SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara men's basketball will hit the road to open the 2024-25 season in the Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase against Saint Louis on Monday, Nov. 4 at Noon at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The game will be streamed live on Youtube, while Anthony Passarelli will have the audio only call live on Sidearm Streaming. Both links can be found above.
After finishing fourth in the WCC last season, the Broncos were picked to finish third in the WCC Preseason Poll this year. Head Coach Herb Sendek's squad brings back eight key rotation players from last season while adding two key transfers: junior forward Elijah Mahi (West Valley College), and 2024-25 All-WCC preseason team honoree senior guard Carlos Stewart Jr. (LSU), as well as freshman forward Allen Graves.
Most notable among the returners, the Broncos bring back 2023-24 First Team All-WCC senior guard Adama-Alpha Bal (14.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.1 apg), All-WCC Honorable Mention junior center Christoph Tilly (9.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.9 apg), and All-WCC Freshman Team selection sophomore forward Jake Ensminger (4.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.6 apg). In addition, the Broncos return senior forward Johnny O'Neil (11.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.5 apg), senior guard Tyeree Bryan (8.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg), junior guard Brenton Knapper (6.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.4 apg), senior forward Camaron Tongue (4.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg), and sophomore guard Christian Hammond (3.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.0 apg), all key rotation players for Santa Clara last season.
As for the new guys, Carlos Stewart Jr. leads the way after playing his freshman (2021-22) and sophomore (2022-23) seasons at Santa Clara before transferring to LSU last year. Stewart was a First Team All-WCC selection his sophomore season at Santa Clara, averaging 15.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, and 2.3 apg, on 44.1 percent shooting and 40.3 percent from beyond the arc.
The other transfer, Elijah Mahi, comes from West Valley College, where he led the Vikings to an undefeated 33-0 season in 2023-24 capturing the state championship title. Mahi was named the California Player of the Year and won MVP honors at the CCCAA State Tournament, averaging 17.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 54.2 percent from the floor and 47.1 percent from three point range.
The Broncos also brought in freshman forward Allen Graves, a standout from Ponchatoula High School, who led his team to back-to-back state championship titles and was named Most Outstanding Player in the state title game two years in a row as well as Max Preps Louisiana Player of the Year his senior season. Graves is set to have an immediate impact on the Broncos this season.
Saint Louis, who finished last season 13-20, is a completely different program than they were a year ago. For starters, they brought in Josh Schertz from Indiana State, who led the Sycamores to a 32-7 record and a run to the NIT Championship game last season. He boasts a .787 winning percentage, which ranks in the top 10 among all active coaches in the NCAA. The other key addition in the offseason was in the form of Schertz’ former star Robby Avila, one of the breakout players in college basketball last season. Avila, a center who averaged 17.4 points for Indiana State last season, was recently named to the Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List.
This will be the just the fifth-ever meeting between the programs and the first since Nov. 14, 2012 when the Broncos won 74-62 in Saint Louis.
Monday’s game will not only serve as Santa Clara’s first trip to the Sanford Pentagon, but will be the Broncos’ first game ever played in the state of South Dakota. The Mount Rushmore State is one of just 11 states that Santa Clara has not played at least one game in.
STREAMING INFO
The game will be streamed live on the Field of 68's YouTube and X social media channels. It will be completely free to watch and can be accessed by following the link at the top of the page.
For more information, check the game notes links above.
