By MEAGHAN UPDIKE
Saint Mary's Sports Information Intern
 
WINONA, Minn. — Coming into a new season with some new teammates and without some old ones can be a difficult transition for any team.
 
And adding a new coach into the mix can totally change the dynamic.
 
Which was the case for both the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's and women's basketball teams during the 2018-2019 season.
 
The men's coach, Joe Fano, and the women's coach, David Foley, both had to adjust and adapt quickly when they came to Saint Mary's, both arriving on the first day of fall semester classes.
 
"The hardest part at first was the players getting to know me and then me getting to know them in a short period of time because it all happened so fast," said Fano.
 
Once the season started, both rookie coaches had yet another hurdle to clear, as injuries plagued both teams.
 
"We had some significant injuries that really put a hurt on some of our leading returners," said Foley.
 
Fano also mentioned losing a few guys to injury, which sunk the team to its lowest point of the season: "a seven or eight game losing streak."
 
However, both coaches were able to get their teams back on track — and healthy — while also having the opportunity to give some different players some valuable playing experience.
 
Once all the pieces were firmly in place, Fano's squad really seemed to hit its stride down the stretch.
 
"We played three or four of the best teams in the conference right down to the wire," recalled Fano. "I was happy for them because they worked hard and saw the results."
 
Both coaches were impressed with how close each of their players were within their respective teams. This made the transition to new coaches — and the trust process —  much easier.
 
"Watching them succeed and experience winning — and to see their excitement and see them bond — that's what it's all about," said Fano. "We trust each other now, so it'll be a lot easier next year going into practice the first day."
 
Along with the successes — including the Cardinal women's squad reaching the MIAC Tournament for the seventh time in the last eight years — were plenty of fond, first-year memories for both Foley and Fano.
 
Foley recalled senior Brandi Blattner's game-winning buzzer-beater at Concordia as one of his favorite moments from the season.
 
"It was great to see her teammates celebrate that and throw water on her."
 
"We beat Gustavus for the first time in 35 years," said Fano of one of his high points from the season. "We also swept them for the first time in 39 years, that was a really great win on the road."
 
Overall, both coaches are confidently looking forward to next season.
 
"Our goal is to make the conference tournament, we've never done that in school history," said Fano. "I think we have a good chance of making that if we continue to work hard."
 
Foley is hoping to grow the student, faculty, and staff following even more during their games and the men's games.
 
"We're going to have some very exciting basketball events in the years to come," Foley said. "Our double-headers are going to be can't-miss events."