West Coast Conference 2007-08 Preview
The West Coast Conference has basically been Gonzaga’s to lose for a while now. Yes, the conference has had seasons with other NCAA Tournament teams, and they’ve gotten an occasional push either during the season or in the final (as Loyola Marymount can attest), but at the end of the day, was there ever any doubt about the Zags? They were going to the NCAA Tournament anyway just about every year, but they also rolled through the West Coast Conference most of those years.
Don’t expect much to change in 2007-08, at least at the top. The Bulldogs are again an easy pick to win, and again have too much talent and experience for the rest of the conference. They even have the conference’s top freshman, although other freshmen in the conference will probably get more playing time and a bigger role on their teams than Austin Daye will get on the Bulldogs.
That leads into one area of note this season: freshmen. A few teams have freshmen coming in who are very good recruits for them and should be impact players right away. Daye is one, while several other teams are likely to turn to a freshman in their starting lineup right away. Scott Thompson can run the floor and may one day be the best big man in the conference at Santa Clara, while Luke Sikma (son of former NBA star Jack Sikma) should start right away for Portland and Tyrone Shelley leads a good group at Pepperdine. Daye’s teammates Stephen Gray and Robert Sacre should also give Gonzaga added depth.
Two schools changed head coaches this past off-season. Santa Clara was one as Dick Davey retired amidst conflicting reports over whether he was forced into it or did so voluntarily, and the school hired former UCLA assistant Kerry Keating to replace him. San Diego fired Brad Holland and decided to go with someone who has had some success in the conference as they hired former Gonzaga assistant Bill Grier. With those changes, half of the conference head coaches are in their first or second season with their current team.
Preseason Awards
Player of the Year: Josh Heytvelt, Gonzaga
Top Newcomer: Dior Lowhorn, San Francisco
Top Freshman: Scott Thompson, Santa Clara
Defensive Player of the Year: Jeremy Pargo, Gonzaga
Best NBA Prospect: Josh Heytvelt, Gonzaga
All-West Coast Team
Josh Heytvelt, Jr. C, Gonzaga
Manny Quezada, Jr. G, San Franciso
Jeremy Pargo, Jr. G, Gonzaga
Gyno Pomare, Jr. F, San Diego
Diamon Simpson, Jr. F, St. Mary’s
Gonzaga Bulldogs (23-11, 11-3 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G Jeremy Pargo (12.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.4 spg)
So. G Matt Bouldin (8.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.1 apg)
Sr. G-F David Pendergraft (7.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
Jr. F Micah Downs (8.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
Jr. C Josh Heytvelt (15.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.7 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: The non-conference schedule is the kind we’ve come to expect for this team: full of challenges. After three straight home games to open, highlighted by Big Sky favorite Montana, the Bulldogs head to the Great Alaska Shootout, where they open with Sun Belt favorite Western Kentucky. They then head east to play at Saint Joseph’s and against Connecticut in the Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge in Boston. Three straight home games follow, including Washington State, then they’re at Oklahoma, play Tennessee at Key Arena in Seattle, then they play Utah and Georgia in Spokane and head to Memphis in late January.
Outlook: The Bulldogs should again be the class of the WCC, and talent-wise this team looks excellent. Pargo and Bouldin form an excellent backcourt, with Pargo being a dark horse Player of the Year candidate and Bouldin ready to build off his nice freshman season. Downs and Pendergraft give them four perimeter players, while Heytvelt’s return is just one more big boost that will further push them ahead, as they would be the class of the conference without him. There’s no shortage of talent all over, with Pendergraft able to shift to a guard spot and Steven Gray available in the backcourt, Ira Brown, a healthy Larry Gurganious, and a plethora of inside bodies that include junior college transfer Abdullahi Kuso and freshmen Austin Daye and Robert Sacre. Daye could get a lot of the minutes off the bench and even start before the season is over.
St. Mary’s Gaels (17-15, 8-6 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Todd Golden (5.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.2 apg)
Jr. G Wayne Hunter (8.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.1 apg)
Jr. F Ian O’Leary (7.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.1 apg)
Jr. F Diamon Simpson (14.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.5 bpg, 1.4 spg)
So. C Omar Samhan (9.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.5 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Gaels host two in-season tournaments, starting with the St. Mary’s Tip-Off Classic, then they close out 2007 with the Shamrock Office Solutions Classic. They are also in the Rainbow Classic, where they open with Tulane and could play Georgia in the second game. They host Oregon and Seton Hall, as well as a BracketBusters game among their nine home games. Road highlights include Southern Illinois, Texas and Fresno State, and they also play San Diego State in Anaheim at the John R. Wooden Classic. In West Coast play, they have two three-game homestands and have one three-game road trip.
