The young coach once played here and knows his senior front line well as he played with them.  Seniors Dennis Awtrey at center and Ken Sears and Bud Ogden at forward play their positions superbly. Awtrey is an old school big man. He likes playing with his back to the basket and likes little running hooks where he can use his size.  A big man who has that movie star flair for the dramatic as he was after all born in Hollywood. Awtrey loves to tussle underneath for rebounds but just as easily will crunch a guard with a back pick.  Not the most gifted athlete, Awtrey gets by using his size and intelligence to his advantage.  He does look quite peculiar though with his almost afro hair on a six-foot ten inch 235 pound frame.  But this ‘enforcer’ does not care about how he looks as long as he gets the job done.  And this San Jose native has been doing that for the last four years for the Broncos. Awtrey has been a terrific scorer in the past for Santa Clara being the primary low post option and leading the team in scoring twice.  Awtrey is a stalwart defender with his ongoing wars with Bill Russell becoming legendary in the bay area.  Last year his fracas with Bill Cartwright (decking the big man with the infamous elbows with a right hook that landed on the big man’s jaw) might be the biggest fight this league has ever seen and set the tone for the kind of toughness West Coast teams are not known for.  Not only does Awtrey have the skills to help a team under the basket but there is no doubt he will hang on long after those skills diminish due to his abilities to cause havoc and protest his teammates!  And if that doesn’t work he seems like a perfect fit for the WWE! 

Sears is a combo forward who makes his bread and butter shooting the ball.  Sears has a terrific inside-outside offensive game with range up to 18 feet does not take too many bad shots and thus does not miss many.  A solid performer, Sears can get beat inside by more athletic guys but makes up for it with his intelligence.  He has been a stalwart in Northern California since he left tiny Watsonville High to come to play for the Broncos.  This six nine skinny kid with the poster boy looks (he was the first player ever on the cover of SI) was once named the MVP of the WCC (over Bill Russell, racism anyone) and has incredible overall offensive skills.  Sears used to be able to use his height and skill to dominate inside for easy baskets but with the bigger more rugged players taking over the WCC he has learned to adjust and now takes his game to the perimeter.  His ability to hit mid-range jumpers has always made him difficult to guard and he has done well in his matchups with probably the best defender in the entire country, Mr. Russell, from rival San Francisco.  Russell does not like to wander too far from the key and Sears corner jumpers are a thing of beauty.  Still, his lack of girth (198 pounds on a 6’9 frame) has hurt him in the trenches. He did have to give up some minutes as the year progressed especially after a mid-season altercation with Tom Meschery ended up with Kenny getting a broken jaw. This cost Sears almost a quarter of the season but it opened up the door for a kid who reminded you of the character ‘Bull’ from the movie FastBreak.  With his seemingly lack of skill and desire to do all of the dirty work so that his team can succeed and the other guys get the glory.  Junior Kurt Rambis has become a huge fan favorite with his thick porn mustache, dirty blonde hair and black horned rimmed glasses.  Coach Garibaldi love the play of junior Rambis so much that he kept the Clark Kent lookalike in the starting lineup even when Sears returned. This worked much better for the Broncos as Sears could play both positions up front and gave the team some much needed instant offense off the bench. Sears still finished second on the team in scoring and down the stretch was a huge factor in the Broncos run to glory!  Rambis is nowhere near the offensive player Sears is but he can really get up and down the court for a big man.  Rambis runs like a wing and can finish which fit in with the up and down style the Broncos were running.  He is the captain of the Charlie Hustle team and will do whatever it takes to help his team win.  Rambis is greek and his not stop movement has the ability to get under the skin of opponents as can be attested with his altercations (which he usually was getting hit or clotheslined) with opposing players.  Not an agile low post scorer, Rambis gets by with his desire and his most unique knowledge of the game.  He does not always look like he knows what is going on but this kid definitely understands the game and what his role is.  He wears horned rimmed glasses for God’s sake!  He is also the toughest defender on the team with his willingness to guard much bigger guys than his svelte six eight frame would allow him to do but this Superman can do anything.  He will not back down form anyone and loves to close on the break.  Whether diving for loose balls or slamming one down on the break, Rambis is definitely the guy many fans are coming to see for the Broncos.  No other team in the WCC (and perhaps on the on the West Coast) had the ability to trade off the kind of talent at the four spot the Broncos did with a Mr. Offense and a Mr. Defense combining to cause massive headaches for opposing coaches and players! 

Carlos ‘Bud’ Ogden is another great team player who had trouble adjusting to his role as a small forward.  Most of his career he has been a power forward but last year Garibaldi tried to move him to the three spot primarily due to the fact he is only six foot six and to make room for Rambis.  He has always been able to guard bigger forwards even at his height as he is much thicker than Sears and let the sweet shooting guard the threes. With Rambis taking over after Sears’ injury he had no choice but to move down to the three to help the team win which he what he does and does well!  The problem is that Bud is not exactly quick or fleet of foot so he had problems guarding more athletic small forwards.  He has always been a solid scorer but this year gave up some points trying to find a niche on this team. Ogden has been a star since arriving from San Luis Obispo and had been as important to the team’s success as anyone.  Ogden took a step back this year and found out he prefers being the guy doing the little things to help the Broncs win.  Playing solid defense, hitting the open man with a pass, or running the wing on the break, Ogden is a great asset to any team. He is not however suited for the wars of the next level though after his terrific college career will get a shot.  As Bud as shown in his time at Santa Clara he will figure out a ways to get the job done no matter what it takes but the only position that fits his size and game is a wing but Bud Ogden is not a wing. 

