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2025–26 Santa Clara Broncos men's basketball team

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The 2025–26 Santa Clara Broncos men's basketball team represented Santa Clara University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Broncos, led by tenth-year head coach Herb Sendek, played their home games at the Leavey Center as members of the West Coast Conference.

ConferenceWest Coast Conference
Record26–9 (15–3 WCC)
Headcoach
Assistant coaches
  • Jason Ludwig
  • Ryan Madry
  • Will Burkett
  • Jackson Gion
  • Mitch Smith
Quick facts Santa Clara Broncos men's basketball, NCAA tournament, First round ...
2025–26 Santa Clara Broncos men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First round
ConferenceWest Coast Conference
Record26–9 (15–3 WCC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Jason Ludwig
  • Ryan Madry
  • Will Burkett
  • Jackson Gion
  • Mitch Smith
Home arenaLeavey Center
Seasons
← 2024–25
2026–27 →
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More information Conf., Overall ...
2025–26 West Coast Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 18 Gonzaga †16–2 .88931–4  .886
Saint Mary's16–2 .88927–6  .818
Santa Clara15–3 .83326–9  .743
Oregon State9–9 .50017–16  .515
San Francisco8–10 .44417–16  .515
Pacific8–10 .44418–15  .545
Seattle8–10 .44421–14  .600
Washington State7–11 .38912–20  .375
Portland6–12 .33315–19  .441
Loyola Marymount6–12 .33315–17  .469
San Diego5–13 .27812–21  .364
Pepperdine4–14 .2229–23  .281
† 2026 WCC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll
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On July 21, 2025, the Broncos and Sendek agreed to an extension that last until the end of the 2029–30 season.[1]

Previous season

The Broncos finished the 2024–25 season 21–13, 12–6 in WCC play to finish in fourth place.[2] In the WCC tournament, they were upset in the first round by Perpperdine in the quarterfinals.[3] They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Irvine Region. They defeated UC Riverside 101–62 to record their first NIT win in 41 years before falling to UAB 88–84 in the second round.

Offseason

Departures

More information Name, Number ...
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Tyeree Bryan1G6'6"205SeniorOrlando, FLTransferred to Texas Tech[4]
Kosy Akametu3G6'5"210Redshirt SophomoreCarson, CATransferred to Iona
Adama Bal4G6'7"190SeniorLe Mans, FranceGraduated, signed with the Westchester Knicks
Carlos Stewart10G6'1"185SeniorBaton Rouge, LAGraduated
Christoph Tilly13C7'0"240JuniorBerlin, GermanyTransferred to Ohio State[5]
Johnny O'Neil14F6'10"205SeniorMiami Shores, FLGraduated
Luke McEldon20F6'10"240SophomoreLondon, EnglandTransferred to Mount St. Mary's
Camaron Tongue21F6'7"220SeniorMedfield, MAGraduated
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Incoming transfers

More information Name, Number ...
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Sash Gavalyugov2G6'3"175Redshirt FreshmanBotevgrad, BulgariaVillanova[6]
Gehrig Normand9G6'6"190Redshirt SophomoreNorth Richland Hills, TXMichigan State[7]
Chris Tadjo14F6'7"250SophomoreMontreal, QuebecIowa
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2025 recruiting class

On September 23, 2025, former G League Ignite and Delaware Blue Coats player Thierry Darlan signed with the Broncos after the NCAA granted him two years of eligibility, marking the first time a professional athlete who previously played in the NBA G League to play college basketball.[8] The decision has been widely criticized by other coaches.[9][10]

More information Name, Hometown ...
College recruiting
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
KJ Cochran
SG		 West Chester, PA Perkiomen School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Sep 27, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 3/5 stars   247Sports: 4/5 stars   ESPN: 3/5 stars   (79)
Francis Chukwudebelu
C		 McKinney, TX Argyle High School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 217 lb (98 kg) Oct 8, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 3/5 stars   247Sports: 3/5 stars   ESPN: 3/5 stars   (79)
Bradley Longcor III
PG		 Quincy, IL Quincy High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jun 20, 2024 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports: 3/5 stars   
Overall recruit ranking:    Rivals: 56    247Sports: 60    ESPN: NR
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Santa Clara 2025 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.
  • "2025 Santa Clara Basketball Commits". Scout.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.
  • "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals.
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Roster

