Nov. 7, 2007
Moraga, CA - The 2007-08 season will mark the 100th year in the history of men's basketball at Saint Mary's College. To recognize the 100 years of basketball, Saint Mary's will release the top-25 players of the last century. Saint Mary's will countdown players 25 through 17 on the nine days counting down to the opening game of the year.
Three-time All-West Coast Conference performer David Sivulich garners the Number 18 ranking on SMC's top-25 team. Sivulich was an honorable mention All-WCC performer in his first season, and then garnered back-to-back First Team All-West Coast Conference honors following his junior and senior seasons. He would go on to lead the Gaels in scoring in each of his three seasons, and ended his career averaging 16.5 points per game.
The three-time All-WCC performer was most known for his long range shooting, as he made a Saint Mary's record 238 3-pointers in his career. He also holds the SMC career mark for 3-point attempts at 624, averaging 208 three-point shots per year. He started 62-of-76 games and averaged 32.5 minutes per outing for his career.
The Ogden, Utah native came to Saint Mary's in 1995 after playing one season at Utah Valley State College. The 5-10 shooting guard made an immediate impact on the team, leading the Gaels in scoring with 15.7 points per game as a sophomore. That season, Sivulich set a school record making eight 3-point shots against Long Beach State on December 12, 1995, when he was 8-for-15 from behind the arc. He finished his first season by setting the record for made threes and 3-point attempts in a season, knocking down 96-of-260 shots from downtown.
In his junior season, the Gaels made a run to the NCAA Tournament, where Sivulich led the team in scoring, averaging 14.1 points per contest. On the way to a 23-8 record, the Gaels won their first and only WCC Tournament as Sivulich was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 12.0 points and 5.0 assists in SMC's three victories. The tournament title propelled the Gaels to their third NCAA Tournament appearance, where SMC was defeated by the Tim Duncan led Wake Forrest squad in the first round.
His senior season was is best, as he averaged 19.4 points per game and was the West Coast Conference's second leading scorer. He made 85-of-226 3-point attempts, converted 81.7 percent of his shots from the free throw line and averaged 2.6 assists per game.
Players 16-1 will be released at each home game during the season, with No. 16 being announced at halftime of the game between SMC and Sonoma State on November 9. The best player in the history of the program will be named at the Gaels' final home game of the season on February 25 when SMC hosts San Diego at 7 p.m.
