McConnell named Head Basketball Coach at St. Mary’s
Saint Mary’s College Associate Head Coach and former standout Gael Mickey McConnell has been named head men’s basketball coach, announced today by Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Matoso.
McConnell has been an instrumental piece of the program for decades, first as a student-athlete and then as the associate head coach under Randy Bennett. McConnell has helped lead the program to a record five-straight NCAA Tournament appearances as a single-digit seed over that span.
McConnell is taking over at the helm for Bennett, who after leading the Gaels for 25 seasons, was announced as the head coach at Arizona State on Monday.
“We have known for several years now that Mickey would be the perfect fit to lead our men’s basketball program and continue the success this program has achieved, while beginning a new and exciting era,” Matoso said. “We couldn’t be more thankful and grateful for everything Coach Bennett has done for Saint Mary’s. We have been in coordination with Randy for years on how to continue this success if he were to leave. We have and will continue to fund and support this program at a very high level and provide all the resources for Mickey to succeed in this role.”
Since returning to Saint Mary’s in the summer of 2019, McConnell and the Gaels have had a 175-54 (.764) record over that seven-year span.
“This is a special place to me and my family and I’m honored to have the support and trust from President Roger Thompson and Athletic Director Mike Matoso to lead the Saint Mary’s basketball program,” McConnell said. “None of us would be in this position without Coach Bennett and all he has done over the years. He took the program from 2-27 to 5 straight NCAA tournaments and 4 straight league titles. Everything he has done has been to put the program first and get it onto the National stage. I can’t thank him enough for being such a strong leader and mentor to me.”
McConnell, who played under Randy Bennett from 2007-11, was named WCC Player of the Year his senior season and was a First Team All-WCC honoree his junior year. Under McConnell’s tutelage, he has coached Augustas Marciulionis to back-to-back WCC Players of the Year and three-straight WCC Defensive Players of the Year in Logan Johnson and Mitchell Saxen.
After graduating, McConnell spent a lengthy eight year professional career in Europe minus a one-year stint in 2013-14 with the Texas Legends, the Dallas Mavericks’ G-League team. The former Gael played in Italy, Germany, Spain, and France and last appeared with Élan Béarnais in the French LNB Pro A league. In his final pro season, McConnell averaged nearly 36 minutes per game and 13.2 points while shooting 43.8 percent from beyond the arc.
McConnell ranks as one of the best players to ever wear a Gaels uniform as his name is littered among the program’s record book. He sits in the top-5 all-time in 3-point percentage, 3-pointers made, and assists and posted one of the best perimeter shooting seasons in SMC history when he made 51 percent (77-of-151) of his attempts from deep as a junior. He is one of a handful of Gaels who have been First Team All-WCC twice in his career.
The Mesa, Ariz. native became the sixth player in school history to earn WCC Player of the Year during his senior campaign after he averaged 16.4 points, 6.1 assists and owned an impeccable shooting line of .504/.456/.887.
One of McConnell’s crowning moments was his deep three-pointer late in the game against Villanova during the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament that helped propel the team to their first ever Sweet 16.
McConnell was also a 31st round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2011 MLB draft. He and his wife Meagan, a Saint Mary’s College alum, have two kids, son Miles and daughter Logan.
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