-9, 205, So.)
2023-24 stats: 4.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.6 APG
7: Camaron Tongue (6-7, 220, Gr.-Sr)
2023-24 stats: 4.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 0.4 APG, 55.6 3P%
8: Brenton Knapper (6-0, 106, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 6.1 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.4 APG, 38.5 3P%
9: Elijah Mahi (6-6, 235, So.)
2023-24 stats: 17.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 6.7 APG, 39.5 3P% (JUCO – West Valley)
Santa Clara Basketball team MVP: Adama Bal
Typically when you lead the team in points and assists and return the following season, you are an easy pick for this category. In this case, it was a close race between Bal and former Broncos star Carlos Stewart, who back with the program after a difficult season at LSU that was ultimately cut short by injury. I decided to give the nod to Bal because his ceiling is unlimited.
The former Arizona Wildcat finally received a large sum of minutes last year and fully broke out, becoming one of ten (lol) players to earn first-team All-WCC honors. He is pushing 6-7 but will likely function as a combo guard again, showcasing his elite playmaking and scoring ability. The best part about Bal’s game is that he was not a stat padder but rather most productive in big games, particularly with his 20.0% assist rate (18.5% overall) and 43.8 free throw rate (37.7% overall) against top 50 Torvik teams.
Bal has work to do on the defensive end but his 6-11 wing span will help in that department. Overall, he has the potential to join Jalen Williams and Brandin Podziemski as Santa Clara’s NBA Draft picks in the 2020s.
Santa Clara Basketball make-or-break player: Elijah Mahi
Keep in mind that Santa Clara basketball’s roster is deep and any combination of the nine guys listed can earn significant minutes as the season progresses. Mahi likely has the widest range of outcomes when projecting the 2024-25 season.
The 6-6 JUCO transfer is particularly versatile, which will help him crack the rotation early on. He had an incredible year at West Valley (California), showcasing his ability to shoot, get downhill, and defend. He was also impressive in 2023’s global jam for Team Canada, helping prove that he should be ready for D1 competition from a physicality standpoint. The question is how impactful he is right away; is he an immediate game-changer or a key piece down the line?
Key analytic: Rebounding
Saint Mary’s is its own animal but outside of the Gaels, the Broncos were the most effective rebounding team in the conference, ranking 31st nationally in offensive rate and 57th in defensive rate. Tilly is 7-0 but the team was actually even more successful on the boards with Ensminger and O’Neil on the court. Losing Francisco Cafarro will be an underrated loss in this respect, as three of the top four defensive lineups in points per possession involved the Argentina native. I still expect much of this success to sustain with pretty much the entire rest of the frontcourt returning.
Santa Clara Basketball 2024-25 projections
Projected conference finish: 4th in WCC
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament appearance