Saint Mary's men's basketball opened official practice for the 2026-27 season Sept. 23 in Moraga. Former Gael standout Mickey McConnell is running the program as head coach for the first time.

McConnell, who was named West Coast Conference Player of the Year as a senior in 2011, takes over after longtime coach Randy Bennett left for Arizona State following 25 seasons, the school announced. The program is chasing what it calls a fifth straight WCC regular-season title and a sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

"Defense and rebounding really raises your floor," McConnell said at his introductory press conference in March. "If you have those two things, you'll be in a lot of games. To me they're kind of non-negotiables."

McConnell played 124 games for the Gaels from 2007 to 2011, then spent eight seasons as a professional, mostly in Europe, with a year in the Dallas Mavericks' G-League system, before returning to campus as an assistant in 2019, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. He was promoted to associate head coach before the 2022-23 season. Since his return, Saint Mary's has posted a 175-54 record.

The roster features one returning starter: guard Joshua Dent, the only returning All-WCC honoree. Dent, who grew up in Wollongong, Australia, averaged 11 points and three assists per game during the team's preseason tour of Australia, where the Gaels competed against NBL and NBL1 opponents over nearly two weeks.

Three transfers who started games at their previous schools join the mix. Louisville transfer Vangelis Zougris, a 6-foot-8 forward from Greece, led the Gaels on the Australia tour with nearly 16 points per game on 68% shooting. Jeremy Dent-Smith arrives from Stanford and Thomas Ndong from Cal Baptist. Redshirt junior Jazz Gardner, who transferred from Pacific and sat out last season, is also eligible.

Dent is the anchor.

Returning players Mantas Juzenas, Rory Hawke and Kevin Gad have all started games in their Saint Mary's careers. Juzenas averaged 13 points per game on the Australia tour, including a tour-high 24 points in the opener against the Illawarra Hawks.

Athletic director Mike Matoso told the Chronicle the college plans to increase its revenue-sharing investment in men's basketball by 40% for the 2026-27 season.

The Gaels host fellow 2026 NCAA Tournament team Utah State in an exhibition Saturday, Oct. 17, before opening the regular season against Illinois State on Nov. 2. The non-conference slate includes neutral-site matchups with UCLA in San Diego on Nov. 26 and a road trip to Oklahoma State on Dec. 5.