West Coast Conference: Dellavedova lifts Saint Mary's to new heights

Dellavedova has grown from that experience and is having his best season yet in college, posting career highs in points (17.4 per game), assists (6.7 per game), shooting (47 percent), 3-point shooting (42 percent) and foul shooting (91 percent). He is already the school-record holder in assists and 3-pointers and is on pace to break Daniel Kickert's career scoring record at Saint Mary's.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few called Dellavedova "brilliant" with the way he executes the ball screens that are so prevalent in Saint Mary's offense.

"It starts with him and it ends with him," Gonzaga star Elias Harris said. "He's their main guy, and I agree with Coach Few that he's for sure one of the better guys in the nation when it comes to ball screen situations, the feel for a game and the way he reads the court and finds his teammates is incredible. It's really a load. It's hard, even as a team, to guard him. It's going to be a great challenge."

But Bennett said Dellavedova's biggest skill might be his leadership and his ability to make his teammates better.

Bennett knew he was getting a good player when he got the commitment from Dellavedova. But after Dellavedova arrived, the Gaels realized they were getting so much more.

"I thought we should check his birth certificate because he played like a 25- or 30-year-old man, even as a freshman," said former Saint Mary's star center Omar Samhan, who played one season with Dellavedova. "He just came in and had such a good feel for the game beyond his years. He always played beyond his years. That always stuck out to me."