Santa Clara Broncos men's basketball
| Santa Clara Broncos | ||||
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| University | Santa Clara University | |||
| First season | 1904 | |||
| All-time record | 1,418-1,019 (.582) | |||
| Conference | WCC | |||
| Location | Santa Clara, CA | |||
| Head coach | Kerry Keating (6th year) | |||
| Arena | Leavey Center (Capacity: 4,500) |
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| Nickname | Broncos | |||
| Colors |
Red and White |
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| Uniforms | ||||
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| NCAA Tournament Final Four | ||||
| 1952 | ||||
| NCAA Tournament Elite Eight | ||||
| 1952, 1953, 1954, 1960, 1969 | ||||
| NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 1952, 1953, 1954, 1960, 1968, 1969, 1970 | ||||
| NCAA Tournament appearances | ||||
| 1952, 1953, 1954, 1960, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1987, 1993, 1995, 1996 | ||||
| Conference tournament champions | ||||
| 1987, 1988, 1993 | ||||
| Conference regular season champions | ||||
| 1952, 1953, 1959, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1995, 1996, 1997 | ||||
The Santa Clara Broncos men's basketball team represents Santa Clara University, located in Santa Clara, California, in NCAA Division I basketball competition. They play their home games at the Leavey Center and have been members of the West Coast Conference since its formation in 1952. Santa Clara has a long history of basketball success, having appeared in 11 NCAA Tournaments and 3 National Invitational Tournaments and producing a number of both collegiate All-Americans as well as NBA players. Their current head coach is Kerry Keating, who assumed the role in 2007 after four seasons as an assistant at UCLA.
The 2010–11 team were champions of the 2011 CollegeInsider.com Tournament and the 2012–13 team were champions of the 2013 College Basketball Invitational. They are the first school to win a CIT and CBI championship.
History
Basketball made its inauspicious debut at Santa Clara in 1904 with a 9–7 victory over Alameda High School. Later that year, Santa Clara played its first intercollegiate game, a loss to the University of the Pacific, then located just down the road from Santa Clara. Early schedules composed of high school and YMCA opponents gave way to wholly intercollegiate schedules, and by 1916, the Broncos were matching up with teams like Stanford, USC, and Nevada, in addition to traditional arch-rivals San Francisco and St. Mary's. Santa Clara has long been blessed with a series of long-tenured coaches; since 1935, only six different men have coached the Broncos.
The first long-tenured coach of Santa Clara was Harlan Dykes, who led the team to a 101–48 record. Much like the university football team, the Broncos played many home games in San Francisco, both at Kezar Pavilion and at the Civic Center.
More sustained success for Santa Clara came under Head Coach George Barsi, whose tenure spanned from 1935 to 1945. Barsi was a graduate of Santa Clara in 1930. Barsi's "Magicians of the Maplewood" included future Warriors Head Coach Bob Feerick as well as Santa Clara's first All-American, Ralph "Toddy" Giannini. The Broncos dazzled crowds in excess of 20,000 at Madison Square Garden and defeated City College of New York and La Salle University by 20 points apiece during an exhibition match-up. Santa Clara was among the first teams to shoot one-handed or run the fast break.[1]
Following the post-war period, former Santa Clara star Bob Feerick returned to coach the Broncos. Under his guidance, the Broncos advanced to the 1952 Final Four, as well as Elite Eight trips in 1953 and 1954. Santa Clara forward Ken Sears appeared on the second ever issue of Sports Illustrated in 1954, becoming the first basketball player, college or pro, to do so. After leading the Broncos back to the NCAA tournament in 1960, Feerick left Santa Clara to coach the San Francisco Warriors, who had recently relocated from Philadelphia in 1963.
Replacing Feerick was Dick Garibaldi, a member of the 1952 Final Four team. Garibaldi would lead the Broncos for a total of eight seasons, and compiled a 137–77 record overall. Garibaldi's 1968 squad finished at 27-2, dropping only one regular-season game, to rival San Jose State University. The Broncos, lea by Bud Ogden and Dennis Awtrey, reached as high as 2nd overall in the AP poll. The Broncos also appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 1967 and 1969. In a three-year period, the Broncos compiled a 73–12 record.
