Enjoying the Sweet 16 ride
Burbank graduate and former St. Mary’s player Rick Bernard relishing in the Gaels’ NCAA success in men’s basketball
Published: Tuesday, March 23, 2010, Burbank Leader
A standout college basketball player out of Burbank High, Rick Bernard used to sheepishly tell people the name of the college he attended. “When they would ask me, I would usually say ’St. Mary’s’ kind of under my breath,” Bernard said. “Some people weren’t even familiar with the school at all.” After the Gaels’ exceptional play in this season’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament, Bernard can proudly profess to be a former St. Mary’s player. And with the team’s historic rocket ride to the Sweet 16, St. Mary’s is no longer an unknown to many sports fans.
Barnard, who played for St. Mary’s from 1973-78 and was inducted into the school’s hall of fame in 2008, has followed the team devoutly this season. The No. 10-seeded Gaels upset No. 2 Villanova, 75-68, on Saturday and are on to Houston for the NCAA Division I South Regional semifinal at Reliant Stadium.
The Gaels (28-5), from Moraga, east of Oakland, will play third-seeded Baylor (27-7) at 4:27 p.m. on Friday. The game will be aired live on CBS the only time the Gaels advanced past the first round in the NCAA tournament was 1959, when there were only 23 teams in the field. They beat Idaho State to advance to the Elite Eight.Baylor (27-7), which has established a new school record for single-season victories, will make its first Sweet 16 appearance in school history. When Baylor made the Final Four in 1948 and 1950, the NCAA tournament featured only eight teams.
Bernard, whose alma mater upset Gonzaga to win the West Coast Conference championship — a tournament he attended in Las Vegas earlier this month — has followed the Gaels’ progression through the NCAA tourney.“I think I get more nervous now watching the games than I did when I played, because I have no control,” said Bernard, who has established a successful acupuncture practice in San Jose. “It’s actually a bit nerve wracking, and I actually find myself leaving the room during the games.” READ FULLY STORY
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