West Coast Notebook

West Coast Conference Notebook

by Brad Best

USF lances Bobby Knight’s Red Raiders
Coming off a four-point loss to Pacific on November 30 and riding a three-game losing streak, the University of San Francisco Dons didn’t appear to be much of a threat to Texas Tech. But the Dons turned the tables on the Red Raiders this year and ran away with a 90-72 victory on Saturday. When the two teams met in Lubbock last season, Texas Tech handed the Dons a 97-53 defeat. Miami transfer Armondo Surratt recorded his first career double-double and Jerome Gumbs led all scorers with 31 points en route to the Dons victory. True freshman Dior Lowhorn was the leading scorer for Texas Tech with 20 points.

Gonzaga Looks for “Barking” Rights in the State of Washington
The Gonzaga Bulldogs square off against the University of Washington Huskies on Sunday and then take on the Washington State Cougars on Thursday, December 8. The Bulldogs have won seven straight against the Huskies. While Washington has this circled this as one of the premier games on their schedule, Gonzaga doesn’t have that luxury. They must also get ready for Oklahoma State, Memphis, and Stanford and part of their non-conference schedule.

University of San Diego Holds Court Against Crosstown Rival
The Toreros knocked out the San Diego State Aztecs 90-80 on Wednesday, November 30 with sharp shooting from the perimeter. As a team, the Toreros shot 60 percent from the field, 70 percent from beyond the arc, and 80 percent from the free throw line in the second half. Ross DeRogatis hit on 5-of-6 three pointers in the second half. The Aztecs continually doubled down to defend post position players and made themselves vulnerable to outside shooters. The Aztecs are the preseason pick to finish first in the Mountain West Conference.

Loyola Marymount Ends Four-Game Losing Streak
The Loyola Marymount Lions notched just their second victory of the season on Saturday, defeating UC Santa Barbara in convincing fashion, 77-60. Matthew Knight led the way with 20 points and 12 rebounds. The Lions finished the first half on a 27-6 run and never looked back. They increased their led by as much as 26 points in the second half before finishing with a 17-point victory. They’ll host USC on December 10 and look to become battle-tested before starting conference play.

Santa Clara Narrowly Missed Regulation Win Over SEC Foe
The final score, 82-69, doesn’t tell enough of the story. With just two seconds left in the second half, Santa Clara’s Brody Angley had a chance to knock off Mississippi State. But when his jumper bounced off the rim, apparently so did the Broncos chances of winning. Mississippi State could not be stopped in the overtime period, and Santa Clara made just one basket in the extra period. Travis Niesen led the way for the Broncos with 22 points. Angley had 17 points, including five three-pointers.

West Coast Preview

West Coast Conference 2005-06 Season Preview

by Brad Best

In life and in basketball, some things change and some things stay the same. In the West Coast Conference (WCC), Gonzaga will once again take the conference crown, but how the rest of the teams finish is up for grabs.

The WCC assembled a feisty group of teams last year that competed hard and won against bigger, stronger foes. St. Mary’s defeated Cal; Pepperdine beat Wisconsin; Santa Clara took down eventual NCAA champion North Carolina. All were impressive wins for a bunch of the little guys. But much of the talent in the WCC, except for Gonzaga, has moved on and the road to non-conference victories of this caliber will be harder for many of these teams to realize in the upcoming season.

Gonzaga continues to take on all comers and will have its hands full with some stiff competition in the Maui Invitational. Their first round match-up against Maryland is no sure thing. A win there would likely pit them against Michigan State, which is a Final Four team on many lists, and a trip to the finals may mean having to face Connecticut or Arizona. These tough early tests will give Gonzaga an indication of how good they’re going to be this year. They should be very good.

Look for San Francisco to be a team on the rise. They got their first NIT bid in 29 years last season and should be a tough out, especially with the addition of Armondo Surratt from Miami. Portland stumbled down the stretch last year but with four returning starters, including Pooh Jeter, they should finish in the top half of the conference. Pepperdine is headed in the other direction, due in part to Alex Acker’s surprising leap to the NBA. Coach Paul Westphal has too much youth and inexperience to make a run this season.

On the coaching front, Loyola Marymount will introduce new head coach Rodney Tention, who gets his first head coaching job following an eight-year run as an assistant coach under Lute Olson at Arizona. At Saint Mary’s, Randy Bennett was rewarded with a new six-year contract after his team put up 25 wins a year ago. The Gaels will have an uphill battle to match that record this year, but kudos to Bennett for his first four years at the helm.

All-WCC First Team
Derek Raivio, G, Gonzaga
Pooh Jeter, G, Portland
Daniel Kickert, F, St. Mary’s
Adam Morrison, F, Gonzaga
J.P. Batista, C, Gonzaga

Honorable Mentions: Darren Cooper, Portland; Erroll Knight, Gonzaga; Matthew Knight, Loyola Marymount; Nick Lewis, San Diego; Travis Niesen, Santa Clara

Conference MVP
Adam Morrison, Gonzaga

Freshman of the Year
Gyno Pomare, San Diego

Newcomer of the Year
Armondo Surratt, San Francisco

Defensive Player of the Year
Corey Belser, San Diego

1. Gonzaga Bulldogs
2004-05 record: 26-5, 12-2 WCC (1st place)
Projected starting five:
Derek Raivio, Jr. G (13 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.8 apg)
Erroll Knight, Sr. G 6.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
Adam Morrison, Jr. F (19.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
Sean Mallon, Jr. F (7.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
J.P. Batista, Sr. C (12.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg)

Gonzaga should once again dominate the West Coast Conference on its way to its eighth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and sixth straight conference title. With four returning starters and an infusion of talented freshmen, the Bulldogs are a formidable opponent for any team in any conference. Led by one of the best players in the country, Adam Morrison, the Bulldogs should put on an impressive show every time they take the hardwood. Morrison is almost unstoppable on the offensive end, and this is clearly his team and his season to shine en route to the NBA.

The Bulldogs will no longer have the services of Ronny Turiaf, who contributed nearly 16 points and 10 rebounds per game last season. But Turiaf was often in foul trouble, so his former teammates are used to playing big minutes without him. Sean Mallon and J.P. Batista will have to step up this season and fill the rebounding void. Erroll Knight has been slowed by a knee injury and subsequent arthroscopic surgery but shouldn’t miss more than a couple of games. Derek Raivio led the league in assists and will deliver the ball to the big men. He’s also a great free throw shooter and put up 13 points per game last season, so he cannot be ignored.

Larry Gurganious, a freshman from Berkeley, Calif., was one of the highlights from Gonzaga’s rout of Lewis-Clark State College in their exhibition game. Gurganious made 7 of 13 shots from the field while playing 22 minutes. Redshirt freshman Josh Heytvelt, who is nursing a sore foot, warmed up but did not play. Both players will get some playing time this year and could make solid contributions.

Schedule
Key non-conference games:
Nov. 21-23 Maui Invitational
Dec. 4 at Washington
Dec. 10 vs. Oklahoma State
Dec. 31 vs. Saint Joseph’s

Gonzaga will definitely be battle-tested by the start of conference play. It will be interesting to see who, if anyone, can keep them from running the table. Barring any unforeseen injuries, Gonzaga looks to make the NCAA Tournament with ease and figures to be an Elite Eight team this season.

2. Saint Mary’s Gaels
2004-05 record: 25-9, 11-3 WCC (2nd place)
Projected starting five:
Jason Walberg, Sr. G (4.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
John Winston, Jr. G (Transfer from UNLV)
Brett Collins, Jr. F (6.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
Daniel Kickert, Sr. F (16.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg)
Blake Sholberg, Jr. C (3.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg)

With senior Daniel Kickert as the lone returning starter, the fate of this year’s season will revolve around him. Newcomers and bench players will need to find a way to replace the 44 points and nearly 20 rebounds per game the other starters produced last season. Thankfully for the Gaels, Kickert is one of the best players in the conference and shows up to play every night. He was second in field-goal percentage and first in three-point accuracy in the WCC.

Brett Collins scored in double figures in 10 games last season and will need to step up as a starter this year. He scored 13 points in the opening round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament against Southern Illinois and will need to contribute in similar fashion if the Gaels are going to continue their winning ways.

Freshmen Diamon Simpson and Ian O’Leary will get a chance to contribute right away. UNLV transfer John Winston should replace Paul Marigney at the point when he becomes eligible after the fall semester.

