November 2003
The calendar and the thermometer don't lie. Basketball practice is underway and the start of the regular season is just around the corner.
That's good news for the many fans of our men and women's teams. The large turnout at the (Sunday, Nov. 2) Basketball Tip-Off Barbecue in the Soda Center was one of several indicators that this winter will be something special in McKeon Pavilion.
For the last five seasons, the Saint Mary's women's basketball team has paced the West Coast Conference in home attendance. Blessed with a strong recruiting class, head coach Michelle Jacoby's Lady Gaels are a competitive and exciting group - one that will keep the fans moving through the McKeon turnstiles.
On the men's side, third-year head coach Randy Bennett has his team ready to enter the upper echelon of the WCC. One of the tallest, if not the tallest Gael squad ever, Bennett's bunch is predicted to finish second in the conference according to the preseason coaches poll.
The electronic media has caught on to the sharp upswing in our basketball fortunes.
Five men's games and one women's game will be televised. All men's games can be heard on KDIA Radio, 1640 AM, with Mike Bouve calling the action. Internet broadcasts provide yet another option to follow both the men and women's teams.
You can see both the men and women play at home on Saturday, Dec. 6. In the afternoon, it's the UCLA women challenging the Gaels. USC comes calling on our men in a 7 p.m. contest the same day. From 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., a spaghetti feed will be held in the Soda Center. The 1958-59 men's team that reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament will be honored at both the dinner and during halftime. All five starters on that club, including Tom Meschery, are in the College's Athletic Hall of Fame and all five are expected to be on campus that day.
If in-season tournaments fit your fancy, you can enjoy the action both during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. On Friday and Saturday nights, November 28 and 29, the women host the Hilton Concord Holiday Classic, which includes Miami (Fla.), Weber State and Bradley. The first annual men's basketball Shamrock Office Solutions Classic is set for Sunday and Monday evenings, December 28 - 29. Birmingham Southern, Loyola (Chicago) and St. Peter's comprise that men's field together with the Gaels.
If you like Alaska, the men compete in the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, November 21 - 23. For those who savor warmer climates, the women take part in a tournament in Hawaii on December 14 - 15.
Expectations of Gael victories will be a big factor behind the huge crowds in McKeon Pavilion during the next few months. But the people factor has been huge, too, in building attendance. Thanks to all those who participated in the season ticket sales competition so adroitly organized by Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Media Relations, Andy McDowell.
This basketball season figures to be a lot of fun. And they say time flies when you're having fun. It's not too early to think about the conference tournament March 4 - 7 at Santa Clara University. Soon thereafter, the NCAA will renew March Madness. It is definitely not too early to dream about possibilities.
Go Gaels!
Carl R. Clapp
Director of Athletics
