Watch: Kevin Foster and Evan Roquemore Reflect on Oklahoma Game and Each Other's Game
Santa Clara (3-2) will face Villanova (4-1) of the Big East Conference for the third time in school history as part of the Consolation Finals of the 76 Classic. The Broncos and the Wildcats will face each other at 3:30 pm on Sun., Nov. 27 on ESPNU. Dave Flemming and Sean Farnham will call the action for ESPNU.
Santa Clara advanced to the winner's bracket with a 79-76 overtime win over New Mexico. Evan Roquemore and Kevin Foster both posted 26 points and Niyi Harrison scored a career-high 19. While the Broncos were 26 of 34 from the line, the Lobos were 31 of 33.
In its second game Santa Clara was down 25 points early in the second half before it went on a scoring show to pull within six with 45 seconds left. Oklahoma ended up topping the Broncos 85-73. Roquemore collected his first career double-double (27 points, 10 assists) and Foster broke Steve Nash's career three-pointers made record by scoring three threes as part of his 19 points.
Foster moved to No. 6 on the West Coast Conference career three-pointers list, passing LMU's Terrell Lowery with his five threes vs. New Mexico and with his three threes vs. Oklahoma he passed former Bronco Steven Nash at No. 6 in the WCC and No. 1 at SCU.
With three starters averaging 12+ ppgs, Santa Clara has had two blow-out wins on its home court (vs. UC Merced and San Jose State) and an 89-58 loss at UC Santa Barbara, an NCAA Tournament team the past two years prior to coming to Anaheim. It is 1-1 in the 76 Classic. With the loss of All-WCC forward Marc Trasolini (torn ACL), Santa Clara might be the youngest team in the country with its 11 scholarship players this season totalling eight years of total court time (no seniors, three juniors, three sophomores and five freshmen). While the Broncos start three juniors and two sophomores, the next six players off the bench, including walk-on Jordan Akwenuke, are all freshmen. In addition to leadership, the Broncos are without their top three rebounders from last season (Trasolini and graduation of Ben Dowdell and Troy Payne).
SCU finished last season 24-14 and won the CIT post-season tournament with All-WCC First Team guard Kevin Foster collecting MVP honors. Foster was named to the 2011 pre-season All-WCC team this season for the third time in his career after leading the country in threes (140) and the league in scoring (20.2 ppg) in 2010-11.
Villanova advanced to play Santa Clara with a win over UC Riverside and a loss to Saint Louis. Villanova is 12-7 (.632) in NCAA Tournament play under Jay Wright. It has advanced to four Sweet 16's, two Elite Eights and one Final Four. Its pulsating 78-76 triumph over Pittsburgh in March of 2009 lifted the `Cats into the Final Four for the first time since the program captured the 1985 NCAA title under Rollie Massimino.
See and Hear
The SCU-VU game will be broadcast live nationally on ESPNU at 3:30 p.m. on Sun., Nov. 27. The Villanova game will also be broadcast via the Bronco Radio Network on both KDOW 1220 AM and Broncos All-Access at www.SantaClaraBroncos.com with the broadcast beginning at 3:15 p.m. Anthony Passarelli is in his fifth season as the Broncos' play-by-play announcer. Out of the listening area, KDOW is streamed online at www.1220kdow.com.
Fast Firsts
* Evan Roquemore and Kevin Foster are averaging 25.5 ppg and 22.5 ppg, respectively in the 76 Classic.
* Roquemore collected his first career double-double with 27 points and 10 assists vs. Oklahoma. He hit a career-high seven threes and was a perfect six of six from the free throw line. It was the 16th time in his career he has been perfect from the free throw line in a game. It was the first time a Santa Clara guard has collected a double-double (points/assists) since Brody Angley had 28 points and 13 assists in SCU's 101-86 win vs. Pepperdine on Jan. 21, 2008.