Schedule
Key non-conference games:
Dec. 10 at Arizona
Dec. 13 at Air Force
Dec. 28 vs. Saint Joseph’s
Dec. 31 vs. Nevada

If the Gaels can jell as a team and pull out an upset or two in non-conference play, they may have the confidence to bring Gonzaga down to size one time this season. Bennett-coached teams are stamped with a commitment to defense, which will help give them a chance to win close games and keep their post-season hopes afloat. Look for them to settle for a NIT bid this season.

3. Portland Pilots
2004-05 record: 15-15, 4-10 WCC (7th place)
Projected starting five:
Pooh Jeter, Sr. G (15.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
Darren Cooper, Sr. G (11.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
Donald Wilson, Sr. F (8.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
Marcus Lewis, So. F (9.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
Ben Sullivan, Jr. C (8.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg)

With one of the best backcourts in the WCC, Portland should be in position for a breakout season. In last year’s campaign, they ran out of gas down the stretch and dropped eight of their final ten conference games. Four returning starters will remember that well and help keep history from repeating itself.

Pooh Jeter is an All-WCC player who forms a nice tandem with fellow guard Darren Cooper. They combined for 26 points per game last season and shot the ball extremely well from the foul line. They’ll help senior swingman Donald Wilson have his best year.

WCC All-Freshman team selection Marcus Lewis and Oregon State transfer Kevin Field will battle for the fifth starting position. Either one should be a more potent scoring threat than starter Andreas Gahlmann was a year ago.

Schedule
Key non-conference games:
Nov. 8-18 Coaches vs. Cancer
Dec. 10 vs. Oregon State
Dec. 17 at Washington State
Dec. 22 vs. Oregon

The Pilots non-conference schedule sends them up against three Pac-10 foes within a two-week stretch and should prepare them well for conference play. With an extra year of maturity under their belt, the Pilots look to be on the verge of a promising season and an invitation to the NIT.

4. Santa Clara Broncos
2004-05 record: 15-16, 7 WCC (3rd place tie)
Projected starting five:
Brody Angley, So. G (5.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
Brandon Rohe, Jr. G (5.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg)
Travis Niesen, Sr. F (15.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
Tristan Parham, Sr. F (4.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
Sean Denison, Jr. C (3.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg)

Guards Kyle Bailey and Doron Perkins combined for 30 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists last season. The departure of their starting backcourt means the Broncos will shift to a more half-court dependent offense. Picking up the slack in the backcourt will be sophomore Brody Angley, a WCC All-Freshman Team selection. Joining him will be Brandon Rohe, who was one of the top three-point shooters in the league two years ago. He sat out last year with a back injury.

The frontcourt will be led by senior forward Travis Niesen. He is one of the league’s best big men and should be their primary scoring option down low. Alongside Niesen will be Sean Denison and Tristan Parham, who will both need to make bigger contributions this year.

Speaking of big, incoming freshman John Bryant (6-11, 330 pounds) figures to see significant playing time and make the frontcourt even more fearsome for opponents. Fellow freshman Domineek Daniel and Calvin Johnson will also compete for minutes.

Schedule
Key non-conference games:
Nov. 22 at UC Irvine
Dec. 3 at Mississippi State
Dec. 13 at Oregon
Dec. 17 at North Carolina

With some difficult tests in their non-conference schedule, Santa Clara should be toughened up by conference play and finish with around sixteen wins. This would match coach Dick Davey’s average in his thirteen years with the program.

5. San Francisco Dons
2004-05 record: 17-14, 6-8 WCC (5th place tie)
Projected starting five:
Jerome Gumbs, Sr. G (9.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg)
Armondo Surrattt, Jr. G (Transfer from Miami)
Alan Wiggins, Jr. F (5.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
Johnny Dukes, Jr. F (5.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
Jason Carter, Sr. C (2.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg)

The job Jessie Evans did as first-year coach has to be commended. He not only led the Dons to post-season play, but they also netted a first round NIT victory. Evans and the Dons will miss John Cox, who quietly led the WCC with 20 points per game a year ago. Tyrone Riley is also gone, along with his 15 points per game and team-leading 9 rebounds.

They hope that projected Newcomer of the Year Armondo Surratt helps them ease the pain. Surratt, who started for Miami in his two seasons there, should make an immediate impact. If the first exhibition game is any indication, the Dons will get what they were hoping for: Surrant led the team with 26 points on their way to a 112-85 rout of Stanislaus State.

Returning starters Jerome Gumbs and Alan Wiggins will need to increase their production this year. Both fared well against Stanislaus State, putting up 23 and 21 points, respectively. Key reserve Johnny Dukes will likely move into a starting role for his senior season. Freshman Omar Samhan and Drew Shiller should see the most action from a good recruiting class.

Schedule
Key non-conference games:
Nov. 23 at Stanford
Dec. 3 vs. Texas Tech
Dec. 17 at Marquette
Dec. 29 at Fresno State

The Dons haven’t shied away from top-rated competition prior to conference play and may just upset one or two of them. Jessie Evans has this team moving in the right direction, so don’t be surprised if they finish in the top half of the conference.

6. San Diego Toreros
2004-05 record: 16-13, 7-7 WCC (3rd place tie)
Projected starting five:
Ross DeRogatis, Jr. G (7.9 ppg, 3.4 apg)
Michael Hubbard, Jr. G (3.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg)
Corey Belser, Sr. F (6.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
Gyno Pomare, Fr. F (redshirted)
Nick Lewis, Sr. C (12.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg)

Brad Holland worked his magic last season and turned a last place 4-26 team in 2003-04 into a 16-13 team that tied for third in the WCC in 2004-05. Unfortunately, some of his best players are gone, and Holland will once again have to work wonders to stay out of the bottom half of the conference.

The Toreros will be without their two top scorers and rebounders in the upcoming campaign. Brandon Gay led the way with 17 points and 6 rebounds per game, and Brice Vounang played with heart and passion in the middle for the Toreros, giving them 15 points and 7 rebounds a night. Both will be sorely missed.

Had Floyd North III returned to school and the team lineup, the Toreros would have been projected higher. His absence will make it much tougher for them to consistently put wins on the board. North was one of the most athletic players on the roster and is the third player to leave the program since last season’s finale, not including the three seniors who completed their eligibility.

The burden to carry the team now falls on fifth-year seniors Nick Lewis and Corey Belser. Lewis showed great potential from his freshman season on, and he will need to take over as the number one scoring threat this year. Belser is one of the best defenders in the league and will need to step up more on the offensive end. Last season, Ross DeRogartis was third in the WCC in assist to turnover ratio and shot 46 percent from three-point range. His contribution from outside could help keep opponents honest this year.

Schedule
Key non-conference games:
Nov. 21 vs. UC Santa Barbara
Nov. 30 vs. San Diego State
Dec. 10 vs. Fresno State
Dec. 22 vs. New Mexico

With too many key losses to a team that outshined expectations last year, the Toreros don’t have the firepower to compete for the crown this season. Look for them to play hard but fall short of a winning season.

7. Loyola Marymount Lions
2004-05 record: 11-17, 3-11 WCC (8th place)
Projected starting five:
Brandon Worthy, Jr. G (11.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
Wes Wardrop, Sr. G (7.2 ppg)
Matthew Knight, Jr. F (15.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg)
Daryl Pegram, Jr. F (6.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
Chris Ayer, Sr. C (3.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg)

With three returning starters, the Lions are cautiously optimistic. They always seem to be a sleeper pick, but they seldom turn in a Cinderella season. After dropping their final six games last season to finish last in conference, and firing head coach Steve Aggers, the Lions have nowhere to go but up.

Junior forward Matthew Knight is back to lead the Lions. Teamed with guard Brandon Worthy, they form a solid inside-outside attack. Center Chris Ayer has looked strong in intra-squad scrimmages and needs to be more of a factor in his senior year.

Damian Martin and Wes Wardrop will work alongside Worthy in the backcourt. John Montgomery suffered an ACL injury in the final week of the 2004-05 season but appears to be healthy again. Daminan Martin ruptured his Achilles tendon while playing with Australia national team over the summer and will redshirt this season.

Schedule
Key non-conference games:
Nov. 18 at BYU
Nov. 25 at Washington
Dec. 10 vs. USC
Dec. 29 at UNLV

This is one of the most experienced teams in the conference, and they played a lot of tough games last season. We’ll have to wait and see what that experience adds up to as the season goes on. The Lions should improve a little over last year but in the end will be tamed by most of their opponents.

