Game Date: Nov 14th, 2046

St. Marys

Team: St. Marys Gaels [ID #65]

Location: Moraga, CA (West)

Conference: III.2 [Division 1]

President: naph
          [since February 29th 2020 | last seen August 08th 2025]

Coach: Darren Scales

Arena: McKeon Pavilion

Rating: 337.49 - Overall Position: #36

Fan Mood: 91.01

Alumni Mood: 219.00

Prestige: 228

Team Notes:

• Aug 30 2046: Demoted to conference III.2.
• Jan 27 2046: 3-star prospect Chris Farrow committed.
• Jan 20 2046: 3-star prospect Joseph Balwin committed.
• Jan 13 2046: 3-star prospect Deron Nicholson committed.
• Oct 21 2045: 3-star prospect Juan Arcia committed.
• Oct 10 2045: Rafael Carroll was hired as the new assistant coach.
• Oct 10 2045: Assistant coach Micheal Rizzo was let go.
• Aug 31 2045: Micheal Rizzo was hired as the new assistant coach.
• Aug 31 2045: Assistant coach Les Branch leaves to pursue head coaching opportunities.
• Jan 28 2045: 3-star prospect Derrick Hardy committed.

Record:

Wins: 5 Losses: 4 Pct: .556     Conf Wins: 0 Conf Losses: 0 Conf Pct: .000 Conf Rank: 12     Last10: 5-4 Streak: W1

Pts Ave: 85.0 - 85.8     Pts Diff: -0.8     Team Power Index: 148.5

Press Releases:

Mar 31 2046: 2046 Season Review (II.1) - by naph on July 24th, 2025

Season
A 6-4 OOC gave the team some hope as the losses were mostly to good teams. 3 of them came against eventual top 25 teams (#11 Westfield State, #14 Florida Atlantic and #22 Alcorn State). What would become the best win of the season was a 1 point win over #18 West Virginia State which was the 2nd round of the D1RT.

A disastrous 1-6 start to conference play never really turned around. 4-6 became 4-11 and with almost half the conference season to play and 5 games below the demotion-line the young kids were given the lion's share of the minutes the rest of the way. The Gaels were routinely beaten on both the glass and the turnover count and were not efficient enough at either end to make up the difference often enough. Eliminated on the first day of the conference tournament the Gaels were relegated to the Level 7 Invitational where they strung together 4 wins against LL4 and LL5 competition before losing in the final to LL4 DePaul.

A very disappointing year, in admittedly a very competitive II.1


Roster
PG: Neil "Highway" Rhodes (RS JR 6' 8½" 235 PG pf c 158 - 17 Spd, 16 Pass/Hnd, 15 PD, 13 Reb, 12 Str)
39gms 28gs 22.6mins 5.1p (.438/.311/.500 eFG%:.5497) 2.4r 4.5a 0.9s 0.2b 3.4to 1.3pf OeFG:.523

SG: Jerrold "Old Mal" Malveaux (RS SR 6' 8½" 240lbs SG sf pf c 176 - 17 IQ/Sta, 16 Rng/Drv, 15 Fin/ID, 14 OS/PD, 13 Hnd, 12 Spd)
37gms 26gs 22.6mins 11.8p (.429/.335/.835 eFG%:.528) 2.2r 2.5a 1.2s 0.2b 1.9to 1.3pf OeFG:.504 POTG:3

SF: Juwan "Yippee-Ki-Yay" McCain (RS JR 6' 6½" 190 SF pf c 163 - 15 Rng, 14 OS/ID/PD, 13 IQ/Spd, 12 Fin/Sta)
41gms 18gs 27.2mins 10.8p (.425/.338/.809 eFG%:.519) 3.5r 0.7a 1.3s 0.2b 1.3to 1.7pf OeFG:.452 POTG:1

PF/sf/c: Raymond "Mondo" Burger (RS SO 6' 11" 260 PF C sf 148 - 15 OS, 14 Reb/Pass, 12 PD/Drv)
41gms 35gs 26.4mins 7.6p (.482/.275/.773 eFG%:.520) 6.9r 1.2a 0.8s 0.4b 1.7to 2.6pf OeFG:.532 POTG:1

C/PF: Harry "Mozzie" Stanton (RS JR 6' 11½" 235 C PF 142 - 18 IS, 16 Reb, 14 OS, 12 Str/Spd)
40gms 39gs 24.2mins 14.2p (.561/.207/.753 eFG%:.569) 8.1r 0.3a 0.3s 1.3b 1.2to 2.8pf OeFG:.531 POTG:6


bSG: Bennie "Nickels" Nicholson (RS SO 5' 11" 175 SG pg 158 - 18 Spd, 16 PD/Drv, 15 Rng, 14 Sta, 12 Fin)
40gms 15gs 21.8mins 10.6p (.411/.365/.793 eFG%:.512) 1.4r 2.2a 0.8s 0.2b 1.9to 1.7pf OeFG:.482 POTG:4

bC: Eric Myles (RS FR 6' 9" 240 C pf 131 - 14 IS/ID, 13 IQ/Str)
41gms 20gs 20.4mins 9.1p (.578/.---/.622 eFG%:.578) 4.2r 0.2a 0.8s 0.2b 1.2to 2.0pf OeFG:.484) POTG:1

bPG: Braydon Malloy (RS FR 6' ½" 165 PG sg 136 - 14 IQ/Hnd/Drv, 13 PD, 12 OS/Pass/Sta)
41gms 13gs 18.0mins 4.3p (.504/.250/.758 eFG%:.508) 1.1r 3.0a 0.3s 0.0b 2.8to 1.8pf OeFG:.547)

bPF: Manny "Bartman" Bartlett (RS SR 6' 7½" 225 PF sf c 150 - 17 Reb, 16 OS, 14 Str, 12 Drv)
40gms 8gs 14.2mins 5.4p (.410/.302/.815 eFG%:.445) 5.1r 0.4a 0.4s 0.6b 0.5to 1.5pf OeFG:.481)


Farewell Seniors

Jerrold "Old Mal" Malveaux - 6' 8½" 240 SG sf pf c (176/12)
Did not start tracking or pursuing him until he was in junior college. Developed well there and his redshirt season and won the starting SG spot. But, his senior year was a large disappointment. Was injured in a preseason scrimmage. Missed the start of the season. Was terrible in OOC and by them time he started to round into some form in conference the season was lost.

