Saint Mary's Gaels basketball — program history
Saint Mary's College, a small Catholic school founded in 1863 in San Francisco that settled in Moraga, California in 1928, has been playing basketball since the early 1900s. The 'Gaels' name was bestowed in 1926 by a San Francisco sportswriter, referencing the Irish warrior tradition fitting for a school founded by the Irish Catholic Brothers. Under Randy Bennett, who inherited a 2-27 team in 2001, the Gaels have become one of America's premier mid-major programs and a perennial WCC contender. Saint Mary's has a tradition of recruiting Australian players, having at least one on the roster every season since Bennett's arrival.
The name
Sportswriter Pat Frayne christened the teams 'The Gaels' in 1926, referencing Irish warriors — fitting for a school founded by Irish Catholic Christian Brothers
Signature moment
The 2010 NCAA Tournament run, where Omar Samhan led Saint Mary's past No. 2 seed Villanova to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1959
Two-time Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali played basketball at Saint Mary's under his original name, Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore
The Saint Mary's Gaels compete in the WCC and hold an all-time record of 1516–1294 (.540 winning percentage) across 117 recorded seasons dating back to 1909-10.
Season-by-season results
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