Oct. 17, 2003
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - As the seasons start to change, and the weather begins to get a little cooler, thoughts on the Mission Campus naturally begin turning to the impending basketball seasons. With the official tip-off of the season exactly one month away, the Santa Clara University men's basketball team begins its preparations for the 2003-04 campaign with its first practice on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
The Broncos enter the season under 12th-year head coach Dick Davey with renewed excitement and optimism. 10 returning letterwinners, two talented newcomers and one redshirt comprise the SCU squad in '03-04, making it a veteran squad who is another year older and wiser. The entire Season Outlook can be found by clicking here.
Davey's team will play its first game of the season on November 17 in the Leavey Center, taking on the Olympic Club in what has become an annual exhibition game between the two. Following that is a rugged 29-game schedule that includes eight teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament last year.
The '03-04 regular season begins at the prestigious EA Sports Maui Invitational on November 24-26. Santa Clara will take on local favorite Hawai'i in the first round game that will be shown on ESPN2 at 8:30 p.m. Following that the Broncos will either Villanova or the host, Chaminade, in round two. Other partcipants in the annual Thanksgiving Tournament are Central Michigan, Dayton, Ohio State and San Diego State. A complete schedule can be found by clicking here.
Santa Clara's home, the Leavey Center, will be a key factor in the Broncos' potential success this year as SCU plays 15 homes game and will host the annual West Coast Conference Basketball Championships on March 5-8. Last season San Diego became the first WCC institution to win the men's tournament on its home floor and the Broncos enter the season looking to continue that trend and go dancing into March Madness for the first time since 1996.
Season and individual game tickets are on sale and can be purchased online by clicking here or by calling the athletic ticket office at 408-554-4660. A variety of ticket packages are available, including group tickets, team passes and an affordable family plan. Complete pricing and package information is available by clicking here.