Manny "Bartman" Bartlett - 6' 7½" 225 PF sf c (150/11)
Played mostly at bPF, but some at bSF and even at bC as required. Found it hard to score reliably in LL2 with his height/skillset at the 4, but at least was firm on the glass. A budget recruit late in the season he was fairly competent for most of his career, but was rough his senior year.

Byron "Beep" Peterson - 6' 4½" 215 SF sg c (148/10)
Was never able to fix his broken jumper and with the emergence of Nicholson and McCain/Burger both ahead of him at SF he was squeezed out of the rotation as a senior. Was decent in limited minutes across his career, although a trip to the free throw line was always an adventure.


Development Highlights
Braydon Malloy (+19 -> 136)
Bennie Nicholson (+16 -> 158)
Jerrold Malveaux (+14 -> 176)
Neil Rhodes (+14 -> 158)
Harry Stanton (+14 -> 142)
Manny Bartlett (+13 -> 150)
Eric Myles (+13 -> 131)
Derrick Hardy (+13 -> 121)
Tory Yates (+13 -> 94) walk-on
Raymond Burger (+11 -> 147)

Coaching
With Les Branch demanding head coach money he was let go at the start of the year. Rafael Carroll is still relatively unknown in coaching circles but was brought in mostly for his recruiting reputation.

57yo Darren Scales remains the head coach. Lenny Hutchins is the offensive coordinator and lead game-day assistant, though he is getting more help from Jesse Morey these days. Morey is also the 2nd in command of player development.


Recruiting
In October Juan Arcia (3* ~6' 1" 165lbs PG SG sf 116/11) signed from Algonquin, Illinois. He projects as a quick, slashing PG, that may develop a long-ball, he has solid playmaking tools, but some questionable decision-making. None-the-less he is expected to be the starting PG in time.

Then the Gaels had to wait for the new year before another 3 recruits all signed within a 2 week period.

Deron Nicholson (3* ~6' 4" 175lbs PF SF c 98/12) was first. The Palm Springs native should be a 2-way wing with a versatile offensive skillset. There are some question-marks around his overall athleticism, but he'll be skilled in time.

Joseph Balwin (3* ~6' 10" 190lbs C pf 97/11) from Ontario will bolster the frontcourt. Definitely defensive question marks, but he should be able to score and rebound enough to make up for at least some of those shortcomings. He may even provide some secondary playmaking later in his career.

Last, but not least was long-time target Chris Farrow (3* 6' 4½" 230 PF SF C 135/11) finally committed ending a six year pursuit. A little bit short for SF, but solidly built. He should provide immediate offensive punch when he hits the floor on one of the wings. Hit 50% from three on 62 attempts in his final year in JuCo.


Outlook
Back to LL3 after a 4-year run in II.1

The Gaels lose Malveaux and a pair of depth bench pieces Bartlett and Peterson. Given how much they all collectively underachieved as seniors I don't think they will be particularly missed.

Rhodes/Malloy will only be better for some extra seasoning at PG. Both had some turnover problems, but Rhodes looked more steady in the invitational games and has perhaps turned the corner.

The lightning bug that is Nicholson will become the full-time starter at SG. He'll be backed up by Hardy who is coming off a redshirt and looks to have a solid base of attributes to build upon.

McCain is the likely starter at SF. He's a versatile defender and should be the best ranged threat on the team next year. Burger may start or possibly come off the bench in multiple positions. A gifted offensive player he can struggle to contain opponents in the paint.

Stanton will start in the frontcourt and he may be joined by Myles who also had plenty of minutes this year. Stanton is a scorer/rebounder who is almost a respectable defender. Myles scores inside and protects the rim, but is a little weak on the glass. The new face in the frontcourt will be Douglas Armetta who is a mobile, scoring/rebounder somewhat like a shorter, faster Stanton.

Just a 9-man rotation forecast, with 4 redshirts to cover injuries.

Can the Gaels defend the paint well enough and get some better support scoring around Stanton? Or will the problems of 2046 spill over into 2047?



Apr 03 2045: 2045 Season Review (II.1) - by naph on May 29th, 2025

Season

It was hard to get too excited by OOC this year as the Gaels lost all 3 of their D1RT games: (#8)Westfield State, Alcorn State and Colgate - as well as their annual rivalry game against (#17)LUPA. All of the other games were wins, the biggest probably coming in the opening round over Fresno Pacific (II.2)

A very home-heavy front-half of the conference schedule meant the Gaels knew they would need to do their work early. Largely they did, opening the season with 3 wins and a 1 point loss versus Temple, before stumbling at Georgia Southern. They went 5-1 over their next stretch the sol loss coming in OT versus Redlands. A dropped game to Mizz Western was followed by 4 more wins and the Gaels were in promotion contention, but the road loomed. SMC would lose 8 of the next 9 and suddenly demotion rather than promotion became the concern. A late season rally saw them close the season with 4 wins and a loss to finish comfortably mid table, ultimately in 6th.

The bracket opened up nicely for the Gaels in the conference tournament who were right on the bubble and playing for a tournament berth. After beating WVSU by 30 in the CT opener they looked to be up for the challenge, but Illinois Wesleyan weren't interested in that story accounting for the Gaels in the 2nd round and ending their season.

The team played through Denton in the post as expected. What wasn't expected was the stellar play of Malveaux at SG that saw him start along side McCain. Whilst Burger started most of the year it was Stanton that closed out the season and he genuinely was the better player, perhaps the Gaels could have pushed for promotion if that had been realised sooner?