8. Pepperdine Waves
2004-05 record: 17-14, 6-8 WCC (5th place tie)
Projected starting five:
Marvin Lea, Jr. G (4.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg)
Kingsley Costain, So. G (7.4 ppg, 1.8 apg)
Chase Griffin, Jr. G (2.8 ppg, 1.0 rpg)
Keith Jarbo, Sr. F (1.9 ppg, 1.9 rpg)
Russell Hicks, So. C (4.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg)

The good news is that Paul Westphal’s team is returning two WCC All-Freshman players from last season. The bad news is that departing starters took with them 50 points and nearly 20 rebounds per game.

The tall (7-foot center Russell Hicks) and the short (5-7 point guard Kingsley Costain) of the Waves young team will be looked upon for production and leadership. Costain will direct the action from the point and need to set up his teammates for easy scoring opportunities. Hicks will have to emerge as more of a scoring threat and continue to intimidate on the defensive end.

Freshman Chris Oakes, Mike Gerrity and Willie Galick will get a chance to show what they can do early in the season.

Schedule
Key non-conference games:
Nov. 18 vs. Connecticut
Dec. 3 at Wisconsin
Dec. 19 at Kansas
Jan. 3 vs. Oklahoma State

Compensating for the production of last year’s starters will be tough to do with an unimpressive bench and a crop of young recruits. Don’t look for this to be Pepperdine’s year to make a run.

WCC Summary

Gonzaga will continue to be the front-runner of the league and capture its share of the national spotlight. The rest of the pack will largely fly under the radar and garner almost no recognition unless they can pull off some big upsets.

This season, non-conference opponents will be wary of WCC teams, making the challenge of having a breakout season even more daunting. But don’t count out the talent and spirit of this league, which should still send Gonzaga deep into the NCAA Tournament and two other teams to the NIT.

West Coast Notebook

West Coast Conference Early Season Notes

by Brad Best

Portland Takes a Beating in Charity Tournament: The Portland Pilots, picked by the WCC Preseason Coaches Poll to finish third in conference, looked anything but impressive in the Lubbock Regional of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. On Thursday, November 10, they fell to Georgia Southern, 89-75. Sophomore forward Marcus Lewis was the bright spot, leading the Pilots with 21 points and 6 rebounds. In the consolation game on Friday, the Pilots were blown out by San Jose State in an 82-53 rout. At least it was for a good cause.

Morrison Named AP Preseason All-American: Junior forward Adam Morrison is the first-ever preseason AP All-American in men’s basketball history to play for Gonzaga. He was selected fourth in the voting and is the only non-senior on this year’s list. Morrison scored 19 points per game last season while shooting just under 50 percent from the field. He also pulled down 5.5 rebounds and dished out 2.8 assists. Morrison was an honorable mention AP All-American a year ago.

WCC Tournament Recaps

West Coast Conference Tournament Recap

by Mitch Schneider

First Round – Fri., March 4

(5) Pepperdine 91, (8) Loyola Marymount 79

Trailing 46-34 at the break, Pepperdine outscored LMU 57-33 in the second to capture the victory and advance into the second round of the WCC Tournament. Forward Glen McGowan’s 19-point effort led five Pepperdine players in double-figure scoring, and the Waves connected on 30-of-40 shots from the charity stripe, helping them to their fourth win in five games. For LMU, sophomores Brandon Worthy and Matthew Knight combined for 40 in the loss – the Lions’ sixth straight defeat to close out the season.

(6) San Francisco 65, (7) Portland 60

USF converted 18-20 from the free throw line and held Portland to under 38% shooting for the game to secure the Dons a trip to the second round of the tournament. San Francisco trailed by seven, 44-37, with 10:55 to play in regulation. But the Dons put together a timely 21-6 run over the next eight minutes to take the lead and eventually put away the upstart Pilots. San Francisco’s Tyrone Riley and Johnny Dukes poured in 22 and 15 points, respectively, in the win. Portland guard Darren Cooper led all scorers with 23 in the loss.

Quarterfinals – Sat. March 5

(4) San Diego 86, (5) Pepperdine 80

San Diego senior Brandon Gay had a career-high 34 points and Nick Lewis added 17, as the Toreros held off Pepperdine to advance to the semifinals of the WCC Tournament. Gay connected on seven of San Diego’s 11 three-point shots in the win, and the team shot 50% from the field on its way to its sixth win in eight games. Pepperdine hung with the Toreros all night long, grabbing 17 offensive boards and forcing 22 turnovers. But the Waves struggled defensively against USD’s starting five, allowing 83 points, 40 rebounds and 20 assists to Gay and company. Waves’ guard Alex Acker had a team-high 31 in defeat, with teammate Glen McGowan chipping in 20.

(3) Santa Clara 67, (6) San Francisco 60

Guards Kyle Bailey and Brody Angley combined for 30 points in Santa Clara’s win, helping the Broncos avenge a pair of regular season losses to the Dons in this second round game. Santa Clara held USF to less than 34% (22-65) shooting on the night, and made 26 of 36 free throws, paving the way for the Broncos into the WCC Tournament semis. Dons forward Tyrone Riley had a game-high 18 points and six boards in the loss.

Semifinals – Sun. March 6

(1) Gonzaga 90, (4) San Diego 74

Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison and J.P. Batista combined for 49 points, helping the Bulldogs secure their eighth straight trip to the WCC Championship game as well as their eleventh consecutive victory of the season. The ‘Zags jumped out to a commanding 54-33 lead at the half, and coasted the rest of the way in picking up their third win in three chances over San Diego this year. Floyd North came off the bench to score a team-high 16 points for the Toreros, with Brandon Gay and Nick Lewis each collecting 15 in defeat.

(2) St. Mary’s 69, (3) Santa Clara 64

Despite shooting under 31% for the game and trailing 32-29 at the break, St. Mary’s persevered against the feisty Broncos on its way to the finals of the WCC Tournament. Though the Gaels had trouble knocking down shots, they did manage to convert 34-of-42 from the foul line en route to the victory. Paul Marigney and Daniel Kickert amassed 20 and 17 points, respectively, for St. Mary’s, which earned its second straight trip to the conference title game. Guard Kyle Bailey paced Santa Clara with 17 in the loss.

Finals – Mon. March 7

(1) Gonzaga 80, St. Mary’s 67

For the sixth time in seven years, Gonzaga claimed the WCC Tournament crown after ousting St. Mary’s by 13 in the title game. Adam Morrison had a game-high 30 points and Ronny Turiaf added 18 as the Bulldogs knocked off the Gaels in the tournament finale for the second straight season. St. Mary’s held a one-point advantage after the first half, but the ‘Zags opened the second on a 15-3 run and held down the fort the rest of the way to pick up the victory and automatic NCAA Tournament bid. For St. Mary’s, forward Daniel Kickert had 27 points (seven three-pointers) in the loss.

West Coast Conference Preview

West Coast Conference 2004-05 Season Preview

by Bob Thurman

For the last seven seasons, the West Coast Conference has become Gonzaga and the Seven Dwarfs. The Zags have dominated this conference and have become a national power, which has provided the WCC plenty of deserved publicity. However, Gonzaga’s success has come at the expense of the rest of the teams in the league, many of whom have had successful seasons gone unnoticed. That may begin to change this season as the Zags will be finally be vulnerable, while the rest of the conference returns most of its star players. Don’t get me wrong, Mark Few’s gang will once again be a major player on the national scene, but with the loss of so many quality seniors, they will not be able to repeat their undefeated conference season of a year ago. In fact, it may be tough repeating as conference champions, period!

The two teams with the best shot of unseating Gonzaga are two experienced and talented squads: Saint Mary’s and Pepperdine. The Gaels may have the most talent in the league, with All-WCC selections Paul Marigney, Daniel Kickert and Frederic Adjiwanou returning. Add in an experienced point guard in E.J. Rowland and possibly the top newcomer in Erik Bond, and you can see why this team will be difficult to beat both inside and outside of the conference. Pepperdine is another team that will be dangerous. The Waves are loaded with scorers and will put up plenty of points. However, they will need to actually stop some teams from scoring if they want to make some noise on the national scene this year. Out of the top three teams in the league, I expect at least two getting bids to the NCAA Tournament, while the third will be playing in the NIT this season.

