2024–25 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball team

2024–25 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball
2024–25 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball
Conference	Big West Conference
Record	21–13 (11–9 Big West)
Head coach	Joe Pasternack (8th season);
Assistant coaches	Brandon Cyrus; Brian Eskildsen; Skye Ettin; Derek Glasser;
Home arena	The Thunderdome; (Capacity: 5,000)
	Seasons ← 2023–24 2025–26 →

2024–25 Big West men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
UC San Diego †	18	–	2	.900	30	–	5	.857
UC Irvine	17	–	3	.850	32	–	7	.821
UC Riverside	14	–	6	.700	21	–	13	.618
Cal State Northridge	14	–	6	.700	22	–	11	.667
UC Santa Barbara	11	–	9	.550	21	–	13	.618
UC Davis	9	–	11	.450	15	–	17	.469
Cal Poly	8	–	12	.400	16	–	19	.457
Cal State Bakersfield	8	–	12	.400	14	–	19	.424
Hawai'i	7	–	13	.350	15	–	16	.484
Long Beach State	3	–	17	.150	7	–	25	.219
Cal State Fullerton	1	–	19	.050	6	–	26	.188

† 2025 Big West tournament winner

The 2024–25 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball team represented the University of California, Santa Barbara during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gauchos, led by eighth-year head coach Joe Pasternack, played their home games at The Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, California as members of the Big West Conference.

Previous season

The Gauchos finished the 2023–24 season 16–15, 9–11 in Big West play to finish in a tie for seventh place.^[1] They were defeated by Cal State Northridge in the first round of the Big West tournament.^[2]

Roster

2024–25 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
F	00	Koat Keat Tong	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	RS So	Crean Lutheran HS	Bentiu, South Sudan
G	1	Ben Shtolzberg	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jr	Creighton	Northridge, California
G	2	Deuce Turner	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	GS	San Diego	Coatesville, Pennsylvania
G	3	Chris Mitchell	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	GS	Cal State San Bernardino	Oceanside, California
G	4	Cole Anderson	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Sr	Clovis West HS	Fresno, California
F	7	Colin Smith	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	RS So	Vanderbilt	Dallas, Texas
F	9	Max Murrell	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	GS	Stanford	Omaha, Nebraska
G	10	Jason Fontenet II	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	So	Bella Vista Prep	Phoenix, Arizona
F	11	Kenny Pohto	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	Sr	Wichita State	Stockholm, Sweden
C	12	Evans Kipruto	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	250 lb (113 kg)	Sr	Barton CC	Nairobi, Kenya
G	18	Henry Hartwell	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	RS Jr	El Camino HS	Oceanside, California
F	23	Ariel Bland	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	Sr	Golden State Prep	Eden Prairie, Minnesota
G	24	Zion Sensley	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Fr	Archbishop Riordan HS	San Carlos, California
G	26	Elia Bongiorno	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	The King's Academy	Arona, Italy
G	27	Bryce Howard	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	RS Jr	Cal State East Bay	Westlake Village, California
G	30	Stephan Swenson	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	GS	Stetson	Brussels, Belgium
F	35	Bryce Bedgood	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Fr	Valencia HS	Valencia, California
F	40	David Pickles	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Sr	Mercer Island HS	Seattle, Washington
G	44	Zachiah Clark	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Fr	DNA Prep Academy	Calabasas, California
G	99	Max Sheldon	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Sr	San Marcos HS	Santa Barbara, California

Head coach

Joe Pasternack (Indiana)

Assistant coach(es)

Brandon Cyrus (UC Santa Barbara)
Brian Eskildsen (Tennessee)
Skye Ettin (TCNJ)
Derek Glasser (Arizona State)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: October 29, 2024

