SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Santa Clara men's basketball's
Elijah Mahi and
Thierry Darlan both earned a spot on the 10-man 2025-26 West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Team, as announced by the conference on Thursday. Additionally, the Broncos were selected to finish fourth by the league's head coaches in the annual preseason coaches poll.
Under the direction of
Herb Sendek in his 10th season at the helm, the Broncos have finished in the top four of the final WCC standings in each of the last four seasons. Santa Clara reached 20 or more wins each year during the span and was selected to participate in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in three of the four seasons.
A senior forward from Toronto, Canada, Mahi is a preseason All-WCC pick after a great debut season with the Broncos in 2024-25. The West Valley College transfer averaged 11.1 points, led the team in 3-point shooting at 43.4 percent and tallied 15 total double figure scoring efforts as a junior, and is the team's top returning scorer on the 2025-26 roster.
Darlan has yet to play in his first collegiate game, but is anticipated to be among the top newcomers in the WCC this season after joining the Broncos by way of the NBA G League during the summer. A 6-foot-8 guard out of the Central African Republic, Darlan played two seasons in the G League prior to joining the collegiate ranks, most recently with the Delaware Blue Hens alongside fellow former Bronco Jared Brownridge. He averaged 11 points, six rebounds and two assists in 29 games with the Blue Hens in 2024-25.
This is the second consecutive season that Santa Clara has had multiple preseason All-WCC selections.
Adama-Alpha Bal and
Carlos Stewart Jr. were both tabbed to the 11-man 2024-25 edition ahead of last season.
The full 2025-26 WCC Preseason All-Conference and Coaches Poll are below.
2025-26 West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Team
| Name |
Year |
Position |
School |
| Ryan Beasley |
Jr. |
G |
San Francisco |
| Thierry Darlan |
Jr. |
G |
Santa Clara |
| Braden Huff |
Jr. |
F |
Gonzaga |
| Graham Ike |
Sr. |
F |
Gonzaga |
| Mikey Lewis |
So. |
G |
Saint Mary's |
| Elijah Mahi |
Sr. |
F |
Santa Clara |
| Paulius Murauskas |
Jr. |
F |
Saint Mary's |
| Elias Ralph |
Sr. |
F |
Pacific |
| Tyrone Riley IV |
So. |
G |
San Francisco |
| Harry Wessels |
Sr. |
C |
Saint Mary's |
2025-26 West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
| Place |
Team |
Points (1st Place) |
| 1. |
Gonzaga |
119 (9) |
| 2. |
Saint Mary's |
109 (2) |
| 3. |
San Francisco |
98 (1) |
| 4. |
Santa Clara |
92 |
| 5. |
Oregon State |
76 |
| 6. |
Washington State |
69 |
| 7. |
LMU |
61 |
| 8. |
Seattle U. |
53 |
| 9. |
San Diego |
36 |
| 10. |
Pacific |
32 |
| 11. |
Pepperdine |
24 |
| 12. |
Portland |
23 |