The rest of the league will also be making plenty of news this season. The other Bay Area schools, Santa Clara and San Francisco, will be tough outs for the rest of the conference, though each plays a very different style. The Broncos are a well disciplined team that wins with tough defense. The Dons welcome new coach Jessie Evans, who will bring an up-tempo style that should suit high-scoring guard John Cox very nicely. San Diego comes off a nightmare of a season, but has a number of talented players coming in that could make them one of the most improved teams in the country. Portland and Loyola Marymount may be a step behind the others in this league, but would be contenders in most other conferences. All in all, the West Coast Conference may be one of the most balanced from top to bottom in the country. That should make for an exciting 2004-2005 season for its fans!

All-Conference Team
G: Paul Marigney, Saint Mary’s
G: John Cox, San Francisco
F: Glen McGowan, Pepperdine
F: Ronny Turiaf, Gonzaga
C: Brice Vounang, San Diego
Honorable Mention: Adam Morrison, Gonzaga; Daniel Kickert, Saint Mary’s; Alex Acker, Pepperdine; Kyle Bailey, Santa Clara; Pooh Jeter, Portland

MVP: Ronny Turiaf, Gonzaga
Newcomer: Erik Bond, Saint Mary’s
Defensive: Corey Belser, San Diego
Most Improved: Adam Morrison, Gonzaga

Gonzaga Bulldogs (2003-2004: 28-3 overall, 14-0 conference, 1st place)

Projected starters:
PG: Derek Raivio, So.
SG: Erroll Knight, Jr.
SF: Adam Morrison, So.
PF: Sean Mallon, So.
C: Ronny Turiaf, Sr.

Schedule Highlights:
11/27 – Illinois (Wooden Classic)
12/1 – Washington
12/18 – Georgia Tech (Las Vegas Showdown)
12/28 – at Oklahoma State
1/8 – at St. Mary’s
2/10 – at Pepperdine

The Zags will once again be the league’s preseason favorite, but will have a tougher time reaching the top this season due to the loss of a number of quality seniors. All-American Blake Stepp will be sorely missed at the point, where his ability to lead the offense and hit big shots will not be easily filled. The loss of sharp shooters Kyle Bankhead and Tony Skinner, and bruisers Cory Violette and Richard Fox, creates some huge voids on the wings and down low. However, the return of Ronny Turiaf, who turned down the NBA this past summer, and a host of talented youngsters should keep the Zags atop the conference.

Turiaf will be one of the top big men in the country this season and is the leading candidate for conference player of the year. Sophomores Derek Raivio and Adam Morrison should slide into the starting lineup immediately and will be heavily counted on. Morrison, in particular, showed off a nice midrange game and high basketball IQ coming off the bench last season and should provide the necessary scoring punch to take some pressure off of Turiaf. Junior college transfer J.P. Batista and freshman Pierre Marie Altidor-Cespedes, along with Texas Tech transfer Nathan Doudney, will give Coach Mark Few some quality minutes off the bench. Once again, Few created a challenging non-conference schedule with games against Final Four participants Georgia Tech and Oklahoma State, along with powerhouses Illinois and Washington. Even if the Zags can’t pull off those wins, it will prepare them well for conference play and ensure a high RPI come March. Despite some question marks, look for the Zags to be a mainstay in the Top 25, claim another conference title and return to the NCAA Tournament for a seventh straight season!

Saint Mary’s Gaels (2003-2003: 19-12 overall, 9-5 conference, 2nd place tie)

Projected starters:
PG: E.J. Rowland, Sr.
SG: Paul Marigney, Sr.
SF: Jonathon Sanders, Sr.
PF: Frederic Adjiwanou, Sr.
C: Daniel Kickert, Jr.

Schedule Highlights:
11/11 – Belmont (Preseason NIT)
11/23 – at UNLV
12/11 – at Hawaii
1/4 – BYU
2/3 – at Gonzaga
2/11 – at Santa Clara

Four years ago, before Coach Randy Bennett came to Saint Mary’s, the Gaels went 2-27. Since his hiring, the program has improved every year, to the point where it was a game away from the NCAA Tournament last season. Look for that upward trend to continue this season, as the Gaels return most of their players from the second-best team in the conference last season. Unfortunately, they will have to wait awhile before all those players are available. Leading scorer Paul Marigney is academically ineligible until the second semester, while leading rebounder Frederic Adjiwanou will have to sit the first four games after cutting a deal with the NCAA to gain a fifth season of eligibility. In addition, highly-touted Cal transfer Erik Bond won’t suit up until the middle of December.

Despite these early setbacks, the Gaels should get through it considering they have such a deep and experienced team. Point guard E.J. Rowland runs the team well and can score if need be, while Daniel Kickert is one of the league’s top post players and can also score from the perimeter. Senior Jonathon Sanders and junior college transfer Jason Walberg should provide some relief until Marigney and Bond are eligible. Throw in a tough schedule, and the Gaels may struggle early in the season. However, when conference play starts up, look for this team to be neck and neck with Gonzaga at the top of the standings. If the WCC gets two NCAA Tournament bids this season, Saint Mary’s will probably be one of them.

Pepperdine Waves (2003-2004: 15-16 overall, 9-5 conference, 2nd place tie)

Projected starters:
PG: Marvin Lea, So.
SG: Alex Acker, Jr.
SF: Yakhouba Diawara, Sr.
PF: Glen McGowan, Sr.
C: Jesse Pinegar, Sr.

Schedule Highlights:
11/17 – East Carolina (BCA Invitational)
11/27 – Wisconsin
12/8 – UNLV
12/11 – at UCLA
1/15 – at Gonzaga
2/19 – at Saint Mary’s

After a disappointing 5-11 start last season, the Waves turned it around during conference play to tie for second. They should be able to build on that momentum this season and make a run at the conference title. The loss of guards Shaun Davis and Tarrence Johnson may thin the bench a bit, but it will allow talented Alex Acker to get more shots and promising sophomore Marvin Lea to run the offense. It also allows Coach Paul Westphal to go with a bigger lineup of Yakhouba Diawara, Glen McGowan and Jesse Pinegar on the baseline, which could cause matchup problems with some of the teams in the league.

Even though there is plenty of talent returning, the Waves will need some production from the newcomers if they want to surpass Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s. Redshirt freshman Kingsley Costain and Cal transfer Tashaan Forehan-Kelly will need to provide some relief in the backcourt for Lea and Acker. Seven-footer Jarrad Henry is an intimidating shot-blocker and could help on the defensive end, which is the Waves’ biggest weakness and an area they will need to improve. Overall, this team is better than last season’s squad and should see some postseason action come March.

Santa Clara Broncos (2003-2004: 16-16 overall, 6-8 conference, 5th place)

Projected starters:
PG: Kyle Bailey, Sr.
SG: Doron Perkins, Sr.
SF: Ethan Rohde, Sr.
PF: Travis Niesen, Jr.
C: Sean Denison, So.

Schedule Highlights:
11/12 – Duquesne (NABC Classic)
11/19 – North Carolina
11/28 – Stanford
12/22 – at Arizona State
2/5 – at Gonzaga
2/26 – at San Francisco

The Broncos are tired of mediocrity! For the past three seasons, Santa Clara has been stuck in the middle of the conference pack and can’t seem to break out. Coach Dick Davey hopes this year might be different. Senior guards Kyle Bailey and Doron Perkins form one of the leagues top backcourts and give fans a good reason for them to be optimistic about this season’s chances. Add in a promising young forntcourt of Travis Niesen and Sean Denison, and the Broncos should be a much more balanced team than previous years. Unfortunately, Denison will be out until at least January with a stress fracture in his foot, so Niesen will have to carry the load down low until he recovers.

Coach Davey also brought in a number of quality newcomers who should contribute immediately. Junior college transfer Tristan Parham will add some size to the Broncos frontline, while freshman Brody Angley gives them a pure point guard and will allow Bailey to play more on the wing. Once again, defense will be a key to Santa Clara’s success. However, if they want to compete in this conference, they will have to score more efficiently, especially inside. If they can improve on this, then a postseason bid of some kind is a definite possibility.

San Diego Toreros (2003-2004: 4-26 overall, 1-13 conference, 8th place)

Projected starters:
PG: Ross DeRogatis, So.
SG: Brett Melton, Sr.
SF: Corey Belser, Jr.
PF: Brandon Gay, Sr.
C: Brice Vounang, Sr.

