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Saint Mary’s Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Gaels

By Brayley Crowe

FULLERTON, CA - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Randy Bennett of the St. Mary's Gaels talks to his team during a time out in the game against the Harvard Crimson at the Titan Gym on November 23, 2017 in Fullerton, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
FULLERTON, CA - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Randy Bennett of the St. Mary's Gaels talks to his team during a time out in the game against the Harvard Crimson at the Titan Gym on November 23, 2017 in Fullerton, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 03: Saint Mary’s Gaels guard Tanner Krebs #00 drives against Pepperdine Waves forward Kameron Edwards #20 during a quarterfinal game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 3, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Gaels won 69-66. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 03: Saint Mary’s Gaels guard Tanner Krebs #00 drives against Pepperdine Waves forward Kameron Edwards #20 during a quarterfinal game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 3, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Gaels won 69-66. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Projected Starters

Jordan Ford

With the loss of the Gaels’ two highest scorers in Landale and Hermanson, Ford will be one of Bennett’s go-to leaders for 2018-19. The 6’1″ junior guard averaged 11.1 ppg, the highest of all returning players. Ford’s comfortability in getting the ball to the basket, plus the fact that he started in all 36 games Saint Mary’s played last season, should mean he will have little trouble sliding into the role as the team’s main ball-handler. Likewise, his 0.9 turnover per game average last season indicates Ford will be an easy choice in the one position.

Ford is a solid shooter from the field, making 44.8% of his 3-point attempts and 50.8% of his shots overall in 2017-18. Perhaps the biggest place Ford can improve his game is his passing abilities; the junior averaged only 1.6 apg. With his increased leadership, the point guard should be able to develop his passing game to a higher level.

Tanner Krebs

While Krebs was not a pivotal part of the Gaels’ squad last season, his contributions on the court should increase significantly this season. Along with the losses of Landale and Hermanson, one of Bennett’s toughest tasks will be replacing Naar, who almost averaged a double-double last season between points and assists, and will look to Krebs to fulfill this task. In his second season in a Saint Mary’s jersey and his third will the University, the redshirt junior averaged 7.7 ppg, while adding 5.2 apg and a steal per match.

Overall, Krebs has a great shooting stroke from range, as he made 39.6% of 3-pointers in 2017-18, and can sink free-throws with ease as well, with an 83.3% average last season. The Australian-born guard has shown he has the abilities to put up some of the highest numbers on this season’s Saint Mary’s squad, and the biggest test will be putting these into action as he will most likely have even more playing time than his 27.6 mpg average last season.

Kyle Clark

With the absence of Hermanson, the need for a capable and offensive-minded forward is crucial to getting the Gaels back to the NCAA Tournament. Clark may be the person to step up for Saint Mary’s in this sense. The redshirt junior missed nearly all of last season with a knee injury, so this will be the first of many obstacles for the 6-foot-7-inch Australian to overcome. Assuming Clark can fulfill this task, he may be a factor in a succesful season in Moraga.

Due to his injury last season and the depth of the Gaels in his previous two seasons, Clark has yet to record any eye-catching stats, averaging 3.6 ppg and 1.9 rpg in his 70 games for Saint Mary’s. However, Clark did perform quite well in Australia’s appearance in the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championships, as he recorded 7.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 2 apg. With significant more playing time likely for the 21-year-old, Clark should see numbers even higher than those he recorded in the World Championship this season.

Malik Fitts

One of the two transfers to Saint Mary’s I expect to have a major impact on the program and most likely start, Fitts seems to be a great addition to the Gaels and should help alleviate the transition after loosing some of their biggest contributors. A California native, Fitts spent his freshman year at the University of South Florida where he experienced a good share of individual success. Appearing in 27 games and starting in 18, the redshirt sophomore averaged a solid 7.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 1.1 apg.

The biggest issue Fitts needs to work on is his poor free-throw percentage, as he shot an unimpressive 53.8% in his one season at USF. Due to NCAA rules, Fitts sat out all of last season which should have given him a good deal of time to improve this aspect of his game.

Aaron Menzies

Along with Fitts, Menzies should not only be a huge addition to the team, but may very well be one of the most pivotal players on the Gaels’ roster. Standing at a staggering 7 feet 3 inches, Menzies surely will be a hassle for nearly every opponent Saint Mary’s faces this season offensively and defensively. With this towering stature, Menzies could be the man the Gaels need to replace Landale.

A redshirt senior, Menzies spent his first three seasons at the University of Seattle, averaging 11.3 ppg, 8.9 rpg and an intimidating 2.3 blocks per game (No. 24 in NCAA) in the 2017-18 season. Mixed with his 60.9% field goal percentage, Menzies should be the highlight of every opponent’s scouting report on both ends of the court.