Roster

PG: "The Foo" Glen Kushima (RS SR 6' 1" 165lbs PG sg 154 - 19 Rng/Pass, 14 PD/Hnd, 13 OS/Spd)
42gms 42gs 26.4mins 8.8p (.441/.405/.759 eFG%:.567) 1.5r 6.1a 1.1s 0.0b 2.8to 2.4pf OeFG%:.545 POTG:1

SG/bbSF: Jerrold "Old Mal" Malveaux (RS JR 6' 8½" 240 SG PF C sf 166 - 16 IQ, 15 Rng/Drv/Sta, 13 OS/Fin/ID, 12 PD/Hnd/Str/Spd
42gms 34gs 25.9mins 10.8p (.425/.355/.847 eFG%:.535) 2.3r 2.1a 1.4s 0.2b 1.7to 1.8pf OeFG%:.500 POTG:2

SF/bbPG: Juwan "Yippee-ki-yay" McCain (RS SO 6' 6½" 190lbs SF pf c 159 - 14 Rng, 13 OS/ID/PD/IQ/Str, 12 Fin/Spd)
38gms 38gs 27.9mins 11.6p (.422/.398/.734 eFG%:.534) 3.3r 1.0a 1.5s 0.2b 1.3to 1.4pf OeFG%:.528 POTG:1

PF/bbC: "Mondo" Raymond Burger (RS FR 6' 11" 260 PF C 143 - 14 OS/Str, 12 Reb/Pass
42gms 30gs 24.3mins 7.8p (.488/.414/.759 eFG%:.536) 6.4r 0.8a 0.7s 0.5b 1.2to 2.0pf OeFG%:.595 POTG:1

C: Burt "Beater" Denton (RS SR 6' 9" 220lbs C pf 168 - 19 Reb, 17 IS, 14 Rng/ID/IQ/Hnd, 13 Str)
39gms 39gs 28.9mins 17.1p (.528/.667/.745 eFG%:.530) 9.7r 0.4a 0.6s 1.2b 1.3to 3.0pf OeFG%:.493 POTG:15


bPF/bC: Harry "Mozzie" Stanton (RS SO 6' 11½" 235lbs C pf 130 - 15 IS/Str, 13 OS/Reb)
39gms 15gs 18.0mins 8.5p (.535/.333/.539 eFG%:.554) 3.8r 0.3a 0.2s 1.0b 0.5to 1.2pf OeFG%:.460

bSF: "Nickels" Bennie Nicholson (RS FR 5' 11" 175 SG PG 145 - 17 Spd, 14 Drv, 13 Rng/PD, 12 Sta
36gms 10gs 16.7mins 7.1p (.416/.350/.818 eFG%:.517) 0.9r 1.4a 0.8s 0.2b 1.2to 0.9pf OeFG%:.511

bbPF: "Bartman" Manny Bartlett (RS JR 6' 7½" 225lbs PF sf c 139 - 16 Reb/Str, 15 OS)
42gms 12.8mins 6.0p (.513/.444/.842 eFG%:.554) 4.6r 0.2a 0.5s 0.4b 0.6to 1.5pf OeFG%:.463

bSF/bbSG: "Beep" Byron Peterson (RS JR 6' 4½" 215lbs SF SG c 145 - 15 Spd, 14 Rng/PD/Hnd/Drv)
42gms 2gs 12.3mins 3.6p (.404/.291/.568 eFG%:.461) 1.1r 0.4a 0.4s 0.0b 0.5to 0.8pf OeFG%:.422

bPG: Neal "Highway" Rhodes (RS SO 6' 8½" 235lbs PG pf c 140 - 16 Spd, 14 Pass, 13 Hnd, 12 PD)
42gms 12.0mins 2.4p (.429/.500/.714 eFG%:.434) 1.0r 1.9a 0.6s 0.1b 1.7to 0.9pf OeFG%:.477


Farewell Seniors

Burt "Beater" Denton (6' 9" 220 C pf - 168/12)
167g 167gs 27.7mins 15.4p (.565/.308/.736 .530) 9.6r 0.4a 0.4s 1.2b 1.3to 2.7pf +4.1
#4 FTM (539)
#5 Rebounds (1598)
#6 Fouls (451)
T6 POTG (31)
#7 Points (2575) (8th Gael to pass 2500)
#8 Blocks (196)
#15 Minutes (4628)

Started all 167 of his career games. Can't remember the last Gael who did that. Was a double-double threat from day 1, a strong rebounder and developed into a good post threat. Solid defensively, surprisingly good handle. Smart, strong. Could have been a bit more mobile, but couldn't ask for a lot more. An important part of the promotion back to LL2 as a freshman. All Conference C as a sophomore. Bit of a shame he reached his peak at the end of his JR season, but it was still a very good peak.


"The Foo" Glen Kushima - (6' 1" 165 PG sg - 154/11)
172g 87gs 22.0mins 6.5p (.423/.390/.760 .567) 1.4r 4.7a 0.9s 0.0b 2.6to 1.8pf +3.0
#4 Assists (813)
#5 3P% (.390 215/551)
#8 Turnovers (445)

A late season trip to Florida saw the Gaels take a flyer on this development project but he exceeded all expectations starting his college career with +19 +20 +17 development years. He averaged just shy of 20mins/game as a RS SO and started from his JR year. He stretched defenses with his range and was a flashy passer, albeit with sub-par decision making. Solid enough defensively. Exceeded all reasonable expectations. (3 contacts!)

Development Highlights
Jerrold Malveaux (+25 -> 166)
Eric Myles (+14 -> 113)
Bennie Nicholson (+13 -> 145)
Raymond Burger (+13 -> 143)
Harry Stanton (+12 -> 130)
Neal Rhodes (+12 -> 140)
Bradyon Malloy (+11 -> 123)
Manny Bartlett (+10 -> 139)


Coaching

Whilst head coach Darren Scales remains in the top job all 3 assistants were changed this season. After last season's clean out of assistants it was all calm on the coaching front for at least 1 year.

Unfortunately lead recruiter Les Branch asked for a monster pay rise and will be leaving at the end of the year. Lenny Hutchins remains the game-day assistant and is the offensive coordinator. Jesse Morey continues his slow, but steady improvement.


Recruiting

Douglas Armetta (3* ~6' 9" 210lbs C pf 121/11) was seemingly knocking on the door as the season started to hand his letter of intent to coach Scales in late November. He should be able to play 4/5 as a post scorer who can surprise with his range, already a presence on the boards and is a mobile rim-runner, with a surprisingly good handle so don't be surprised to see him barrelling to the basket in transition. He's not so impressive defensively and his limited wingspan, vertical and potential all limit his ceiling. His high floor should see him contributing immediately after a redshirt year.

Derrick Hardy (3* ~6' 1" 175lbs PG SG sf) on the other hand waited until almost the end of January to make his decision. He projects as a complete guard who probably starts his career at SG, but ends it at PG. He'll be a great shooter with range and exceptional passing. Defense, handles and speed are works in progress, but they should all get there in time.