Schedule Highlights:
11/16 – Arizona (Preseason NIT)
12/1 – at San Diego State
12/11 – at USC
12/31 – Creighton
1/27 – at Saint Mary’s
2/17 – at Gonzaga

There’s a reason why Coach Brad Holland’s bio doesn’t mention anything about last season: he wants to forget everything about it! In fact, the 26-loss season was one of the worst in school history. Luckily, a new season is here and things are looking better for the Toreros. The league’s top defensive player, Corey Belser, returns from a knee injury and joins athletic forward Brandon Gay, and powerful center Brice Vounang to form one of the top frontcourts in the league. Vounang, the league’s Newcomer of the Year last season, gives San Diego a dangerous inside threat that should free up space for the athletic Belser and Gay, along with senior guard Brett Melton. The only question is at point guard, where Holland hopes Oklahama State transfer Ross DeRogatis can lead the team, but also provide some needed scoring at the point.

With so many talented players, scoring won’t be a problem for the Toreros. However, the defense must improve significantly after being worst in the league last season. The return of Belser will help, along with the arrival of Floyd North III from Oregon State, who should provide some defensive stops off the bench. If this team can keep their opponents under 70 points (instead of 80) then this could be one of the most improved teams in the country!

San Francisco Dons (2003-2004: 17-14 overall, 7-7 conference, 4th place)

Projected starters:
PG: Andre Hazel, Sr.
SG: John Cox, Sr.
SF: Jerome Gumbs, Jr.
PF: Alan Wiggins, So.
C: Tyrone Riley, Sr.

Schedule Highlights:
11/19 – Stanford (Pete Newell Challenge)
12/1 – at Wichita State
12/23 – Fresno State
1/1 – at Texas Tech
2/9 – at San Diego
2/19 – at Gonzaga

A new era starts in San Francisco with the arrival of Jessie Evans as head coach. Evans was one of Lute Olson’s top assistants during the nineties, before beginning a successful career as head coach of Louisiana-Lafayette. Coming off a NCAA Tournament bid last season, Evans could have gone to a number of high profile schools, but decided instead to rebuild the once proud basketball tradition at USF. He’s a good fit for the program and should bring an exciting, fast-paced style to the Dons.

Evans will welcome the return of wing John Cox, who went down with an injury last season after being a first team All-WCC player in 2002. Cox is an explosive scorer who should lead the league in scoring under Evans’ offensive system. Cox will team with returnees Andre Hazel and Jerome Gumbs to form an experienced backcourt. The frontcourt is a bit thin with the loss of James Bayless and Alvin Broussard to graduation, but senior Tyrone Riley is a fierce competitor and will be heavily counted on for some inside scoring and rebounding. If Colorado transfer Jason Carter can provide some inside force, then it will make Riley’s job a lot easier. Even though this year’s squad may not make much noise in the conference, it sure will be exciting to watch!

Portland Pilots (2003-2004: 11-17 overall, 5-9 conference, 6th place tie)

Projected starters:
PG: Pooh Jeter, Jr.
SG: Darren Cooper, Jr.
SF: Donald Wilson, Jr.
PF: Dreshawn Vance, So.
C: Marcus Lewis, Fr.

Schedule Highlights:
11/19 – Northwestern (NABC Classic)
12/1 – at Oregon State
12/18 – Washington State
12/28 – at Oregon
1/29 – at Gonzaga
2/12 – at Pepperdine

Coach Michael Holton continues to slowly rebuild this program, as seen in wins at Oregon State and New Mexico last season. Now, the fourth year coach must focus on moving up the standings in the always tough West Coast Conference. Fortunately, he’s blessed with one of the top point guards in the league in junior Pooh Jeter. Jeter may focus more on scoring than distributing, but considering his ability to get the ball in the basket, Coach Holton doesn’t seem to mind. However, the arrival of Eastern Washington transfer Darren Cooper, along with returnee Donald Wilson, gives the Pilots a number of weapons on the wing. Last season’s Oregon high school Player of the Year, Jeremiah Dominguez, will spell Jeter at the point.

The one area of concern is in the frontcourt, where Portland will need to replace their leading rebounder from last season, Dustin Geddis, along with reserve Pat Galos. Sophomore Dreshawn Vance showed promise after being inserted into the starting lineup during conference play and will be heavily counted upon. Cal State-Northridge transfer Ben Sullivan and highly touted freshman Marcus Lewis will compete for the starting center job. If the young frontcourt can hold its own against the rest of the league, then the Pilots will surprise a number of opponents this season.

Loyola Marymount Lions (2003-2004: 15-14 overall, 5-9 conference, 6th place tie)

Projected starters:
PG: Charles Brown, Sr.
SG: Brandon Worthy, So.
SF: Daryl Pegram, So.
PF: Matthew Knight, So.
C: Chris Ayer, Jr.

Schedule Highlights:
12/12 – Washington
12/18 – San Diego State
12/23 – at Virginia
1/3 – at Minnesota
1/13 – at Gonzaga
2/10 – at Portland

Loyola Marymount is coming off one of its best seasons in years, but the loss of their two top players, Sherman Gay and Keith Kincade, will make it difficult to repeat their success this season. The Lions will be extremely young as well, with point guard Charles Brown as the lone senior on the team. However, the young guns do have some talent. Sophomore Brandon Worthy could have a breakout season teaming with Brown in the backcourt. Big men Matthew Knight and Chris Ayer could develop into a formidable frontline if they continue to improve.

However, in order to stay out of the conference cellar, the Lions will need contributions from their newcomers. In particular, Indiana transfer Daryl Pegram will need to provide some athleticism in the frontcourt, while junior college transfer Adoyah Evans-Miller will have to become a defensive stopper on the wings while knocking down a few three pointers on the other end. All in all, the Lions will be a decent team this season, but in as strong a conference as the West Coast, the numbers are not in their favor.

West Coast Offseason News

West Coast Conference 2003-04 Season Recap

by Noah Godwin

Gonzaga became the first team since Pepperdine in 1992 to run the table in the West Coast Conference. The departures of Blake Stepp and Corey Violette have done little to get the Zag faithful down. Senior forward/center Ronnie Turiaf has continued his tradition of getting better every summer and is a candidate for the Wooden Award.

Do-it-all sophomore forward Adam Morrison spent his summer competing on the USA Young Men’s team with the likes of North Carolina’s Sean May and Indiana’s Bracey Wright. Morrison averaged eight points and two rebounds in 13 minutes a game. He shot sixty percent from the floor in helping Team USA win gold. Morrison said Kelvin Sampson’s grueling practices and love of two-a-days have him ready to fill a larger role for Head Coach Mark Few.

In San Francisco, exciting home games like Stanford and St. Joseph’s and the arrival of a new head coach in Jessie Evans have season tickets selling in numbers that promise crowds like the Dons haven’t seen since Bill Russell was roaming the paint. Evans joins San Francisco after seven seasons with Louisiana-Lafayette (132-81) and is coming off three consecutive twenty-win seasons. Evans spent nine years with Lute Olson at Arizona, including the 1997 national championship team.

The new coach got some welcome news this summer when the NCAA granted John Cox a sixth year of eligibility. Cox was an all-WCC performer in 02-03 before straining his MCL in the first game last season against Tennessee-Martin in the Guardian’s Classic. Cox averaged 19 points a game during his junior campaign.

Pepperdine was at the end of last season a team with a plethora of guards and limited big men. After the departure of starting freshmen point guard Shaun Davis and super-sub guard Terrance Johnson, the Waves now have more questions than answers in the backcourt. Davis never really gelled with the team and transferred to a junior college in San Diego. Johnson left the Waves for academic reasons after an exciting career with the Waves.

Pepperdine fans will not be able to quickly forget the early departure of one its team leaders. Johnson transferred to Cal-Baptist: Pepperdine hosts Cal-Baptist in a preseason game Nov. 9th.

One bright spot for the Waves this summer has been the play of freshman point guard Kingsley Costain for Canada’s under-20 team. Costain handled himself well on both ends of the court and wowed scouts with his ability to accelerate with the ball in transition. His Achilles’ heel, as with most young point guards, was too many turnovers. But that same scout pointed out that when you face Chris Paul, turnovers are going to happen.

Portland made big strides last season on the court to be more competitive in conference play. Then the Pilots became even more optimistic about the future when Oregon State big man Kevin Field decided to transfer to Portland. Field will sit out this season but will be a big (he’s 6-11, 275) part of the Pilots’ interior game in years to come.

Santa Clara returns one of the best backcourts in the conference in Kyle Bailey and Doron Perkins, both natives of Alaska. The Broncos had a long summer to think about how close they came to beating Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament. Turiaf’s tip-in basket and the subsequent Kyle Bailey miss allowed the Zags to survive the semifinal game 63-62.

