When the Santa Clara men’s basketball team steps onto the court on Friday, not only will the players be representing Santa Clara University (SCU), but they will also be representing the thousands and thousands of alumni who came before them. Many alumni still reside in Santa Clara and the surrounding area, and many are actively involved with the university.
Despite the fact that SCU is considered a small college — its undergraduate class is about a quarter of the size of the undergraduate class of Santa Clara’s first opponent in the NCAA tournament, the University of Kentucky — the men’s basketball team knows that its fans and its alumni are just as dedicated. The players appreciate all the support that they’ve received from the school and the surrounding community.
“Thank you guys for coming out and supporting us as much as you guys are,” said sophomore guard Christian Hammond. “It’s really special, and you guys have done a great job supporting us, game in and game out, and we’re gonna go out there trying to make you guys proud.”
Junior guard Jake Ensminger said he’s felt the love at every step on this journey.
“When we had the watch party, there were so many people that were there to cheer us on, and it really just shows what kind of big family we are,” said Ensminger just before boarding the bus to the airport. “I’ve been told that they’re waiting outside for us. So, it just shows you know how much they care, and we really appreciate it, because we’re just a big, big Bronco family.”
While this is freshman forward Allen Graves’ first season with the Broncos, he said he felt the impact of the Santa Clara community from the very beginning.
“It’s been great. As soon as I got here on my visit, I knew that I wanted to be here because of the culture, because of the family culture,” said Graves. “I’m really big on family. Me and my family are really close back home, and I feel like they [SCU] did a great job of incorporating that in this program. And I really feel it with the alumni, the alumni reach out. They’re constantly talking to us, asking if they can help us out in any way they can.
“And beyond basketball, just in life in general,” continued Graves. “If we need a job. If we need connections in this aspect. They have the connections, and they’re willing to reach out and extend that helping hand.”
The players say former players have been great as well. While they haven’t had a chance to meet former player and NBA Hall of Famer Steve Nash yet, they have met a few of the more recent SCU basketball players. Jalen Williams, who won an NBA championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, has visited “several times,” and so has Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski.
