WCC Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2018-19

Santa Clara knew what they were getting two years ago when they hired Head Coach Herb Sendek. Sendek has had intermittent success at the high-major level, coaching NC State and Arizona State to NCAA Tournaments. However, the Santa Clara Broncos, which had one of the more proven backcourts in the WCC, failed to gain any traction and finished in 7th.

This season does not look any better, with the Broncos losing four seniors, including second-leading scorer and top rebounder Henry Caruso.

To replace Caruso, Sendek will rely on freshmen Trey Wertz and Keshawn Justice, while 6’7” Cal Poly transfer Josh Martin could provide some length at the wing if needed. Southeast Missouri State transfer Tahj Eaddy will also be a valuable guard, who can come off the bench to help facilitate the offense.

The Broncos do have some key pieces returning as well, which could help them steal a couple of games over some of the younger rosters in the WCC.

KJ Feagin may be one of the best guards in the conference, who will be overlooked due to Santa Clara’s relatively poor performance last season. Alongside Feagin, Matt Hauser will look to play a full season after a foot injury sidelined him last year.

In the front court, the Broncos will feature Josip Vrankic, who had a surprisingly strong season last year despite his team’s struggles. Vrankic will be joined by Martin, Henrik Jaderston, Cal State Bakersfield transfer Fallou Ndoye, and a handful of freshmen.

With the relative lack of depth in the frontcourt, Santa Clara will most likely fall toward the bottom of the WCC for the second year in a row. However, if Feagin and Vrankic get more help from their teammates, the Broncos could find themselves competing in the middle of the conference.