Santa Clara Game Notes

Coach Kerns Keys To the Game

Santa Clara (12-5, 1-2) returns to the Leavey Center for an early season West Coast Conference showdown with BYU (13-4, 3-0) on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 1:30 pm.  It will be televised regionally as the WCC Game of the Week on Time Warner Cable with Barry Tompkins and Brad Holland making the call.  It can be heard on KLIV 1590 AM with the broadcast beginning at 1:30 pm Pacific. Anthony Passarelli is in his sixth season as the Broncos' play-by-play announcer.

Coming off a disappointing 84-80 loss at LMU on Thursday, SCU saw its conference road losing skid reach 12 games. Evan Roquemore scored 21 points with seven assists and Brandon Clark added a season-high 17 points. Both players were 4-of-5 on 3-point attempts. Raymond Cowels III collected his first career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.  SCU committed a season-high 20 turnovers and let a 9-point halftime lead slip away, losing for just the second time this season when leading at the intermission (10-2).

After competing against the WCC's second leading scorer in Anthony Ireland, who netted 29 in LMU's win, the Broncos now face the league's scoring leader in BYU's Tyler Haws. Haws scored 24 points to lead the Cougars past Pepperdine in a 76-51 victory at home on Jan. 10.  He has scored 20 or more in a game 11 times this season. He leads the WCC with 21.1 ppg.

Broncos

Following their brief road trip to Los Angeles, the Broncos return home where they are 9-3 this season and 54-38 (.587) all-time under head coach Kerry Keating. They will be looking for their first home win over BYU since defeating the Cougars on consecutive nights (Dec. 8 & 9) in 1961, over 51 years ago. The teams have played only six games in Santa Clara since then.

With a 12-5 overall record the Broncos are enjoying their finest start to a season since 1997-98 and they won 11 games earlier on the calendar than any team in school history. SCU posted its 11th win of the season with a 69-45 victory over Wagner in the title game of the 46th annual Cable Car Classic on Dec. 22. The 1977-78 and 1961-62 teams won their 11th game on Dec. 30.

The Broncos are led by a trio of scorers in double figures this year with 1,000 plus career points each.  Kevin Foster (19.2 ppg, 2,017 career points), Marc Trasolini (15.4 ppg, 1,374) and Evan Roquemore (14.1 ppg, 1,101) are the only active trio in the country on the same team with 1,000 career points or more. Foster is No. 2 in active career points scored behind Lehigh's C.J. McCollum (2,361).

After turning the ball over just 15 times combined in their previous two games, the Broncos committed a season-high 20 turnovers leading to 23 points in their 84-80 loss at LMU on Jan. 10. They still top the WCC in fewest turnovers with 11.6 per game and turnover margin at +4.76. SCU has produced five single-digit turnover games this season and have had fewer than 15 in a game 15 times. They have also forced opponents into committing 15 or more turnovers in a game 10 times this season.

Cougars

Santa Clara is 5-17 vs. BYU all-time and has lost six straight games to the Cougars. The Broncos' last series win came on Dec. 2, 1972 when they defeated the No. 15 Cougars, 66-64, in Provo.  BYU also owns a 6-2 record in games played in Santa Clara winning six straight contests. The Broncos haven't beaten BYU on its home court in over 50 years. They posted wins on consecutive days in the first two meetings in Santa Clara, 64-53, on Dec. 8, 1961 and the next day with a 71-55 victory. BYU, who joined the WCC last season, won both games last year by a combined 32 points shooting 57.7% (64-of-111) from the field.

Two of Niyi Harrison's three highest scoring games have come against BYU. He scored 19 points, the second-most of his career vs. BYU (2/18/12) and had 18 at BYU (1/14/12) … Kevin Foster scored 22 points making 4 of 9 3-point shots in his only game against BYU (1/14/12) … Raymond Cowels III scored 14 points in each of the two games against BYU last season … Brandon Clark scored a career-high 19 points on a career-best 7 field goals vs. BYU (2/18/12) … Marc Trasolini has scored against 56 different teams during his career, but will be facing BYU for the first time.

