Broncos Host 46th Annual Cable Car Classic Dec 21-22

Broncos Host 46th Annual Cable Car Classic Dec 21-22

Assistant Coach Jesse Pruitt's Keys to the Game for Alcorn State

Santa Clara Game Notes

Release on West Coast Conference TV games

Santa Clara (9-2) will host the 46th Annual Cable Car Classic on Fri., Dec. 21 – Sat., Dec. 22. Last year's champion, Wagner, is back to defend its title and will square off against SMU at 6 pm on Friday. Immediately following, Santa Clara will face Alcorn State at 8:15 pm.  With four straight wins the Broncos improved to 9-2 in 2012-13, their best 11-game start to a season under head coach Kerry Keating, and their best start since posting the same record through 11 games in 1988-89. With their 75-71 win at Pacific on Dec. 15, the Broncos have also won three consecutive true road games at the start of a season for the first time since the 1993-94 season.     

Listen Up

The Alcorn State game on Friday will be broadcast live on the web at www.SantaClaraBroncos.com and also broadcast live on KDOW 1220 AM with the broadcast beginning at 8 p.m. Pacific. Anthony Passarelli is in his sixth season as the Broncos' play-by-play announcer. 

46th Annual Cable Car Classic

The 46th Annual Cable Car Classic is the longest-running holiday tournament in country with at least one team advancing to the NCAA Tournament 31 of its 45 years.  Ten years it has featured multiple teams who would later advance in the post-season.  The 1995 Cable Car Classic proved to be one of the strongest fields with all four teams advancing to the 1996 NCAA Tournament in March.  Penn State won the Cable Car Classic with Georgia Tech, Santa Clara and Bradley also making the post-season. Georgia Tech won the ACC that year as well.  Santa Clara is 52-38 overall and has won 15 titles.

Winning its last Cable Car Classic title in 2008, Santa Clara defeated UTEP 89-88 with a thrilling overtime victory over the Miners on Dec. 30, 2008 as All-American John Bryant scored MVP honors.  Wagner won the 2011 Cable Car Classic with a  with a 78-48 win over the Broncos. 

In the Bronco history books, Santa Clara is playing Alcorn State for the second time.  The two teams faced each other Dec. 9, 1988 in their only meeting.  Santa Clara won 73-47 in Bloomington, Ind.  Wagner defeated Santa Clara 64-62 in the 45th annual Cable Car Classic final on Dec. 30, 2011 in the two teams only meeting.  Santa Clara leads the series 2-1 vs. SMU.  Santa Clara defeated SMU 72-55 in Dallas in the team's last meeting on March 25, 2011. Kevin Foster scored 35 points in the victory. Foster was 5 of 13 from the three and an impressive 8 of 10 from inside with a career-high 23 attempts (13 of 23).  

About the Field

Alcorn St. Braves (2-9 / Southwestern Athletic Conference) – Alcorn St. has struggled this season winning just twice in 11 games. The Braves lost, 74-58, to Detroit in their final game prior to the Cable Car Classic (Dec. 19), their fifth consecutive loss. This will be the second trip to Northern California in five weeks for the school located in Alcorn State, Mississippi. The Braves lost at Stanford, 69-51, on Nov. 15. Sophomore LeAntwan Luckett leads three players averaging double figures in scoring with 12.6 per game. SCU earned a 73-47 win over Alcorn St. on Dec. 9, 1988 at the Indiana Classic in the only meeting between the schools

SMU Mustangs (8-3 / Conference USA) – The Mustangs are led by first-year coach Larry Brown, the only head coach to win both an NCAA title (Kansas 1988) and an NBA Championship (Detroit 2004). Brown has also been a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame for over a decade (enshrined Sep. 27, 2002). Brown began his head coaching career with the Carolina Cougars in the old American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1972 and is now in his 38th season as a head coach. The Mustangs have used the same starting lineup for all 11 games with all five players (Ryan Manuel, Shawn Williams, Nick Russell, Jalen Jones, Cannen Cunningham) averaging over 30 minutes a game with Jones (15.0), Russell (14.2) and Manuel (12.6) averaging double-figures in scoring. SCU and SMU last played on March 25, 2011 in Dallas in the semifinals of the CollegeInsider.com tournament with the Broncos posting a 72-55 win behind 35 points from Kevin Foster. Prior to that meeting, the schools played a home-and-home series in 1987 and 1988 with each winning on its own court.

