D1 · West Coast Conference

Santa Clara Men’s Basketball Recruiting: Roster & Openings

KenPom #31 · 26–9 · 2025–26 · Division 1 · West Coast Conference · Santa Clara, CA

Santa Clara finished 26–9 (WCC 3rd, KenPom #31) in 2025–26. 13 players hold the 2026–27 roster; 5 are new this season.

Roster data through 2026–27

Roster13 players
New this season5
Transfer additions1
Clearest projected openingGuards · 2028
Most common home stateTX (4)

Where the door opens

our roster projection · your arrival year

Guards: open from 2028 — 5 ahead.

Centers: blocked until 2030.

2026
Gcrowded11 ahead
Fcrowded4 ahead
Ccrowded2 ahead · multi-yr
2027
Gcrowded7 ahead
Fcrowded2 ahead · multi-yr
Ccrowded2 ahead · multi-yr
2028
Gopening5 ahead
Fbalanced2 ahead
Ccrowded2 ahead · multi-yr
2029
Gopening3 ahead
Fopen1 ahead
Cbalanced2 ahead
2030
Gopen1 ahead
Fopen0 ahead
Copen1 ahead

Projections for 2029, 2030 are low-confidence reads.

Guards in that room (7)
Thierry Darlan6′8″Sr
Jake Ensminger6′9″Grad
KJ Cochran6′5″So
Sash Gavalyugov6′3″Jr
Eli Jolin6′7″Fr
Brad Longcor III6′4″So
David Castillo6′1″Jr
Forwards in that room (2)
Noah Badibanga6′8″So
Chris Tadjo6′7″Jr
Centers in that room (2)
Alex Ensor7′1″Fr
Francis Chukwudebelu6′10″So
Those openings are for the roster in general. See whether your position, size and profile fit them →

If you want to play at Santa Clara

How to get recruited here

For 2026 arrivals the roster projection reads: G crowded (11 ahead), F crowded (4 ahead), C crowded (2 ahead · multi-yr).

Of the latest cycle's 5 arrivals, 4 came straight from high school and 1 from the transfer portal.

Most arrivals come from TX, CA, CO.

7 of 13 recent arrivals held a national ranking — 7 of 13 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

32% of last season's scoring returns.

The roster, as a depth chart

2026–27 · 13 players

Guards 7 of 13

Jake Ensminger6′9″Grad · final yr6.5 PPG
Thierry Darlan6′8″Sr · final yr6.1 PPG
Eli Jolin6′7″Fr
KJ Cochran6′5″So4.7 PPG
Brad Longcor III6′4″So
Sash Gavalyugov6′3″Jr9.0 PPG
David Castillo6′1″Jr

Frontcourt 4 of 13 · forwards + centers

Alex Ensor7′1″Fr · C
Francis Chukwudebelu6′10″So · C1.4 PPG
Noah Badibanga6′8″So · F
Chris Tadjo6′7″Jr · F
2 without a listed position:Sidi Gueye 6′11″ · FrBrayde Kuykendall 6′5″ · Fr
freshman final year — spot opens returning

Returning production

32%of recorded scoring returns
1 of 5top scorers returning
Top returning scorers
Sash Gavalyugov9.0 PPG in 2025–26 · returning
Jake Ensminger6.5 PPG in 2025–26 · returning
Thierry Darlan6.1 PPG in 2025–26 · returning

Computed from 11 of 17 players on the 2025–26 roster with recorded stats; "returning" means listed on the 2026–27 roster.

Who actually gets onto this roster?

How players arrive

4from high school1via the portal

12 of 13 roster spots were filled out of high school or held over.

Rankings

7 of 13

7 of 13 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

Best-ranked: David Castillo #54.

Where from

TX 4 · CA 2 · CO 2 · IL 2 · LA 1 · OK 1

9 international: Ulm; Montreal; Toronto; Bangui and 5 more

High schools: Pacific Collegiate Charter School; Ratiopharm Ulm; Ponchatoula HS and 2 more

Transfer flow

named arrivals and departures

2025–26 → 2026–27 · in

→David Castillo

2025–26 → 2026–27 · out

←Allen Graves
←Christian Hammond
←Gehrig Normand
←Bukky Oboye

How this roster compares

West Coast Conference (10 programs, 2025–26 medians)
MeasureSanta ClaraConference
Average guard height6′5″6′4″+1″
Average frontcourt height6′10″6′9″+1″
Roster size1316−3
Freshman share31%32%−1pp

The five-year arc

kenpom rank · wins · conference finish
#792021–22#812022–23#1172023–24#462024–25#312025–26
21–12 · WCC 5th23–10 · WCC 4th20–13 · WCC 4th21–13 · WCC 3rd26–9 · WCC 3rd

Coaching staff

Herb SendekHead coach
Ryan MadryAssociate head coach
Jackson GionAssistant coach
Jason LudwigAssociate head coach
Will BurkettAssistant coach
Mitch SmithAssistant coach
Staff changes4 on-court staff changes in 4 offseasons — 1 before 2023–24, 3 before 2025–26.

Academics

published admissions data
Acceptance rate48%
SAT midpoint1410
ACT midpoint32

How this page is made: Rosters: official Santa Clara rosters, 2025–26 and 2026–27, read from the athletic department's own site · Season: Santa Clara's 2026–27 roster is posted, so this page reads it; the conference comparison uses 2025–26, the newest season every program has on file. · Stats: 2025–26, the last season played — the 2026–27 season has no games yet. · New this season: players not listed on the 2025–26 roster; a newcomer who is not a freshman counts as a transfer addition · Ratings: KenPom, five seasons; conference finish computed among same-conference teams by rating · Openings: Depth Chart's roster projection from listed class years; confidence stated per year · Sample: among players who made a college roster — the data cannot see who didn't. Among players who made a college roster. Model judgments describe positions and cohorts, never a named player's future. Refreshed automatically when the rosters change. Corrections: research@mydepthchart.com.

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