Bruins Fall to Firebirds, But Light at the End of the Tunnel?

The cliche “Rome wasn’t built in a day” might be one of the most-used cliches in the history of mankind, but for the Santa Clara Bruins boys’ varsity basketball team, it’s an important reminder. And in the humble opinion of this writer, they have the right builder for the job in first-year Head Coach Robert Toloy. 

The Bruins program has struggled over the two previous seasons since long-time Head Coach Tony McGilvery retired. Last year, the program arguably hit its lowest point when its former head coach suggested that the players “don’t listen” and, by not listening, were “setting us up for failure.” Santa Clara ended last season with a 1-11 record in league, 6-18 overall.

The year before wasn’t much better at 2-10 in league and 6-17 overall. In 2021-22, McGilvery’s last season, the team’s record was an identical 2-10 and 6-17. The last time the Bruins had a winning record was the 2020-21 school year when they went an impressive 10-2 in league and 12-4 overall. 

With Toloy at the helm, the Bruins once again have a coach with a proven track record, not just with high school basketball, but high school basketball in Santa Clara. Toloy was the Head Coach for the Wilcox Chargers for six seasons from 2015-16 to 2020-21. During that time, Toloy twice led teams that went from worst to best over one offseason.

Toloy inherited a Chargers team that went 2-10 in league in 2014-15 and led them to the playoffs with a 7-4 league record. After a down year in 2017-18, when the team went 1-11, the Chargers flipped that script and went 11-1 in 2018-19. Overall, the Chargers league record during Toloy’s final three seasons was an incredible 28-6. 

Toloy is now tasked with rebuilding the Bruins program, and whilst the team’s current 2-19 and 1-9 records leave a lot to be desired, there is a renewed sense of optimism moving forward. One source close with the team told the paper that he believes the Bruins will be good next year.

Two key leaders who will return next season are junior Giovanni Hansen and sophomore Tomer Katzir. 

“I feel like next year when we play [Fremont] it’s going to be a different story,” chimed Hansen after the Bruins’ 67-40 loss to the Firebirds. “It’s definitely different to have three coaches in three different years. But now I think we are getting comfortable with the system and the future looks bright.”

“We’re definitely building,” added Katzir on the team’s steady improvement. “The wins don’t show that, but we’ve been competing every possession and playing hard all four quarters and that’s what Coach Toloy has been instilling in us.” 

Coach Toloy certainly believes in an unselfish brand of basketball, to the point that he even suggested the paper interview assistant coach Mike Scott postgame as a reward for his hard work over the season. 

“We try to let the kids know that things don’t come overnight,” remarked Coach Scott. “We don’t expect them to pick up this offense and defensive scheme overnight. We know they have been in a tough situation the last couple of years, different offenses, different coaches. It’s tough on a 14, 15, 16-year-old kid. We try to get down on their level from a developmental standpoint and understand that this is not a sprint; it’s more of a marathon.”