Wagner Seahawks (4-4 / Northeast Conference) – The Seahawks are the defending Cable Car Classic champions having defeated Santa Clara, 64-62, in last year's title game. Richmond native Jonathon Williams leads the Seahawks with a 17.5 ppg average and shoots nearly 56% from the field. Williams tallied career-bests of 33 points and 17 rebounds in a 77-65 OT win over Coppin St. on Dec. 15, Wagner's last game before the Classic, to earn Northeast Conference Player of the Week. The Seahawks are trying to become the first repeat Cable Car Classic champion since Santa Clara in 2001-02 and the first to repeat other than the hosts since USF won back-to-back titles in 1975-76. Last year's Cable Car Classic championship game was the only meeting between SCU and Wagner.

History of

Wagner will attempt to become the first repeat Cable Car Classic champion since Santa Clara in 2001-02 and the first, other than the host, to repeat since USF won back-to-back titles in 1975-76 … Should Santa Clara and SMU play on Saturday, the Broncos will have faced the only two Division I schools nicknamed Mustangs in less than a week. SCU beat the Cal Poly Mustangs, 74-62, on Dec. 17 … SCU's Kevin Foster has started all 11 games this season and with 2 more will become the 6th player in school history with 100 career starts … Wagner's Jonathon Williams was an All-Cable Car Classic team pick last year … SMU and Alcorn St. will both be making their first appearance in the Cable Car Classic … Wagner's Latif Rivers was named MVP of the Classic last year.

About Us

The Broncos have three players averaging double figures including Kevin Foster (20.2), Marc Trasolini (15.0) and Evan Roquemore (14.1).  Santa Clara has scored at least 72 points in every game this season, including 74+ in its first 10 games. The average is bolstered by the team's scoring output in a season opening 106-66 win over Simpson College on Nov. 10. It was the first 100-point game since scoring 101 against Pepperdine on Jan 21, 2008. The Broncos also tallied 89 against Eastern Washington (Nov. 23), 85 against USC Upstate (Nov. 20) and 80 against UCSB (Dec. 1) giving them four 80+ point games for the season. They scored 80 or more points in a game just three times during the 2011-12 season and have not averaged more than 80 points a game for an entire season since 1979-80.

The Broncos are just 2.4 seconds away from being undefeated this season. During their two losses, which came in consecutive games, they allowed a late 3-point basket in each and lost both in overtime. Utah State's Preston Medlin hit a game-tying three with 2.4 seconds left in regulation to send the game into OT and the Aggies handed Santa Clara its first loss of the season, 80-78, on Nov. 28. The Broncos endured a similar fate against UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 1, when Kyle Boswell hit a contested three at the regulation buzzer to tie the game, 71-71. Trailing, 83-80, with 7 seconds left in OT, Kevin Foster was fouled before attempting a potential game-tying shot. Foster missed both free throw attempts and the Broncos dropped their second straight.

Join the Club

Evan Roquemore scored his 1,000th career point with his second made free throw to ice the game at UOP with 2.7 seconds left on Dec. 15, becoming the 30th player in SCU history to reach that level. Roquemore scored 21 points with a career-high tying seven rebounds, eight assists and two steals playing in all but two minutes of the game. It was his third 20-point game of the season and 10th of his career. "He did play a lot of minutes and he responded. Evan is doing a tremendous job of running the offense," said Bronco head coach Kerry Keating.  

Roquemore followed with 16 points and 5 assists, hitting 9-of-10 free throws, in a 72-64 win vs. Cal Poly on Dec. 17. During SCU's current 4-game win streak, Roquemore has scored 57 points with 28 assists and just seven turnovers. He ranks 15th nationally with 6.5 assists per game and has handed out five or more in each of the last 10 games with a season-high 10, one shy of his career-best, against Pacific Union on Dec. 8. Roquemore has 72 assists for the season and is on pace to break John Woolery's 1993-94 single season record of 190 and could also become the fourth Bronco with 500 career assists by the end of his junior season.  Roquemore, who currently has 369 career assists, ranks 8th on the school's career list.

