WATCH | Jared Brownridge Talks Road Trip, Disney World
Santa Clara, 3-4, will play its final game of a six-game road swing just 10 minutes from the Mission campus at San Jose State, 1-7, on Sat, Dec. 6. The SCU-SJSU game will be broadcast live on KDOW 1220 AM and can also be heard on the school's website, SantaClaraBroncos.com, with Anthony Passarelli in his eighth year as the Voice of the Broncos.
Santa Clara defeated Rider 68-60 in its last game on Nov. 30. San Jose State lost at UC Davis 70-56 on Wednesday. It has already played two West Coast Conference teams this season, dropping a 73-68 overtime game vs. Portland and falling 63-44 vs. Pepperdine in the next game.
The Broncos expect to once again be without the services of forwards Yannick Atanga (6-8, 230) and Emmanuel Ndumanya (6-9, 270). Atanga has a torn ACL and may miss the remainder of the season. Ndumanya has a left foot injury that has caused him to miss the past five games.
Cross Town Rivals
Santa Clara withstood a late San Jose State rally and defeated their cross town rivals 89-77 on Nov. 12, 2013 behind a then-career-high 23 points from Brandon Clark. It was SCU's 10th win in the last 12 meeting, including the fifth in the last six games. Jerry Brown added 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his first career double-double while Jared Brownridge scored 15 points and Denzel Johnson added 11. Yannick Atanga hauled down 10 rebounds.
This will be the two team's 105th meeting. SCU leads the series against SJSU 75-29. Since 1980, Santa Clara has played San Jose State 32 times and Santa Clara has won 22 of those meetings. Looking to make it five straight vs. the Spartans, Santa Clara last won five games straight against the Spartans from Dec. 3, 2003 - Dec. 8, 2007.
SCU: Winners of 10 of last 12
SCU 89, SJSU 77 (Nov. 12, 2013)
SCU 75, SJSU 54 (Dec 12, 2012)
SCU 84, SJSU 58 (Nov. 19, 2011)
SCU 67, SJSU 63 (Dec. 10, 2010)
SJSU 74, SCU 68 (Dec. 23 ,2009)
SCU 59, SJSU 56 (Dec. 03, 2008)
SJSU 62, SCU 59 (Jan. 07, 2008)
SCU 73, SJSU 63 (Dec. 08, 2007)
SCU 71, SJSU 53 (Nov. 27, 2006)
SCU 47, SJSU 46 (Nov. 29, 2005)
SCU 73, SJSU 60 (Dec. 01, 2004)
SCU 66, SJCU 64 (Dec. 3, 2003)
Top-Scoring WCC Back-Court
The Broncos return the West Coast Conference's top-scoring back-court, Jared Brownridge (13.4 ppg, 2014-15; 17.2 ppg, 2013-14) and Brandon Clark (18.3 ppg, 2014-15; 16.9 ppg, 2013-14). Brownridge has started each of the 40 career games he has played in. Clark has started 44 of the 108 games he has played in during his four-year career.
For the first time this season Brownridge (27) and Clark (23) scored 20+ points each in Santa Clara's 68-60 win vs. Rider in the final game of the Orlando Classic. Brownridge had a season-high six threes. Scoring 20+ together is nothing new for the duo, as they did it five times last season. The first time was Nov. 16, 2013 when Brownridge scored 21 and Clark added 23. The last time was Jan. 28, 2014 when Brownridge dropped 30 and Clark added 20.
Brownridge and Clark x 20+
Opponent Date JB BC
at Fullerton 11/16/13 23 21
at Portland 12/30/13 20 20
vs. LMU 1/4/14 26 29
at Saint Mary's 1/9/14 20 23
vs. BYU 1/18/14 20 30
vs. Rider 11/30/14 27 23
Brownridge led the team with 95 three pointers a season ago and he has hit 12 in the early going this season. His 567 points last year scored shattered the SCU freshman record and placed him at No. 2 all-time in points scored for a Bay Area freshman (that list includes SCU, Stanford, Cal, Saint Mary's, San Francisco and Pacific). He finished his freshman year with 24 points vs. Gonzaga in the WCC quarterfinals, as the Broncos fell 77-75 on a last second layup by the Zags' David Stockton. It was his 14th game with 20+ points, which put him at No. 3 on SCU's single season list for 20+ points a game.
Clark had his streak of 25 straight games in double figures snapped at Utah State when he scored nine. It dated back to Dec. 13, 2013. It was the longest streak for a Bronco since Travis Niesen scored double figures in 22 straight games (Feb. 5, 2005-Jan. 21, 2006).
Last season Clark collected 13 games of 20+ points. He did not have a single 20+ game his first two years. Clark hit 86.8 percent of his free throws (145-167) and finished No. 14 on the single season points list with 557. He also became the 32nd Bronco in school history to score 1,000 career points.
