A Decade’s Worth of Saint Mary’s Transfer Portal Additions
When I think of the traditional Saint Mary’s players, I first recall the long line of Aussies and Kiwis to play in Moraga — Dellavedova, Mills, Landale. Next, I remember the under-recruited Americans molded into stars by coach Randy Bennett — the likes of Jordan Ford and Omar Samhan.
One type of player that doesn’t immediately come to mind is transfers. Yet over the last decade, Coach Bennett has added 11 transfers to his Saint Mary’s teams, a much higher number than I would have guessed.
The latest commitment is that of former Harvard big man Mason Forbes, who joined the Gaels in early May ahead of his final collegiate season. Will he succeed like Malik Fitts and Logan Johnson, or flop like Matt Van Komen (so far) and Aaron Menzies?
Saint Mary’s Transfer Signings 2012–2022
Mason Forbes (From Harvard in 2022)
Before we look back at past Saint Mary’s transfers, let’s project Forbes’ role for the 2022/23 season. In Forbes, Gaels are getting a 6–9 big man with has good length, decent mobility, and a solid finishing touch around the rim.
The Harvard transfer won’t blow anyone away with his post moves but is effective when rolling toward the rim, where he utilizes his north/south quickness and explosiveness.
Statistically, he finished among the leaders in the Ivy League for offensive rebound rate, block rate, and true shooting percentage. While his offensive efficiency was down last year, Forbes missed more than half of the season with an injury.
The primary concern is whether he can handle the bulkier big man of the WCC. Forbes subsisted as a skinny 6–9 center in the Ivy League, but he will be faced with girthier players and a step up in competition.
While it will be a big adjustment, I can see Forbes playing upwards of 15–20 minutes a game, especially with Mitchell Saxen adjusting to his (projected) starting role.
I love the way Forbes rolls off of screens and attacks the rim — a skill not possessed by Saint Mary’s big men in recent years. I can even see the Harvard transfer slotting in at the four spot against taller opponents or when Bowen is in foul trouble. Forbes will be the oldest Gaels’ big men, and the value of his veteran frontcourt presence will be invaluable.
Matt Van Komen (From Utah in 2020)
A former four-star recruit out of high school, Van Komen has yet to make an impact in Moraga. He played 34 minutes of garbage time in 20/21 before missing the entire 21/22 campaign with a foot injury.
The 7–4 center still has multiple years of eligibility remaining, and the frontcourt departures of Matthias Tass and Dan Fotu mean that Van Komen could have a meaningful role off the bench next year.
Logan Johnson (From Cincinnati in 2019)
Originally recruited by coach Bennett, Johnson chose to attend Cincinnati. But when Bearcats coach Mick Cronin left his post, Bennett was able to lure the lengthy guard back to the Bay Area.
Johnson’s Gaels career began with promise. He earned a waiver giving him immediate eligibility, and when many thought Johnson would redshirt, the Cincinnati transfer started and played 36 minutes in the season opener against Wisconsin in 19/20. That was the climax of his sophomore year, as those 36 minutes were more than he played during a 15-game span mid-season.
It wasn’t until the following year that Johnson finally broke out. Johnson averaged 16.3 PPG in WCC play, becoming the Gaels’ main scoring option down the stretch. Johnson’s play earned him second-team all-conference honors.
The 21/22 season began similarly for the Gaels guard. With Alex Ducas back and the spacing in the SMC offense improved, Johnson struggled offensively. His output improved during conference play, but never quite returned to 20/21 levels.
Still, Johnson was strong as ever defensively (third in the WCC in defensive box plus-minus), and, embodying the Gaels’ “gritty not pretty” slogan, he earned second-team all-WCC recognition once again.
Johnson will be back for his fifth and final season next year as the leader on both ends of the floor. You have to imagine he will be ready.
Aaron Menzies (From Seattle University in 2018)
While Randy Bennett has often rostered seven-footers in recent years, he has seldom used them on the court. The hulking Jock Perry and towering Matt Van Komen have spent the majority of Saint Mary’s careers on the sidelines, but the most perplexing playing-time situation was that of Aaron Menzies.
When Menzies left Seattle University after 17/18, he figured to be a strong replacement for the graduating Jock Landale. The British big man posted 11.3 PPG and 8.9 RPG while shooting over 60% from the field during his junior year with the Redhawks. Then the 7–3 center had hand surgery, missed the entire 18/19 season, and was duly forgotten.
