2011-2012 Santa Clara Broncos Basketball Preview

Santa Clara Broncos - West Coast Conference (WCC)

2010-11: 24-14, 8-6

2010-11 postseason: CIT

Coach: Kerry Keating (66-68 at Santa Clara, 66-68 overall)

Santa Clara boosted their confidence by winning the CIT in 2011. They will hope for a more prestigious postseason tournament in 2012. And as long as they have Kevin Foster on the team, those hopes are justified. Foster, a 6-2 junior, averaged 20.2 points per game last season and is a dynamic scorer. He will take a ton of three-pointers, but he did connect on 36.8 percent of his ten attempts per game. When he is not shooting, Foster is getting to the charity stripe. Foster even dished out 3.7 assists per game and is a solid defender. There is little he cannot do and now that he is an upperclassman, the burden will fall on his shoulders to take Santa Clara to at least the NIT.

Who’s Out:

Santa Clara spent most of their season without point guard Robert Smith, so the Broncos can certainly get along without him. The absence of Ben Dowdell and Troy Payne will be a bigger issue. Dowdell was never spectacular, but he was always a solid player. By the end of his career he was a decent interior scorer and rebounder. Mostly he did the dirty work. Payne was the better rebounder of the frontcourt duo, but he was rarely a threat to score besides on easy put-backs thanks to his knack for hitting the offensive glass. The loss of Chris Cunningham will further weaken the depth of the frontcourt. Michael Santos was a decent defensive player who played a few minutes here and there during the 2010-2011 campaign.

Who’s In:

Adding frontcourt depth was the priority for Coach Kerry Keating with this class. He did a pretty good job of that by picking up Karim York and Robert Garrett. York is a versatile athlete who could even play at the small forward spot. However, at 6-8, he will likely spend most of his time at the four spot for now. Either way, he is a quality shooter for a player of his size. Garrett is the banger under the basket who, at 7-0, 255 pounds, has the size to be a true five. Yannick Atanga redshirted last year, but he is still a very raw talent. Jordan Akwenuke, a 6-6 forward, rounds out the group of frontcourt newcomers. The group on the perimeter adds Brandon Clark, Denzel Johnson, Julian Clarke and Nick Lamson. Clark, a 6-0 point guard, is the player to keep an eye on this year. This team could use a true point guard and Clark will be given the opportunity to at least see quality minutes off of the bench.

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Who to Watch:

When Smith was out, Evan Roquemore took over a majority of the ball handling duties. Ideally he would team up with Foster on the wing, but those two can certainly handle the ball and have proven that they can do plenty of scoring in the process. Roquemore is actually a more consistent outside shooter than Foster, but he does get plenty of open looks since the opposition is well aware that Foster will hoist up plenty of long balls. Like Foster, Roquemore is a guard who is not afraid to attack the basket and get to the free-throw line. His shooting and fine free-throw shooting led to an average of 11.7 points per game. And he did all of that as a freshman. A year older, he has some more strength and wisdom and his ability to attack the basket should turn him into a dynamic scorer who will compete with Foster for the right to take the big shots. The interesting position to watch is at small forward. Presumably Roquemore and Foster will spend most of their time at the one and two spot. That leaves a big hole at small forward where Payne played most of last season. Ray Cowels did not have the most memorable sophomore season, but he did come on strong during the CIT championship run. Unless one of the freshmen can take the spot, or Clark is ready to run the point and push Foster and Roquemore to the wings, Cowels is the best option.

Final Projection:

Marc Trasolini is the star of the frontcourt after averaging 12.8 points and 6.1 rebounds a year ago. Trasolini has the size, at 6-9, to be a banger under the basket, but he is a pretty good shooter too and will stretch out the defense with his ability to knock down the long ball. Yet, he does not let that skill get in the way of his duties under the basket. And without Dowdell and Payne, Trasolini’s duties under the basket may be much greater this season. Niyi Harrison is full of potential, but the 6-7 junior took a step backwards last season. Now it is time for him to step up and be the secondary interior scorer and the strong rebounder that he can be. John McArthur saw limited action during his freshman campaign, but he is a big bodied forward who can create space in the paint. He will not need to score, but he may be asked to play a dozen minutes or so off of the bench and hit the glass. The frontcourt has options and talent. The backcourt has Foster and Roquemore. There is little reason for this team not to be better than they were a year ago. With the strong trio of Foster, Trasolini and Roquemore returning, they should be able to play a little smarter and a little more consistent. That may not be enough to compete with Gonzaga, St. Mary’s or BYU on a regular basis, but it is enough for Santa Clara to take a step up to the NIT.

Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Evan Roquemore, Sophomore, Guard, 11.7 points per game
Kevin Foster, Junior, Guard, 20.2 points per game
Raymond Cowels, Junior, Forward, 5.4 points per game
Niyi Harrison, Junior, Forward, 3.6 points per game
Marc Trasolini, Senior, Forward, 12.8 points per game

By Joel Welser courtesy of www.CollegeSportsMadness.com
CollegeSports-fans.com Senior Basketball Writer

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