Senior Series: Kevin Foster

Santa Clara and Kevin Foster between the 2008-09 season and the 2012-13 season were a match made in heaven. The two were at times good and at times bad. In 2012-13 the Broncos won 26 games and the CBI title. In 2010-11 they won 24 and the CIT title. In 2009-10 just 11. 2011-12 saw a mere eight wins and 0-17 record against WCC competition.

Kevin Foster finished his career as Santa Clara's all-time leading scorer, good enough for second place all-time in the West Coast Conference (67 points behind Hank Gathers). Standing in second place all-time is great, but Foster missed 771 shots that could have vaulted him well into first place. His 39.0% career field goal percentage made him one of the most inconsistent great players in recent memory.

There is the Kevin Foster that won the 2011 CIT MVP and 2013 CBI MVP as he led the Broncos to postseason glory. Then there is the Kevin Foster who missed the last 12 games of the 2012 season due to suspension. Despite the problems, losses, inefficiency and inconsistency these two were made for each other.

Senior Series: Elias Harris

Elias Harris as a freshman. Photo by SD Dirk.

The NBA Draft, something too many college fans hold in too high regard, seems to have an infatuation with freshmen. Elias Harris, the Zags' 6' 8'', 239 lbs power forward, was once one of those
freshmen. He spurned the draft to do what has become increasingly rare, spend four seasons as an elite college player.

Over those four seasons Harris left his mark on the program and its record books. He ranks second all-time in rebounds (all 1,670 of Jerry Vermillion's rebounds were grabbed while the Zags were an NAIA school), fourth in scoring (10 points behind Adam Morrison and 47 ahead of Matt Santangelo) and tenth in steals (the only non-guard in the top ten).

What Jamie Zaninovich Has Done To Get A Contract Extension

On Friday, May 17th, the West Coast Conference Presidents' Council approved a contract extension for Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich. His new contract goes through May 31, 2017. This is great news for the West Coast Conference. It shouldn't be much of a surprise considering his excellent track record and history in the Bay Area. Plus, the WCC has been pretty good at keeping guys (Mark Few/Randy Bennett) who are courted by the big money beasts of college athletics.

Since taking the top job on March 9th, 2008, Zaninovich has led the WCC to new heights. The following is a season-by-season retrospective of the major events and advancements in and around WCC basketball since Jamie Zaninovich was first hired.

Senior Series: Mitchell Young

It should come as no surprise that both Gaels represented in the Senior Series are Australian. Mitchell Young hails from Logan, Queensland and attended the Australian Institute of Sport.

Young's impact on the Gaels was immediate and constant, though not consistent. His Sophomore and Senior seasons were by far his most effective. Statistically speaking he was best as a sophomore, though he was not a starter for a single game that season. In his senior year he started every game for the Gaels.

The 6'9'', 235lbs forward has spent his career at Saint Mary's as a complimentary big man to guys like Omar Samhan, Ben Allen, Rob Jones and most recently Brad Waldow.

Saint Mary's Appeals Penalties

Saint Mary's has appealed some of the penalties handed down by the NCAA, according to a story from the San Jose Mercury News. The school is neither disputing the findings nor asking for the ruling to be overturned. Simply, Saint Mary's is looking to have two specific penalties waived.

If the appeal is successful, the two year ban on skill instruction and the scholarship reduction for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons will be overturned. Why those two in particular? Saint Mary's Director of Media Relations, Mike McAlpin, told the Mercury News, "There was concern that those (penalties) impact the student athletes".  His concern is justified.

It's not hard to argue that any penalty imposed upon any program can impact student athletes. When the Connecticut men's basketball program was banned from the postseason this past year, this argument could have been made. The student athletes were impacted in that they would not be able to play in the postseason. However, in Saint Mary's case the argument can be made much more effectively.

I am going to address, in particular, the skill instruction ban. 

Senior Series: Marc Trasolini

It may not be on the level of Saint Mary's with Australians or Gonzaga with the rest of the world but, Santa Clara knows how to find really good British Columbians. The 6' 9'' Trasolini hails from Vancouver (Steve Nash is from Vancouver Island). Vancouver is not just where he is from but also why he was playing for the Broncos this past season.

During the offseason after his junior (2010-11) year the Broncos made a trip to Vancouver for a series of exhibition games. What was supposed to be a happy homecoming for Trasolini quickly turned into a disaster. Just two minutes into the first game, against Trinity Western University, Trasolini tore the ACL in his left knee. He was sidelined for the entire 2011-12 season.