Outlook: The Gaels bring a good deal of size to the table and can at least match up with Gonzaga on that front. They’re also a fine defensive team, in part because Simpson and Samhan form an excellent interior that can thwart penetrators who get inside. Samhan has plenty of upside and might be the best big man in the conference before his career is over. The backcourt isn’t spectacular, but Golden and Hunter have to improve offensively for this team to have a chance to win. The Gaels’ defense will give them a chance to win, but they had more turnovers than assists and shot just 43 percent from the field, so they’ll need to improve in that area.
Santa Clara Broncos (21-10, 10-4 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Brody Angley (8.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.0 apg)
Jr. G Calvin Johnson (2.5 ppg)
Sr. F Mitch Henke (6.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.4 apg)
Fr. F Scott Thompson
Jr. C John Bryant (10.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: Six home games are on tap in non-conference play, including two in the Cable Car Classic. Included is a game against Big Sky favorite Montana, as well as part of an in-season home-and-home with nearby San Jose State. They have plenty of challenging road games, especially early on when they play seven straight on the road. Included are trips to Nevada, Utah and Utah State, and they later play at Stanford and Minnesota.
Outlook: New head coach Kerry Keating inherits a team that could contend right away, as they have some good returning talent and newcomers like Thompson who are capable of making an instant impact. Angley is a steady floor leader and Henke, if healthy, is a solid wing at both ends of the floor. Bryant is the go-to guy, and his heft would be nicely complemented by Thompson, who is skilled and can run the floor for a big man and would give them a frontcourt with a lot of height. Senior Josh Higgins is another big body inside, and with Thompson added in they would have three regulars who are 6’10” or taller. There isn’t much proven depth, so they’ll be looking to other freshmen to help pick up the slack. The Broncos got where they did last season largely on the strength of the conference’s best defense and rebounding margin, so if they can repeat that and cut down on turnovers, they’ll be in the hunt once again.
San Diego Toreros (18-14, 6-8 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G Brandon Johnson (12.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.9 spg)
Jr. G Ray Murdock (5.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.4 apg)
Fr. G-F Chris Lewis
Jr. F Daniel Fleming (3.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg)
Jr. F Gyno Pomare (14.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Toreros have ten home games in non-conference play, including half of an in-season home-and-home with Hawai’i. They also host UNLV and cross-town rival San Diego State. The demanding road slate includes trips to New Mexico, Nevada, Kentucky and improved Marshall. The Toreros will also play in the Anaheim Classic against USC, then either MAC contender Miami (Ohio) or South Alabama in the second game.
Outlook: New head coach Bill Grier has been a key to Gonzaga’s success over the past decade, and now he tries his hand at leading a program of his own in the same conference. He inherits a team with some good parts, although there are no seniors. Leading the way are two of the conference’s best with the inside-outside combination of Johnson and Pomare. Johnson led the conference in assists last season, while Pomare should put up several double-doubles with his ability to score and rebound inside. Murdock is a capable sniper from long range, while the wing looks to be an open spot that could go to Lewis or junior Danny Brown. Fleming started much of last season but didn’t put up good numbers. The Toreros might be a year away from being a serious contender with their five juniors, and might go as far as Johnson and Pomare will take them this season. An improvement at the defensive end is in order, as the Toreros allowed opponents to shoot 47 percent from the field last season.
San Francisco Dons (13-18, 8-6 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G Manny Quezada (13.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.2 spg)
Sr. G-F Danny Cavic (6.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
So. F Jay Watkins (6.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
So. F Dior Lowhorn (transfer from Texas Tech)
So. C Hyman Taylor
Schedule Highlights: The Dons have just five home games in non-conference play, including four straight. They open at Oklahoma in the 2K Sports Classic, then later have several tough road games: Big West favorite UC Santa Barbara, Oregon and Notre Dame. They also have an in-season home-and-home with both Utah Valley State and Weber State. West Coast play starts with three straight road games, then February brings three more consecutive road games followed by three straight at home.
Outlook: If the Dons had a little more continuity with their personnel, they might be a contender, but Antonio Kellogg (pro) and Jesse Byrd (transferred to UC Santa Barbara) left early and two good prospects they signed didn’t get admitted, meaning that this team will have to get by with less depth. Quezada leads the way and should score in the high teens, although he will likely be counted on to run the show as well. Watkins has some potential and could jump into double figures this season, while transfers Lowhorn and Taylor should start immediately and hold down the fort inside. Lowhorn should be an all-conference player before long. Depth will have to come from sophomore Jared Casey and junior James Morgan, the latter of whom played limited minutes last year. Lowhorn and Taylor have an immediate mission as they start their careers with the Dons, and that is helping a team that had the second-worst rebounding margin in the conference last season.