Carroll Williams replaced Garibaldi in 1970 and became the longest tenured coach in Santa Clara's basketball history, leading the Broncos from 1970 to 1991. Williams led the team to a 344–274 record, a .556 winning percentage overall. Despite the sustained success, Williams took the Broncos to an NCAA tournament only once; in addition, the team reached the NIT in 1984, 1985, and 1989. Williams's tenure produced two of Santa Clara's most memorable players, Kurt Rambis and Nick Vanos, the former remembered for his time with the Lakers and the latter remembered for his untimely death shortly after entering the NBA. Both players would have their numbers retired.
Coach Dick Davey became the head coach at Santa Clara in 1992, after serving as an assistant for many years, and experienced immediate success, thanks to a young Canadian point guard named Steve Nash. Nash led the Broncos to three NCAA tournaments, 1993, 1995, and 1996. In the 1993 tournament, the Broncos, seeded fifteenth, upset the second-seeded Arizona Wildcats, becoming the second team to do so. Nash went on to become Santa Clara's most decorated player at the professional level, twice winning the NBA MVP award.
Following the 2006 season, Davey retired under controversial circumstances, as it appeared some boosters had pushed hard for his retirement. Davey compiled 251-190 overall record, and a 122-88 record in West Coast Conference play. He won three straight regular season WCC titles and one WCC tournament.
He was replaced by Kerry Keating, an assistant coach from UCLA. Keating has lead the Broncos to both CBI and CIT championships, but has yet to take the Broncos to the NCAA tournament or finish better than 4th in the WCC. Keating's overall record as the Santa Clara Head Coach is 100-102, with a 33-55 record in WCC play. Keating is the only coach to post a lifetime losing record in conference play with Santa Clara.
NCAA Tournament results
The Broncos have appeared in eleven NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 11–13.
The Broncos win over Arizona in 1993 was the second time in tournament history that a 15 seed has upset a 2 seed.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd Place Game |
UCLA Wyoming Kansas Illinois |
W 68–59 W 56–53 L 55–74 L 64–67 |
| 1953 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight |
Hardin-Simmons Wyoming Washington |
W 81–56 W 67–52 L 62–74 |
| 1954 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight |
Texas Tech Colorado State USC |
W 73–64 W 73–50 L 65–66 2OT |
| 1960 | Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game |
California Utah |
L 49–69 L 81–89 |
| 1968 | Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight |
New Mexico UCLA |
W 86–73 L 66–87 |
| 1969 | Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight |
Weber State UCLA |
W 63–59 OT L 52–90 |
| 1970 | Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game |
Utah State Long Beach State |
L 68–69 W 89–86 |
| 1987 | First Round | Iowa | L 76–99 |
| 1993 | First Round Second Round |
Arizona Temple |
W 64–61 L 57–68 |
| 1995 | First Round | Mississippi State | L 67–75 |
| 1996 | First Round Second Round |
Maryland Kansas |
W 91–79 L 51–76 |
NIT results
The Broncos have appeared in four National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 2–4.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals |
Oregon Lamar Louisiana-Lafayette |
W 66–53 W 76–74 L 76–97 |
| 1985 | First Round | Fresno State | L 76–79 |
| 1988 | First Round | Oregon | L 65–81 |
| 1989 | First Round | New Mexico | L 76–91 |
CBI results
The Broncos have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational. Their record is 5–1 and were the 2013 champions.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals Game 1 Finals Game 2 Finals Game 3 |
Vermont Purdue Wright State George Mason George Mason George Mason |
W 77–67 W 86-83 W 81–69 W 81–73 L 66–73 W 80–77 |
CIT results
The Broncos have appeared in one CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Their record is 5–0 and were the 2011 champions.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship |
Northern Arizona Air Force San Francisco SMU Iona |
W 68–63 W 88–75 W 95–91 W 72–55 W 76–69 |
Retired jerseys
The Santa Clara University has retired seven jerseys.
| Retired basketball jerseys | ||
|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Years played |
| 11 | Steve Nash | 1992-96 |
| 5 | Bob Feerick | 1938-41 |
| 55 | Ken Sears | 1950-54 |
| 32 | Nick Vanos | 1981-85 |
| 34 | Bud Ogden | 1966-69 |
| 24 | Dennis Awtrey | 1967-70 |
| 34 | Kurt Rambis | 1976-80 |
External links
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