Meet The Freshman: Saint Mary’s Jock Landale

Saint Mary’s is known for their under the radar Australians that come into the WCC and quickly make names for themselves. Coach Randy Bennett is hoping 6’11’’, 255 pound center Jock Landale will look to be the next amongst the list of little known players who finish their careers making a large impact on the Saint Mary’s program. Landale will be the 14^th player from down-under to put on the red and blue for Bennett, and will look to make an early impact with his size.

At Geelong Grammar School:

The Melbourne native went under the radar early on in his career at Geelong Grammar School, but came on the scene the last couple of years with his strong inside game. He quickly earned honors to play for the Australia under-19 national team last summer where they competed in China. Even though his numbers were not necessarily eye-popping, his size and ability to score down low set him apart.

Impact at Saint Mary’s:

After losing back up center Matthew Hodgeson to graduation, Landale will emerge as the primary back up center for Brad Waldow. It is not very often a freshman will earn good minutes under coach Bennett, but with Landale’s size, he should be able to come in right away and make an impact. According to sources, Landale has been very impressive during summer workouts at Saint Mary’s and Bennett expects Landale to be an important part in the Gaels rotation.

Coach Bennett told smcgaels.com, “Jock is a future center for us. He has a great frame, good hands and the ability to score…Brad Waldow being a senior next year will give Jock a chance to adjust to the college game and be in position to contribute more in his second year. He reminds me of some of the Australian big players we’ve had in our program.”

Saint Mary’s also added Even Fitzner, a 6’10’’ forward to this seasons roster, but is expected to redshirt due to Saint Mary’s depth and experience at the power forward position. Therefore, as the largest body on the Gael roster, Landale will need to make an impact down low if they will make a charge at the WCC title.