Loyola Marymount Lions (13-18, 5-9 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G Corey Counts (2.6 ppg, 1.6 apg)
Sr. G Jon Ziri (5.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.1 spg)
Jr. F Marko Deric (5.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
So. F Mason Maynard (2.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg)
So. C Max Craig (1.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: The non-conference slate is manageable for this young team, featuring six home games. A few home games are good ones: San Diego State, Big West favorite UC Santa Barbara, Mississippi State and Southland contender Sam Houston State. The Lions will play in the BTI Invitational in New Mexico and also travel to Brigham Young.
Outlook: Ziri is the team’s only senior and only four juniors are on the roster, and the Lions lost their top four scorers, so it’s safe to say that they’re basically starting over this season. Counts and Deric need to give them more in larger roles, while Maynard and Craig have some potential and will need to grow up quickly now that they’ll be counted on for a lot inside. Four true freshmen and two redshirt freshmen will need to help right away and will surely get plenty of opportunities. With the scoring punch they lost, finishing at or near the bottom of the conference in scoring again seems a good possibility, so the quick path to winning might come by improving on last season’s defensive showing as opponents shot over 47 percent from the field against the Lions.
Portland Pilots (9-23, 4-10 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
So. G Taishi Ito (7.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.3 apg)
Jr. G Walter Thompson (4.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg)
Sr. F Sherrard Watson (9.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.2 apg)
Fr. F Luke Sikma
So. F Robin Smeulders
Schedule Highlights: The non-conference slate has plenty of challenges, with their six home games featuring visits from Oregon and Brigham Young. They open up at the Fresno State World Vision Invitational, then later travel to Oregon State, Big Sky favorite Montana, Washington and Ivy League favorite Yale. In West Coast play, they get two very difficult three-game stretches, one of them with all three on the road and the other all at home: Gonzaga, Santa Clara and St. Mary’s right in a row.
Outlook: Second-year coach Eric Reveno will be looking at a youthful team this season, as Watson is the only senior and Thompson has just one classmate. Ito had a promising freshman season and will run the team for the next three years, while Thompson is the only other backcourt holdover with much experience. Watson is the team leader in the frontcourt, and he’ll have some young talent to help nurture, especially Sikma, who has a good feel for the game as one would expect the son of a former NBA star to have. Nik Raivio, Derek’s younger brother, is also a newcomer who could get some minutes right away in the backcourt, along with freshmen like Jared Stohl and B.J. Porter. The Pilots were last in the conference in scoring last season, and unless a couple of scorers develop quickly, that could happen again this season.
Pepperdine Waves (8-23, 4-10 West Coast)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G Rico Tucker (transfer from Minnesota)
Sr. G Jason Walberg (14.0 ppg, 3.0 apg in five games)
Fr. G-F Tyrone Shelley
Fr. F Malcolm Thomas
Sr. C Jarrad Henry (3.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.2 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Waves have a difficult non-conference schedule, and it starts out that way at the Oregon World Vision Invitational as they take on host Oregon, MAC favorite Western Michigan and Big West contender Pacific. Only three home games are on tap, and after playing at Northern Arizona and in the Montana State GranTree Inn Classic, they have a murderous stretch of road games: Big West favorite UC Santa Barbara, Pacific, Brigham Young, then a couple of games later play at Memphis. As if that’s not enough, early in West Coast play it gets tough: Gonzaga at home, then on the road at St. Mary’s and Santa Clara.
Outlook: The rebuilding continues in Vance Walberg’s second year, and it got a little more difficult in the immediate when leading returning scorer Kingsley Costain was kicked off the team in October for a violation of team rules. That thins out the proven talent even more, so the Waves will be relying even more on newcomers right away. Walberg got off to a good start, while Henry proved he can defend inside and must become an offensive threat. Tucker is a good talent who should start right away, while Shelley heads a good group of freshmen and Thomas should play right away as well. Matt Hornbuckle is another freshman who could get a lot of minutes right away as well at shooting guard. It’s another rebuilding year, but there’s talent among their young players and from that comes reason for optimism.
Conference Outlook
Once again, the West Coast Conference is Gonzaga’s to lose. The Bulldogs have too many pieces and too many interchangeable parts for others to keep up with. St. Mary’s and two schools with new coaches but a stable of talent, Santa Clara and San Diego, come next. San Francisco is a wild card as they have talent but also some question marks, and they’ve had some unexpected departures that have slowed their attempted ascent.
After the top five, there is a steep drop-off and a noticeable rebuilding theme. Loyola Marymount, Portland and Pepperdine are all thin on proven Division I talent, but each has some young players that have a chance to develop. They’ll be in the hunt one day, but not this season.