More information Players, Coaches ...
2025–26 Santa Clara Broncos men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 0 Brenton Knapper 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)175 lb (79 kg) RS SrColony HS Ontario, CA
G 1 Christian Hammond 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)195 lb (88 kg) RS SoDream City Christian (AZ) Denver, CO
G 2 Sash Gavalyugov 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)175 lb (79 kg) RS FrNBA Global Academy
Villanova		 Botevgrad, Bulgaria
C 3 Francis Chukwudebelu 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)220 lb (100 kg) FrArgyle High School McKinney, TX
G 4 Bradley Longcor III 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)180 lb (82 kg) FrQuincy High School Quincy, IL
G 7 KJ Cochran 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrPerkiomen School West Chester, PA
F 8 Elijah Mahi 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)220 lb (100 kg) SrPotter's House Christian (FL)
West Valley College		 Toronto, ON
F 9 Gehrig Normand 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)190 lb (86 kg) RS SoBirdville High School
Michigan State		 North Richland Hills, TX
F 10 Nolan Badibanga 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)185 lb (84 kg) FrÉlan Sportif Chalon Toulouse, France
C 12 Bukky Oboye 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)220 lb (100 kg) RS SoClements HS Sugar Land, TX
F 14 Chris Tadjo 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)250 lb (113 kg) SoNBA Academy Latin America
Iowa		 Montreal, Quebec
G 15 Thierry Darlan 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)210 lb (95 kg) JrNBA Academy Africa
NBA G League Ignite
Delaware Blue Coats		 Bangui, Central African Republic
F 22 Allen Graves 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)225 lb (102 kg) RS FrPonchatoula HS Ponchatoula, LA
G 44 Jake Ensminger 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)215 lb (98 kg) RS JrRatiopharm Ulm Ulm, Germany
G 50 Bradan Yarusso (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrSt. Francis HS Lombard, IL
G 51 Juan Reyna III (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) GSDuncanville High School
UTSA
Jackson State		 San Antonio, TX
G 54 Malachi Douyon (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrPacific Collegiate Charter School Santa Cruz, CA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