Traz

Marc Trasolini recorded his 7th career double-double and the first by a Bronco this season with 13 points and 12 rebounds in the team's 75-71 win at Pacific on Dec. 15. It was the first double-double game by a SCU player since Niyi Harrison scored 13 points with 13 rebounds against Eastern Michigan on Dec. 29, 2011, and the first for Trasolini since scoring 12 points with 14 rebounds vs. Northern Arizona on Mar. 15, 2011.

Trasolini scored a game-high 24 points vs. Cal Poly on Dec. 17, his third 20-point game of the season and 14th career, cracking the top 20 in career points with 1,277. He passed Frank Sobrero (1,256) and Mitch Burley (1,258) on SCU's all-time list and trails Bud Ogden (1,280) for 18th place.

The senior from Vancouver, BC, is one of three Broncos scoring in double figures and ranks second with a 15.0 ppg average. The scoring average took a dip when he scored just 11 points combined in the Broncos' two losses, but in the other nine games, all wins, Trasolini is averaging 17.1 ppg.

Trasolini also leads the team with 21 blocked shots and tops the WCC with 1.9 per game. He had three blocks against Cal Poly on Dec. 17, the fifth time he's recorded three in a game this season, and currently ranks 3rd at SCU in career blocks with 143. Nick Vanos (1981-85) sits in second place on the school's career list with 159 behind all-time leader John Bryant (2005-09) who recorded 246 during his career.

Big Rob

The Broncos are undefeated since 7-foot sophomore Robert Garrett was inserted into the starting lineup four games ago. In his first start of the season, and second of his career, Garrett pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds against Pacific Union on Dec. 8 while adding nine points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field with 2 blocked shots in a career-high tying 21 minutes. Making consecutive starts for the first time, he scored eight points with four blocks at San Jose State on Dec. 11. In his four games as a starter this season, Garrett is 9-of-13 from the field with 21 points, nine blocks and 17 rebounds while averaging just over 15 minutes of playing time. 

KFos

Kevin Foster has reached double figures in scoring 10 times in 11 games, has topped the 20-point mark six times, and scored at least 30 in a game twice to lead the Broncos in scoring with a 20.2 ppg average. Foster became the 10th player in West Coast Conference history to score 1,900 career points, reaching that mark on a 3-point basket with less than a minute to play in a 75-71 win at Pacific on Dec. 15. He also scored career point No. 1,800 on a three-pointer against Utah State on Nov. 28, and converted his second 4-point play of the season after being fouled on the shot. Not even ranked in the West Coast Conference's top 25 in career points when the season started, Foster is now 10th with 1,913 points, and needs just 10 points to pass LMU's Jeff Fryer for 9th. Foster became SCU's career points leader, overtaking 1980 WCC Player of the Year Kurt Rambis, in a win at St. Louis on Nov. 14. It's unlikely he will catch LMU's Hank Gathers (1987-90) for the WCC's top spot (2,490), but Foster could crack the top five and at his current pace for an entire season take the No. 2 overall spot, currently held by LMU's Terrell Lowery (2,201).

After becoming the third player in West Coast conference history to make over 300 3-point shots in a career, Foster has his sights set on the league's all-time record. Foster sank a pair of 3s vs. Cal Poly on Dec. 17, giving him 346 to move within 17 of the league's all-time leader, LMU's Jeff Fryer, who sank 363 threes from 1987-1990. Foster has made at least one 3-point basket in 100 of his 106 career games played, including every game this season, and has made five or more 3s in a game 24 times. Foster became the WCC's all-time leader in 3-point attempts with his second of nine treys launched vs. Cal Poly. He ended the night with 948 career attempts, surpassing Fryer, who attempted 940 threes, for the league's career lead in that category.

