Saint Mary's College of California Men's Basketball

Saint Mary’s College Associate Head Coach and former standout Gael Mickey McConnell has been named head men’s basketball coach, announced March 23, 2026 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

Saint Mary’s College head men’s basketball coach Mickey McConnell announced the addition of Chris Cobb as associate head coach for the Gaels on April 7, 2026. Cobb joins Saint Mary’s after spending the past 12 years at Montana, including the last 10 years as the associate head coach for the Grizzlies. “Chris is a talented and experienced coach on the West Coast and has excellent Bay Area ties from his time playing and coaching,” McConnell said. “The addition of Chris is really going to elevate this program and he ties into the College and community perfectly. We can’t wait to welcome Chris and his family to Moraga.” During his 12 seasons in Missoula, Cobb and the Grizzlies enjoyed unprecedented success, averaging 20.5 wins per season and winning four Big Sky Conference regular-season titles. Montana won back-to-back Big Sky tournament championships in 2018 and 2019 and added another in 2025. The Grizzlies made trips to the NCAA Tournament in those three years. “I’m incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to join the men’s basketball program at Saint Mary’s. This is a place with a rich tradition and strong culture. To now be a part of it is truly special,” Cobb said. “Coming back home to the Bay Area makes this even more meaningful for my family and I. This has always been a dream of mine—to be part of a program of this caliber, in a place that means so much personally. I’m energized to get to work, build relationships, and contribute to the continued success of Ga

Clayton Mahloch enters his second year with the Gaels for the 2026–27 season as a Graduate Assistant. During his first year at Saint Mary's, the Gaels went 2...

Sheets joined the Gaels' staff in the summer of 2020 as a graduate assistant after spending the previous five years as a member of the team. Following two seasons as the Director of Basketball Operations, Sheets was named an Assistant Coach on Coach Randy Bennett's staff in advance of the 2023-24 season. During his time at Saint Mary's, Sheets appeared in 33 games and was on two NCAA Tournament teams. His senior season in Moraga was cut short due to COVID-19 but the Gaels were posed to make their third trip to the Big Dance in four years. Overall, the Gaels accumulated a 136-37 record while Sheets was with the team. He earned his undergraduate degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in sports and recreation management and made the WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll as a student. Sheets attended high school at Dougherty Valley in nearby San Ramon and graduated in 2015. He lettered in three seasons there and helped lead his team to two NCS appearances. Sheets was a team captain during his junior and senior seasons, was a four-time NCS scholar athlete, 2015 male athlete of the year, and earned his school's Wildcat Character Athletic Award as well.

Saint Mary’s College head men’s basketball coach Mickey McConnell announced on April 8, 2026 the addition of Doc Wellman as director of basketball operations for the Gaels. Wellman joins Saint Mary’s after spending the past 13 years at Cal Baptist, including last season as the General Manager of the program for the Lancers. Wellman was an assistant coach and director of basketball operations over the course of the previous 12 seasons. “Doc brings valuable experience across many platforms for a basketball program, and will help the continued growth of the Gaels,” McConnell said. “He has a tremendous work ethic, is great in the community and is an ideal fit for Moraga. We can’t wait to welcome him and his family to campus.” Wellman is coming off the most successful year in CBU history, winning a conference championship and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. He spent the past 13 years under former Saint Mary’s assistant coach Rick Croy at CBU. “My family and I are so excited to be joining the Saint Mary’s College family. I am honored to be on Coach McConnell’s first staff,” Wellman said. “Under his leadership, I know that we will continue the winning tradition here at Saint Mary’s that has captivated the Moraga community over the years.” Prior to joining Croy in 2013-14, Wellman spent three previous seasons as an assistant coach for Chris Victor at Citrus College in Glendora. In that time, the Owls went a combined 71-19 and made an appearance in t

Saint Mary’s College head men’s basketball coach Mickey McConnell announced on April 2, 2026 the addition of Hardy Asprilla as associate head coach for the Gaels. Asprilla joins Saint Mary’s after spending the past 13 years at Cal Baptist University, including the last seven years as the associate head coach for the Lancers. “We are thrilled to add such a high-level coach in Hardy to the program,” McConnell said. “He has a tremendous amount of experience on the West Coast and brings strong coaching, recruiting and leadership to Saint Mary’s. He is a perfect fit for our program and institution.” Asprilla is coming off the most successful year in CBU history, winning a conference championship and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. He spent the past 13 years under former Saint Mary’s assistant coach Rick Croy at CBU. “I couldn’t be more excited for my family and I to be joining the Saint Mary’s basketball program. I’ve been a big admirer of this program for a long time because of its toughness, discipline, and winning culture.” stated Coach Asprilla, “I’m excited to get to work, and build relationships with our players, those on campus, and the entire Saint Mary’s community as a whole.” A former member of the Colombian National Team and Cal State Fullerton standout, Asprilla spent the 2013 season as an assistant coach at his alma mater, helping interim Head Coach Andy Newman. Prior to that, Asprilla spent two seasons as the lead assistant at Humbo

Holden Wright enters his first year as the Director of Player Personnel after serving as the Director of Basketball Operations for three seasons and a Gradua...

Saint Mary’s College announced March 17, 2026, Athletics Hall of Fame member and former Board of Trustee, John Arnaudon, class of ’81, has been named General Manager of the men’s basketball program. Arnaudon has played an instrumental role at Saint Mary’s College for many years through his work as a board of trustee member, as a philanthropic donor, and his dedication to the men’s basketball program. “John has a tremendous amount of passion for Saint Mary’s College and it shows every day on this campus,” Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Matoso said. “John is a perfect fit for the general manager role at Saint Mary’s. We cannot thank him enough for all that he has done over the years and we look forward to all that is to come with John here.” In his general manager role, Arnaundon will be responsible for oversight of the revenue generation for the men’s basketball program, including fundraising efforts for the golf tournament, Del Mar Day, Tip Off Dinner and End of the Year Banquet. Arnaudon will work closely with Matoso and the office of advancement to identify and solicit new donors, along with the business office and the compliance office. Arnaundon will report directly to Matoso and head coach Mickey McConnell. “John has been a huge part of how we have been able to grow the department and our basketball program,” McConnell said. “He has been able to provide steady leadership over the years and I know he will continue to be successful as the general manager

Touchet enters his third season as an Assistant Coach for the Gaels after spending two years as the recruiting coordinator after and the two previous seasons with the team as a graduate assistant. Touchet previously played for UTEP and McNeese State and spent his final year at the latter. He started 21 games in his final year with the Cowboys and averaged 4.7 points, 3.0 assists, and led his team in steals. In his career, Touchet played in 118 games and averaged 16.5 minutes during those contests. Touchet hails from Lafayette, La. and was the Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year for St. Thomas More High School in 2013 and 2014 while leading his team to a 64-10 record during those years. He also played baseball and ran track in high school. His father was a former quarterback at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.