Santa Clara’s Senior Sendoff: McArthur, Roquemore and Brown

February 16, 2012; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Santa Clara Broncos guard Evan Roquemore (0) shoots the ball against Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Elias Harris (20) and forward/center Sam Dower (35) during the second half at Leavey Center. The Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated the Santa Clara Broncos 73-62. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The 2013-2014 season has come to an end, which for the Santa Clara Broncos means the departure of three key players on the court: John McArthur, Evan Roquemore, and Jerry Brown. All three were integral pieces to their team this year, and their production will surely be missed.

John McArthur

John McArthur has been a staple in the Bay Area for more than just his four years at Santa Clara, dating all the way back to his high school days at De La Salle in Concord, Calif. His senior year, he led his team to the Nor Cal championship game, breaking the school record for points, rebounds, free throws, and field goals in a single season.

At Santa Clara, McArthur has been about as dependable as they come, tying for fifth in Santa Clara history in career games. He never missed more than 3 games in a season, and he played more than 3o games in a season twice, during his freshman and junior years.

On the court, McArthur did not make huge improvements over his four years, but he remained a solid, consistent option. He started 26 of 27 games his sophomore year and lived up to his increased role, scoring a career high 19 points and 10 rebounds early in the year against San Jose State. His sophomore season was solid, but he never had the statistical production that stood out. His junior and senior seasons were more of the same, averaging 4.0 points and 3.3 rebounds while making 21 starts his final year. However, McArthur was a blue-collar post who could stretch the floor and could battle for boards, and it will be different seeing the Broncos without him on the floor.

Evan Roquemore

If anyone was more dependable than John McArthur during his time at Santa Clara, it was Evan Roquemore. Along with being third in school history in games played, he also is the school’s all-time leader in minutes played. He ranks tenth in school history in points, and is first in assists and free throws made.

Roquemore came out of high school as a relative unknown, but burst onto the scene in WCC play, averaging 11.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, and 3.7 apg. This earned him all-WCC freshman honors, and he dropped his career high 30 points in a CIT win against USF.

Making 107 starts in 135 games, Roquemore was always a key for the success of the team. However, during his senior year, he took a backseat to Jalen Richard, Jared Brownridge, and Brandon Clark in the starting lineup. However, instead of letting it affect his game, Roquemore grew stronger towards the end of the year, and stepped up big in the final game of his career against Gonzaga in the WCC tournament. “Roq” will not just be remembered in the record books, but he will be remembered for helping lead the team to two postseason tournament titles and leading a turnaround of basketball at Santa Clara.

Jerry Brown

Jerry Brown played just his senior season at Santa Clara after spending three years at Fresno State. However, he made his presence known during his short stint, and was a key part of the success that occurred this year at Santa Clara.

A theme of this year’s class is consistency, and Brown was no exception to this during his time in college. During his three years at Fresno State, he steadily improved and was the team’s defender of the year his last year.

At Santa Clara, Brown was especially known for his character. He brought much more than just production when he decided to transfer to Santa Clara, which was a very important aspect of his presence. On the court, Brown led the team in rebounds, averaging 5.5. Like Roquemore, he started to come off the bench towards the end of the year, but he also did not let that affect his game. During the WCC tournament, Brown played amazing and gave the Broncos a strong post presence, averaging 10.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg coming off the bench. Brown was a highly efficient player (58% from the field) who was an excellent addition to this year’s team.