Menzies played just 7.6 percent of possible minutes as a sixth-year senior and even saw a decrease in minutes after Tass went down with a knee injury during non-conference play.
One can wonder how the 18/19 season plays out with a healthy Menzies. Does Menzies supplant freshman Matthias Tass and form a twin towers frontcourt with Hunter? Does the Brit make the Gaels better in the short-term while sacrificing Tass’ long-term development, or Does Tass benefit from a year learning from the two vets? We will never know.
Malik Fitts (From University of South Florida in 2017)
Saint Mary’s has never had another player like Malik Fitts; it might never get another player like Malik Fitts. How many players can drain four threes in a half, dunk on someone’s head, and casually put up 20 points and 10 rebounds all in the same game?
Fitts had a skillset unlike any other player I’ve seen in a Gaels jersey. WCC refs did not know how to officiate him because he was simply so much stronger than the players he was up against. At 6–8 230, Fitts was an NBA player amongst collegiate boys.
He came from a South Florida team that finished 1–17 in the AAC, where he averaged a modest 7.4 PPG and 4.6 RPG as a freshman. In his first season with the Gaels, the wing nearly doubled both of those totals while shooting 40% from three.
The 19/20 season was more of the same. The Fitts/Ford duo led the Gaels to the cusp of a likely single-digit seed in the NCAA Tournament before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season. Fortunately, we can always return to his highlight reel.
Cullen Neal (From Ole Miss in 2017)
Faced with the graduation of backcourt leader Joe Rahon, Randy Bennett jumped at the chance to pick up his first transfer portal addition in three years. Neal shot 40.9% from three with Mississippi in 16/17 while leading the Rebels in true shooting %, making him the perfect piece to support the Stockton/Malone-Esque duo of Emmett Naar and Jock Landale.
The former University of New Mexico player had a fair season, averaging 5.3 PPG on 36.1% shooting from deep, only to see the Gaels callously deprived of an NCAA Tournament bid.
Aaron Bright (From Stanford in 2014)
It’s not every year that Randy Bennett dips into the transfer portal, yet in 2014, the Moraga mastermind signed three former power conference players, two of them starters at their previous schools.
Bright — a graduate transfer from Stanford — was a savvy ball-handler for the Gaels in 2014/15 but was inefficient as a scorer (35.7% from the field). His single season with the Gaels ended with a first-round exit in the NIT.
Desmond Simmons (From Washington in 2014)
Nothing excites fans of mid-major teams more than a transfer from a power conference. Supporters gush over how many points the new man will average (15, 20, 25), but occasionally that player fails to meet expectations.
In short, Desmond Simmons was a disappointment. He shot an abysmal 34.8% from the field while playing nearly 30 minutes per game. Only his above-average defense and strong rebounding kept the grad transfer from Washington from being a complete flop.
Joe Rahon (From Boston College in 2014)
The third power conference transfer Randy Bennett secured during the 2014 offseason, Rahon was the most impactful of the trio. After sitting out in 14/15, the Gaels finished 57–11 overall and 31–5 in WCC play with Rahon on the court.
In 2016/17, the ballhandling duo of Rahon and Naar led arguably the best SMC offense of all time. They assisted on 57.8% of the Gaels’ made field goals when they were on the floor en route to a 7-seed in the NCAA Tournament (KenPom’s 15th-ranked team was deserving of far better). No better basketball has been played at McKeon Pavilion than when Rahon — who also earned the WCC Defensive Player of the Year award that year — was running the show.
Joe Coleman (From Minnesota in 2013)
If not for a late re-check, I would have missed Coleman, who played 14 minutes in his debut with the Gaels in 2014/15 before missing the rest of his junior season with an injury. It would be the last time he played a college basketball game.
Before SMC, Coleman averaged 8.7 PPG as a sophomore at Minnesota. The former Minnesota Mr. Basketball winner was also a contestant on the Bachelorette in 2021.
Garret Jackson (From USC in 2012)
After two frustrating seasons with some inconsistent USC teams, Jackson’s first season in Moraga was equally disappointing, as the big man missed 10 games in 13/14 with a knee injury and was never able to find his groove.
As a senior, Jackson was a revelation. He ranked among the WCC leaders in true shooting percentage and offensive rebounding rate, averaging 8.7 PPG and 4.3 RPG while easily outshining the other two transfers on the roster.