Outlook
254 starts, mostly at PG and C graduate and both will be missed, though certainly Denton's 4-year presence in the paint will be missed the most. Beater defined the Gaels hard-nosed play and it will be interesting to see what forms in his absence.

Malveaux, McCain, Nicholson and Peterson are a strong wing corps and should be the strength of the team next season.

Burger and Stanton will stop competing for minutes instead complementing each other in the frontcourt. Whilst undeniably a downgrade, the addition of RS FR Eric Myles as well as the senior presence of Bartlett should make it at least serviceable. More height, size, mobility and passing should help ease the transition.

PG could be the real adventure with 6' 8½" Neal "Highway" Rhodes the first in line. He struggled at times with turnovers this year and hasn't quite worked how to best use his 235lbs and 7' 3¼" wingspan to best effect at the point. He'll get every opportunity though as RS FR Malloy will still be fairly raw and the next best option is probably Malveaux who doesn't appear to have the playmaking chops.

If Rhodes can play well enough, Stanton/Myles can provide enough of a post threat to open up the perimeter for the wings then the Gaels should once again be competitive in 2046. If PG play is erratic and the bigs can't defend the paint then it could be a long season.


Apr 02 2044: 2044 Season Review (II.1) - by naph on April 3rd, 2025

Season

A successful OOC (8-2) against good competition including a 3-0 sweep of their pod in the D1RT (West Georgia, Georgia Southern & Florida Atlantic) gave the Gaels plenty of optimism heading into conference play. The 2 losses came by a combined 4 points. Round 10 was also a comfortable win against the relatively new regular rival LUPA.

A first up, 1-point loss to WVSU set them back a little, and losses to Kansas and Wisconsin made it a 1-3 start. They steadied winning 5 of their next 6, the exception being a blow-out 35 point loss to MMA. A 6 game winning streak saw the Gaels reach 13-7 with 10 games to play and a somewhat surprising promotion looked possible. But SMC would manage just 3 wins from the last 10 which resulted in them sliding down the table to 8th and out of at large contention.

The conference tournament was their only real hope of post-season basketball, a 34 point win over WVSU raised hopes briefly but Manchester (who would go on to receive a 2-seed in the national tournament) weren't interested in the Cinderella story, controlling the 2nd round match up from wire to wire winning 77-67, but it wasn't as close as the score might indicate.

Reinhardt, McCain and Kushima could not be relied on for offense which allowed teams to crowd the paint, making life more difficult than it should have been for Evans and Denton. A 1-4 record in conference games decided by single-digits. 2 more of those might have seen the Gaels go dancing, but it wasn't to be this year.


Roster

PG: "The Foo" Glen Kushima (RS JR 6' 1" 165lbs PG sg 153 - 19 Rng/Pass, 14 PD/Hnd, 13 OS/Spd)
42gms 42gs 26.4mins 8.8p (.391/.359/.805 eFG%:.510) 2.2r 6.9a 1.2s 0.1b 3.3to 2.3pf OeFG%:.554 POTG:4

SG: Jeff "Hammer" Reinhardt (RS SR 6' 6" 195lbs SG SF 167 - 18 Rng/IQ, 16 Fin, 15 Spd, 12 OS/Reb/PD/Str)
39gms 38gs 27.2mins 10.9p (.380/.288/.744 eFG%:.483) 2.5r 2.8a 1.4s 0.1b 2.0to 1.8pf OeFG%:.498 POTG:4

SF/bbPG: "AJ" Andy Jameson (RS SR 6' 6½" 240lbs SF PG pf 164 - 19 OS, 17 Str, 16 Hnd/Spd, 14 Pass)
41gms 40gs 27.9mins 14.3p (.502/.398/.851 eFG%:.589) 3.7r 1.8a 0.5s 0.2b 1.5to 1.9pf OeFG%:.463 POTG:3

PF/bbC: "Trebu" Chet Evans (RS SR 6' 9½" 240lbs C PF 143 - 16 IS/Sta, 14 IQ, 13 Reb, 12 Drv/Spd)
42gms 41gs 31.7mins 14.7p (.557/.000/.695 eFG%:.557) 8.4r 0.9a 1.1s 1.0b 1.5to 2.5pf OeFG%:.505 POTG:5

C: Burt "Beater" Denton (RS JR 6' 9" 220lbs C pf 167 - 19 Reb, 17 IS, 14 Rng/ID/IQ/Hnd, 13 Str)
40gms 40gs 28.6mins 16.1p (.548/.333/.789 eFG%:.549) 11.1r 0.6a 0.4s 1.4b 1.1to 1.8pf OeFG%:.466 POTG:9


bSF: Juwan "Yippee-ki-yay" McCain (RS FR 6' 6½" 190lbs SF PF c 151 - 13 OS/Rng/IQ, 12 ID/PD/Str/Spd)
41gms 3gs 19.6mins 4.7p (.382/.319/.778 eFG%:.466) 2.3r 0.8a 0.7s 0.1b 0.8to 0.8pf OeFG%:.490

bC/bbPF: Harry "Mozzie" Stanton (RS FR 6' 11½" 235lbs C 119 - 13 IS, 12 Str)
40gms 2gs 13.7mins 6.2p (.554/.---/.707 eFG%:.554) 3.8r 0.3a 0.2s 1.0b 0.5to 1.2pf OeFG%:.446

bSF/bbSG: "Beep" Byron Peterson (RS SO 6' 4½" 215lbs SF SG pf c 142 - 15 Spd, 14 Hnd, 13 Rng/PD/Drv)
39gms 2gs 13.5mins 3.8p (.500/.349/.583 eFG%:.567) 0.9r 0.8a 0.5s 0.1b 1.4to 0.9pf OeFG%:.484

bPG: Neal "Highway" Rhodes (RS FR 6' 8½" 235lbs PG pf c 128 - 16 Spd, 12 Pass)
42gms 7.6mins

bPF: "Bartman" Manny Bartlett (RS SO 6' 7½" 225lbs PF sf c 129 - 15 Str, 14 OS/Reb)
42gms 7.4mins


Farewell Seniors

Jeff "Hammer" Reinhardt (6' 6" 195lbs SG SF 167/11)
After 2 years off the bench at bSF he stepped up to the starting SF role as a junior and was fairly solid, improving his 3-ball, but struggling a little at scoring within the arc. As a senior he transitioned to SG and never really found his footing at the position. Needed to provide spacing he was very streaky, as likely to shoot the Gaels out of a game as into one.