1,000 and Counting 

There have been 30 players in the history of Santa Clara basketball to score 1,000 career points and three of them are on the current roster. In fact this season SCU is the only Division I school with three 1,000 point scorers on its roster. Kevin Foster (2,017) became SCU's all-time scoring leader, surpassing 1980 West Coast Conference Player of the Year and former NBA star Kurt Rambis, in a win at St. Louis on Nov. 14 and became the seventh player in WCC history to score 2,000 career points when he netted 29 against Gonzaga on Jan. 5.  He moved to No. 5 all-time on the WCC career points scored list when he notched 11 at LMU on Jan. 10 and he enters the BYU game with 2,017.

Marc Trasolini scored his 1,300th career point in a win over Alcorn St. on Dec. 21 and moved ahead of Jens Gordon (1,356) into 16th on the school's list with 1,374. Trasolini is 26 points away from becoming the 13th player in school history with 1,400 career points.

Evan Roquemore joined the 1,000-point club this season, reaching the plateau in a win at Pacific on Dec. 15. He scored his 1,100th career point at LMU on Jan. 10, becoming just the 25th player in school history score that many.

Raymond Cowels III has played in all but one game during his four-year career and has started 47 straight times since the beginning of the 2011-12 season. RC3 is fourth on the team in scoring with a 9.2 ppg average and needs 110 points to become the fourth member of the current roster to score 1,000 career points. Cowels III scored a season-high 15 points with a career-best 11 rebounds at LMU on Jan. 10 for his first double-double game as a Bronco.

One Of A Few

A 2013 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award nominee, Evan Roquemore is the Santa Clara's floor leader in  minutes played (549) and he is averaging 32.3 mpg. He scored 21 points at LMU on Jan. 10, his fourth 20-point game of the season and 11th career, reaching 1,101 for his career.  He added six assists, including his 400th career. Roquemore joined Brian Jones, Steve Nash and Kyle Bailey as the only Broncos to record over 1,100 points and 400 assists in a career. He produced his first double-double game of the season, and third career, with 16 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in the Cable Car Classic title game win over Wagner on Dec. 22.

Roquemore has 107 assists for the season and ranks in the top 20 nationally with 6.3 a game. He is also on pace to break John Woolery's 1993-94 single season school record of 190 and has a chance to become the fourth Bronco with 500 career assists, all by the end of his junior season.  Roquemore, who currently has 404 career assists, ranks 8th on the school's all-time list. He needs 18 assists to tie Woolery for 7th place.

Bay Area Scorers

Leading scorer Kevin Foster scored 11 points at LMU on Jan. 10 to crack the West Coast Conference's top 5 in career points. Foster climbed over LMU's Bo Kimble (1987-90 - 2,010) and Gonzaga's Jim McPhee (1986-90 - 2,015) into the fifth spot with 2,017 career points.  He needs 44 points to move up to the No. 4 spot (Forrest McKenzie, LMU, 1981-86, 2,060 points).

Foster has reached double figures 15 times in 17 games this year, has topped the 20-point mark nine times, and scored at least 30 in a game twice to lead the Broncos in scoring, place third in the WCC and 24th nationally at 19.2 ppg. 

Foster became the 7th player in West Coast Conference history to score 2,000 career points, reaching that mark on a runner in the lane early in the second half of SCU's loss to Gonzaga on Jan. 5. He scored his 1,900th career point on a 3-point basket at Pacific on Dec. 15 and also scored career point No. 1,800 on a three-pointer against Utah State on Nov. 28, converting his second 4-point play of the season after being fouled on the shot.

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 has a shot at the No. 2 overall spot, currently held by LMU's Terrell Lowery (2,201).

Against No. 10 Gonzaga, he became the fourth player in Bay Area Division I history (includes Cal, Stanford, Santa Clara, Saint Mary's, USF and San Jose State), and the first in 21 years, to score 2,000 career points, joining Stanford's Todd Lichti (2,336) and Adam Keefe (2,319) and USF's Bill Cartwright (2,116).