* Foster broke Steve Nash's career three pointers made record with three threes vs. Oklahoma. Foster now has 265 threes in his career and is also No. 6 on the WCC list.
* Niyi Harrison had a career high 19 points, playing a career-high 44 minutes vs. New Mexico
* Foster and Roquemore had 26 points a piece in the New Mexico win. Roquemore was a perfect 8 of 8 from the line.
* John McArthur collected his first career double-double vs. San Jose State with a career-best19 points (11 of 11 from the free throw line) and 10 rebounds.
* Harrison scored a career-high 18 points vs. San Jose State.
* Santa Clara made 14 threes vs. UC Merced. Led by Foster's five, Roquemore and Brandon Clark both chipped in four each.
Climbing Quick
Last season Kevin Foster assaulted the WCC and Santa Clara record books with 140 threes made and 380 threes attempted. His 3.68 threes per game led the nation and the 140 threes was good enough for No. 9 all-time in NCAA history.
This season he has hit 18 winners and broke the career three-pointers made record set by Steve Nash ( 1992-96 when he made 263) vs. Oklahoma on Nov. 25. As a junior, he is already No. 6 on the WCC career list and needs 10 to hit the top 5 and 99 to break the WCC career record held by Jeff Fryer of LMU (363, 1987-90).
He is climbing up the Bronco career scoring list as well. At No. 10 with 1,460, he needs 276 to catch school record holder Kurt Rambis (1,736, 1976-80).
Foster's met Rambis on a number of occasions. His daughter Ali is a sophomore on the SCU volleyball team and Rambis had his jersey retired Foster's freshman year during the Cable Car Classic.
In Dallas last March for its CIT game at SMU, the team and coaches stopped by the Timberwolves hotel, in town to play the Mavs that night, to say hello to former Bronco and then-NBA head coach Kurt Rambis. Rambis greeted each player and staff member with a big handshake and a smile. When Coach Keating introduced him to Foster, Foster smiled when Coach Keating said he was chasing his points scored career mark and Rambis remarked with a smile, "I hope you get it."
Perfect at Home
Santa Clara has played well at the Leavey Center so far this season, scoring 80+ in its two wins. With three Bronco players knocking down four threes or more, Santa Clara defeated UC Merced 80-48 in its season opener on Fri., Nov. 11.
The 14 threes made by the Broncos vs. UC Merced were the most since the Broncos made 15 vs. Gonzaga on March 5, 2001 and tied for the second-best mark in school history (14 vs. Pepperdine, Feb. 14, 2004). It was a Leavey Center record as well, topping the 13 the Broncos made vs. Gonzaga twice (vs. Feb. 24, 2000 and vs. Jan. 6, 2005).
Kevin Foster led the charge with five threes for 17 points and six assists as well. Foster led the country with 140 threes last season. Evan Roquemore and Brandon Clark chipped in four threes each. Clark was a perfect 4 of 4 beyond the arc in his rookie debut.
Eight days later, behind the 19 points and 10 rebounds of sophomore John McArthur, his first career double-double, Santa Clara defeated San Jose State 84-58 on Nov. 19. The Broncos are winners of eight of the last 10 vs. the Spartans. McArthur was a perfect 11 of 11 from the free throw line and Coach Keating is 17-1 when Santa Clara scores 80+.
Santa Clara leads the series against SJSU 73-29. Since 1980, Santa Clara has played San Jose State 30 times and Santa Clara has won 20 of those meetings. The win was the first time in six meetings the home team won.
Will This Denzel Win An Oscar Too?
Denzel Johnson, like Denzel Washington, was supposed to be a girl. Well, at least that's what both sets of parents thought throughout the pregnancy so they never picked a boys name. So when the Johnson parents, CJ and Denise, had a son they were stuck. After some discussion in the hospital, they named their baby after the actor. A few years later CJ met Denzel Washington and he told him the story. Washington laughed and said his parents had the same problem (no boys name picked) so they named the actor after the doctor who brought him into the world.