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
November 4, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		San Francisco State	W 96–47	1–0	11 – Smith	8 – Fontenet II	5 – Swenson	The Thunderdome (3,357) Santa Barbara, CA
November 9, 2024* 3:00 pm, ESPN+		at Portland	W 94–53	2–0	21 – Fontenet II	5 – Tied	5 – Tied	Chiles Center (1,304) Portland, OR
November 13, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Fresno State	W 91–86	3–0	24 – Turner	6 – Fontenet II	6 – Swenson	The Thunderdome (2,872) Santa Barbara, CA
November 17, 2024* 2:00 pm, MWN		at San Jose State	W 64–59	4–0	18 – Anderson	10 – Pohto	7 – Pohto	Provident Credit Union Event Center (1,817) San Jose, CA
November 20, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		UTEP	L 76–79	4–1	21 – Pohto	10 – Pohto	6 – Swenson	The Thunderdome (2,573) Santa Barbara, CA
November 26, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Eastern Washington	W 67–51	5–1	17 – Turner	8 – Pohto	5 – Pohto	The Thunderdome (1,541) Santa Barbara, CA
November 29, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Mississippi Valley State	W 81–48	6–1	16 – Sensley	7 – Keat Tong	7 – Shtolzberg	The Thunderdome (1,616) Santa Barbara, CA
December 5, 2024 7:00 pm, ESPN+		UC San Diego	L 76–84	6–2 (0–1)	21 – Swenson	12 – Fontenet II	5 – Swenson	The Thunderdome (2,065) Santa Barbara, CA
December 7, 2024 2:00 pm, ESPN+		at UC Davis	L 60–71	6–3 (0–2)	16 – Tied	9 – Pohto	4 – Smith	University Credit Union Center (2,891) Davis, CA
December 14, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Green Bay	W 83–66	7–3	23 – Turner	13 – Fontenet II	7 – Swenson	The Thunderdome (1,026) Santa Barbara, CA
December 18, 2024* 5:00 pm, ESPN+		at Loyola Marymount	L 58–60	7–4	15 – Swenson	8 – Pohto	4 – Tied	Gersten Pavilion (962) Los Angeles, CA
December 22, 2024* 11:00 am, ESPN+		at Missouri State	L 56–68	7–5	20 – Pohto	10 – Pohto	4 – Pohto	Great Southern Bank Arena (1,762) Springfield, MO
December 28, 2024* 4:00 pm, ESPN+		Westcliff	W 89–72	8–5	21 – Turner	11 – Pohto	7 – Shtolzberg	The Thunderdome (1,491) Santa Barbara, CA
January 2, 2025 9:00 pm, ESPN+		at Hawai'i	W 64–61	9–5 (1–2)	21 – Swenson	5 – Pohto	7 – Swenson	Stan Sheriff Center (4,753) Honolulu, HI
January 9, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Cal State Bakersfield	W 78–66	10–5 (2–2)	17 – Fontenet II	9 – Pohto	5 – Swenson	The Thunderdome (2,757) Santa Barbara, CA
January 11, 2025 5:00 pm, ESPN+		at Cal Poly Rivalry	W 75–72	11–5 (3–2)	22 – Swenson	7 – Pohto	6 – Swenson	Mott Athletics Center (3,032) San Luis Obispo, CA
January 16, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+/SPECTSN		UC Riverside	W 66–63	12–5 (4–2)	18 – Anderson	8 – Swenson	4 – Fontenet II	The Thunderdome (1,713) Santa Barbara, CA
January 18, 2025 1:00 pm, ESPN+/SPECTSN		UC Davis	L 60–64	12–6 (4–3)	17 – Pohto	7 – Fontenet II	7 – Swenson	The Thunderdome (1,081) Santa Barbara, CA
January 23, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+/SPECTSN		at UC San Diego	L 63–77	12–7 (4–4)	16 – Turner	8 – Pohto	3 – Turner	LionTree Arena (3442) La Jolla, CA
January 25, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+		at Cal State Fullerton	W 83–75	13–7 (5–4)	29 – Anderson	9 – Fontenet II	7 – Swenson	Titan Gym (373) Fullerton, CA
January 30, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Cal State Northridge	L 71–78	13–8 (5–5)	18 – Swenson	6 – Fontenet II	4 – Tied	The Thunderdome (1,889) Santa Barbara, CA
February 1, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Long Beach State	W 85–54	14–8 (6–5)	20 – Swenson	8 – Keat Tong	5 – Swenson	The Thunderdome (2,212) Santa Barbara, CA