Santa Clara welcomes back senior starters Denzel Johnson and Yannick Atanga. Johnson is averaging 7.4 ppg this season and Atanga is pulling down 5.5 rpg. Atanga did not play vs. San Diego Christian, but did he did play at Utah State, scoring five points with seven rebounds before he fouled out late in the second half. The SDC game was the first time in his 104 game career that he missed a game. He sat out the Michigan State game and after the game, Bronco head coach Kerry Keating announced he may miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
Shooting
Brandon Clark is No. 25 on the all-time points scored list with 1,169. With 14 points, he will move past Nathan Fast to No. 24 (1,182, 1996-00). He needs 112 points to move to No. 20, passing Ralph Ogden (1,280, 1967-70). Clark is tied for No. 3 all-time in free throw percentage. He has made 305 of his 367 free throws attempted, good for 83.1 percent. The school record is held by Steve Nash (86.1 percent, 1991-96).
Clark was named the WCC Player of the Week on Nov. 17. He set a school record for points scored in a season opener with 31, including 15 of 16 from the line, in the Broncos' win vs. CSU Fullerton on Nov. 14. He had four career bests on the weekend as well. He shot 50 percent from the three point line (4 of 8) and 85 percent from the free throw line (18 of 21). He was 15 of 16 from the free throw line vs. the Titans - marking a career best in makes and attempts. He is the only the seventh Bronco in school history to make 15+ free throws in a game. He scored 21 points vs. San Diego Christian on Nov. 15, collecting a career-high nine assists. He also grabbed a career-best nine rebounds.
Youngsters
The Broncos welcome four true freshmen to their team: forward Matt Hubbard from Colville, Wash., guard Stephen Edwards from Muskogee, Okla., forward Evan Wardlow from Lake View Terrace, Calif., and guard Kai Healy from Sydney, Australia. In addition, the Broncos have two redshirt freshmen, forward Jarvis Pugh from Murphy, Texas and center Emmanuel Ndumanya from Anambra, Nigeria. In the offseason, the team also added forward Dominic Romeo, a graduate student who played a year of football at Notre Dame University. Ndumanya has been out the past five games with a left foot injury and he will not play this weekend.
The Broncos were expecting to redshirt Healy this season, but announced prior to the Michigan State game he would not play and he scored four points with three boards in 19 minutes at Michigan State. He started and scored a key three pointer in the first half in Santa Clara's win vs. Rider on Nov. 30. He has made one field goal in each of the four games he has played. Healy was born in Indianapolis, Ind. and moved to Australia prior to his fourth birthday and has lived there with his family since then. His father is a Notre Dame graduate and his mother a University of Indiana graduate.
Denzel
Denzel Johnson and Academy Award winner Denzel Washington share a similar story on their first names. While pregnant with Johnson, the doctor told his parents he was going to be a girl and were thrown two pink baby showers for a girl. When Johnson was born, they were surprised to find out he was a boy and had no name! After a lot of conversation, they chose the name Denzel, after Denzel Washington.
Fast forward to years later, when Johnson's father, C.J., met Denzel Washington. When Johnson told him why they named his son after Washington, the actor laughed. Washington's parents were also told he was going to be a girl and when he was born, they had no name for him. After debating, his parents named him after the doctor who delivered him.
Like his namesake, Johnson also enjoys his time in front of the camera. Johnson is in his third year of working as an EyeBronco reporter for the SCU Media Relations office. He is in his second year of hosting Bronco Weekly Sports Wrap, a weekly YouTube show on Bronco Athletics (youtube.com/EyeBronco).
Andrew
Senior Andrew Papenfus is recovering from brain surgery in early Oct. Papenfus suffered a seizure in mid-June at Santa Clara during a Bronco Basketball camp drill. Tests revealed he had a golf ball sized tumor in the left side of his brain. He was given the choice to wait to have the surgery and play this season or have the surgery immediately. Because they couldn't guarantee it wouldn't grow, up-regulate, Papenfus decided to have brain surgery as soon as the surgeon could get it on the schedule. "Why take the risk," said Papenfus.
The five hour surgery was done at UCSF in San Francisco by Dr. Mitch Berger and his team. He has shocked doctors with how fast he has been able to recover. He was only in the hospital for four days. Papenfus has already graduated from basic physical therapy (he couldn't move his right foot after surgery) and is working on sports rehabilitation. His hope is that he will be able to play this season and is shooting for a West Coast Conference debut. He travels with the team to help him continue to rehab.
"I have been extremely thankful for all the support I have received from everyone in the Santa Clara community," an upbeat Papenfus said. "I hope to be an inspiration to people that some of the hardest obstacles can be overcome with a positive attitude, strong faith and great community support."
