Santa Clara, Calif. – Santa Clara announced Thursday that the contract of head men's basketball coach Kerry Keating has been extended through May 1, 2015. Keating led the Broncos to the second-most wins in school history in 2011 and the school's first post-season tournament title with its CIT win in late March.
"We are very happy to be entering into this extension with Kerry," said Bronco Athletic Director Dan Coonan. "I think the Santa Clara community caught a glimpse this year of what the future holds for Bronco basketball, and that is tremendously exciting. There is more eager anticipation about the coming season than we've had here in quite some time. Aside from that, the team continues to perform very well in the classroom, and Kerry and his staff have become a key part of the Santa Clara family. This is great news for the team and for all of us as well."
"I am happy and honored to be the coach at Santa Clara, and look forward to the future," said Keating. "I want to thank Fr. Engh and Dan Coonan for their trust, support and confidence in our staff and program which we will continue to build with a first class attitude and effort."
Under Keating's watch all 10 seniors who finished their eligibility graduated, including this year's class of Ben Dowdell, Mike Santos, Troy Payne and Nate Mensah. Each member of the Bronco senior class was honored on Thursday on the 10th annual West Coast Conference Commissioner's list, with all four finishing their June degrees with a 3.0 or better cumulative grade point average.
Santa Clara finished the 2010-11 season with a 24-14 record and won the 2011 CollegeInsider.com Post-Season Tournament, winning its final three games on the road. It won a host of post-season awards in addition to being ranked No. 22 in the final CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major National Poll. It was the first time in the national polls 12-year existence the Broncos have been ranked to finish the season.
In addition, Santa Clara broke eight team records, seven individual season records, four freshman individual records and two individual career records. The Broncos finished the season leading the country in made free throws while boasting the nation's leading three-point shooter in Kevin Foster, who made 140 on the season.
Individually, Foster was named the CollegeInsider.com WCC MVP, to the All-WCC First Team and the All-District First Team, the WCC Player of the Month for both February and March and the CIT MVP. Troy Payne was named the WCC Defender of the Year and a CollegeInsider.com Defensive All-American; Marc Trasolini was the only player in the WCC to receive Capital One All-District First Team Academic All-American honors for the second straight season; and Evan Roquemore was named to the All-WCC Freshman team and a CollegeInsider.com Freshman All-American.
Keating coached the 2009 WCC Player of the Year John Bryant, who was also named to the AP All-American team, the 2009 WCC Newcomer of the Year Kevin Foster and the 2011 WCC Defender of the Year Troy Payne. All told he coached two District 9 First Team Players (Bryant and Foster), three Academic All-American All-District members (Trasolini twice, Mitch Henke once), the WCC Post-Graduate Scholarship winner (Henke), six All-WCC players and five WCC All-Freshmen.
The 2011-12 Santa Clara team welcomes back its three leading scorers in Foster, Trasolini and Roquemore. Both Foster and Trasolini scored their 1000th career point last season with Foster knocking down a WCC-record 140 three pointers to lead the nation (first duo to score 1000 career points in the same season since 1989). Foster enters his junior year with 1371 career points (No. 15) and Trasolini enters his senior year with 1,100 career points (No. 24). In addition it returns juniors Raymond Cowels III, who averaged 5.4 ppg in 15.3 mpg and Niyi Harrison, who averaged 5.4 ppg and 3.0 rpg in 14.4 ppg, as well as sophomore John McArthur, who appeared in 36 games in his rookie campaign.
In early June the Broncos announced they will travel to Vancouver, British Columbia Sept. 5-10, 2011 for a foreign tour where they will play four games vs. Canadian universities. The Broncos will begin practice on Aug. 20 in preparation for the trip.