THIS WEEK IN SAINT MARY’S BASKETBALL
Saint Mary’s opens its 2009-10 basketball season with a five-game homestand, beginning with games against New Mexico State and San Diego State, this week. The Gaels begin the season with an 8:30 p.m. game against New Mexico State on Friday, November 13 at McKeon Pavilion.
   
Three nights later, Saint Mary’s will take on the San Diego State Aztecs, who knocked SMC out of the 2009 National Invitational Tournament, on Monday, November 20 with an 11 p.m. tip, at McKeon Pavilion. The game will be televised on ESPN as part of the 24-hour Tip-off Marathon.

SAINT MARY’S AT A GLANCE
Saint Mary’s is coming off a 2008-09 season that saw the Gaels post a school record for wins with a 28-7 overall record. Returning for this season are six letter winners from that squad, including starters, Omar Samhan, Mickey McConnell and Wayne Hunter. Samhan, McConnell and Hunter were in the starting lineup for the final 11 games last year, posting a 9-2 record over that stretch, and ending the season with a quarterfinal finish in the 2009 National Invitational Tournament.

SCOUTING THE NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES
New Mexico State is coming off a 17-15 campaign, and finished third in the in the Western Athletic Conference with a 9-4 record. The Aggies return 11 letterwinners and all five starters from last year’s team for second-year head coach Marvin Menzies.
   
Jahmar Young, who was a 2009 First Team All-Western Athletic Conference selection, was one of three returning starters to average double-figures last season, Young led the team with 17.9 points per game a year ago.
   
Jonathan Gibson was the team’s second leading scorer with 14.1 points per game, while leading the squad with 44 steals. Wendell McKines, a 6-6 forward from Oakland, CA, averaged a double-double with 12.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore. 
   
NMSU also returns a fourth player that averaged double figures, as Troy Gillenwater averaged 12.1 points in a reserve role. Gillenwater played in 30 games with nine starts as a freshman last season.

LAST MEETING
In the second game of the 2000 Hispanic College Fund Classic in Fresno, CA, Saint Mary’s held a 35-34 lead at halftime, only to fall to the Aggies by a final score of 82-64. The Gaels were led by Jovan Harris’ 15 points, and Tyler Herr added 14 on 2-of-5 shooting from 3-point land. The Gals were held to 29 points in the second half, while the Aggies poured in 48 second half points on 53.8 shooting from the field.

SMC VERSUS NEW MEXICO STATE: THE SERIES
When the Gaels and Aggies take the floor, it will mark the second ever meeting be basketball between the two teams. In the first meeting, on November 19, 2000.

RADIO AND TELEVISION
The game between SMC and New Mexico State will not be televised. There will be a live video and audio broadcast from Dave Lewis available through SMCGaels.com. The game is available through the Gaels Live link, and a subscription fee is required to watch this event. Saint Mary’s basketball games for the 2009-10 season will not be available on commercial radio.

SAMHAN JOINS SMC’S 1,000-POINT CLUB
When Omar Samhan scored 17 points against Utah State on Feb. 23, he became the 26th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark for his career. After scoring 10 points against San Diego State to end las season, he how has 1,124 total points, and ranks 18th in scoring at Saint Mary’s. He needs three (3) more points to pass Tom Meschery for 18th all-time, eight (8) points to pass Paul Picket for 17th all-time, 16 points to pass LaRoy Doss for 16th, and 23 to move ahead of Paul Robertson for 15th.   

SIMPSON AND SAMHAN 2ND BEST REBOUNDING DUO
Last season, Omar Samhan and Diamon Simpson and averaged a combined 20.0 rebounds per game, and were the second best rebounding duo in the country. Simpson led the team with 10.7 rebounds per game, while Samhan added 9.3 boards per outing. Hasheem Thabeet (10.7 rpg) and Jeff Adrian (10.2 rpg) of Connecticut averaged 20.9 boards per game to lead the nation.

BENNETT SMC WINS LEADER
With a 28-7 record this season, head coach Randy Bennett has 155 victories and is the winningest coach at Saint Mary’s. He became the all-time wins leader following an 89-65 win over East Tennessee State on Dec. 21, 2007 in the Rainbow Classic. James Weaver (1955-62) held the record for 45 years with 110 wins in seven seasons.

SAMHAN TOP-30 NATIONALLY IN REBOUNDS
Last season, Omar Samhan averaged 9.3 rebounds per game to rank third in the WCC and 28th in the country.

GAELS GARNER SIXTH 20-WIN SEASON
When the Gaels defeated Portland (77-65) on Feb. 14, 2009, SMC earned its 20th win of the season for just the sixth all-time in program history. Prior to last season, the Gaels won 20 games in 2007-08 (25), 2004-05 (25), 1996-97 (23), 1988-89 (25), and 1941-42 (20).