Rank/Name School Years Total points

1. Todd Lichti Stanford 1986-89 2,336 

2. Adam Keefe Stanford 1989-92 2,319

3. Bill Cartwright USF 1976-79 2,116

4. Kevin Foster Santa Clara 2008-13 2,017

 In SCU's 88-75 win over Air Force on March 18, 2011, 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, leading the country, and grabbed the nation's top spot in threes made per game as well with 3.68.  His 768 points that year 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.  He was named first-team All-WCC and was named the WCC Player of the Month in 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 73 of 112 career games and he has scored 19+ in 52 career games. 

Points

One of the highest scoring teams in the country in terms of total points, the Broncos put up their highest total since Dec 1 in their 84-80 loss at LMU on Jan. 10. Santa Clara has scored 70 or more points in a game 16 times this season, failing to reach that mark just once when they fell a point shy in their 69-45 win over Wagner on Dec. 22, and have reached the 80-point mark five times. The Broncos reached the 70-point mark 15 times last season and scored 80 points just three times. Under head coach Kerry Keating, the Broncos are 26-3 when scoring 80+ points, with two of the defeats coming in overtime. SCU lost to Gonzaga, 87-82, on Feb. 2, 2008 and fell to UC Santa Barbara, 83-80, on Dec. 1, 2012.

All Tied Up

After becoming the third player in West Coast conference history to make over 300 3-point shots in a career, Kevin Foster has to put one more in from beyond the arc to own the record. LMU's Jeff Fryer, who sank 363 threes from 1987-1990, now sits tied with Foster as the league's all-time top three point shooter. Foster made two 3-point baskets against Gonzaga on Jan. 5 and has made at least one 3-point basket in 105 of his 112 career games played and has made five or more 3s in a game 26 times.  Foster needs three more threes to jump into the Top 25 NCAA Division I all-time threes made list.

Foster also launched 12 3-point attempts against Gonzaga and then 15 at LMU. It was the eighth time this season and 52nd time in his career, he's attempted 10 or more 3s in a game. Already the WCC's all-time leader in 3-point attempts with 1,009, Foster is No. 8 in NCAA Division I history in career 3-point attempts.

(Since 1998-99 – sports-reference.com)

Rk Player 3PA From To Last School

1. Keydren Clark 1192 2003 2006 Saint Peter's

2. David Holston 1147 2006 2009 Chicago State

3. Joe Zeglinski 1140 2007 2011 Hartford

4. Gerry McNamara 1131 2003 2006 Syracuse

5. J.J. Redick 1126 2003 2006 Duke

6. Michael Watson 1098 2001 2004 Missouri-Kansas City

7. Chris Lofton 1021 2005 2008 Tennessee

8. Kevin Foster 1,009 2009 2013 Santa Clara

Jack Leasure 1009 2005 2008 Coastal Carolina

10. Stephen Curry 1004 2007 2009 Davidson

OT

Two of Santa Clara's five defeats this season have come in overtime after the Broncos held a lead late in each game and they are just 2.4 seconds away from being 14-2. During their two OT losses, which came in consecutive games, SCU allowed a late 3-point basket in each and lost both in the extra session. 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. The Gauchos would prevail 83-80.

Starting With 

Seniors Marc Trasolini (88), Raymond Cowels III (68) and Kevin Foster (104) have started all 17 games for the Broncos this season and have combined for 260 starts in their Santa Clara careers. Evan Roquemore has started 16 of 17 games this season and has 71 career starts under his belt.  The remaining nine players on the roster have a total of 111 career starts with Niyi Harrison leading the group with 44. Foster became the sixth Bronco to start 100 career games when SCU defeated Wagner in the championship of the Cable Car Classic on Dec. 22 and is just 12 starts shy of equaling the school record held by Brian Jones.

 Blocks

With each blocking 31 shots each, Marc Trasolini and Robert Garrett lead the Bronco team in the WCC standings with 5.2 blocks per game. Both average 1.82 bpg to lead the WCC.  Trasolini has multiple blocks in 10 games this season recording a season-high 3 blocks seven times. Garrett had his streak of games with 2 or more come to an end at five against Gonzaga on Jan. 5, but he blocked four shots at LMU to start a new streak. Trasolini currently ranks third at SCU in career blocks with 153 and needs six to tie Nick Vanos (1981-85) for second place on the school's career list.

