They may not be the Santa Clara teams of Dennis Awtrey and Bud
Ogden.
But retiring coach Dick Davey’s 15th year is beginning to look
like one to remember.
n BY MARC DAVID SPORTS EDITOR
Santa Clara – They may not be the Santa Clara teams of Dennis Awtrey and Bud Ogden.
But retiring coach Dick Davey’s 15th year is beginning to look like one to remember.
After winning their third straight game Monday in a 74-62 win over San Francisco, the Broncos stand 17-7 overall and 7-2 in the West Coast Conference. With four of their final five games away, including Monday at national powerhouse Gonzaga, the road ahead is difficult.
And yet, you have to like the position of SCU, sitting in second behind the Zags and owning a two-game lead over the Dons and St. Mary’s, each of whom the Broncos swept during the season.
“The pressure’s on us if we want to achieve our goal of winning league,” said senior guard Danny Pariseau, who had 19 points and four assists against USF. “We have to treat it that Gonzaga won’t lose unless we beat them. And we have to win (Saturday) at Portland first.”
With three seniors in the starting lineup, the Broncos are a team that won’t panic. After seeing a 49-32 lead whittled to three by the Dons, seniors Pariseau, Sean Denison and Scott Dougherty scored SCU’s final 12 points. The 6-11 Denison, who would like to get a look by the NBA, had 18 points and 16 rebounds.
The most interesting stat about Santa Clara is that nobody on the team averages as much as 11 points a game. Its five starters are average between 7.8 and 10.9 a game, which means opponents can’t look for success by stopping individuals. Seven different players have scored in double figures at least once.
“You can’t key on stopping one guy on this team,” Davey said. “We have many guys who will step up if one is down.”
The Broncos are physically limited, as Davey noted. And yet this is a team that is perhaps a few key wins from an invitation to the NCAA Tournament or at worst an NIT bid.
“The one thing that’s been a staple of this team for the last two, three weeks is our defense,” Davey said. “Our guards hold us together. We’re playing at a high level for guys who are not super quick or super athletic.”
But they do have an attitude of leaving it on the floor. Take Pariseau, for example. He was torched for a few treys that helped USF close within 60-57 with 3:18 to play. Pariseau responded with two treys down the stretch.
“I just decided to quit being scared,” Pariseau said. “I figured if we’re going to lose, I’m going to go at it like a bat out of h—. I figured I was going to go out with a bang.”
Davey can only hope that mindset filters down to Pariseau’s teammates. Santa Clara is still under the national radar but with a good chance to make plenty of noise in the next several weeks.
