Following the 15-15 season in 2022-2023, Holy Cross men’s basketball looked to be headed in the right direction. Led by freshmen Tommy Snyder and Phil Robles II, the team had a promising and exciting future under head coach Mike McBride. Despite the high expectations, the 2023-24 season was riddled with injuries for the Saints -- to NAIA All-American Snyder and freshman forward Desmond Davie, who missed almost half of the season. The Saints struggled in conference play, finishing 3-17, and underwent two eight-game losing streaks throughout the season. Following the resignation of the all-time wins leader and 2019-20 CCAC Coach of the Year McBride, Holy Cross has named Tyler Braidic the program’s next head coach.
To start the season, Holy Cross began with two consecutive blowout wins against East-West and Goshen. In both games, the Saints scored at least 80 points and appeared to have a winning formula with Robles, junior guard Justin O'Neal and Snyder leading the way. However, Snyder’s injury at the end of the Goshen game certainly shifted expectations for the season. After losing their most prolific scorer, the Saints showed resilience winning a gritty game against Moody Bible, 61-49. This would be the last win for over a month as Holy Cross struggled to find scoring from O’Neal and Robles. The Saints faced even more injuries with the absence of Davie to lose eight consecutive games. During this stretch, the Saints started conference play by facing St. Ambrose and Roosevelt, who each won double-digit CCAC games and relied on experience and tough defense to win.
The first conference win would come against Judson on January 15. This 61-55 victory was propelled by Robles, who led the team with 14 points. Holy Cross would then beat Governors State 70-60 with key contributions from junior guard Nash Hostetler (17 points) and Davie (14 points). The Saints appeared to find a winning formula and went on to face powerhouse Roosevelt rejuvenated. A physical, back-and-forth game would see O’Neal score 16 points to help the Saints roar back and take the lead, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to overcome the Lakers, who won 63-62. The last win of the season would come in 94-91 fashion against St. Ambrose. An explosion of 30 points from Davie, which was the freshman’s season high, helped catapult the Saints over 90 points for the first time in the year.
The Saints would finish the season on an eight-game losing streak. Holy Cross lost an 82-80 game against Trinity Christian, who ended the season with one win, in the second to last game of the year and finished losing 79-77 to Governors State. With both young forwards Snyder and Davie expected to be back and healthy for the Saints next season, there is much to look forward to. With the growth of O’Neal’s scoring confidence and Robles' passing ability, the Saints should be able to regroup and improve on this year’s blemishes. With head coach Tyler Braidic taking over for Mike McBride, the Saints are in a position to regroup and rebuild the program, as a new coach will have to rely on the experience of the All-American Snyder to lead the team.