"AJ" Andy Jameson (6' 6½" 240lbs SF PG pf 164/11)
Another solid JuCo pickup for the Gaels he started a season at PG and a season at SF. He was okay at PG, albeit a bit turnover prone. Was probably better as a secondary playmaker on the wing his senior year where he was just a little shy of shooting 50/40/85. Solid all-around multi-positional player.

"Trebu" Chet Evans (6' 9½" 240lbs C PF 143/10)
Was an effective scorer and rebounder in a 6th man type of role his first 3 seasons before eventually starting as a senior. Defense improved in time and added a bit more driving to his game. Ultimately he'll be remembered as he started, a back-to-the-basket scorer who was decent on the glass.


Development Highlights
Juwan McCain (+16 ->151)
Jerrold Malveaux (+15 -> 141)
Harry Stanton (+15 -> 118)
Raymond Burger (+14 -> 130)
Jerome Lynch (+14 -> 109) walk-on
Bennie Nicholson (+13 -> 132)
Glenn Kushima (+12 -> 153)
Byron Peterson (+12 -> 142)
Braydon Malloy (+12 -> 112)
Jeff Reinhardt (+11 -> 156)
Neil Rhodes (+11 -> 128)

Coaching

Whilst head coach Darren Scales remains in the top job all 3 assistants were changed this season. Former offensive coordinator Fred Foster went to Colorado College, who had a miserable season and will demote to division 2. Joel Bollinger hadn't shown enough in his 2 years, moving on to St. Johns. Eric Strauss had 4 years as a recruiter/motivator for the Gaels and landed at division 2 Michigan Tech.

In their place the Gaels added a new offensive coordinator and lead game-day assistant Lenny Hutchins, a real X's and O's kind of coaches coach. He is not allowed near players, particularly recruits, without another member of staff present. Les Branch is the new lead recruiter and adds a third voice in tactical discussions. Jesse Morey is the youngest and rawest of the trio. This was the 44yo's 3rd year coaching, but he's showing a quite well rounded aptitude for the profession, though a little disengaged during the recruiting process.


Recruiting

It was quite a wait for Gael fans as it wasn't until January that their first prospect committed. Eric Myles (2* 6' 6" 210lbs C pf 99/11) has some more growing to do, but already boasts a 7' wingspan and decent frame. He projects as a dominant post scorer and great post defender. Might need some seasoning on the glass, but should keep the Gaels pipeline of post scorers going.

Almost a month later Braydon Malloy (3* 5' 8" 145lbs PG sg 112/12) already has a fairly crafty dribble-drive game, solid shooting mechanics, defensive fundamentals and feel for the game. Needs a redshirt year to work on his body, but is likely Rhodes' backup at PG in 2046.

The Gaels were also pursuing Chris Farrow (3* 6' 3½" 210 PF SF c 116/11) as a SF-prospect, but he was unable to get his grades in order. The Gaels will have to be patient, but at this time remain the favourite to eventually gain his services.


Outlook
The years when the Gaels graduate 3 often see a slight downturn in performance the year after. That seems likely in the upcoming season.

The Foo will hopefully continue to work on his shot selection in the off-season. His range is near limitless and he's capable of some highlight reel passes. The big body of Highway (Rhodes) will continue to back him up and provide a very different look.

Beater will once again man the post and should be a double-double machine. A potential 20/10 season on the cards unless the wings really step up their scoring.

At SF McCain looks ready to step into a starting role. He will need to lift his efficiency if the Gaels are to be successful, but as he starts to move from being okay at everything, to actually good at some things that should happen. RS JuCo Malveaux has a similar talent level and will be waiting in the wings if McCain should stumble.

SG could go to Beep, but 4-star RS FR Nicholson may well get first look. Neither quite look ready, but hopefully the competition drives them both to success sooner rather than later. Beep may be better at the start of next year, but Nicholson is probably at least as good by the end of it and has a much higher ceiling.

PF could also be a duel with Mozzie and Burger both in contention. Very different players so it will be interesting to see which plays better with the rest of the starters. Bartman again looks a bit like the odd man out, but will continue to provide his bruising rebounding and elbow jumpers to the frontcourt.

Competition as ever will be important, but the Gaels are likely to go as far as Beater (Denton) can carry them next season. Hopefully that's another safely mid-table finish where the Moraga faithful can hope for promotion more often than they worry about demotion.




Mar 28 2043: 2043 Season Review (II.1) - by naph on February 4th, 2025

Season

The Gaels were 5-5 in non-conference. Losses to Grinnell, Alabama, Buena Vista, Azusa Pacific and Wyoming were offset by win over Northwest Missouri State, Trine, Harvard, North Greenville and LUPA. 2 home losses to start conference play was cause for concern, but they righted the ship and made their way up to an 8-3 record and moving into 3rd place in the conference? Any promotion dreams came crashing back to earth with a 6-game losing streak and suddenly demotion seemed more likely. 6 wins later the Gaels had settled into their usual mid-table niche and there they largely stayed, eventually finishing 6th, just behind UPRRP on DIFF.

Floating around the bubble, the Gaels needed a good showing in the conference tournament if they wanted to go dancing, and boy did they deliver! Wins over Eastern Kentucky, Transylvania and St. Joseph's set up a 3rd encounter with conference regular season winner Marist who had beaten the Gaels by 11 and 36 during the regular season. But SMC stunned the champs on the back of Andy Jameson's career high 30 points. He hit 6 of the Gaels 15 threes as the Gaels took the auto-bid in a 98-70 boilover. The Gaels had won their first ever D1 conference tournament.

Given a 13 seed, the Gaels faced the IV.5 champs Eastern. A balanced attack and solid defensive effort saw the Gaels prevail 79-74. In the second round they faced one of the top backcourts in the country in Kobe Jeffries and Sander Jansen of SUNY Plattsburgh. The Gaels stifled the Cardinals' stars however holding them to 13 points each. An offensive duel between Winter(27p 14r) and McLean (24p 7r) was entertaining, but the Gaels enjoyed an 18-4 bench scoring advantage and hit 10/19 from deep on their way to a 94-76 victory.