The biggest news out of Santa Clara this summer was the sad yet appreciative induction of Pat Tillman into the Athletic Hall of Fame. Also joining Tillman in the hall this year was former Bronco star Kurt Rambis.

Loyola Marymount went 5-0 in its summer tour of Europe, but Damian Martin, still recovering from a broken wrist suffered last season, did not play in any of the five games. Martin was a WCC All-Freshman performer for the Lions last season.

The departure to Creighton by Brian Fish, the top assistant last season for Head Coach Brad Holland, created some shuffling in the coaching staff at San Diego. All of the other coaches and team managers received promotions to fill the vacated spots. The Toreros’ signing of Michael Shepherd, a 6-8, 225 power forward transferring from Odessa College in Texas bolstered a frontcourt already anchored by junior center Brice Vounang and junior forward Brandon Gay.

No news was good news this summer for St. Mary’s, a team returning all five starters from last season’s second-place team. Shooting guard Paul Marigney averaged over twenty points a game in conference play. E.J. Rowland takes pressure off of Marigney with solid point guard play, and Daniel Kicker provides the muscle up front for a team coaches picked to finish second in the conference. The Gaels received three first-place votes (the remaining five went to Gonzaga).

Noah Godwin is a Hoopville Staff writer living in California. This is his first article for Hoopville.

West Coast Conference 2003-04 Season Recap

West Coast Conference 2003-04 Season Recap

by Mitch Schneider

It wasn’t exactly a banner year for the West Coast Conference.

Not a single team challenged Gonzaga for the league title. Seven of the eight schools lost at least a dozen games (with San Diego dropping 26). And only one team (alas, the ‘Zags) qualified for post-season play.

Nope, the 2003-04 WCC campaign was far from picturesque.

But some good did come out of the past season, and before we bury the coffin which holds the remains of the 2003-04 season, let’s recap both the highs and lows of last year’s West Coast Conference — in Top-Ten fashion, of course:

Top Ten Good Things that Happened in WCC Play

10. A surprising Pepperdine squad won 15 games without a senior in its starting five.

9. San Francisco finished with a .500 regular season record in WCC play after dropping its first three conference games.

8. Waves forward Yakhouba Diawara came out of nowhere to lead the league in scoring (18.9 PPG) after playing his first game in mid-January.

7. San Diego managed to win a game in 2004 (a 74-71 win over Santa Clara).

6. St. Mary’s nearly upset Pac-10 foes USC and Arizona.

5. Not one WCC coach was fired mid-season (though USF’s Phil Mathews was shown the door after the Dons’ final game).

4. Gonzaga guard Blake Stepp was named AP All-American for the second year in a row.

3. LMU finished above-.500 despite having just one standout player – guard Sherman Gay.

2. Portland won five of its first six games this season including wins over Oregon State, New Mexico and Nevada.

1. The ‘Zags compiled a 28-3 record, won 21 straight and earned a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Top Ten Not-So-Good Things that Happened in WCC Play

10. LMU connected on just 116 three-point attempts for the year – 38 fewer than the WCC team with the next lowest total (USF, 154).

9. San Diego won just four of 30 games this year, dropping 18 of its last 19.

8. Not one WCC school finished within 4.5 games of regular season champ, Gonzaga.

7. The Toreros lost 19 of their games by ten or more points, ten games by 15 or more, and single games by margins of 43, 34 and 25 points.

6. San Francisco fired coach Phil Mathews after nine seasons at the helm.

5. Portland had separate losing streaks of 2, 3, 4 and 5 games.

4. WCC runner-up St. Mary’s lost all three of its match-ups with ‘Zaga by a combined 46 points.

3. The Bulldogs bowed out of the second round of March Madness despite being a two-seed and having two All-Americans on its roster (Blake Stepp and Ronny Turiaf).

2. Santa Clara lost to San Diego (see No. 9).

1. Not one WCC school, not named “Gonzaga,” earned a postseason berth in the NIT or NCAA Tournament.

Regular Season Recap

As expected, Gonzaga cruised through the West Coast Conference regular season, winning all 14 of their league match-ups. The ‘Zags dominated their regular season conference schedule like no other team in Division I basketball, as all other WCC schools were fighting for second place just weeks into the WCC campaign. The Bulldogs captured each contest by ten or more points, and carried an 18-game winning streak into the WCC Tournament.

While Gonzaga strolled through league play, the race for second was fierce with St. Mary’s and Pepperdine each posting 9-5 conference marks. The Gaels and Waves split their season series, and both notched five wins in their last seven games heading into the WCC Tournament. St. Mary’s wound up earning the second seed over Pepperdine due to a better overall record, and the Waves settled for third.

Just two games separated the next four schools as USF (7-7), Santa Clara (6-8), LMU (5-9) and Portland (5-9) stumbled through less-than-stellar regular seasons. San Diego pulled up the rear as the lowly Toreros managed just one win in WCC play — a 74-71 stunner over Santa Clara.

Conference Tournament

The West Coast Conference tournament played out much like the regular season with top seeds (1) Gonzaga and (2) St. Mary’s advancing past the rest of the field and into the WCC title game. But before the Bulldogs and Gaels would scrap for the automatic NCAA berth, Gonzaga was forced to sweat it out against fifth-seeded Santa Clara in semifinal action.

The ‘Zags 18-game winning streak nearly came to an end against the streaking Broncos. However, the Bulldogs overcame poor shooting (21-56, .375) and an 11-point second half deficit to defeat Santa Clara, 63-62. The gritty play of Cory Violette (22 points, 10 rebounds) and Ronny Turiaf (10 points, 12 rebounds) proved the difference that night, and Turiaf’s put-back shot in the lane with five seconds remaining gave the ‘Dawgs the lead and ultimately the victory.

After the previous night’s nail-biter, Gonzaga breathed a bit easier in the championship against St. Mary’s, winning 84-71. Though the Gaels found themselves within five points of the Bulldogs early in the second half, Mark Few’s crew cast any doubt of victory aside by scoring the next nine points of the game, sealing the win and the title.

That triumph gave Gonzaga its fifth West Coast title in six years and 20th straight victory on the season. St. Mary’s has no answer for Turiaf who amassed 29 points and 14 boards against its weaker front line, while teammates, Blake Stepp and Violette, added 19 and 16 points, respectively. E.J. Rowland collected 16 points for the Gaels in the losing effort.

NCAA Tournament

After compiling a sterling 27-2 record, not to mention an undefeated conference season, the NCAA Tournament committee rewarded Gonzaga with a two-seed in the St. Louis region. Surprisingly, the Bulldogs were the only WCC team to earn a post-season berth, as both the NCAA and NIT passed on St. Mary’s (19-12) and San Francisco (17-14).

The ‘Zags had no trouble out the gate and beat up on Mid-Continental champ, Valparaiso, 76-49, in first round action. Gonzaga held Valpo to just 29% (18-63) shooting on the night, and out-rebounded the Crusaders 42-28 in the easy victory.

The Bulldogs appeared primed to make a Final Four run, but tenth-seeded Nevada ended that dream rather quickly.

Despite playing in Gonzaga-friendly Key Arena in Seattle, the Wolfpack took a 15-point lead into the break and never looked back, as Nevada dominated the Dawgs, 91-72, in the second round. The ‘Zags struggled from long-distance, connecting on just 3-22 (14%) from three-point range, with All-WCC guard Blake Stepp misfiring on 11 of 12 (3-18 overall) shots behind the arc. In the Bulldogs two NCAA games, Stepp converted only five of 29 shot attempts.

The loss snapped Gonzaga’s 21-game winning streak and brought an abrupt end to a supposed magical season for the Bulldogs.

