Cinderella: Gaels' 2010 fairytale Sweet 16 run

• Saint Mary's (CA) had a dream run to the Sweet 16 at the 2010 NCAA Tournament
• The team featured five Australians with Matthew Dellavedova, Ben Allen, Clint Steindl, Mitch Young and Jorden Page
• Saint Mary's haven't been back to the Sweet 16 since

Andrew Gaze going within minutes of a National Championship with Seton Hall in 1989, Luke Schenscher and Georgia Tech going all the way to the Final Four in 2004 and Andrew Bogut absolutely dominating to lead Utah to the Sweet 16 in 2005 on his way to becoming the No.1 NBA Draft pick.

They were all pioneers for Australian men competing at the NCAA Tournament, which opened the doors for generations to come.

And then there's the dream run to the Sweet 16 from a Saint Mary's team stacked with Aussie talent in 2010.

Previously we had only seen individuals from down under make their mark on college basketball but this was more than that. This was a group of five Aussies helping their school make history. Well, five players and one coach, the team also included current Boomers coach Adam Caporn, who was an assistant coach.

All from the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, now the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence, legendary coach Randy Bennett's roster featured senior Ben Allen, sophomore Clint Steindl and freshman Matthew Dellavedova, Mitch Young and Jorden Page.

Allen, Dellavedova and Steindl would all be starters on a team that would go on to become West Coast Conference Champions, win their first NCAA Tournament game in 51 years and capture the emotions of Australian basketball fans across the world, while Young and Page both were key contributors off the bench during the fairytale season.

Saint Mary's only had one higher finish at the NCAA Tournament, and that was in 1959 when they went all the way to the Elite 8.

Three of the stars from that team in Allen, Steindl and Young spoke to Basketball.com.au about their memories from 2010.

Regular season ups and downs

Saint Mary's knew they had a special group but another thing they knew is that their ultimate obstacle would be their rivals, the Gonzaga Bulldogs led by iconic coach Mark few as well as current NBA veteran Kelly Olynyk and one of the best point guards in the country in David Stockton.

But both teams hit their own hurdles during the regular season in the WCC with Saint Mary's losing both times to the Bulldogs and also dropping a game to the University of Portland while Gonzaga fell to San Francisco and Loyola Marymount.

"One thing I do remember about that season is between us and Gonzaga, we kind of had a bogey team each," former Gaels sharpshooter and NBL championship skipper Clint Steindl said.

"For us, it seemed to be University of Portland and for Gonzaga, it seemed to be the University of San Francisco for some reason. I just remember we were following a couple games towards the end of those seasons and the Zags get upset by San Francisco and we'd lose to Portland somehow."

Saint Mary's would go on to finish as regular season runners-up to Gonzaga with a record of 11-3 compared to 12-2 from the Bulldogs, setting the Gaels on a collision course with their fierce rivals at the WCC Tournament in Las Vegas.

Booking their ticket to March Madness

Having not played in one of the biggest conferences in college basketball, Saint Mary's knew they would have to win the West Coast Conference Championship to take away any doubt and book their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

But to do that, they would have to take down Portland in the semi-finals after going down to their "bogey team" once earlier in the year and overcome a hoodoo against Gonzaga having experienced two big losses to the regular season champions.

They did both with, surprisingly with ease. The Gaels took down Portland 69-55 before smashing the No.18 ranked Bulldogs 81-62 in the championship game.

Star guard Mickey McConnell dominated with 26 points but Melbourne's Ben Allen had a game to remember, scoring 20 points and hitting four threes to lead Saint Mary's to their first WCC title since 1989 and their first tournament win over Gonzaga in 10 attempts.

Sunshine Coast product and dynamic guard Jorden Page also had 11 points in a crucial role for the Gaels.

"Going into tournament time, I guess we had a lot of experience on that team. Coming up against that Gonzaga team, which was absolutely stacked, I guess the thing that helped us was having the Aussies on the team. We just saw it as another opportunity to go play," Steindl said.