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Schedule and results

More information Date time, TV, Rank# ...
Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 4, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Cal Poly Humboldt W 83–53  1–0
  14 – Mahi  13 – Darlan  4 – Tied  Leavey Center (1,116)
Santa Clara, CA
November 7, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 McNeese W 79–67  2–0
  19 – Tied  13 – Graves  6 – Ensminger  Leavey Center (1,205)
Santa Clara, CA
November 10, 2025*
5:30 p.m., FS1		 at Xavier W 87−68  3−0
  18 – Mahi  11 – Graves  3 – Tied  Cintas Center (9,830)
Cincinnati, OH
November 15, 2025*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Nevada W 98–83  4–0
  27 – Hammond  10 – Ensminger  6 – Toed  Leavey Center (1,741)
Santa Clara, CA
November 18, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Idaho State W 64–55  5–0
  16 – Hammond  9 – Tied  5 – Ensminger  Leavey Center (1,071)
Santa Clara, CA
November 21, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Louisiana
Acrisure Series campus-site game		 W 80–43  6–0
  19 – Hammond  11 – Ensminger  5 – Gavalyugov  Leavey Center (1,331)
Santa Clara, CA
November 27, 2025*
4:00 p.m., CBSSN		 vs. Saint Louis
Acrisure Invitational semifinal		 L 70–71  6–1
  18 – Mahi  7 – Mahi  3 – Tied  Acrisure Arena 
Thousand Palms, CA
November 28, 2025*
6:30 p.m., TruTV		 vs. Minnesota
Acrisure Invitational third-place game		 W 86–75  7–1
  20 – Hammond  6 – Darlan  6 – Graves  Acrisure Arena 
Thousand Palms, CA
December 3, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Utah Tech W 90–80  8–1
  14 – Tied  8 – Tied  8 – Knapper  Leavey Center (1,969)
Santa Clara, CA
December 6, 2025*
6:00 p.m., MW Network		 at New Mexico L 71–98  8–2
  22 – Hammond  8 – Mahi  5 – Knapper  The Pit (13,614)
Albuquerque, NM
December 13, 2025*
3:30 p.m., TNT/TruTV		 vs. Arizona State
Jack Jones Classic		 L 79–82  8–3
  22 – Hammond  6 – Mahi  5 – Ensminger  Lee's Family Forum 
Henderson, NV
December 17, 2025*
6:00 p.m., BallerTV		 vs. North Texas W 63−60  9–3
  17 – Mahi  8 – Graves  5 – Gavalyugov  Kaiser Permanente Arena (120)
Santa Cruz, CA
December 20, 2025*
2:00 p.m., BallerTV		 vs. Loyola Chicago L 78–80  9–4
  25 – Hammond  10 – Graves  5 – Ensminger  Kaiser Permanente Arena 
Santa Cruz, CA
WCC regular season
December 28, 2025
3:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Oregon State W 102–64  10–4
(1–0)		  23 – Mahi  8 – Ensminger  5 – Knapper  Gill Coliseum (3,050)
Corvallis, OR
December 30, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Portland W 92–85  11–4
(2–0)		  22 – Mahi  10 – Graves  5 – Hammond  Chiles Center (1,521)
Portland, OR
January 2, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Pepperdine W 82–63  12–4
(3–0)		  20 – Hammond  7 – Oboye  3 – Tied  Leavey Center (1,158)
Santa Clara, CA
January 4, 2026
4:00 p.m., ESPN+		 San Diego W 98–70  13–4
(4–0)		  21 – Hammond  9 – Graves  9 – Mahi  Leavey Center (1,378)
Santa Clara, CA
January 8, 2026
8:30 p.m., ESPN2		 at No. 8 Gonzaga L 77–89  13–5
(4–1)		  18 – Graves  9 – Graves  3 – Tied  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
January 10, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Loyola Marymount W 103–72  14–5
(5–1)		  37 – Gavalyugov  11 – Ensminger  4 – Ensminger  Leavey Center (2,000)
Santa Clara, CA
January 14, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Pacific W 85–69  15–5
(6–1)		  18 – Hammond  8 – Graves  4 – Gavalyugov  Leavey Center (1,558)
Santa Clara, CA
January 17, 2026
4:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Saint Mary's W 62–54  16–5
(7–1)		  25 – Hammond  8 – Graves  2 – Tied  Leavey Center (2,700)
Santa Clara, CA
January 24, 2026
6:30 p.m., ESPN+		 at San Diego W 85–73  17–5
(8–1)		  16 – Tied  8 – Oboye  5 – Ensminger  Jenny Craig Pavilion (1,619)
San Diego, CA
January 28, 2026
8:00 p.m., CBSSN		 San Francisco W 88–73  18–5
(9–1)		  21 – Hammond  8 – Oboye  6 – Knapper  Leavey Center (2,000)
Santa Clara, CA
January 31, 2026
6:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Loyola Marymount W 104–73  19–5
(10–1)		  22 – Knapper  10 – Graves  6 – Gavalyugov  Gersten Pavilion (1,178)
Los Angeles, CA
February 4, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Pacific W 71–56  20–5
(11–1)		  13 – Ensminger  8 – Graves  3 – Tied  Alex G. Spanos Center (1,139)
Stockton, CA
February 7, 2026
3:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Washington State W 96–92  21–5
(12–1)		  30 – Graves  13 – Graves  4 – Graves  Beasley Coliseum (2,965)
Pullman, WA
February 11, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Seattle W 84–72  22–5
(13–1)		  21 – Gavalyugov  6 – Hammond  7 – Mahi  Leavey Center (1,847)
Santa Clara, CA
February 14, 2026
7:30 p.m., ESPN		 No. 12 Gonzaga L 86–94  22–6
(13–2)		  16 – Hammond  8 – Oboye  4 – Gavalyugov  Leavey Center (4,200)
Santa Clara, CA
February 21, 2026
7:00 p.m., CBSSN		 at San Francisco W 94–73  23–6
(14–2)		  30 – Mahi  10 – Ensminger  3 – Tied  Sobrato Center (2,898)
San Francisco, CA
February 25, 2026
8:00 p.m., CBSSN		 at Saint Mary's L 67–86  23–7
(14–3)		  20 – Graves  6 – Graves  3 – Gavalyugov  University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500)
Moraga, CA
February 28, 2026
5:00 p.m., CBSSN		 Oregon State W 93–72  24–7
(15–3)		  19 – Knapper  10 – Ensminger  7 – Ensminger  Leavey Center (2,388)
Santa Clara, CA
WCC tournament
March 8, 2026
8:00 p.m., ESPN2		 (3) vs. (6) Pacific
Quarterfinal		 W 76–68  25–7
  19 – Graves  11 – Mahi  6 – Tied  Orleans Arena (3,664)
Paradise, NV
March 9, 2026
8:30 p.m., ESPN2		 (3) vs. (2) No. 21 Saint Mary's
Semifinal		 W 76–71  26–7
  23 – Gavalyugov  7 – Tied  6 – Gavalyugov  Orleans Arena (6,343)
Paradise, NV
March 10, 2026
6:00 p.m., ESPN		 (3) vs. (1) No. 12 Gonzaga
Championship		 L 68–79  26–8
  24 – Hammond  9 – Graves  5 – Gavalyugov  Orleans Arena (6,517)
Paradise, NV
NCAA tournament
March 20, 2026*
9:15 a.m., CBS		 (10 MW) vs. (7 MW) Kentucky
First round		 L 84–89 OT 26–9
  20 – Mahi  8 – Ensminger  5 – Gavalyugov  Enterprise Center (17,192)
St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=MW.
All times are in Pacific Time.
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Source:[11]

Rankings

See also: 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
More information Week, Poll ...
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP[12]———RV—————————RVRV——RV—RV—
Coaches——————————————RV————RV—
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