WCC Hardware

Hoopville’s All-WCC First Team:
G Paul Marigney, St. Mary’s
G Blake Stepp, Gonzaga
F Yakhouba Diawara, Pepperdine
F Ronny Turiaf, Gonzaga
F/C Cory Violette, Gonzaga

Hoopville’s All-WCC Second Team:
G Pooh Jeter, Portland
F Sherman Gay, LMU
F Daniel Kickert, St. Mary’s
F Glen McGowan, Pepperdine
F/C Brice Vounang, San Diego

Hoopville’s WCC Defensive Player of the Year:

Sherman Gay, LMU

Hoopville’s WCC Freshman of the Year:

Shaun Davis, Portland

Hoopville’s WCC Newcomer of the Year:

Brice Vounang, San Diego (transferred from East Oklahoma State junior college)

Hoopville’s WCC Coach of the Year:

Mark Few, Gonzaga

Team-by-team capsules

Gonzaga Bulldogs (28-3/14-0 – first)

Team MVP: G Blake Stepp (14.7 ppg, 6.9 apg)

Top scorer: F Ronny Turiaf (15.7 ppg)
Top rebounder: F/C Cory Violette (8.1 rpg)
Top assists: G Blake Stepp (6.9 apg)

Starters graduating:
G/F Kyle Bankhead
G Blake Stepp
F/C Cory Volette

Key players returning:
G Errol Knight
F Adam Morrison
F Ronny Turiaf

Loyola Marymount Lions (15-14/5-9 – T-sixth)

Team MVP: F Sherman Gay (16.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg)

Top scorer: F Sherman Gay (16.1 ppg)
Top rebounder: F Sherman Gay (5.9 rpg)
Top assists: G Charles Brown (3.8 apg)

Starters graduating:
F Sherman Gay
G Keith Kincade

Key players returning:
C Chris Ayer
G Charles Brown
F Dustin Brown
G Damian Martin
G Wes Wardrop

Pepperdine Waves(15-15/9-5 – T-second)

Team MVP: F Yakhouba Diawara (18.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg)

Top scorer: F Yakhouba Diawara (18.9 ppg)
Top rebounder: F Yakhouba Diawara (6.6 rpg)
Top assists: G Shaun Davis (4.2 apg)

Starters graduating:
None

Key players returning:
G Alex Acker
G Shaun Davis
F Yakhouba Diawara
G Terrance Johnson
F Glen McGowan

Portland Pilots(11-17/5-9 – T-sixth)

Team MVP: G Pooh Jeter (16.6 ppg, 3.2 apg)

Top scorer: G Pooh Jeter (16.6 ppg)
Top rebounder: F Dustin Geddis (5.9 rpg)
Top assists: G Adam Quick (4.3 apg)

Starters graduating:
F Dustin Geddis
G Adam Quick

Key players returning:
F Patrick Galos
G Eugene “Pooh” Jeter
F Dreshawn Vance
G Donald Wilson

San Diego Toreros (4-26/1-13 – eighth)

Team MVP: F Brice Vounang (16.9 ppg)

Top scorer: F Brice Vounang (16.9 ppg)
Top rebounder: F Brandon Gay (7.0 rpg)
Top assists: G Michael McGrain (6.5 apg)

Starters graduating:
None

Key players returning:
F Brandon Gay
G Michael Hubbard
F/C Nick Lewis
G Mike McGrain
G Brett Melton
F/C Brice Vounang

San Francisco Dons (17-14/7-7 – fourth)

Team MVP: F Tyrone Riley (11.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg)

Top scorer: F James Bayless (12.4 ppg)
Top rebounder: G/F John Cox (8.0 rpg)
Top assists: G Andre Hazel (4.7 apg)

Starters graduating:
F James Bayless
F Alvin Broussard

Key players returning:
G Jason Gaines
G Jerome Gumbs
G Jovan Harris
G Andre Hazel
F Tyrone Riley

News: On April 22, 2004, USF announced the hiring of Jessie Evans as head basketball coach. Evans, who compiled a 132-81 (62%) record at Louisiana-Lafayette, replaced embattled coach Phil Mathews who was let go in March.

Santa Clara Broncos(16-16/6-8 – fifth)

Team MVP: G Kyle Bailey (12.6 ppg, 3.7 apg)

Top scorer: G Kyle Bailey (12.6 ppg)
Top rebounder: C Jim Howell (5.6 rpg)
Top assists: G Kyle Bailey (3.7 apg)

Starters graduating:
F Jim Howell
G J.R. Patrick

Key players returning:
G Kyle Bailey
F Travis Niesen
G Doron Perkins
G Ethan Rohde
G Brandon Rohe

St. Mary’s Gaels(19-12/9-5 – T-second)

Team MVP: F Daniel Kickert (14.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg)

Top scorer: G Paul Marigney (16.0 ppg)
Top rebounder: F Frederic Adjiwanou (6.7 rpg)
Top assists: G E.J. Rowland (4.5 apg)

Starters graduating:
F Frederic Adjiwanou
G Tyler Herr
F Chase Poole

Key players returning:
F Daniel Kickert
G Paul Marigney
G E.J. Rowland
G Jonathan Sanders

West Coast First Round Recap

West Coast Conference First Round Recap
		Recap by Mitch Schneider (7) Loyola Marymount 82, (6) Portland 77 After dropping both of its regular season meetings with Portland, Loyola Marymount turned the tables Friday night, bouncing the Pilots from the West Coast Conference Tournament. LMU (15-13, 6-9) overcame an 11-point, second-half deficit on its way to victory, and got a huge boost from junior forward Sherman Gay who registered 30 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds in the win. Portland (11-17, 5-10) held a two-point lead with 3:18 to go in regulation, but the Pilots finished the game on a 13-6 run, thus ending the Lions season. This decisive run secured LMU a second-round match-up with Pepperdine, and guaranteed the school its first winning season since 1996. As for Portland, Eugene Jeter and Dustin Geddis combined for 33 points in the loss. (5) Santa Clara 82, (8) San Diego 48 The Broncos avenged an embarrassing regular season loss to the Toreros by racing out to a 44-23 halftime lead, and then piled it on further in the second frame for the 34-point win. J.R. Patrick led four Broncos in double-figures with 19 points, and Santa Clara (15-15, 7-8) did a number on the boards by out-rebounding San Diego 40-26. The Toreros (4-26, 1-14) ended a season to forget by converting just 18 of 56 (32%) shots, while turning the ball over 16 times. San Diego guard Brad Lechtenberg was the team’s only bright spot as the senior poured in 20 points (6-12 from three-point range) in his final collegiate game.

West Coast Second Round Preview

West Coast Conference Second Round Preview
		Preview by Mitch Schneider (7) Loyola Marymount vs. (3) Pepperdine After defeating Portland 82-77 in first round of the WCC Tournament, Loyola Marymount (15-13, 6-9) will face another team that swept it during the regular season as the Lions will battle Pepperdine (14-14, 9-5) tonight in second round action. The Waves cruised in the first meeting 82-67, but barely squeaked by in the second, 67-65. That game went back and forth in Los Angeles, and was finally decided by a Glen McGowan dunk with less than three seconds left in regulation. Tonight’s showdown should be another close one as both LMU and Pepperdine carry plenty of momentum into Santa Clara’s Leavey Center. The Lions have won four of six and are enjoying their first winning season since 1996. Not to be outdone, the Waves have won five of six and boast the league’s leading scorer in junior forward Yakhouba Diawara (18.5 ppg). There’s much at stake for both the Lions and Waves since both are in desperate need of a victory to keep their post-season hopes alive. Hoopville prediction: LMU 73, Pepperdine 70 (5) Santa Clara vs. (4) San Francisco Santa Clara exploded for 82 points (its highest total since it hung 90 in a win over Holy Names way back in December) in its 34-point blowout of San Diego on Friday. But the Broncos (15-15, 7-8) will be hard-pressed to match that total against a San Francisco (17-13, 7-7) squad that held Santa Clara to nearly half that in their last meeting — a 64-48 Dons win. Fortunately the Broncos have home-court advantage in this one, and they also have nine competent players who can rotate in and out to defend against USF’s solid starting five. If Santa Clara can continue its offensive prowess and keep the Dons’ John Cox (8.0 rpg) and Tyrone Riley (7.1 rpg) off the glass, the Broncos could stampede into Sunday’s semifinal with top-seeded Gonzaga. Hoopville prediction: Santa Clara 65, San Francisco 57

West Coast Second Round Recap

West Coast Conference Second Round Recap
		Recap by Mitch Schneider (3) Pepperdine 78, (7) Loyola Marymount 67 Pepperdine used a 10-0 run late in the game to spoil any chance for a Loyola upset as the Waves cruised to their third victory over their cross-town rival this season. Pepperdine’s trio of Glen McGowan (20 points, 9-12 FG’s), Yakhouba Diawara (16 points, 11 boards) and Alex Acker (16 points, 6 assists) kept the Lions down the entire game, securing the Waves (15-14, 10-5) a spot in the WCC semifinals against second-seed St. Mary’s (19-12, 9-5). LMU (15-14, 6-10) trailed by only two at the break and stayed with Pepperdine most of the night. The game was tied at 58 with 6:28 remaining, but a pair of back-to-back three’s by the Waves’ Terrance Johnson gave Pepperdine a lead it would not relinquish. LMU’s Keith Kincade led all scorers with 21 points, while teammate Sherman Gay added 12 points and eight boards in the loss. (5) Santa Clara 81, (4) San Francisco 75 Kyle Bailey scorched San Francisco for 30 points and Travis Niesen added 12 points as Santa Clara won its second straight WCC Tournament game in front of a home crowd at the Leavey Center. The victory means Santa Clara (16-15, 8-8) will next face top-seeded Gonzaga (26-2, 14-0) in Sunday’s semifinal. In this tightly contested battle, the Broncos held a three-point advantage with less than three minutes remaining in the second half. A three-pointer by J.R. Patrick gave Santa Clara a 73-67 cushion at the 2:01 mark, and the Broncos would eventually put the game away at the free throw line. USF’s James Bayless had 27 points and eight rebounds for the Dons (17-14, 7-8) who converted half of their field goal attempts on the night (30-60), but hit just 3-16 (.188) from behind the arc.