Foster scored a team season-high 31 points in a 75-71 win at Pacific on Dec, 15, the second time this season he's scored 30 or more points in a game and sixth time in his career, tying him with Bud Ogden for the second-most in school history. Foster scored 35 points against SMU, one off his career-best, when the team's played in the semifinals of the CollegeInsider.com postseason tournament on Mar. 25, 2011, going 13-of-23 from the field, including 5-of-13 on 3-point attempts. SCU has won the last five games in which Foster scores 30 or more and is 5-1 in the six games when he reaches that plateau. He scored 30 at St. Louis on Nov. 14 and trails Dennis Awtrey by one for the most games of 30+ points in SCU history. 

Traz: Senior CLASS Nominee

Marc Trasolini earned CBE Hall of Fame Tournament MVP honors after putting on a shooting display. Trasolini shot 61.5% from the field (24 of 39) and averaged 24 ppg in the three games. Against Utah Valley on Nov. 21, Trasolini made 10 of 12 field goals, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range, and converted 7 of 8 free throws for a season-high 29 points. It was his highest point total since netting a career-best 31 against LMU on Feb. 24, 2011. With 25 points against Eastern Washington on Nov. 23, Trasolini became the 22nd Bronco to eclipse the 1,200 point plateau (1,206)

Setting the bar high both on the court as a fifth-year co-captain and off the court academically, graduating Cum Laude last March with a 3.62 grade point average in Finance, Trasolini is one of 30 candidates nationally for the Senior CLASS Award, one of the most prestigious awards in college basketball.

"Looking at the list of 30 candidates, I feel blessed to be included in such a prestigious group of young men," said Trasolini.  "My parents always taught me to be as well-rounded as possible.  This award really captures that idea.  While sitting out last year with an injury was extremely tough for me, there have been many opportunities that have come out of it, whether it's graduate school or getting an additional year of personal and physical maturity at Santa Clara.  I feel like I am in a great position and I am ready to have a terrific final year with my four fellow seniors."

Trasolini also praised Bronco head coach Kerry Keating and his staff for standing by him in the last 14 months.  "I am very grateful to have had the support of Coach Keating throughout the past year," added Trasolini.  "When I was injured last year and throughout my rehab, he really instilled the confidence in me to believe and come back even stronger this season. I am ready to have the best year this school has seen in a long time."

Trasolini will begin his fourth quarter of work on his MBA in Santa Clara's Leavey School of Business. He is returning for his fifth season on the court after sitting out last season after tearing his ACL in Sept., 2011 on the team's foreign tour to Canada.  Trasolini averaged 12.8 ppg, 0.9 bpg and 6.1 rpg in 26.4 mpg during his junior year (2010-11), helping lead the team to the post-season CIT title.  

Microwave Cookin'

After becoming just the third player in West Coast conference history to make over 300 3-point shots in a career, Kevin Foster has his sights set on the league's all-time record. Foster currently has 346 career made 3's, good enough for No. 2 on the WCC all-time list. He needs 18 threes to break the WCC record set by Jeff Fryer from 1987-90.  He topped Steve Nash's school record of 263 threes (1992-96) early last season.  

In Santa Clara's 88-75 win over Air Force on March 18, 2010, 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 in 2010-11 and grabbed the country's top spot in threes made per game as well with 3.68.  His 768 points that season were 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.  He was named the WCC Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com.

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 70 of 106 career games and he has scored 19+ in 50 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)

38. vs. Cal State Northridge (Dec. 3, 2011) 20 (4)

39. vs. Pacific (Dec. 17, 2011) 26 (6)

40. at Houston Baptist (Dec. 21, 2011) 19 (3)

41. vs. Eastern Michigan (Dec. 29, 2011) 25 (6)

42. vs. Wagner (Dec. 30, 2011) 20 (4)

43. at BYU (Jan. 14, 2012) 22 (4)

44. vs. Saint Mary's (Jan. 21, 2012) 22 (5)

45. vs. Simpson (Nov. 10, 2012) 27 (7)

46. at Saint Louis (Nov. 14, 2012) 30 (2)

47. vs. Utah Valley (Nov. 21, 2012) 21 (1)

48. vs. Utah State (Nov. 28, 2012) 27 (5)

49. vs. UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 1, 2012) 28 (4)

50. at Pacific (Dec. 15, 2012) 31 (4)