Waiting in the Sweet Sixteen was none other than Marist once more, but lightning would not strike twice as Marist shot 60% from the field and forced 20 turnovers in a 63-99 rout.

Given the low expectations heading into the season it has to be said that the 2043 Gaels had a good season. Contended for promotion briefly, staved off demotion threats, won a trophy and made it to a Sweet Sixteen.



Roster

PG: "AJ" Andy Jameson (RS JR 6' 6½" 240lbs PG SF pf 159 - 18 OS, 16 Str/Hnd/Spd, 14 Pass)
44gms 44gs 28.1mins 12.1p (.482/.366/.82 eFG%:.582) 2.9r 4.9a 0.8s 0.2b 3.5to 2.1pf OeFG%:.476 POTG:3

SG: Brian "Beez" Brooks (RS SR 6' 1" 185lbs SG sf 155 - 16 OS, 15 Str, 14 PD, 12 Rng/Fin/Pass/Spd)
47gms 47gs 29.8mins 10.9p (.422/.325/.755 eFG%:.521) 2.3r 3.1a 0.8s 0.0b 1.9to 1.7pf OeFG%:.515 POTG:2

SF: Jeff "Hammer" Reinhardt (RS JR 6' 6" 195lbs SF sg 156 - 18 IQ, 16 Rng, 14 Fin/Spd, 12 Reb)
47gms 47gs 27.3mins 8.2p (.395/.350/.726 eFG%:.512) 3.9r 1.3a 1.6s 0.1b 1.1to 1.4pf OeFG%:.528 POTG:1

PF: Larry "Crowley" Winter (RS SR 6' 9½" 210lbs PF SF C 161 - 19 IS, 15 Reb, 14 Str, 13 OS/Fin/ID/PD, 12 IQ)
47gms 47gs 28.8mins 18.0p (.588/1000/.736 eFG%:.590) 9.0r 0.5a 1.0s 1.2b 1.8to 3.0pf OeFG%:.497 POTG:13

C: Burt "Beater" Denton (RS SO 6' 9" 220lbs C pf 158 - 19 Reb, 17 IS, 14 IQ, 13 Rng/ID/Hnd/Str)
43gms 43gs 27.2mins 17.2p (.563/.000/.704 eFG%:.563) 9.6r 0.5a 0.3s 1.2b 1.2to 2.8pf OeFG%:.524 POTG:5


bC/bPF: Chet Evans (RS JR 6' 9½" 240lbs C PF 139 - 16 IS/Sta, 13 Reb/IQ, 12 Drv/Spd)
45gms 4gs 20.2mins 11.1p (.537/.---/.678 eFG%:.537) 5.9r 0.3a 0.8s 0.6b 1.2to 1.9pf OeFG%:.525 POTG:3

bPG/bSG: "The Foo" Glen Kushima (RS SO 6' 1" 165lbs PG SG 141 - 18 Rng/Pass, 13 PD/Hnd/Spd, 12 OS)
43gms 3gs 19.9mins 6.1p (.433/.423/.707 eFG%:.576) 1.2r 3.3a 0.7s 0.0b 2.6to 1.6pf OeFG%:.530 POTG:1

bSF/bbSG: "Beep" Byron Peterson (RS FR 6' 4½" 215lbs SF pf c 130 - 15 Spd, 12 Rng/Hnd
45gms 0gs 12.8mins 2.2p (.443/.400/.464 eFG%:.544) 1.4r 0.4a 0.3s 0.0b 0.8to 0.9pf OeFG%:.441



Farewell Seniors

Larry "Crowley" Winter (6' 9½" 210lbs PF SF C 161/11)
Two great years. Junior SF. Senior PF. He was a more natural PF, but was good at both positions. Efficient scorer, rebounder, good and versatile defender. Turned it over a little much perhaps, but a very solid forward overall.

Brian "Beez" Brooks (6' 1" 185lbs SG sf 155/12)
Beez was a SG I expected to be a fairly run-of-the-mill backup for most of his career and be a perfectly fine starter as a senior. Most of that went to plan, except that he was really poor as a senior slashing .390/.291/.772 despite having attributes that would suggest he'd be significantly better than that.

Cameron "Jank" Jankowski (6' 215lbs PG sg 142/12)
So the plan was for Jank to a 2-year starter and graduate with SI in the 160's. He simply never developed like I hoped/expected. Neither his OS or his defense developed and his passing/handling never became great enough to overcome those limitations. To the point that he was recruited over whilst he started as a junior, as a senior he averaged under 5 minutes a game. I resisted the temptation to change the vowel in his nickname to a "u", but I certainly thought about it a couple of times.


Development Highlights
Burt Denton (139 -> 158 = +19)
Juwan McCain (117 -> 135 = +18)
Glenn Kushima (104 -> 141 = +17)
Andy Jameson (143 -> 159 = +16)
Manny Bartlett (104 -> 120 = +16)
Jeff Reinhardt (141 -> 156 = +15)
Neal Rhodes (102 -> 117 = +15)
Brian Brooks (145 -> 155 = +10)


Coaching

Ricardo Covarrubias was moved on after showing deficiencies in multiple areas. In his place is a 25yo local named Joel Bollinger. Fred Foster is completing his 7th year as the Gaels' offensive coordinator. This will be his last as the 50yo has expressed his desire to be a head coach. Eric Strauss remains the lead recruiter and hype man. At the top remains Darren Scales. He joined the team in 2022 and has been the head coach since 2034.

Recruiting

The primary recruiting targets for the year were both keen to sign early, and sign early they did. Raymond Burger (3* 6' 9½" 235lbs C pf 116/12) signed on the first of November. Burger appeared on college radars last season and the Gaels pursued him hardest right out of the gate. Whilst recruited to be a big, he increasingly is looking like a SF, that might even be able to play some PG one day.

Just a few weeks later it was Bennie Nicholson (4* 5' 8½" 150lbs PG SG sf 119/12) signing his letter of intent. A small, quick SG should develop some elite perimeter defending skills, and enough ranged shooting threat to help space the floor. His passing game is also blossoming and should add another string to his offensive bow in time.

