He's Got Game: Smiles all around as Saint Mary’s Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Matoso, left, and President Roger J. Thompson, right, welcome new men’s basketball head coach Mickey McConnell to his introductory press conference at UCU Pavilion. / Photo by Tod Fierner for SMC Athletics
Kroner's Corner: Welcome to the McConnell Era
Mickey McConnell was introduced this week to the Gael basketball community. If rousing cheers, a large turnout, and smiles all around are any indication, men’s basketball won’t miss a beat after the departure of longtime coach Randy Bennett.
During Wednesday’s news conference introducing Mickey McConnell as Saint Mary's head coach, SMC President Roger Thompson and athletic director Mike Matoso struck a similar theme.
“There is something fitting and meaningful about a legendary Gael stepping forward to lead the program built by his coach and mentor,” Thompson said.
Said Matoso: “We knew this day would come, and we were prepared. … We have always known a true Gael would be the ideal fit for this program.”
After Randy Bennett took Arizona State's head-coaching job Monday, SMC brass wasted little time in elevating McConnell from his position as associate head coach to the spot Bennett had held with such distinction for the past 25 seasons.
McConnell was a guard for the Gaels from 2007 through 2011. He was a reserve until Patty Mills suffered a broken hand midway through the 2008-09 season. McConnell then became a starter, and he thrived, capped in the 2010-11 season when he was named the WCC’s Player of the Year.
After playing professionally for nearly a decade, McConnell returned to Moraga as an assistant coach in 2019. Bennett promoted McConnell to associate head coach in 2022.
Prior to the 2010 WCC Tournament – which the Gaels won and in which McConnell was the Most Valuable Player – I wrote a feature on him for the San Francisco Chronicle.
The story detailed how coaching was an integral part of the McConnell family. Mickey’s grandfather, Dick, was the winningest high school basketball coach in Arizona history at that time, and Mickey had played for his father, Rick, at Dobson High in Mesa, Ariz.
I referenced that story with Mickey at the outset of our Q&A after the formal portion of Wednesday's news conference. Some questions and answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Coaching was part of your lineage. Was the announcement this week the fulfillment of Mickey McConnell's destiny?
(laughter) I don't know about that, but if I can live up to their (standards), I'll be in a great spot. Yeah, they got me started on this path. I always knew I wanted to coach. Obviously, I knew I wanted to get into it. I didn't know if I wanted to do it at the high school or college level. Once I played and saw what college basketball was, it was clear: That's what I wanted to do.
I was lucky enough to play for Coach Bennett, and he said whenever I'm ready to come back, there's a job for me – and there it was. I was lucky enough to go play (professionally) and then come back, and it’s been an amazing seven years so far.
There are all kinds of components to being a head coach in major college basketball. You’ve got to be able to handle practice. You’ve got to be able to manage a roster, which is different these days. You’ve got to deal with the media. You've got to deal with the administration.
Of all those things, what’s the one thing right now that you say, “You know what? I am ready. I know I can do this”? And the one thing that you say, “You know what? I’m going to need some help. Not that I can’t ever do it, but this is somewhere I need to grow”?
I think the practice part will be the most comfortable. I've been in enough practices. I've seen enough practices. I have practice plans from the last seven years. If I wanted to just go verbatim on a practice, I could get that done.
But now, you’re in front of the team. You’re meeting with the players individually. You’re putting together the staff, the roster. All those things are new. I’ve probably learned in the past couple of days more than I ever have as far as what goes into the ins and outs of college and coaching. Luckily, our staff that’s still here has been tremendous in helping me. The administration has been great there.
Some of it, I won’t know until I get to it, but I’m confident. I’ve seen enough of Coach Bennett. I’ve seen enough of my dad. When I was a player, we had great coaches here. You can go through the coaching tree of the Kyle Smiths (Stanford head coach), the Eran Ganots (Hawaii head coach), the Rick Croys (California Baptist head coach). …
So, I’ve seen what relationships look like with players and coaches, and I think that’s an area that I can feel comfortable in from Day 1. Just being able to connect with our players and lead them in a way that I’m comfortable doing.
