Saint Mary's fans proud of team's effort despite being eliminated from March Madness
A historic season for the Saint Mary's men's basketball team has come to an end. The Gael's fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
It was the school's fourth consecutive year making the big dance, the first time the program has ever done that.
Geno Brager lives just an eight-minute drive from the school. Since he moved to the area more than two decades ago, he's been a fan and he had big hopes for this season.
"Probably the best year and the best team I've seen for those 20 years," Brager said.
He put on his best attire in hopes of rooting the team on to the Sweet 16.
"This I got for my 70th birthday from my son," said Brager showing off his jersey. "It's an official, signed Patty Mills jersey that my son said I should never wear and I thought 'What good is that sitting in my closet?' So I brought it out today."
Unfortunately, the cheers turned to sighs, some people unable to watch as the team fell 80-66
"I was hopeful but you could see it slipping away and you could see the athleticism in some of the Alabama players and sometimes that's really the difference," Brager said.
Even at the lowest points, SMC senior Drew Foretzche continued to cheer. He says he wanted to keep the crowd optimistic.
"We're a small school but we're trying to make it as loud as possible, trying to make a big impact," Foretzche said.
Saint Mary's was the third smallest school by enrollment in the tournament and the smallest school to make it into the round of 32.
In the age of name, image and likeness, boosters funding programs, and conference re-alignment Brager says it's hard for a mid-major like Saint Mary's to compete.
"This is a school of less than 4,000 playing today against a school of more than 40,000 so it's tough going up against some of the bigger schools," Brager said.
But he's still proud of their effort and excited for next year.
"They're losing three of their top players but they also lost Aidan Mahaney last year," said Brager about the possibility of overcoming losses. "They came back with a 17-1 record, one of their best conference records. So anything can happen and Randy [Bennett] knows how to recruit."
Saint Mary's was the last Bay Area team in the tournament but the Bay Area will still play a part.
Two Sweet 16 matchups and an Elite 8 game will be at Chase Center on Thursday and Saturday.
