The X-Factor (or the lack thereof) for Saint Mary’s
By Simon Tryzna
Is Holt going to step up as both the on-court and off-court leader for the Gaels?
Samhan. McConnell. Jones. Dellavedova. Holt?
One of the things that the Gaels have had in recent years has been strong senior leadership off the court. I remember two years ago, Rob Jones clearly telling everyone that the 2011-2012 Gaels are motivated by the previous years team not being invited to the NCAA Tournament. The Gaels parlayed that into the programs first ever dual WCC Championship (regular season & tournament). That resulted in a seventh seed in the tournament.
The 2012-2013 Gaels were led by Matthew Dellavedova. His clutch shots and strong leadership through the always tough WCC slate allowed Saint Mary’s to overcome both an awful start to the year and a horrible non-season schedule. Paired with the tournament appearance the year before, the Gaels appeared in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time in school history.
But with Dellavedova gone, and Stephen Holt ready to take reigns of the offense, will he be able to be an effective leader off the court as he is on? The real question: will he need to be?
The Gaels have one of the best recruiting classes coming in program history. All of the athletes who opted to go to Saint Mary’s want to continue its winning ways. The remaining players from last years team all remember the heart break in losing to Memphis. Ultimately, this will once more be a spirited and competitive team that will look to once again fly under the radar and challenge for the WCC Crown.
In my opinion, it is not just Holt’s team. I strongly believe that it won’t be all on Holt’s shoulders like it was on Dellavedova’s at times. When all is said and done, the senior trio of Holt, Beau Levesque, and Paul McCoy will have a lot to do with how far the Gaels go in March. That will be both because of their on-court performance and their off-court leadership.