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ST. MARY'S SCOUTING REPORT
LAST SEASON: St. Mary’s went 19-12 overall last season, and 9-5 in the WCC. They finished tied for 2nd in the conference, and lost to Gonzaga in the WCC postseason tournament title game.
HEAD COACH: St. Mary’s is fronted by 4th year head coach Randy Bennett, who landed the job prior to the 2001-02 season. He previously served as an assistant at San Diego, Idaho, Pepperdine and St. Louis.
THIS SEASON: The Gaels are 13-4 thus far, with wins against Belmont, Cal, San Francisco State, UNLV, Delaware, Notre Dame de Namur, San Diego State, Sacramento State, Hampton, Radford, Murray State, BYU and Portland, and losses against Memphis, Mississippi State, Rutgers and Hawaii.
After losing in last year’s WCC tournament final to Gonzaga, and being snubbed by the NIT, the Gaels have a lot to play for this year. They return 5 of their top 7 players from last year, 2 first team all-WCC players, and have four seniors in their regular rotation. Moreover, they are fronted by an outstanding coach in Bennett who has done a miraculous job turning the Gael program around. The Gaels, who were picked to finish second in the WCC by the coaches, actually received a few first place votes. Now that the team is at full strength, SMC is primed for WCC play and for presenting a major challenge to Gonzaga.
PROJECTED STARTERS:
PG – #2 E.J. Rowland (6-2, Sr.) = Rowland, a junior college transfer, stepped right in for Bennett last year as SMC’s floor general and did an outstanding job. Rowland averaged 13.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 4.5 APG last season. He is putting up comparable numbers this year. Rowland also scored 16 versus GU in the WCC tournament title game. He has nice quickness, a physical body, and solid leadership. Despite averaging double figures, Rowland is only shooting 39.7% from the field though, and hitting 3’s only at a 33% clip.
G – Jason Walberg (#21, 6-4, Jr.) = Wahlberg, another juco transfer, came into the Gael program with a reputation for being a prolific scorer and an outstanding 3 point shooter. He shot 46% from 3 ball land in his two years at Fresno City College. So far he has been a disappointment offensively (5.6 PPG, 31% 3PT), but his competitive fire and smart play has made him a big asset to the Gaels.
F - #11 Paul Marigney (6-3, Sr.) = Marigney was not only an all conference player last season – he also lead the conference in scoring in league games (16.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 42% 3 PT). After sitting out SMC’s first several games this year due to academic issues, Marigney is starting to round into form. One of the most underrated players in college basketball, he has a deadly first step and immense quickness from the perimeter, but he is also a deadly 3 pointer. He also has a nice mid range game, and has improved quite a bit on defense. Now that he is rounding back into shape, look for his numbers to skyrocket. He averaged 14.6 PPG in his 3 games versus Gonzaga last year.
F - #32 Jonathan Sanders (6-7, Sr.) = Sanders is simply one of the most versatile players in the WCC. He can play both guard positions and both forward slots, and defend well at all of them. He has nice athleticism, and is great at slashing towards the goal. He is averaging 9.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG and is shooting 55% from the floor.
F - #14 Daniel Kickert (6-10, Jr.) = Kickert is another all conference player, and perhaps one of the most skilled big men on the entire west coast. Kickert is a tremendous shooter from the outside for a big – he shot 39% from 3 ball land last year. This year he is nailing them at a 42% clip. But Kickert is far more than an outside shooter. His ball skills enable him to take opposing bigs off the dribble, and to also weave his way through traffic to the bucket. He is averaging 14.4 PPG, 7.7 RPG and shooting 53% overall from the field.
KEY RESERVES:
F = #50 Frederic Adjiwanou (6-8, Sr.) is SMC’s top reserve, and in fact, started on last year’s team. He received a 5th year of eligibility this season due to a medical redshirt, although he had to sit out SMC’s first 4 games due to playing too many junior college games. Adjiwanou, a product of France, provides strong defense and rebounding in the interior for the Gaels. He is averaging 10.7 PPG and 7.8 RPG in 25.8 MPG. He also scored an impressive 16 points versus GU in last year’s WCC tournament title game. Brett Collins (#23, 6-5, So.) played in 24 games last year for the Gaels. He has nice perimeter stroke, and is averaging 7.6 PPG. Blake Sholberg (#33, 7-1. So.) provides some extra size in the middle. He is averaging 3.8 PPG and 2.7 RPG.