
3. San Francisco Dons
The San Francisco Dons made the NCAA tournament for the first time in 24 years last season. That success rewarded the program with their head coach Todd Golden poached by Florida, leading the school to hire their third head coach in five seasons, Chris Gerlufsen. It was a quick decision, bringing Gerlufsen up from within the program as a former associate head coach. He was credited for a lot of the offensive scheming that saw the Dons as a top-50 offense in terms of efficiency and shooting percentages.
The big win for Gerlufsen was retaining senior Khalil Shabazz for one more season on the hilltops of San Francisco. Shabazz was the vocal leader for the tournament team last season and provides a two-way ability that raises the floor on both sides of the court. He had the fourth-highest steal rate in the conference last season while averaging 13.7 points per game. Shabazz shared backcourt duties with Jamaree Bouyea, who now is with the Miami Heat and their G League roster.
The absence of Bouyea will no doubt be a storyline this season, but Gerlufsen was able to find a reputable option in the portal with transfer Tyrell Roberts from Washington State. Roberts struggled to find his shot with the Cougars last year but could benefit in the WCC and Gerlufsen’s system. He shot 35.5% from the field last season after shooting 44% from the field and 41% from three-point. Transfer guard Marcus Williams could also be an intriguing piece. The point guard from Texas A&M will be a sparkplug off of the bench and can help facilitate the surrounding shooters with his passing.
Replacing Bouyea is not the only concern as perhaps the biggest hole to fill was the frontcourt dominance supplied by Yauhen Massalski last season. Massalski missed the NCAA tournament after injuring his knee in the WCC tournament. Massalski was vital to San Francisco’s interior scoring and rebounding, shooting 60% from 2-point and a top 50 defensive and top 30 offensive rebounder. San Francisco will try to replace him with transfer Toni Rocak, a 6-foot-9 scoring forward from UC San Diego.
Rocak immediately will have an impact on offense, plugging right into Massalski’s role battling in the post. He averaged 15.1 points per game and 6.5 rebounds in the Big West while having the second-highest usage rate in the country. It would not be shocking if Rocak leads the team in scoring this season and will likely need to for the Dons to stave off a decline without two of their top three scorers. The question will be how close Rocak can get to Massalski’s elite rebounding and interior defense.
The Dons also have a stable of wings and frontcourt pieces that could take another step this season. Juniors Josh Kunen, Julian Rishwain and Zane Meeks all made positive contributions in the team’s run to the tournament while each offering something unique. If Rishwain can maintain his efficiency and seventh-best offensive rating in the conference in a larger role, he could play himself into all-conference honors. Kunen will be a massive part in helping shore up the interior defense and Zane Meeks could help with spacing and continue his development as a swiss army knife player in the frontcourt.