SAINT MARY’S MEN’S BASKETBALL
Last season: 26-8, 15-1 (first in the West Coast Conference and beat Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament final; lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament).
Coach: Randy Bennett, 24th season, 749-533
Season opener: Monday vs. Towson, 7 p.m.
Projected starters: Senior guard Augustas Marciulionis (12.4 points, 5.3 assists), sophomore guard Jordan Ross (1.3 points, 0.8 assists), sophomore forward Paulius Murauskas (2.7 points, 1.2 rebounds), redshirt senior Luke Barrett (5.5 points, 3.5 rebounds), graduate center Mitchell Saxen (11.8 points, 7.6 rebounds)
Key reserves: Sophomore center Harry Wessels (4.2 points, 3.4 rebounds), sophomore forward Ashton Hardaway (2.3 points, 0.8 rebounds), redshirt sophomore Cade Bennett (0.9 points, 0.8 assists), redshirt sophomore Kevin Gad (1.3 points, 0.5 rebounds)
Strengths: The Gaels return two foundational players in Marciulionis, the reigning WCC Player of the Year, and Saxen, the reigning WCC Defensive Player of the Year. Bennett also foresees Ross, the only true freshman to see the court for Saint Mary’s last year, making a similar leap that Marciulionis made last year.
Weaknesses: Despite retaining several key players, Saint Mary’s lost Aidan Mahaney, last season’s leading scorer and a Campolindo High graduate, to UConn. Along with Mahaney, Joshua Jefferson transferred to Iowa State and Alex Ducas graduated. Saint Mary’s, then, is expecting several rotation players to make sizable improvements.
Outlook: Saint Mary’s has won at least 26 games in each of the last three seasons, as well as four of the last five. With Marciulionis running the show, the Gaels are expected to compete.
