Santa Clara Basketball: Broncos’ backcourt could be the best in the WCC
By Connor Hope
Santa Clara basketball is not the most highly talked about WCC team, but they just might have the most talented group of guards in the conference.
When people talk about the WCC, they tend to focus on the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Saint Mary’s Gaels, and BYU Cougars. However, what if one of the best units in the conference came from a team outside of this group?
That may be the case for the excellent backcourt of Santa Clara. Despite being overshadowed by the outstanding guards of Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s last year, and losing star Jared Brownridge, the Broncos’ backcourt may be the best heading into next season.
The leader of the Santa Clara backcourt is junior shooting guard K.J. Feagin. No longer the second option behind Brownridge, Feagin should improve even further on his impressive numbers from last season. He averaged 14.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.0 steals last season, despite missing time due to injury. If Feagin can remain healthy, it would not be surprising to see him lead the WCC in scoring and compete for conference Player of the Year honors.
Returning to the Broncos’ backcourt with Feagin are Matt Hauser and Kai Healy.
Hauser, a returning starter, was one of the best distributors in the WCC a season ago. He finished conference play with the third most assists per game, and his 3.4 assist-to-turnover ratio during conference play is the highest of any returning player, by a large margin.
Healy, a senior, will provide talent off the bench that some of the other teams in the WCC lack. Even though Healy’s 4.2 points per game last year seems low, he shot the ball with solid efficiency. During Feagin’s absence, Healy also displayed his ability to be a serviceable starter.
Along with the three returning players, coach Herb Sendek solidified the Broncos’ backcourt with the signing of grad transfer Henry Caruso. While Caruso spent most of last season out with an injury, the guard averaged 15.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals as a junior at Princeton.
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What makes this unit a contender for best backcourt in the WCC is the willingness to share the ball and have every player to score. The Broncos could legitimately have two guards with five or more assists per game, and most of their offense will come from this group. While the Zags and Gaels deserve most of the attention in the WCC, it would not be a surprise if the Broncos’ guards create excitement of their own.