GAELS GO BACK-TO-BACK FOR FIRST TIME
By reaching the 20-win plateau last season, Randy Bennett became the first coach in school history to lead teams to 20 wins in back-to-back years. Saint Mary’s posted a 25-7 record, in 2007-08, posting win No. 20 in its 23rd game, matching the school record (1988-89) for the quickest to 20 victories.

GAELS AMONG NATION’S BEST IN BLOCKS
Last season, the Gaels blocked 172 shots and average 4.9 blocks per outing. The 172 blocks ranked 25th in the country, while the 4.9 blocks per game ranked 27th  in the nation. In 2007-08, SMC averaged 5.3 blocks per game to lead the WCC and rank 21st overall in the country.

SAMHAN TOPS 700 REBOUNDS IN HIS CAREER
Following a career-high 16 rebounds against SIU on Dec. 20, 2008, Omar Samhan became the 26th player in school history to grab 500 rebounds. He became the 17th player at SMC  with 600 rebounds after pulling down 11 boards against San Diego on Jan. 22, 2009, and reached the 700-rebound mark when he had 12 rebounds against Eastern Washington on Mar. 13, 2009.

SAMHAN MOVING UP SMC REBOUND LIST
Omar Samhan has 738 rebounds in his career and is one of nine players in school history with 700 rebounds. With 12 rebounds against San Diego State to end the 2008-09 season, he passed Robert Haugen for sixth all-time. He now needs eight rebounds to pass Steve Gray for fifth, 11 rebounds to pass Herman Brown for fourth, and 12 more to move ahead of Jim Moore for third all-time.

GAELS’ MAGIC NUMBER IS 70
Over the last two seasons, SMC has scored 70 points, or more, 39 times in 67 games. In those 39 games when reaching the 70-point mark, SMC has a 38-1 record. The Gaels posted a perfect 19-0 record last season, and in 2007-09, SMC went 19-1 in 20 games with 70 or more points.

SAMHAN THIRD IN CAREER BLOCKS
Last season Omar Samhan had 69 blocks to lead the team, and ranked 42nd in the country in blocks per game (1.9 bpg). He now has 159 rejections for his career and passed Brad Millard for second all time with two blocks against Eastern Washington, and ranks second all-time at SMC behind Diamon Simpson (239). Entering last season he had 90 career blocks. He set a SMC freshman record with 47 blocks in 2006-07 and added 43 his sophomore season. 

SAMHAN HAS 22 CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Omar Samhan had 10 points and 12 rebounds against San Diego State to end the 2009-10 season, notching his 15 double-double of the 2009-10 season. Combined with two double-doubles as a freshman, and six as a sophomore, he now has 23 double-doubles in points and rebounds for his career.

GAELS MAKE ONE THREE IN 509 STRAIGHT GAMES
After making a seven (7) 3-pointers against San Diego State to end the 2008-09 season, the Gaels have hit at least one 3-pointer in 509 straight games, keeping a 17-year streak alive. The last time SMC failed to make a three in a game was on Feb. 6, 1992 when the Gaels were 0-for-5 against Gonzaga.

GAELS SET RECORD WITH 15-GAME WIN STREAK
Following the 65-42 win over San Diego on Jan. 22, Saint Mary’s extended its winning streak to a school record 15 games. The 15-game win streak broke the 50-year old record of 13 set by the 1958-59 team.

HOME SWEET HOME
Saint Mary’s posted a 15-1 record at home in 2008-09 and over the past two years, the Gaels are 30-2 overall at home.  Over the past five years, SMC has a 68-13 (.839) record in McKeon Pavilion. SMC posted a school record 15-1 record in McKeon Pavilion in 2004-05, and matched that with a 15-1 record at home in 2007-08 and 2008-09. In eight seasons as the head coach, Randy Bennett has led SMC to a 90-31 (.743) record in McKeon Pavilion.

AT HOME AGAINST NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
In the last six seasons at home against non-conference opponents, SMC is 45-6 (.882) overall in McKeon Pavilion. Saint Mary’s is 24-2 in its last 26 home games against non-conference opponents.

SAMHAN RETURNS AS ALL-WCC SELECTION
Last season, Omar Samhan was one of three players on the SMC roster to earn First Team All-WCC honors, joining Patrick Mills and Diamon Simpson on the squad. With Mills leaving for the NBA and Simpson graduating, Samhan returns as one of the top players in the WCC. He returns as the top rebounder from last season, and the conference’s fifth best scorer.

