We continue our recruit and return series with the Saint Mary's Gaels, who did not make the NCAA tournament. A look at what the 2018-19 season could hold:
Possible 2018-19 starting five
G: Jordan Ford
F: Malik Fitts
F: Tanner Krebs
C: Evan Fitzner
Who is lost: The Jock Landale era in Moraga has come to a close. One of the most dominant big men in college basketball the past couple of years, Landale was an All-American as a senior with the Gaels. He took his game to a new level as a senior, averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 64 percent from the field. He single-handedly made Saint Mary's a factor every night. Along with Landale, point guard Emmett Naar is also gone. Naar established himself as one of the best distributors in the country, while also hitting double-figures in the scoring column. Former all-West Coast Conference first-teamer Calvin Hermanson is also out of eligibility.
Who is added: It's always difficult to get a feel for who Saint Mary's is bringing in from year-to-year, as the Gaels are one of the best in the country at getting involved with players overseas. Point guard Quinn Clinton is a New Zealand native, as is small forward Daniel Fotu. Six-foot-five point guard Alex Mudronja comes over to California from Australia, and center Mathias Tass is from Estonia. South Florida transfer Fitts will also be eligible next season. He averaged 7.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 2016-17.
What it means for next season: Where will Randy Bennett turn with Landale, Hermanson and Naar all gone? The first place will be to Ford, who looks destined to be a big-time player in the league. He went for 27 points in the WCC tournament loss to BYU and started to develop into a go-to guy on the perimeter for Saint Mary's late in the season. Sophomore forward Krebs had some nice moments this season and will have to take on a bigger role with Landale no longer the main option up front. Two names who entered Saint Mary's with some hype but haven't had big roles yet are point guard Zoriks and athletic wing Elijah Thomas. They'll likely see an increase in minutes next season, as will 6-foot-10 junior center Fitzner -- Landale's replacement.
Trending: Down. Saint Mary's will likely drop from second to third in the WCC standings next season, which is a big step for the Gaels. The departures of Naar, Hermanson and Landale will just be too much to overcome, although Bennett always seems to find an under-the-radar player to become a star. And like we said, it's difficult to get a feel for their newcomers; if they're high-level players, Saint Mary's could stay in the hunt.