How much are you like your dad, and how much are you a little different than your dad?
I would say I’m probably pretty similar.
I’m sure he’s happy to hear that.
The thing I always look back on is that he would get on guys. He was firm. He was tough. A lot of the stuff that Coach Bennett believes in, that’s how I was raised. That's why Coach Bennett was such a great fit for me.
My dad’s always been such a great mentor to his players. And obviously, in high school, it’s a little different. They’re in a different age group. But it’s a family. It’s his players. He’s like a second father to ‘em. He’s helping them through a lot of stuff. …
He just always had such a knack for connecting with the group that he had. That’s something I want to continue with our guys. Coach Bennett obviously does that as well. He has built a brotherhood of Saint Mary’s alums that want to come back. That’s what I want to continue doing.
You mentioned Coach Bennett. Obviously, he’s had a big influence on your life. He’s had a big influence on the lives of dozens, if not hundreds, of guys who’ve gone through this program.
So, one level, if it ain’t broken, you don’t fix it. But, you’ve still got to be (yourself). So, how are you going to be similar to Randy in this, and maybe the question would be, will you ever play zone?
(laughter) I think we see how you run a program and [why] the foundational elements of the program should be the same. Like, what you want to recruit. What you’re looking for in a good player. What wins at the college level. How tough you have to be. How much work you have to put in. How much you have to grind.
But also, the level of commitment it takes as a coach. That’s the biggest I’ve seen since being back. You can’t skate away from how hard you have to work and how much time you have to put in. That’s where I'm very similar: I know what I want to look for in a player.
And then I think defensively and rebounding, those things are how you raise your floor. We’ve obviously been dominant on the rebounding. Defensively, we’ve been top-15, top-20 over the past six, seven years. Those things are how you win championships and how you have a chance to win every game.
And, will I play zone? I don’t know. I think where Coach Bennett is right is that you’re going to get good at what you practice. … But if you go look at Coach Smith, you go look at Coach Ganot – their teams will zone from time to time. I would say some of it is, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it, but I would be more willing. I think I would be more willing to try some things.
My dad’s more wired that way, partially because you have new players and you're dealt the hand you have. You might have a 6-foot post player in high school. So, I was always impressed with my dad's ability to adapt and change to try to find a solution.
I think one area that will be a little different from Coach Bennett is probably offensively, in how I see it. Not in a bad way, not in one way is better than the other; it's just what I’m comfortable with.
Some people think, OK, the basketball season for Saint Mary’s is over. It’s time to relax. Obviously, it’s not. What are the two or three biggest things on your agenda between, say, now and the middle of next month?
Putting together a great staff and retaining our players, and from there, when you have your roster, it’s putting together a cohesive team that you think can win a championship.
Based on who I think will be back, we’ll have to supplement some pieces, but I think it’s an exciting challenge for us – and our main focus right now will be that. Put together a staff so we can get to work, get on the same page, and make sure we have a roster set.
Last question. Let’s go forward to the first game that you’re the head coach of the Saint Mary’s Gaels. When you come on the floor, what’s going to be going through your mind and what’s going to be going through your heart?
I’m hoping what's going through my mind is trying to execute whatever we spoke with our coaches and team about trying to win the game. … I want to make sure I enjoy it. I’ll be filled with a lot of joy, excitement, and determination.
It’s a great challenge. Throughout my playing career, there have always been ups and downs. You lose a guy like Patty (Mills) after your sophomore year, and you’ve got to take a step. Whether you can do it or not, you have to have the belief in yourself that you can. So, I’ll be really excited for that and just ready to compete with our team.
Steve Kroner has covered Bay Area sports for more than four decades, mainly at KPIX-TV (Channel 5) and the San Francisco Chronicle. He recently finished his second season working as an analyst alongside Brian Brownfield on SMC men’s basketball telecasts on ESPN+.