February 6, 2025 6:30 pm, ESPN+		at Cal State Bakersfield	W 81–75	15–8 (7–5)	22 – Swenson	6 – Swenson	7 – Swenson	Icardo Center (1,091) Bakersfield, CA
February 8, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Hawai'i	W 76–72	16–8 (8–5)	23 – Turner	8 – Fontenet II	5 – Tied	The Thunderdome (2,109) Santa Barbara, CA
February 13, 2025 8:00 pm, ESPNU		at UC Irvine	L 60–62	16–9 (8–6)	18 – Swenson	10 – Pohto	5 – Fontenet II	Bren Events Center (2,781) Irvine, CA
February 15, 2025 5:00 pm, ESPN+		at UC Riverside	L 69–81	16–10 (8–7)	24 – Pohto	8 – Fontenet II	6 – Fontenet II	SRC Arena (802) Riverside, CA
February 20, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Cal State Fullerton	W 86–56	17–10 (9–7)	18 – Turner	5 – Tied	5 – Shtolzberg	The Thunderdome (2,019) Santa Barbara, CA
February 22, 2025 4:00 pm, ESPN+		at Long Beach State	W 58–56	18–10 (10–7)	16 – Swenson	6 – Pohto	3 – Swenson	Walter Pyramid (1,863) Long Beach, CA
February 27, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Cal Poly Rivalry	W 96–77	19–10 (11–7)	19 – Fontenet II	7 – Sensley	8 – Swenson	The Thunderdome (4,000) Santa Barbara, CA
March 1, 2025 5:00 pm, ESPN+		at Cal State Northridge	L 77–103	19–11 (11–8)	18 – Fontenet II	3 – Tied	3 – Tied	Premier America Credit Union Arena (1,398) Northridge, CA
March 8, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		UC Irvine	L 88–97	19–12 (11–9)	28 – Turner	6 – Swenson	5 – Fontenet II	The Thunderdome (2,903) Santa Barbara, CA
Big West tournament
March 12, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+	(5)	vs. (8) Cal State Bakersfield First round	W 71–66	20–12	15 – Swenson	7 – Pohto	5 – Fontenet II	Lee's Family Forum Henderson, NV
March 13, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+	(5)	vs. (4) Cal State Northridge Quarterfinals	W 78–72	21–12	25 – Swenson	5 – Fontenet II	5 – Fontenet II	Lee's Family Forum Henderson, NV
March 14, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+/ESPNU	(5)	vs. (1) UC San Diego Semifinals	L 51–69	21–13	12 – Tied	7 – Fontenet II	6 – Swenson	Lee's Family Forum Henderson, NV
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific.

Sources:^[3]^[4]

References

^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings". The Big West. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
^ "Gauchos Suffer Season Ending 87-84 Loss to Cal State Northridge in Big West Tournament Opener". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of California, Santa Barbara. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
^ "UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 2024-25 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved October 29, 2024.

[1] "2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings". The Big West. Retrieved October 29, 2024.

[2] "Gauchos Suffer Season Ending 87-84 Loss to Cal State Northridge in Big West Tournament Opener". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved October 29, 2024.

[3] "2024-25 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of California, Santa Barbara. Retrieved October 29, 2024.

[4] "UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 2024-25 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved October 29, 2024.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball
Venues	Robertson Gymnasium (1959–1979) The Thunderdome (1979–present)
Rivalries	Cal Poly
Culture & lore	Olé Fantom of the Thunderdome
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25