MORAGA, Calif. — With the season opener a little less than one month away, Saint Mary's Men's Basketball practice is back in full swing, as the defending WCC Regular Season and Tournament Champs began preparations to defend those titles in the 2024-25 season. With the return of WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis and WCC Defensive Player of the Year Mitchell Saxen headlining a star studded cast of returners and newcomers alike, the Gaels should compete to once again be top dogs in the WCC. 

As always, Head Coach Randy Bennett's practices begin with fundamentals and build to more and more complex drills throughout the time on the court inside UCU Pavilion. While this year's squad will feature six newcomers (Paulius Murauskas, Ashton Hardaway, Mikey Lewis, Joshua Dent, Liam Campbell and Oliver Faubert) everyone has begun on a level playing field, leading to excellent competition already in the early going. 

Another newcomer to the Saint Mary's Coaching Staff, but no stranger to Moraga and UCU Pavilion, is new Assistant Coach EJ Rowland. A decorated Saint Mary's point guard and 2005 SMC graduate, Rowland shared his new perspective on working inside UCU Pavilion in a coaching role for the first time. "My perspective has changed from player to coach and there's been so many upgrades to the UCU Pavilion, but our first week of practice still felt familiar. The gym is full of players, coaches and support staff all optimistic and working towards a common goal. In short, it feels like home." 

The name of the game has been growth at every single practice, and that growth becomes evident with every minute this team spends on the court together. While there will be plenty of new names to learn for Gaels fans this season, they can once again expect to see the high level brand of basketball that Saint Mary's Men's Hoops has become known for. 

The first week of practice was capped on Friday with a visit from new Saint Mary's College President Dr. Roger Thompson, who addressed the team and expressed what an honor it is to be the President of a School with one of the winningest Division I College Basketball programs in recent history. Head Coach Randy Bennett, in turn, expressed his appreciation for having a University President who is 100% behind his program. 

Gaels fans can get their first look at the Saint Mary's Men's Basketball squad at the Blue & White Scrimmage, set to take place on October 12 inside UCU Pavilion with a 5 PM tip-off. 

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