Oct. 31, 2001
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University men's basketball team opens its 2001-2002 season Tuesday, Nov. 6 with an exhibition game against the Olympic Club at the Compaq Center at San Jose. The game is scheduled to tipoff at 7:30 p.m. and there will be no admission charged.
The Broncos return 10 letterwinners and three starters from its 20-12 team that finished last season with a 10-4 West Coast Conference record and third-place regular-season conference finish. Led by all-WCC seniors Brian Jones and Jamie Holmes, the Broncos advanced to the WCC Tournament championship game before falling 80-77 to Gonzaga.
The Olympic Club exhibition is the only game scheduled in the Compaq Center at San Jose this season prior to the 2002 NCAA Men's Basketball West Regional Championships in March, hosted by Santa Clara University. The NCAA requires the facility of each of its men's basketball championships to host at least one basketball game in the season in which it is hosting the regional. Thus, the Broncos will be playing the Olympic Club in a free exhibition on Nov. 6.
For directions to the Compaq Center at San Jose, click here.
Season and individual game tickets are on sale for the 2001-2002 men's and women's basketball seasons through the Santa Clara Athletic Ticket Office by calling 408/554-4660 or by clicking here. Several single game, season, group, team and family plans are available. For a seating map of the newly-renovated Leavey Center, click here.
Santa Clara welcomes the return of starters Steve Ross (Victoria, British Columbia), David Emslie (Seattle, Wash.) and Brian Vaka (Sparks, Nev.) as well as part-time starters Justin Holbrook (Cottage Grove, Ore.) and Kyle Bailey (Fairbanks, Alaska). Those five players accounted for 50.3 percent of the team's offense last season and 41 percent of the squad's rebounding.
In addition, the Broncos return senior Jason Westphal (San Jose, Calif.), sophomores Jason Morrissette (Los Angeles, Calif.), Jim Howell (Newport, Ore.), juniors Brad Anderson and Cord Anderson (Honolulu, Hawai'i) and redshirt freshman Ethan Rohde (Seattle, Wash.).
The Broncos have four freshmen this season in guard Bakari Altheimer (Oakland, Calif.) and forwards Scott Borchart (Newbury Park, Calif.), Jordan Legge (Mesa, Ariz.) and Linden Tibbets (Duncanville, Texas).