Mikey Lewis Named Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week. Trio of Gaels Earn All-West Coast Conference Honors. Dillan Shaw Tapped for All-Freshman Team. And Gaels Pick up All-WCC Academic Honors.

After leading the Gaels to their fourth straight West Coast Conference Regular Season Title with a pair of wins last week against Santa Clara and then-No. 9 Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s guard Mikey Lewis has been named the US Basketball Writers Association Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week.

The prestigious award was announced on March 3. One of five weekly honorees, Lewis joins Paulius Murauskas as the second Gael to win this award this season. On Monday, Lewis was also named the WCC Player of the Week.

Lewis had stat lines littered with career-highs last week. After scoring 21 and dishing a career-high seven assists and recording a career-best four steals on February 25 against Santa Clara, the sophomore out of Oakland carried the Gaels to their title-clinching win over Gonzaga on February 28. In that contest, Lewis dropped a career-high 31 points, burying seven three-pointers, also a new career mark. 

Lewis has now scored in double-figures in a career-high eight straight games while leading Saint Mary's into the national Top 25 polls. The Gaels debuted at No. 21 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Sports Coaches polls on March 2.

Lewis will look to keep momentum rolling in the 2026 Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Championship. The Gaels begin play in the conference semifinals on Monday night at 8:30 p.m. at Orleans Arena. Get tickets or watch the game on ESPN2.

Trio of Gaels Earn All-WCC Honors, and Dillan Shaw Named to All-Freshman Team

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Also announced on Tuesday: Saint Mary’s Men’s Basketball program had four student-athletes earn All-West Coast Conference distinctions, with Joshua Dent, Mikey Lewis, and Paulius Murauskas each earning first team honors, and Dillan Shaw being named to the WCC All-Freshman Team. This is the fourth straight year that the Gaels have had three honorees on the first team All-WCC list, and their third time in the last four years that they have had a student-athlete recognized on the all-freshman team. 

Joshua Dent burst onto the scene this season as a sophomore, filling the massive shoes left by back-to-back WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis. Dent hails from Wollongong, New South Wales, in Australia—and he was ready to answer the bell, finishing out the regular season as the Gaels’ third-leading scorer (13.3 points per game), while leading the team with 174 assists and 50 steals. Dent showed a tremendous ability to score from beyond the arc, burying 57 three pointers, the second most on the team, at a 40.4% clip. He also converted 91.8% of his foul shots in the regular season. Dent played a full 40 minutes on 12 different occasions this year, including in his most outstanding performance of the year—against Washington State on January 10, when he scored a career-high 26 points on six-for-nine shooting from deep. Dent also recorded his first three collegiate double-doubles, going for 16 points and 11 assists against Oregon State (January 21), 13 points and 11 assists against San Francisco (February 7), and 12 points and 11 assists against Pepperdine (February 11). He currently leads the WCC in minutes played per game (36:07) and free throw percentage (91.8%), while ranking third in the conference in assists (174), assists per game (5.6), and steals per game (1.61).

Defending WCC Sixth Man of the Year Mikey Lewis stepped into a starting role in 2025–26 and found his stride as an elite scoring guard. The Gaels’ second-leading scorer at 13.9 points per game, Lewis buried 64 triples to pace Saint Mary’s. The Oakland native also saw his assist numbers jump in year two, averaging more than two per game (2.2). Currently riding a career-best eight game double-digit scoring streak, Lewis is coming off of the most impactful week of his Gaels career. The Gaels needed two wins to secure their fourth straight West Coast Conference Regular Season Title, and Lewis helped deliver both. 

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The Gaels’ lone returning starter from 2024–25 and defending West Coast Conference Newcomer of the Year Paulius Murauskas was SMC’s unsung offensive leader all year long, and earned his second first team All-WCC nod. The first Gael to crack the 500-point mark since Logan Johnson, Murauskas leads the WCC with 576 points scored. Hailing from Kaunas, Lithuania, Murauskas logged seven double-doubles this year, tied for the third most in the WCC, including a signature 32-point, 15-rebound performance on the road at Pacific on February 14—which was also his 22nd birthday. In that game, Murauskas also scored his 1000th collegiate point. He currently sits 999 points for his Saint Mary’s career. Murauskas did a lot of damage from the free throw line this year, knocking down a WCC-best 160 at a stellar 83.3% clip. 

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Dillan Shaw became the 11th Gael to earn WCC-All Freshman honors since the inception of the award in 2004. A swiss army knife at the small forward position, Shaw took over for fifth-year player Luke Barrett, who graduated in 2025, and the Gaels did not miss a beat. The Northridge, California native started the final 20 games of the season for the Gaels, including all 18 conference contests, and averaged nearly eight points per game, while shooting 42.6% from three. Shaw also ripped down 5.3 rebounds per game, while finishing second on the team with 28 steals, and third with 19 blocks. He dropped a career-high 20 points against Seattle U on January 4, burying six of eight threes. He also logged his first two double-doubles, going for 14 points and 10 rebounds against San Diego (February 4) and 11 points and 14 rebounds against Santa Clara (February 25).

With three first team all-conference selections this year, the Gaels tied with Santa Clara for most in the WCC. This core group will look to lead the Gaels to a West Coast Conference Tournament Title—looking for the fourth time in program history in which Saint Mary’s has captured both the regular season and tournament title. 

Joshua Dent Named to WCC All-Academic Team, and Harry Wessels Earns Honorable Mention

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Joshua Dent earned a place on the West Coast Conference All-Academic team, and senior center Harry Wessels was named an honorable mention member of that team. This is the eighth consecutive year that the Gaels have been represented on the WCC All-Academic team. 

In order to earn WCC All-Academic status, student-athletes must have at least second-year status and meet requirements that include a minimum 3.20 cumulative grade point average, being a starter or reserve, and participating in at least 50% of contests.

The Gaels’ starting point guard throughout the season, sophomore Joshua Dent earned his first all-academic nod in his first year being eligible for the award. Along with his stellar performance on the court, Dent thrived in the classroom, maintaining a 3.34 GPA as a Business Administration major. 

Harry Wessels also took on a starting role for the first time in his career this year, as center for the Gaels. The big man started in 21 of his 30 appearances, seeing career-highs in minutes played and rebounding, while climbing into the top-10 in program history in blocked shots. Wessels also saw his GPA climb, and earned his first all-academic distinction, with a 3.23 GPA as a Business Administration major. 

Head Coach Randy Bennett Finalist in Jim Phelan and Hugh Durham Coach of the Year Awards

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On Thursday, colleginsider.com announced that Saint Mary’s Head Men's Basketball Coach Randy Bennett has been named a finalist for both the Jim Phelan and the Hugh Durham Coach of the Year Awards. The Jim Phelan Coach of the Year Award is presented annually to the top head coach in Division I college basketball, while the Hugh Durham Coach of the Year Award is presented annually to the top mid-major head coach in college basketball.

Now in his 25th season at the helm of the Gaels, Bennett has led the Gaels to seven West Coast Conference Regular Season Titles, including each of the last four. This season, Bennett has the Gaels at 27–4 heading into the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Championship. Even more impressive, Bennett has kept the Gaels at a high level this season despite losing four starters from last year’s squad, including the defending WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis and WCC Defensive Player of the Year Mitchell Saxen.

Story updated March 6, 2025 at 11 a.m. Pacific.