All-Star Classic Welcomes Gael Hoops Greats Back to SMC
Saint Mary's Men's Basketball hosted the Gaels All-Star Classic, presented by Common Interest Management, for the third time on Sunday afternoon. Last held in 2017, the Gaels of the past put on a show for the fans in University Credit Union Pavilion. This year's festivities were in conjunction with Alumni Weekend held by the campus of Saint Mary's College.
Action got started at 2 p.m. with the Alumni Game. The action was fast and competitive, with former Gael Wayne Hunter ’10 finishing as one of the leading scorers of the game.
Plenty of notable Gaels were in attendance for the All-Star Classic which took place after the Alumni game at 4 p.m. Some of the Gaels in attendance included Tommy Kuhse ’22, fresh off his 25-point game for the Orlando Magic in the NBA Summer League, as well as former Boston Celtic Malik Fitts ’20. Although Fitts didn't play in the game, Kuhse finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
One former Gael in attendance who got plenty of run in the game was Todd Golden, formerly the head coach at San Francisco, who was hired by Florida to be their head coach this offseason. He played under head coach Randy Bennett from 2004-08, and coached against Bennett as recently as this season.
"I owe a lot to [coach Bennett] and this program for giving me a good foundation," Golden mentioned about his former coach. "Being here at Saint Mary's, I went from being a boy to a man, and the basketball piece and the coaching piece fall into that as well."
The game was hotly contested going into half, with Team White leading Team Blue 53-47. Half time was full of action as well; the 3-Pt Contest provided fans with some exciting long-range competition. Daniel Kickert ’06, Mickey McConnell ’11, and Jordan Ford ’20 all made the final, but it was Jordan Ford who came out on top, finishing with a final score of 20. Kickert took second while McConnell took third respectively.
"You always hear about the 'Gael Greats,' so it was great to see all of our talents out there on the floor together," Ford said. He was full-sprint from the opening tip-off, which played right in line with what he spoke about before the game. "I'm going to give it as hard as I can, we're going to try and get the dub today, but hopefully we have a lot of fun too."
Speaking of Kickert, he was honored before the game for being inducted into the Saint Mary's Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2022. Kickert was unable to attend the original ceremony during basketball season, so the Gaels made sure to bring Kickert back to the forefront. He set the program record for points scored in a career with 1,874, a mark that now sits third-best in SMC lore.
"Honestly, I didn't know how to take it initially," recalled Kickert when talking about hearing the news of his induction. "I was pretty surprised and shocked about the honor. This school means a lot to me and my family - I spent four years here, had my family and friends come spend a lot of time here, I met my wife here, we got married here…to have that affiliation with the school and the program like I do, it holds a special place in my heart."
Both teams came out of the half hot, the 3-Pt Contest igniting both teams from beyond the arc. Team White took a five point lead late into the game, and despite a late charge from Team Blue, it wasn't enough to seal the victory. Joe Rahon ('17), who was making baskets from all corners of the court, led the way with 25 points and picked up the All-Star Classic MVP Award.