Mickey McConnell

St. Mary's starts over without Randy Bennett.

Mickey McConnell's there.

They have Joshua Dent.

He is one of the best guards outside the Power Five that exists.

And that's the way you have to look at it from my perspective, because when you look at core tenants, core habits, and kind of when you're trying to build a program, it's.

You look back in the background of J.R. Blount, and this applies across really any coaching staff, compared to even Mickey McConnell.

What are your core tenets going to be? What do you want to be known for? And how does that play out in terms of what you're trying to imprint on your team? As much as everyone wants to say we're a well-rounded team, we can do everything as good as we can across anyone in the country, you're going to be an offensive team, you're going to be a defensive team.

And now you want to see, can J.R. Blount... mental level in terms of the processing the communication and everything else that kind of makes it kind of all come together because it's one thing to bring in a system it's another to be able to teach it and teach it effectively to these types of guys and that's the one thing where you i want to see where the gap is bridged for lack of a better phrase who can find a way to kind of unlock it and kind of make that light bulb go go off and I think you'll see something very good from it and then offensively it's I don't want to say it's where you bring up the rear so to speak but it is something where not that you're trying to test your ceiling in year one, but it's something where you can tangibly see where the future is going to go if the offense can be figured out or at least be on the trending well over the course of the season because it's going to end up being the complement for what J.R. Blount wants to do.

Obviously, we get the transition of Randy Bennett leaving and going to Arizona State.

Mickey McConnell steps in and takes the head job.

And I like the roster he's put together.

The backcourt of Joshua Dent, Darius Bivens, those are two talented guards that I think should work together.

It's not gonna be linear for him.

It's not gonna be linear for Mickey McConnell.

It takes time to build those types of things.

And that's where, a guy like Shantae Leggins could come out and try and find a way to navigate those waters just a little bit better when those margins are so tight.

Randy Bennett is now at Arizona State.

Mickey McConnell taking over for him.

And what is this WCC going to look like where you have Santa Clara as the preseason favorites? First time in a quarter century that the preseason favorite is not either Gonzaga or St.

Mary's.

Gonzaga may play Randy Bennett when he's at Arizona State, and that might feel similar, but it won't feel the same.

And Gonzaga might play St. Mary's when Mickey McConnell's the head coach, and it might feel similar, but it won't feel the same.

Like it's it's not the same anymore.

And that is a loss.

I think it'd be silly to do so.

Mickey McConnell I'm sure is gonna do a great job there.

But it's, it's certainly different.

It's different without him there.

He took those two guys with him to Tempe to go play for Arizona State.

And now St. Mary's gets taken over by Mickey McConnell, longtime assistant coach, also a great player at St. Mary's during his time.

Hit a game-winner against Gonzaga in the Kennel, which kind of was a, a big early catalyst in that rivalry turning into what it became.

Uh, and so now Mickey McConnell will take over as head coach.

He's well-respected.

The coaching tree for Randy Bennett is fantastic.

I already mentioned Joshua Dent was phenomenal last year in his, uh, as a red shirt freshman for St. Mary's as their starting point guard.

Tremendous player.