Johnson's older brother Brandon is a senior point guard (5-11, 190) at Kentucky Weselyan where he is averaging 10 ppg and 7 apg. The team is 1-0 after playing early season exhibitions at South Carolina (lost 69-59) and Pittsburgh (lost 76-67). Last season he played in 24 games with five starts and averaged 3.1 ppg and 1.8 rpg in 15.5 mpg.
Athletics is in the Johnson family blood. Johnson's uncle Gary Payton played basketball at Oregon State and in the NBA with the Supersonics, Lakers and Heat. His cousin Travis Davis played football at Notre Dame and in the NFL for the Jaguars and Steelers
Oh Canada!
The Santa Clara men's basketball team travelled to Vancouver, British Columbia Sept. 6-10, 2011 for its foreign tour. During its time in Vancouver, the team played four games vs. Canadian universities and posted a 2-2 record with three overtime games.
The team also did a lot of sightseeing: hiking up Grouse Mountain and also ziplining at the famous ski resort, broke into mini-teams to compete in the "Amazing Race - Bronco Style", walked across the Capilano Suspension Bridge and ate dinner at Marc Trasolini's home.
Home Sweet Home on ESPN Network and 45th Annual Cable Car Classic
Santa Clara will play at least eight games televised on the ESPN network during the regular season, with five ESPN games during West Coast Conference play. Its ESPN games in the WCC include: at BYU (ESPNU, Jan. 14), vs. Portland (Feb. 2, ESPNU), at USF (Feb. 9, ESPNU), vs. Gonzaga (Feb. 16, ESPN2) and vs. BYU (Feb. 18, ESPNU).
In addition to five league games on ESPNU/ESPN2, Santa Clara won its opening round game of the 76 Classic on ESPNU. Santa Clara will play Oklahoma Fri., Nov. 25 on ESPN2 and then its final game in the tournament will be vs. Villanova on ESPNU.
Santa Clara will also host the 45th annual Cable Car Classic - the longest-running annual university tournament in the country on Thur., Dec. 29 and Fri, Dec. 30. This year's tournament will feature the Broncos, Eastern Michigan, Air Force and Wagner. Historically, 31 times in its 44 seasons a team from the Cable Car Classic has advanced to the NCAA Tournament later in the season.
Microwave Cooks Hot
In Santa Clara's 88-75 win over Air Force on March 18, 2010, Kevin Foster broke the school record with nine threes, tying a career-high with 36 points. He also had a career-high 36 in Santa Clara's 85-71 win over Gonzaga on Jan. 20, 2011. Foster shattered the WCC single season threes made record with 140 last season and grabbed the country's top spot in threes made per game as well with 3.68.
His 768 points last season are No. 6 on the WCC's single season points scored list as he finished as the leading scorer in a single season in the Bay Area as well. He broke the school's single season mark for points scored, minutes played, threes made and threes attempted. Foster was named first-team All-WCC and was named the WCC Player of the Month for February and March.