During the season the Gaels decided to pursue a taller JuCo SF and in January he committed. Jerrold Malveaux (3* 6' 8½" 240lbs C SG PF sf 126/12) has a 7' 2" wingspan but almost no post or rebounding aptitude at all. He'll probably be best utilised at SF, though he can probably also play as a non-rebounding 4, and might even get some spot minutes at the 2 as well.



Outlook
Winter is a big out, and Brooks was a decent SG (at least on paper).

The Gaels should have some positional versatility. Kushima can play either guard position. Jameson can already play 1-3 and could perhaps train up at the 2. Reinhardt can play 2-3. I suspect they probably settle at Kushima - Reinhardt - Jameson, probably with Jameson also playing bPG. In the frontcourt you have Denton returning and Evans showed in the conference tournament that he's ready for prime time, at the very least on the offensive side of the ball.

The bench should be fairly solid. One of Peterson/McCain needs to learn bSG, but they should be pretty decent on the wings. Bartlett and Stanton can both help out on the boards and do something on offense and have decent size for their positions. Rhodes is a bit raw, but should is a rare recruit that could potentially be second backup at all 5 positions.

As has often been the case of late the Gaels will have 2 strong post threats, and 2 legitimate 3 point threats in the starting 5. Jameson can also hit the 3, but has a mid-range game that will probably get better explored at SF. Gaels should be strong on the glass and are probably have the best handling/passing starting 5 they have had in a while. On the other hand this is probably the weakest defensive team the Gaels have fielded in some time.



Mar 15 2042: 2042 Season Review (III.1) - by naph on December 9th, 2024

Season

The Gaels scheduled a bit of a gauntlet in the OOC and frankly they, or more particularly their PG's, just weren't ready for it. There was an early win over Utah State and an upset over Westminster Missouri (2 LL2 teams who would go on to have demoting seasons). But there were 8 losses, 7 of them by double digits.

A 2-4 start to conference play, despite a fairly stunning upset of ranked Transylvania, had the Gaels continuing to reel and the crowds started to thin as it was beginning to look like a lost season. A home win over Howard Payne, a road win over Oakland City, then 4 more home wins started to silence the critics. A 2-3 record over the next 5 again showed some danger signs, but then an 8-game winning streak suddenly had the Gaels in contention to promote. They had the best goal difference in the conference and had started to rack up the wins. In a balanced conference (All teams with 8 conference losses or more and six teams finishing between 19 and 22 wins) it was looking like enough. A loss to Washington State was followed by 3 more wins and the Gaels ended up playing for the conference title against a hot Northwest Missouri State team who proved too much on the final day of the regular season and the Gaels had to settle for 2nd behind Transylvania.

The Gaels made it past Butler and Oakland City on the way to the CT-semis, where they would fall again to Washington State, this time by 3. A nervous wait on the bubble proved to be needless stress as SMC was awarded a 13-seed in the tournament. They played 4-seed Kentucky in the opening round. Jank had 10 assists to 0 turnovers, Sample had 20 points including 4 treys and Denton added 19&7, mostly from the charity stripe as the Gaels upset a skilled and deep Wildcats team. In the 2nd round the Gaels would play the iron-men of Trine. Saint Mary's looked great, when they could initiate their offense, but the Gaels PG's committed 17 turnovers. Despite holding the Thunder to under 40% from the field and just 25% from 3, the Gaels would still lose 94-95. Winter and Sample both missing go-ahead jumpers in the final 45 seconds in a game with plenty of what-ifs for both sides.

All told it was a surprisingly successful season. Despite a clearly limited duo at PG the Gaels managed to contend, promote and get a win in the tournament. A fitting end to the Sample/Cooke era.


Roster

PG: Cameron "Jank" Jankowski (RS JR 6' 215lbs PG sg 140 - 12 Spd, 14 IQ/Pass, 13 Rng/Hnd, 12 Drv)
44gms 44gs 25.8mins 5.7p (.339/.220/.550 eFG%:.376) 2.0r 6.3a 0.8s 0.2b 3.3to 2.4pf OeFG%:.538

SG: "e.g." Ed Sample (RS SR 6' 2½" 185lbs SG pg sf 175 - 19 OS, 18 PD/Spd, 17 Rng/Fin/IQ/Str, 14 Drv)
44gms 44gs 29.2mins 19.0p (.465/.401/.847 eFG%:.587) 2.3r 1.5a 1.3s 0.1b 1.7to 2.3pf OeFG%:.431 POTG:5

SF: Larry "Crowley" Winter (RS JR 6' 9½" 210lbs PF SF C 158 - 19 IS, 15 Reb, 14 Str, 13 OS/PD, 12 Fin/ID/IQ)
45gms 45gs 28.5mins 14.1p (.597/.250/.682 eFG%:.598) 7.1r 0.5a 0.9s 0.6b 1.3to 2.2pf OeFG%:.506 POTG:4

PF: Nelson "Bammy" Cooke (RS SR 6' 9½" 245lbs PF C 183 - 19 ID, 17 Str/Sta, 16 OS/Reb, 14 IQ, 13 Pass, 12 Rng/Drv/Spd)
43gms 43gs 30.9mins 16.6p (.484/.385/.809 eFG%:.565) 9.6r 0.8a 1.2s 1.0b 1.2to 2.0pf OeFG%:.439 POTG:15

C: Burt "Beater" Denton (RS FR 6' 9" 229lbs C pf 139 - 16 Reb, 15 IS, 13 IQ)
45gms 45gs 26.4mins 11.6p (.536/.167/.705 eFG%:.537) 8.1r 0.4a 0.3s 0.9b 1.5to 3.1pf OeFG%:.578 POTG:2


bSF: Jeff "Hammer" Reinhardt (RS SO 6' 6" 195lbs SF sg 141 - 18 IQ, 14 Rng, 13 Fin/Spd)
50gms 2gs 18.2mins 4.8p (.374/.337/.842 eFG%:.463) 3.2r 0.9a 0.8s 0.1b 0.7to 1.1pf OeFG%:.563

bC/bPF: Chet Evans (RS SO 6' 9½" 240lbs C PF 130 - 16 IS, 14 Sta, 13 IQ, 12 Reb/Spd)
45gms 0gs 15.7mins 7.0p (.619/.---/.675 eFG%:.619) 4.2r 0.3a 0.4s 0.2b 1.0to 1.9pf OeFG%:.551

bPG: "The Foo" Glen Kushima (RS FR 6' 1" 165lbs PG sg 124 - 15 Rng/Pass, 12 Spd)
40gms 0gs 14.1mins 2.7p (.430/.378/.714 eFG%:.529) 0.9r 2.8a 0.5s 0.0b 1.8to 1.1pf OeFG%:.535

bSG/bbSF: Brian "Beez" Brooks (RS JR 6' 1" 185lbs SG sf 145 - 15 OS, 14 Str, 13 PD, 12 Fin/Spd)
45gms 1gs 13.5mins 4.6p (.446/.367/.923 eFG%:.551) 1.1r 1.3a 0.2s 0.0b 1.0to 0.8pf OeFG%:.555


