Men's Basketball Set to Open Practice on Saturday
10/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 17, 2003
Moraga, CA - The Saint Mary's men's basketball team will open practice for the 2003-04 season with two practices on Saturday. The Gaels will take the floor for the first time as a team at 11:30 a.m. and then again at 6 p.m.
"As a coach this is the most exciting time of the year," said Men's Basketball Head Coach Randy Bennett. "I'm excited to begin working with the players to bring the team together. I think this group of players are real excited to start practice and work toward reaching their team goals."
When SMC begins practice on Saturday, it will return seven players from last year's 15-15 team that advanced to the semifinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament. The key returners to this year's squad include sophomore Daniel Kickert, seniors Frederic Adjiwanou, Chase Poole and Tyler Herr, and junior Jonathan Sanders. All five of these players saw time as starters during the 2002-03 season, and Kickert was the only player on last year's roster to start all 30 games.
Saint Mary's enters the season with the toughest schedule under Bennett's tenure. Included in the 15-game non-conference slate, Saint Mary's will open the season at the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, followed by a trip to Missoula, MT to compete in the Montana Holiday Classic Tournament. Additional non-conference games against Arizona and USC, from the Pac-10 Conference, and BYU and San Diego State, from the Mountain West Conference, await the Gaels. The always tough WCC schedule begins in January 15 when the Gaels travel to Portland.
Combined with the seven returning players, Saint Mary's has a talented group of incoming players joining the squad. Two seven-footers, Blake Sholberg, a redshirt freshman, and Reda Rhalimi, a sophomore, will add to the size, depth and talent in the front court. Junior college transfer E.J. Rowland could start in the SMC back-court and incoming freshman Brett Collins will compete for playing time at the wing position. Daniel Waddy, Todd Golden and Davis Cantor round out the freshman class.
Before playing at the Top of the World Classic against Binghamton, Saint Mary's will play two exhibition games against the Olympic Club on November 8 and the Sydney Comets on November 11. Both games will be played in McKeon Pavilion and are scheduled to tip-off at 7:05 p.m.
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