After big-name departures, Saint Mary's gets commitment from McDonald's All-American
MORAGA – Four-star point guard prospect Darius Bivins announced Monday that he'll play at Saint Mary's College, giving the Gaels and new coach Mickey McConnell their first-ever commitment from a McDonald’s All-American.
Bivins, listed at 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds, is ranked 46th in the class of 2026 by ESPN, making him the highest ever rated recruit to sign with Saint Mary's.
Bivens, who averaged 17.4 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.0 steals per game this past season for Bishop O’Connell High School, leading it to a second straight Virginia state title, took an official visit to Saint Mary's last week and said he was intrigued by the opportunity to play right away as a freshman.
Bivins also took official visits to Miami, Texas Tech, Virginia Commonwealth and Rutgers, and had offers from several other schools, including Stanford, Houston and Boston College.
“The (Gaels) staff really believes in me and kept it real with me," Bivins said, per 247sports.com. "Also, the history of the program. They are a top 25 program in the country and have made the past five NCAA tournaments.”
Bivins' commitment represents a major recruiting win for McConnell and gives the Gaels program a potential replacement for combo guard Mikey Lewis, who signed with Texas on April 28.
Lewis was the Gaels' second-leading scorer this past season, averaging 13.9 points per game. Forward Paulius Murauskas, Saint Mary's top scorer in 2025-26 at 18.4 points per game, is now at Arizona State, as he followed former Gaels coach Randy Bennett to Tempe.
“We are beyond proud to welcome Darius to our program," McConnell said in a statement. "Darius becomes the next in line to join the long list of great guards in this program. He comes from a great family and represents everything we want this program to stand for: toughness, humility, work ethic, and a relentless drive to be great.
“His decision to believe in our vision speaks volumes about where this program is headed, and we can’t wait for him to get to campus. Today is another step forward in building something truly special at Saint Mary’s.”
As of Monday, the Gaels' roster for next season also included several returnees, including guards Joshua Dent and Rory Hawke, forwards Mantas Juzenas, Kevin Gad and Trent MacLean and center Jazz Gardner.
Saint Mary's has also added multiple transfers, including guards Myles Che (UNLV) and Luke Fennell (Syracuse), forwards Thomas Ndong(Cal Baptist) and Vangelis Zougris (Lousiville) and center Salih Altuntas (Miami).
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 1:06 PM.