Farewell Seniors
"e.g" Ed Sample (6' 2½" 185lbs SG pg sf 175/12)

A fantastic 2-way shooting guard. Certainly was not a combo guard, on offense he was a scorer, plain and simple. Excelled at what he was good at, and neglected that which he was not. A truly impressive, lock-down perimeter defender as an upper-classman. A gunner from deep he even increased his efficiency up over 40% as a senior which helped him break the college's 3PM record by 46. He graduates ranked in a number of categories and will be the benchmark for other Gael SG's for some time.

#1 3PM (446)
#7 Points (2533)
#9 FGM (881)
#9 FT% (.821)
#15 3FG% (.368)
T16 POTG (20)
T16 Steals (198)

"Bammy" Nelson Cooke (6' 9½" 245lbs PF c 183/13)

The built Jamaican from Kingston had a 7' 1" wingspan and 39" vertical. A very good stretch 4 that started 125 games for the Gaels after coming off the bench as a freshman. He'll be showcasing his skills in the pros and should be a cornerstone of the Jamaican national team for the next decade.

T7 POTG (26)
#10 Rebounds (1264)
#12 Blocks (155)
#18 3FG% (.363)
Points (1787)
3PM (211)
Steals (178)


Development Highlights
Glenn Kushima (104 -> 124 = +20)
Nelson Cooke (164 -> 183 = +19)
Burt Denton (123 -> 139 = +16)
Larry Winter (144 -> 158 = +14)
Brian Brooks (131 -> 145 = +14)
Andy Jameson (129 -> 143 = +14) - redshirt
Jeff Reinhardt (128 -> 141 = +13)
Byron Peterson (109 -> 122 = +13) - redshirt
Manny Bartlett (92 -> 104 = +12)
Cameron Jankowski (129 -> 140 = +11)
Chet Evans (120 -> 130 = +10)


Coaching

Theo Hudson moved to D2 Syracuse and the Gaels took on Ricardo Covarrubias who looks to be developing some recruiting chops. Other than that the team remains largely the same. Darren "Tipsy" Scales is the head coach. Fred Foster is the offensive guru, and tactical sounding board, though at 49 years of age he's probably starting to think about his own program. Eric Strauss remains the lead recruiter and motivator. Succession planning is beginning to become a concern as a number of assistants now haven't really shown they are likely to be at the level of past Gaels head coaches.


Recruiting

The brief flirtation with Devontae Copeland (eventual Cal Poly Pomona commit) never really went anywhere. Long time target Reginald Ferguson eventually signed with Fresno Pacific. The writing seemed to be on the wall with both of these prospects at the start of the season.

In mid-December Neal Rhodes (3* ~6' 8" PG PF c 102/11) was the first recruit to commit. An interesting player that played time at PG and C as a senior at Huntington Beach HS. He scores with an array of push-shots, floaters and scoops. They drop, but it seems unlikely he'll ever develop any of those into a perimeter game. He's already very quick, especially for his size. His passing, handling and rebounding are likely to become his best attributes. Doesn't jump a lot, but he already has a 7' 3" wingspan and is likely to add a bit more to his 215lbs frame. PG? SF? PF?

Juwan McCain (3* ~6' 6" PF SF c 116/11) was the first signing in January. He's a well-rounded, and already quite well polished, SF prospect who probably becomes a range threat in time albeit without the highest ceiling.

The 2nd commit in January came all the way from Australia in the form of Harry Stanton (2* 6' 10" C 93/11). Whilst he's no Toby Henry, and was a bit late to basketball, playing much of his junior sports as an Australian rules football ruckman, he does project as a dominant scorer and rebounder. He's fairly mobile and has some passing instincts. He'll use his redshirt season to learn from the impressive stable of big men already on the roster.



Outlook

Jankowski and Kushima, late in the season started to actually provide passable play at the PG. Complicating that picture is redshirt Jameson who would provide a larger, more physical, and probably better shooting look should he play at the point.

After 4 years as Sample's understudy Brooks looks primed to step into the starting SG position. He's certainly no Sample, but he could have an okay senior year.

Jameson and Reinhardt both provide different looks at SF. The former is a more physical presence, better with the ball and operating from the mid-range. The latter is probably better off the ball and will stretch the floor more. It will be interesting to see who wins that duel, and whether Jameson gets any time at PG.

After an admirable effort at SF this year, Winter will play his more natural position of PF for his senior year. The JuCo looks likely to be the #1 scoring option on the team. Joining him in the frontcourt is likely to be Denton who had a strong development year. He's the best returning rebounder and is likely to be the best interior defender by the end of next season.

The Gaels' backup frontcourt of Chet Evans and Manny Bartlett should make the frontcourt a strength. Evans is already an accomplished post scorer, whilst Bartlett is more of a high-post/elbow-jumper kind of PF. Both are pretty solid on the glass.

Plenty of competition at PG, but none of the options are ideal. bSG looks like a bit of a hole as Peterson doesn't really look ready yet. Perhaps the non-starting SF ends up as the bSG as well?

If they can get passable PG play again, Winter can ascend to #1 option and the likes of Denton and Brooks can chip in reliably the Gaels might be okay, at least on offense. Sample and Cooke were also the foundation of the defense for years and the Gaels look like they'll just be hoping to be average defensively.

That all sounds like a fairly slim path to staying up in LL2 next year. As is often the case it probably depends on what the rest of the conference looks like.



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