The backcourt for the Broncos has never caught up with the front court but they are not exactly chopped liver either. They are set going into the year at the two with Senior Bob Feerick coming back for more after a stellar career by the bay. Feerick is a six three wing who can really put the ball in the hoop.  He is not the greatest athlete in the world but makes up for it with his willingness to shoot and do just about anything else he can on the court.  He and sophomore Harold Keeling were a great platoon at the two spot for the first part of the year.  They were so good that the duo was playing often together on the wings as Garibaldi loved putting Keeling’s incredible athleticism next to the cerebral Feerick. The fact that the Broncos had no true three allowed both of these studs to play together. The erstwhile Feerick did not mind giving up some of his glory to his sidekick in crime as he knew this kid was opening up some holes with his incredible athletic dashes to the hoop so he could get off his terrific jumper.   Feerick was having a terrific swan song in Santa Clara averaging almost 15 a game on this balanced scoring attack. Too bad Feerick lost most of his Senior year with an injury to his leg.  Don’t worry he will get a another shot as the powers to be have given him a medical redshirt. Good thing as the Broncos season could have went right down the tubes (go Fee) as it almost did last year. With their two best long-range shooters on the sidelines as Sears was still out as well it did open up opportunities for others such as Keeling. Keeling has established himself as by far the most gifted athlete on the team coming off the bench and bringing instant energy and highlight reel plays to the Broncos lineup.  Keeling is a six four high flying stud who defines the term slasher with his unrelenting drives to the hoop.  He is also a terrific defender who averaged over 2 steals a game for the Broncos and became an integral part of the team’s late run once he entered the starting lineup.  The Broncos got a great lift (and we do mean lift) from this Air Walker’s productivity this season and are expecting more great things in the future.  The one thing this Big Easy bred kid (but he summered in Venezuela) has not yet mastered is long range shooting. This team needs more of this skill on their roster especially with the ability of Keeling and company to drive and kick (he is a terrific passer as well) to teammates for open looks from behind the arc.  That is the way the game is played now isn’t it?   

For years the Broncos have put together solid teams with stellar front lines and gifted shooters but could not find the player to stir the pot and put all of the pieces in order.  Santa Clara basketball is good but cannot get over the hump without a point guard to run the show and distribute the basketball.  Seniors Joe Greenbach and Mike Gervasoni and junior Eddie Joe Chavez are the incumbents and look to split the duties once again.  Greenbach started most of the year and is solid but unspectacular option. He does not score much and is an okay passer but nowhere near athletic enough for the guys he guards.  Gervasoni is only 5’9 but can flat shoot but is more of a scorer than passer.  Chavez ended up playing the most last year and is a terrific passer but he does not score much either.  Garibaldi understands the issue and has brought in a slew of point guards to battle for the job including a kid from North of the border.  As a matter of fact with the strength of the team at forward Garibaldi has only recruited point guards and centers.  He has three seven footers coming to town to join the one he brought to town last year. Hot Toddy Gianinni was a part of this group (Gianinni actually started the first game) but got left in the dust in his final year.  He was the first star here and played next to Feerick and Garibaldi but his time had come. 

The bench for Santa Clara was also strong especially at center where the aforementioned bit project showed some real promise for the future. Sophomore center Nick Vanos is a horse underneath and uses his 7 foot 1 inch frame well.  This Dutch kid has the size to make a difference especially on the defensive end.  He is just learning how to be a bit more assertive especially on the offensive end but this soft spoken kid with a giant heart has already developed a huge following for the way he seems to enjoy every minute he is on and off the court.  This fun loving kid has a bright future in the bay but the starting position which was his for the taking might be in jeopardy after he missed some games the second half of the year and another big kid showed he might be up for the challenge of replacing the rambunctious Awtrey at center. There was an entire group of perimeter players who have contributed in the past but who’s minutes have diminished. Dick O’Keefe, Jim Youngs, Frank Sobrero and Dick Soares (yep that’s his name) did not even get off the pine except for mop up duty as the Broncos had upgraded their talent in a big way and were not going backwards.  Another Senior Ralph Ogden (yes Bud’s brother) got some minutes on the wing but like his brother was somewhat overmatched athletically.  He is a gamer though a produced some solid minutes.  Junior Mike Stewart is a gifted big man who got caught in the shuffle of all the talent (and size) up front.  Stewart is six ten and did play albeit inconsistent minutes throughout the year.  He is a solid score and board post guy and does have some size at six ten but got somewhat overshadowed with the advent of the seven-foot underclassmen.  He can play though and it would not surprise if he continues getting some major minutes in the post.  There is another group of players who got barely any minutes who will compete for playing time after having solid years on the JV.  Sophomores Jens Gordon and Jeffty Connelly and Junior Londale Theus will be in the mix and all three bring something to the table.

The Santa Clara Broncos are a team built for the long haul and ready to make a run for the glory this year.  The Broncos were not a team on the national spotlight when the season began and even in the WCC were overshadowed by the mighty San Francisco Dons.  For far too long the Broncos have got used to playing second fiddle behind Bill Russell and his compatriots.  Believe it or not the Broncs match up well with the Dons up front and at the wings but it is the stellar defense and leadership of the great KC Jones this team has a hard time matching up with.  If Garibaldi can find a point guard, and he is beating the bushes everywhere to find one, these Broncos can finally get the recognition this program deserves.