A Few Days Ago

On the nation's biggest stage, in one of the toughest venues in the country, Santa Clara hung around late in the second half at No. 1 Duke, but saw the Broncos six-game win streak come to an end, 90-77. SCU remains winless against top-ranked teams falling to 0-12 all-time. Kevin Foster led SCU with 29 points, scoring 18 in the first half. His dunk on a backdoor play off a nifty assist from Evan Roquemore gave SCU a 45-41 lead 3:31 into the second half, but Duke essentially put the game away with a 26-5 run over the next 7:59 to take its largest lead, 67-50, with 8:30 to play. Foster's fifth 3-pointer of the game closed the gap to nine, 84-75, with 2:05 left, but a pair of free throws each from Seth Curry and Mason Plumlee and a basket by Quinn Cook upped Duke's advantage to 15. A late reverse layup by Evan Roquemore would close out the scoring. SCU scored the game's first five points and held the lead until the 14:40 mark of the first when a pair of free throws from Cook gave Duke its first lead at 13-12. After falling behind by 11, the Broncos used a 16-4 run over a four minute stretch to take a 30-29 lead with 4:53 remaining. The lead changed hands a few times before the end of the half with a late basket by Marc Trasolini bringing SCU within two, 38-36, at the break.

Traz: Dec. 24 WCC POW, Senior CLASS Nominee

Inspired by some very special children he met earlier in the week, Marc Trasolini had a monster performance to help the Broncos win the 46th annual Cable Car Classic.  Trasolini's performance earned him both Cable Car Classic MVP honors and West Coast Conference Player of the Week on Dec. 24.  Trasolini was also named the Lou Henson Award National Player of the Week honors by CollegeInsider.com.

Trasolini averaged 23.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in leading the Broncos to a 3-0 week.  Trasolini connected on 68.4% of his field goal attempts – including 4-of-6 from beyond the three-point arc – and hit 75% of his free throw attempts, while blocking three shots per game.  His 24 blocked shots lead the WCC. 

After posting 24 points with seven boards in the Broncos 72-64 victory over Cal Poly Dec. 17, Trasolini teamed up with four of his teammates to visit Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford on Dec. 18.  The Broncos, which included Trasolini, Robert Garrett, John McArthur, Raymond Cowels III and Denzel Johnson, visited with children with cancer at the hospital in the afternoon. They played games, did crafts, signed autographs, passed out t-shirts and chatted with the children.

Trasolini walked away from the hospital feeling humbled. He said he felt blessed for the opportunities he has been given as a college basketball player and felt like he shouldn't take anything for granted.  "There was the cutest little six-year-old girl who couldn't walk because of her cancer.  She was so sweet.  These children with cancer don't have what we have – it goes to show you how lucky we are and that was quite an experience for me," said Trasolini later in the week.  "Cancer is a hard enough thing to go through as an adult.  It is terrible it has to happen to these kids – they did nothing wrong. They don't deserve it."

Trasolini added that after visiting with the kids he felt like he had to make the most of his own opportunities with his team.  "We have to take advantage of what we have been given," said Trasolini. "Going out in the community and helping children – it's important we do things like that."

Trasolini is a regular at community service events and was named as one of the 30 nominees for the Senior CLASS Award.  Kerry Keating had this to say about Trasolini in the community.  "On our annual trip to the Great America park to spend the day with Courageous Kids (kids with cancer) Marc has been front and center each year.  At 6-9 240, he is easily visible, but the kids feel his heart when he spends time with them because he is a good person, not because he is a basketball player and tall. Marc has been a fixture at our annual summer camp and relishes his role as teacher and role model, and has developed a comfort in being easily noticeable but has more so developed strength in being a role model and good citizen."

On the court Dec. 21 and 22 at the 46th Annual Cable Car Classic, Trasolini made the most of his time. Trasolini recorded his second double-double of the season with a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds in a first-round Cable Car Classic win over Alcorn St. on Dec. 21. It was also the second double-double in three games.  He hit three threes in the 69-45 Dec. 22 victory over Wagner, scoring 23 points with five rebounds and five more blocks.

Trasolini will begin his fourth quarter of work on his MBA in Santa Clara's Leavey School of Business and carries a 3.56 in his MBA work. 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.  

Trasolini earned CBE Hall of Fame Tournament MVP honors in November 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.