Foster was nicknamed 'Microwave' by his father during his youth after the Detroit Piston's Vinnie Johnson. Johnson earned the nickname 'the Microwave' from Celtics guard Danny Ainge for his ability to score many points in a short period of time, heating up the offense. Foster has scored 15+ points in 54 of 82 career games and he has scored 19+ in 37 career games. Foster's 19+ games follow:
Opponent/Date Pts. (3s)
1. vs. Arizona/Nov. 25, 2008 21 (5)
2. vs. Belmont/Dec. 29, 2008 24 (3)
3. at Harvard/Jan. 2, 2009 20 (4)
4. at Saint Mary's/Jan. 9, 2009 31 (5)
5. at Portland/Jan. 17, 2009 20 (3)
6. vs. LMU/Jan. 29, 2009 20 (3)
7. vs. Saint Mary's/Feb. 7, 2009 26 (4)
8. at LMU/Feb. 14, 2009 26 (5)
9. at USF/Feb. 21, 2009 20 (2)
10. vs. Gonzaga/Feb. 26, 2009 20 (3)
11. vs. San Diego/March 7, 2009 21 (4)
12. at CSUB/Nov. 13, 2009 21 (3)
13. vs. Menlo/Nov. 19, 2009 19 (4)
14. at Pacific/Nov. 22, 2009 22 (5)
15. vs. Fresno State/Nov. 28, 2009 25 (5)
16. vs. CSU Bakersfield/Nov. 12, 2010 19 (4)
17. at So. California/Nov. 15, 2010 26 (4)
18. vs. Bethune-Cookman/Nov. 21, 2010 21 (6)
19. vs. N. Colorado/Nov. 23, 2010 19 (4)
20. vs. UC Santa Barbara/Dec. 4, 2010 25 (6)
21. at San Jose State/Dec. 10, 2010 26 (3)
22. vs. Washington St./Dec. 19, 2010 29 (4)
23. at CSU Northridge/Dec. 22, 2010 22 (2)
24. vs. Bethany/Jan. 3, 2011 19 (6)
25. vs. USF/Jan. 8, 2011 26 (8)
26. vs. Gonzaga/Jan. 20, 2011 36 (6)
27. vs. Portland/Jan. 22, 2011 19 (3)
28. vs. LMU/Jan. 29, 2011 28 (3)
29.vs. St. Mary's/Feb. 10, 2011 25 (4)
30. vs. San Diego/Feb. 12, 2011 21 (3)
31. at Gonzaga/Feb. 17, 2011 27 (8)
32. at Portland/Feb. 19, 2011 29 (7)
33. vs. Air Force/March 18, 2011 36 (9)
34. at USF/March 22, 2011 27 (3)
35. at SMU (March 25, 2011 35 (5)
36. vs. New Mexico (Nov. 24, 2011) 26 (5)
37. vs. Oklahoma (Nov. 25, 2011) 19 (3)
Dandy Duo Will Play Again Next Year As Seniors
With senior Marc Trasolini sidelined for the season with a torn ACL suffered on Santa Clara's foreign tour to his hometown in Vancouver, he will return for his red-shirt senior year in 2012-13. Last season Trasolini and Kevin Foster combined for a number of firsts. Foster was the first WCC sophomore ever and the 28th player in school history to score 1,000 career points on Jan. 20. Trasolini was the 29th player to score 1,000 career points on Feb. 26. Foster is currently at No. 14 with 1,378 career points and Trasolini is at No. 24 with 1,096 points. Foster and Trasolini were the first duo to both hit 1,000 career points in the same year since then-seniors Jens Gordon and Mitch Burley did it in 1988-89. Gordon scored 522 points to finish his career with 1,356 and Burley scored 377 to finish with 1,258 career points.
Last season the Foster (766) - Trasolini (472) duo combined for 1,238 points as the No. 1 SCU Single Season Scoring Duo. They were just the seventh pair to hit 1,000 points in a season. Foster was in the top five already, scoring 486 points his freshman year with WCC Player of the Year John Bryant scoring 596 (No. 4 with 1,082 points).
How 'Bout Them Apples?
Santa Clara was 24-14 in 2010-11, winning the CollegeInsider.com Tournament by winning its final three games on the road (at USF, at SMU, at Iona). The 24 wins were second best in school history with the 1968-69 team winning 27 games.
Santa Clara scored a school record 2,810 points in 2010-11, setting eight school records all told. They made a school record 273 threes and attempted 777. The previous records were 224 in 2003-04 and 662 attempts in 2003-04.
Santa Clara made a school record 719 free throws and attempted 990. The school records were 606 made in 1968-69 and 858 attempted in 1968-69.
The Broncos broke the school record with 275 steals. The school record was 232 in 2009-10. Other school records included 2,112 field goal attempts (topped 1,974 in 1969-70) and 787 personal fouls (topped 695 from 1986-87).