If anyone has watched Saint Mary’s basketball over the past few years there has been one constant. The Gaels are going to play a slow, physical brand of basketball. The newest poster child for this style of play is none other than the reigning WCC Defensive Player of the Year Mitchell Saxen. Back for his fifth and final season, the Seattle native will look to anchor another March Madness-caliber defense.
West Coast Conference Player Spotlight: Mitchell Saxen
Saxen By the Numbers
On paper, Saxen put together a nice year inside of the University Credit Union Pavilion. With averages of 11.8 points and 7.6 rebounds, Saxen was a nightly double-double threat. In fact, he had seven double-doubles on the season as well. All in all, he finished third in the conference in total rebounds, ninth in field goal percentage, and second in total blocks. Yet, where Saxen shines brightest is when looking at his advanced defensive metrics. Among all qualified WCC players, he was third in defensive rating, fifth in total rebound percentage, and fourth in block percentage. Lastly, Saxen was an elite offensive rebounder. His 17.3% offensive rebounding percentage ranked best in the conference.
The Man in the Middle
Mitchell Saxen is the epitome of the traditional center. Standing six-foot-ten and weighing 250 pounds he is an absolute load on the lower block. Oftentimes Saxen simply overwhelms opposing bigs with his size and strength, displacing them as he hunts for rebounds or looks to finish through contact. As mentioned before his offensive rebounding ability is elite. He ranked 14th in the entire nation in offensive boards per game and 12th in terms of total offensive rebounds.
Saxen is also a good passer from the low post who clearly understands head coach Randy Bennett’s system. While he only averaged 1.5 assists per game, the ball doesn’t stick when Saxen gets touches. Unlike other posts, he plays his role perfectly and will look to pass out of double teams or get the ball swung along the perimeter. While scoring is not his calling card, having a center who shoots 54% from the floor while averaging just under 12 points a night is still a big plus. In the end, Saxen is the definition of “Mr.Consistent.” Very rarely did Saxen not produce be it as a scorer, rebounder or rim protector. An “off” game for the big man usually resulted in eight points, eight rebounds, and a block or two.
Limited Upside
At this point, Saxen is a known commodity. There is little left to the imagination of what Saxen will bring to the table this year. In fact, his last two seasons of college basketball have been surprisingly similar. During the 2022-2023 season, he averaged 11.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 blocks while shooting 55.7% from the floor. Last year those averages were 11.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.3 blocks with a 54% shooting slash. We have likely seen the peak of Saxen’s powers. He can dominate against most teams in the West Coast Conference and even be effective against higher-tier opponents, yet there is little upside for Saxen to become one the best bigs in the nation.
The second big knock on Saxen is how limited he is as an offensive player. In the college game stretch bigs are not necessarily as required as in the NBA but Saxen has literally zero upside as a shooter. In four seasons he has attempted four shots from behind the arc. Unfortunately, he is even worse at the charity stripe. For a player who is rooted on the block and seeks out contact, he struggled mightily as a free-throw shooter. He attempted 147 free throws last season and only converted at a 61% clip from the line. When Saxen has the ball away from the basket he is not putting it on the deck, he is not looking to create. When Saxen gets fouled there is minimal confidence he will punish opposing teams for fouling him.
The Last Word
Of the 11 preseason All-WCC Conference selections Saxen is probably the easiest to project for his upcoming season. He is a known commodity who plays his role extremely well. Few players can be counted on to perform in the West Coast Conference. The question is not if Saxen will be an All-Conference caliber player, the question is can he rise above and become greater? With Saint Mary’s reloading with plenty of new faces, Saxen is an incumbent who has plenty of accolades to his name. He will look to validate those awards if the Gaels want to have a shot at repeating as conference champions and finally make a run in March that has eluded them since the 2009-2010 season.