Mitch Young said the Gaels felt like they were on Gonzaga's level despite the two regular season losses.

"When we met for the third time, as a group we were ready for the moment and played well at the right time," he said.

Allen, one of the stars of that game who formed a damaging frontcourt partnership with Omar Samhan with his ability to pick and pop as well as play on the block, said that championship win was the moment that stood out the most to him from that memorable 2009-10 season.

"Getting an automatic bid allowed us to train and prepare without worrying about the 'bubble'. It also gave us that belief that we could do some damage in the NCAA Tournament," he said.

How far could the fairytale go?

Saint Mary's were riding a wave of momentum heading to Rhode Island for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. They were confident but still underdogs heading into each game they played.

First up was Richmond and the first half was a nailbiter with the teams heading into halftime tied at 36-all. But the Gaels exploded in the second half as McConnell (23 points) and Samhan (29 points) combined for 52 points, while Steindl connected on 3-from-5 triples to earn a 80-71 win. It was their first at the tournament since 1959.

What was it like to be a knock down shooter on a team with the creation of Dellavedova and Samhan and McConnell commanding so much attention? Steindl said his job was easy.

"All I had to do was pass the ball and stand in the corner and create space. I mean, you had two scoring point guards in Delly and Mickey, Omar was massive focal point, a pick and pop big man who could also play in the block in Ben Allen and then the freshman in Jordy Page and Mitch Young, as well as Bo Levesque and those guys coming off the bench," he said.

"It was very different to the way I played my professional career. There was no flying off pin downs into three balls. It was very methodical, get the ball to where we need it to be, in the hands of who we needed to have it and if it found you off a kickout, a post touch or dribble penetration to a kickout, then you're letting it fly.

"But as a shooter on that team, you just stay spaced, let those guys do their thing and ride their coattails."

The first round win meant the Gaels would face their toughest challenge yet in No.2 seed Villanova.

"The first game was the 'we are here moment'. In the second round against Villanova the stage was bigger, but the group always felt like we had more success in us. It was a case of a talented group coming together at the right time," Young said.

Saint Mary's dominated the first half, creating a 38-31 advantage at halftime, but the Wildcats fought back in the second half and put an almighty scare into the fairytale story of the team from Moraga, California. But the Gaels were able to hold their nerve with Dellavedova nailing several clutch free-throws to record the biggest win in their school's history with a 75-68 victory.

"We knew Villanova would be tough as a two seed but we also knew we were capable of an upset," Allen said.

"I remember a couple of big moments that swung the momentum our way. First was Delly’s street ball, fall down, roll over, keep the dribble alive then drill a three. The other was Mickey McConnell banking a three as the shot clock was running out. We just knew, it was our day."

Young also recalled Dellavedova (14 points) as well as the duo of Samhan (32 points) and McConnell (15 points) stepping up when it mattered most.

"Great players making big plays, which is what all teams need to win in the NCAA tournament when the stakes are so high - Delly, Omar and Mickey all at different times were leading from the front," Young said.

"Emotions were high in the arena with students and alumni who had travelled to Providence, but also nationally, as the culture that is tied to the NCAA Tournament with college graduates across America connecting to their alma mater."

Moving on to the Sweet 16 created a wave of hype and support back home in Australia, which Young believed was because of the ESPN coverage of the games as well as the interest arising from Patty Mills' season with Saint Mary's the season before.

But that hype would only dramatically increase as the Gaels travelled to Texas to take on college powerhouse, Baylor. And it was something no one in the Saint Mary's side had experienced before.

"The Sweet 16 run was my freshman year and with no previous NCAA tournament experience, walked into 44,000 spectators at Lucas Oil Stadium in Houston, where the Houston Texans NFL team plays, chartered flights, police escorts to and from games and a media circus. It was crazy," Young said.

The fairytale would end for Saint Mary's in the Sweet 16, as Baylor proved too strong with a 72-49 loss but not before the group captured the hearts of college basketball fans in Australia, the US and around the world.

The Gaels haven't been back to the Sweet 16 since.

