2016-2017 Season Review
Often overshadowed by the incredible season Gonzaga had last year, Saint Mary’s put together a phenomenal 2016-2017 campaign as well. The Gaels went 29-5, which tied the school record for wins in a season (29-6 in 2015-2016) and was their best winning percentage since they went 15-0 in 1917-1918. Randy Bennett’s crew entered the season ranked #17 and stayed in the top 25 the entire season. They went 10-1 in non-conference play with wins over Nevada, Dayton, Stanford and UC Irvine. They fell to UT Arlington. In WCC play they went 16-2 with both losses coming at the hands of Gonzaga. They lost by 23 and 10 to the Bulldogs. Outside of those two games, the Gaels’ margin of victory in WCC play was +18.8. In the WCC Tournament they rolled Portland and BYU before falling to Gonzaga once again. They earned a #7 seed in the NCAA Tournament and defeated VCU in the first round before they fell to #2 Arizona in the second round, 69-60.
Key Losses
The Gaels lose just three players from last year’s team, though they were all contributors. Guard Joe Rahon graduated after averaging 8.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists (team high), and 1.1 steals (team high) per game. Rahon also played a team high 36.4 MPG and earned WCC Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-WCC honors. Forward Dane Pineau also graduated after averaging 6.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. Pineau also shot 60.8% from the field. Guard Stefan Gonzalez decided to transfer to UC Davis after playing 6.3 MPG as a sophomore. Gonzalez averaged 2.8 PPG and shot 40.0% from three.
Key Returners
Saint Mary’s returns eight of their top eleven scorers, including their top three. 6’11 senior Jock Landale was a First Team All-WCC selection. Landale averaged 16.9 points (team high), 9.5 rebounds (team high), and 1.2 blocks (team high) per game. He also shot 61.1% from the floor.
6’6 senior Calvin Hermanson was also a First Team All-WCC selection. He put up 13.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG and hit a team high 88 threes at a 43.1% clip. Emmett Naar, a 6’1 senior, recorded a 9.4/2.4/5.6 line and hit 36 threes at a 42.4% rate. Naar was Honorable Mention All-WCC. 6’10 junior Evan Fitzner played 15.1 MPG and averaged 5.5 PPG and 3.2 RPG. He also hit 45 threes at a 42.9% clip. Tanner Krebs is a 6’6 sophomore that averaged 4.3 PPG in 12.8 MPG, while 6’6 junior Kyle Clark averaged 2.7 PPG and shot 37.5% from three in 9.9 MPG. 6’1 sophomore Jordan Ford played 5.8 MPG and averaged 2.4 PPG while 6’10 junior Jordan Hunter played 4.6 MPG and averaged 1.8 PPG and 1.6 RPG while shooting 54.8% from the field. Dan Sheets is a 6’5 sophomore that appeared in 8 games while Jock Perry is a 7’1 sophomore that did not play last season.
Key Newcomers
Randy Bennett brings in one incoming freshman, a graduate transfer and has a freshman that redshirted last year to make up his group of newcomers for this season. Kristers Zoriks is a 6’3 three star recruit. He has great vision, is a very good passer and can knock down the open jumper. Cullen Neal is a 6’5 graduate transfer from Ole Miss. Neal is a sharpshooter, as he hit 63 threes at a 40.9% rate last season. He averaged 9.4/1.7/2.1 in 23.5 MPG. Elijah Thomas was a 6’5 three star recruit in 2016 but redshirted last season.
Final Take
Saint Mary’s hasn’t won the WCC regular season title outright since 2012, but that stretch could come to an end this season. The Gaels have a ton of experience and talent and are more than capable of dethroning Gonzaga. They have an All-American caliber player in Jock Landale in the front court, as well as two other 6’10 guys in Evan Fitzner and Jordan Hunter. They also have 7’1 Jock Perry who could give them some added depth. The loss of Joe Rahon hurts, but there is more than enough talent in the back court to make up for his production. Hermanson, Naar, Neal, Krebs and Clark are a really solid group. It’s going to come down to the experience of Saint Mary’s versus the potential of Gonzaga in the WCC. I think you have to give the edge to Saint Mary’s at this point. They’re a second weekend caliber team.
Always March 
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