MORAGA, Calif. -- In his typically humble fashion, Matthew Dellavedova thanked everyone he could when it was his turn to take the microphone.

In reply, those gathered to watch the Saint Mary's men's basketball team take on BYU expressed their own appreciation as a banner beating Dellavedova's No. 4 joined Tom Meschery's No. 31 in the rafters of McKeon Pavilion. Just the second player in program history to have his number retired, Dellavedova created another memorable moment in a career full of them as the Gael faithful enjoyed one more chance to celebrate a player who has meant so much in this golden era of Saint Mary's basketball.

Saint Mary's all-time leading scorer isn't retired, and chances are there is plenty of story left to be written about the native of Maryborough, Victoria, Australia. But, for the fans who watched him grow up before their eyes, Dellavedova's number retirement ensured that No. 4 won't be soon forgotten inside McKeon Pavilion.

"We just didn't want to wait until the guy is 40 years old and nobody really appreciates who he was," Saint Mary's head coach Randy Bennett said after the game. "We haven't had one since '61 with Meschery, so it's quite an accomplishment. I don't know what more a guy could've done in his career."

Dellavedova's list of accomplishments runs long enough that the program had to be shortened to fit halftime. He is Saint Mary's all-time leading scorer, a current member of the Australian national team and the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. He was a three-time All-West Coast Conference first team selection and a two-time Academic All-American, earned the 2013 Lou Henson Player of the Year award and helped lead the Gaels to three NCAA Tournament appearances in his four years in Moraga.

Even after reading all those accolades, there was plenty of time for Dellavedova to take the mic and address the crowd that had supported him through four successful seasons. As always, Dellavedova's genuine nature received hearty applause, and the ceremony proved one of the most memorable moments of the 2013-14 season even without the Aussie in uniform.

"It's pretty special to be able to come back, especially with mom and dad there. It's definitely up there," Dellavedova said. "It's good that I can come back and get a chance to publically thank a lot of people that have made my experience at Saint Mary's an awesome one."