GAELS IN SEASON OPENERS WITH BENNETT
In his eight years as the head coach at SMC, Randy Bennett has guided the Gaels to a 7-1 record in the opening game of the season, and is riding a seven-game win straight to open the year. During those eight seasons, SMC has played its first game at home five times and have a 5-0 record in those games, are 2-0 in neutral games, and 0-1 in road games to open the season.

MCCONNELL AS A STARTER
Mickey McConnell is coming off a sophomore season that saw the 6-foot guard play in all 35 games with 13 starts at the point guard position. For the season, McConnell averaged 5.4 points and 2.2 assists, but averaged nearly 6.5 points and 3.0 assists per game when he started. In a starting role, he had 20-point games against Portland and Utah State, with a career-high 22 points against No. 23 Utah State, helping SMC to its only win over a top-25 team last season.

HUNTER RETURNS TO STARTING LINE-UP
Wayne Hunter is no stranger to the Saint Mary’s starting line-up, as he has made 42 starts as a Gael, including 14 last season. He was a mainstay in the Gaels’ starting five during his sophomore season, making 24 starts when he averaged 8.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per outing. For his career, Hunter averages 7.2 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, but he is most known for his ability to impose his will defensively. Hunter, who stands at 6-4, is a big guard who can match-up against both a shooting guard or a small forward. By season’s end, Hunter should be a contender for the WCC Defensive Player of the Year award.

DELLAVEDOVA 2ND GAEL TO MAKE BOOMERS
This past summer Matthew Dellavedova was selected to compete on the Boomers, joining Patrick Mills as two Gaels to make Australia’s top national team. With the Boomers, he competed in a six-game tour of South Africa, a six-game tour of Stankovic Cun in China, and in the 2009 FIBA Oceania Championship against New Zealand.

AUSSIES INVADE MORAGA, AGAIN
With three Australians leaving after the 2008-09 season (Patrick Mills, Carlin Hughes, and Lucas Walker), the Gaels have reloaded with three new faces from Down Under. Joining the Gaels roster from Australia are guard Matthew Dellavedova and Jorden Page, and forward Mitchell Young. Joining fellow Gaels from Australia Ben Allen and Clint Steindl, SMC rolls out five Aussies on the 2009-10 roster.

AUSSIES UNDER BENNETT’S REIGN
When Randy Bennett came to Moraga in 2001, he brought Australian Adam Caporn (2001-03) to fill a void at point guard. Caporn helped bring SMC all-time leading scorer Daniel Kickert (2002-06) to Moraga in 2002, which then sparked the transfer of Carlin Hughes (2007-09) and Lucas Walker (2007-09), prior to the 2006-07 season. Ben Allen (2008-present) joined the mix prior to the 2007-08 season when he transferred to SMC from Indiana. Patrick Mills (2007-09) came the same year, and Clint Steindl (2009-present) made the trip across the Pacific Ocean prior for the start of the 2008-09 campaign. With three new players (Dellavedova, Page, and Young) from Australia joining the team for the 2009-10 season, the Gaels have had 10 players from Australia on the roster since Bennett came to Moraga, with at least one in the line-up each season.

MILLS LEAVES FOR NBA
Following his sophomore season, when he averaged a team-high 18.4 points per game, Mills declared for the NBA draft.  He was picked 55th overall by the Portland Trailblazers. He broke his foot the first week of summer ball, missing the entire summer season. He made the 15-man roster, signing his contract with the Trailblazers on October 22, 2009.

SIMPSON LEAVES MARK ON SAINT MARY’S
When Diamon Simpson left Saint Mary’s following the 2008-09 season, he left a mark that is unmatched by any player before him, and leaves big shoes to fill. He finished his four years as the all-time leader in rebounds (1,130), blocks (239), steals (174), games played (128) and most importantly wins (87). He also finished third all-time at SMC with 1,603 points. In addition to his career records, he also set a Saint Mary’s single season record with 377 rebounds and help the Gaels post a school record 28 wins, in 2008-09.

GAELS ON TELEVISION
The Gaels will appear on television at least 17 times in 29 scheduled games. Included in the 17 television games are nine appearances on the ESPN network, six games on Comcast Sports Net, and one game is on Fox Sports Net. Saint Mary’s will make its only appearance of the season on ESPN against San Diego State (Nov. 16). SMC will have four games on ESPN2. Both games against Gonzaga will be on ESPN2, and games against Portland (Feb. 13) and San Diego (Feb. 18) will also be televised nationally. Additionally, SMC will play all three games of the 2009 Diamond Head Classic on ESPNU.

UP NEXT FOR THE GAELS
Following the games against New Mexico State and San Diego State, the Gaels will continue its five-game homestand with a Friday night game against Vanderbilt. The first meeting between the Gaels and the SEC’s Commodores will tip-off at 8:30 p.m. from McKeon Pavilion on November 20.