Playing for an iconic coach

Randy Bennett is a name that will go down in history, not only with the Saint Mary's Gaels who he has coached since 2001, but in US college basketball.

He has amassed more than 560 wins as a college head coach and is known for opening the doors for Australian athletes and establishing a pathway from the AIS to St Mary's. But he is also a tactical genius, leading teams such as the 2010 group, to wins over bigger colleges on their way to achieving something memorable.

"Randy Bennett is an unbelievable leader in his own way towards getting the best out of each team," Young said.

"His record of success speaks for itself and for a mid-major program to constantly be competing nationally, goes to show his ability to lead and get his teams to perform when it matters most. His legacy in college hoops is up their with the all-time greats."

Steindl said you could see the impact Bennett has had on college basketball through his coaching tree, which now stretches far and wide across the country and even further with one of those names in current Washington Wizards NBA asisstant and new Boomers coach Adam Caporn.

"His coaching tree is phenomenal. Just the assistant coaches that have gone through that St Mary's program to go on to where they are now. It just goes to show the wealth of knowledge that he has and his ability to recruit high level international players to build around as well.

"It's his wealth of knowledge and experience on top of that and his ability to teach basketball."

Bennett coached his 25th season with the Gaels in 2024-25.

Opening the doors for future generations

There's no doubt Saint Mary's in general but also the men's teams dream run to the Sweet 16 played an integral role in opening the doors for young Australian basketball stars to make the jump to playing college basketball.

It did two things. Made aspiring hoopers believe it was possible, with five Aussies representing Saint Mary's on the biggest stage, but it also made other powerhouse schools from around the US wake up to the fact that Australians can ball!

But Steindl heaped praise on some of Australia's college stars, who came before them.

"You look at guys like Adam Caporn and Daniel Kickert, who played for Saint Mary's then obviously Patty. But you had the likes of Luke Schenscher who went to the Final Four alongside Chris Bosh at Georgia Tech and even guys like Jesse Wagstaff and others who had big careers in division two with Metro State," he said.

"But I think the relationship between the AIS with Marty Clarke and Saint Mary's was huge because we had five Australians on the one team and at stages during the season, we had all five Aussies on the court at the same time.

"That pipeline with the AIS and St Mary's made people realise the pathway you could have though with guys going to college then going on to the NBA or having successful professional careers elsewhere like in the NBL.

'When you look back before then, it seemed hard to do, now the number of Aussies, men and women, playing at the elite level of college basketball I'm sure would beup by 400 or 500% since then I was at Saint Mary's.

"It's great for Australian basketball."

A Cinderella Story to never be forgotten

Momentum, tactics and coaching are all factors in a team making a dream run at the NCAA Tournament. But what made the Saint Mary's fairytale possible?

"Just good guys made the team special. Everyone in that program that year wanted the same thing and we worked every day for it," Allen said.

"I still keep in contact with most of those guys and we all got to relive it at the 10-year anniversary in 2020, where we were inducted into the SMC Hall of Fame. I definitely look back on it more this time of year, remembering how special the run was.

"It’s fun watching the teams each year looking for that Cinderella run, knowing that we achieved something special in 2010."

Young said the leaders of team created an environment that maximised the talent they had on the roster.

"Omar was probably the best centre in America that year and was as an unbelievable post scorer and he was a charismatic and energetic leader. Around Omar we had four knock down shooters, which allowed great space to operate and for the team to function efficiently.

"Delly and Mickey are two ultra-high IQ point guards and it was like having coaches on the floor that led our team and complemented each other very well. Mickey is now on the Saint Mary’s coaching staff and Delly is still dominating, both are phenomenal leaders.

"We have a Gaels WhatsApp group and in March every year the chat goes to another level.

"It was an incredible experience and something we will all share and cherish forever. After 2010, we went to the tournament again twice in my four years at SMC, however never made it out of the first round. The beauty of the tournament is any team can win in any bracket."

Steindl said the run was one of the best experiences of his basketball career.