West Coast Semifinals Recap

West Coast Conference Semifinals Recap
		Recap by Mitch Schneider (2) St. Mary’s 79, (3) Pepperdine 74 Guard E.J. Rowland (21 points) led four Gaels in double-figures as St. Mary’s held off a feisty Pepperdine squad to advance to Monday’s WCC title game. Rowland also collected seven boards and six assists in the win, while teammates Paul Marigney, Daniel Kickert and Jonathan Sanders combined for 47 points and 30 rebounds on the night. The Waves (15-15, 10-6) trailed by a dozen at the break, but fought back in the second half thanks to the play of Yakhouba Diawara (26 points, 6 rebounds) and Marvin Lea (9 points, 9 rebounds). Pepperdine committed only seven turnovers in the loss, but was dominated on the glass (out-rebounded 51-36) and in the post. St. Mary’s (19-12, 10-5) has now won two straight over Pepperdine and four of its last five. (1) Gonzaga 63, (5) Santa Clara 62 Gonzaga’s 18-game winning streak nearly came to an end on Sunday night, but the Bulldogs overcame poor shooting (21-56, .375) and an 11-point second half deficit to defeat the Broncos and clinch a berth in the WCC championship. The gritty play of Gonzaga’s Cory Violette (22 points, 10 rebounds) and Ronny Turiaf (10 points, 12 rebounds) proved the difference in this nail-biter of a semi-final, and Turiaf’s put-back shot in the lane with five seconds remaining gave the ‘Dawgs the lead and ultimately the victory against Santa Clara. The Broncos (16-16, 8-9) came out firing against Gonzaga (26-2, 15-0), jumping out to a 19-8 lead and then a 29-26 advantage at the break. An Alex Kargbo three-pointer gave Santa Clara a 46-35 cushion with under 14 minutes to play in front of the home crowd, but the ‘Zags responded minutes later. Trailing by ten at the 7:44 mark, the Bulldogs closed the game on an 18-7 run and saw their winning streak reach 19 after Kyle Bailey’s desperation three-point attempt fell short for Santa Clara. Bailey, who scored 30 the night before against San Francisco, was held to just eight points on 3-10 shooting. Doron Perkins, who nearly pulled out the upset by himself, poured in 26 points (5-11 from three-point range) in the loss.

West Coast Finals Recap

West Coast Conference Finals Recap
		Recap by Mitch Schneider (1) Gonzaga 84, (2) St. Mary’s 71 Gonzaga cruised to its fifth West Coast title in six years and 20th straight victory as the Bulldogs clipped the Gaels in the conference finale. ‘Zags forward Ronny Turiaf – named tourney MVP – capped a solid two-game stretch by scorching St. Mary’s for 29 points and 14 boards, while fellow ‘Dawgs, Blake Stepp and Cory Violette, added 19 and 16 points, respectively. E.J. Rowland scored 16 points for the Gaels (19-12, 10-6) in the losing effort. After Gonzaga’s gut-wrenching one-point victory over Santa Clara the night before, the Bulldogs (27-2, 16-0) appeared fresh and sharp in their championship win. ‘Zaga connected on 53% of its shot attempts (29-55), and held the Gaels’ two leading scorers, Paul Marigney and Daniel Kickert, to just 21 total points on 7-19 shooting. St. Mary’s found itself within five points of Gonzaga early in the second half, but the Bulldogs responded by scoring the next nine points, ultimately sending the Gaels home. With the win, Gonzaga captures the WCC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament’s field of 65. The Bulldogs, who earned a No. 9 seed in last year’s Dance, are gunning for a top seed this time around.

West Coast First Round Preview

West Coast First Round Preview
		Preview by Mitch Schneider The 2004 West Coast Conference Tournament looks more like a reality dating show than a major athletic event, as seven hopefuls will look to scratch and claw their way for the right to meet up with conference-darling Gonzaga in the finale (assuming the ‘Dawgs win their semifinal game). Still, it should make for some interesting television and water-cooler fodder, even if the Fox network has nothing to do with it. The WCC Tournament, set to tip-off Friday night, features the top-seeded Bulldogs (25-2, 14-0 in the WCC) and seven other schools that will likely be headed home or to the NIT if they fail to win this year’s crown. To make matters even more complicated for the WCC proletariat, the conference’s top two teams – ‘Zaga and St. Mary’s (18-11, 9-5) – have first and second round byes, making any potential upsets this weekend all the more difficult. Fear not though, WCC faithful, as anything can happen at this stage of the year. And if you’re still worried that your team (not named “Gonzaga”) will not win the WCC title and not make this year’s NCAA Tournament, keep in mind that the favored Bulldogs have never gone an entire season without losing to a fellow West Coast team – good news for those Torero, Lion and Pilot fans out there. That being said, here’s a quick preview of first round action in the 2004 WCC Tournament: (6) Portland vs. (7) Loyola Marymount Portland (11-16, 5-9) swept its season series with LMU (14-13, 5-9), winning 77-68 at the Lions’ den in January, and 74-59 at home in February. Loyola converted just 37% of its shots in those two losses (going 6-for-26 from three-point range), and turned the ball over 33 times. The Lions also had trouble defending Pilots guard Eugene Jeter, who averaged 18.5 points in the two victories, draining 9-of-11 shots from behind the arc. While Portland has kept LMU in check this year, the Pilots enter Friday’s first-round match-up losers of five of their last six contests. Over that stretch, Portland has struggled to defend the basket, surrendering over 75 points per game. If LMU can take advantage of the Pilots’ defensive woes and continue to ride the hot hands of forwards Keith Kincade (17.0 ppg last four games) and Sherman Gay (15.6 ppg this season), the Lions may pull off the upset. Hoopville prediction: LMU 68, Portland 65 (5) Santa Clara vs. (8) San Diego As fate would have it, San Diego (4-25, 1-13) – a team that has lost 17 of its last 18 games – will face in Friday’s first round the only squad it has beaten in 2004, Santa Clara (14-15, 6-8). That’s a good sign for the lowly Toreros, who have managed as many wins this entire season as WCC-leader Gonzaga collected in just the past thirteen days. Even better for San Diego is the fact that Santa Clara has cooled off considerably after starting West Coast play with five wins in eight games. Since the Broncos 74-69 win over the Toreros on Feb. 5, Santa Clara has dropped five of six including its upset loss at San Diego four weeks ago. In diagnosing what ails the Broncos, look no further than their stagnant offense which has averaged less than 60 points a night over their last five contests, and has shot under 41% from the floor this season, dead-last in the league. Still, don’t count out a Santa Clara team which features a terrific backcourt in Doron Perkins (18.7 ppg last four games) and Kyle Bailey (11.7 ppg, 3.7 apg this season) – especially against San Diego. Hoopville prediction: Santa Clara 72, San Diego 59

West Coast Notebook

West Coast Conference Notebook

by Mitch Schneider

With a third of the West Coast Conference season already in the books, we can deduce the following: Gonzaga is good; San Diego is bad; and the rest of the league is playing for second-to-seventh place.

Okay, I may be generalizing a bit. After all, we haven’t even hit February yet.

But if the first few weeks of WCC ball have taught us anything, it’s that the ‘Zags are as good as advertised, and we might as well reserve them a spot in the conference title game.

With Gonzaga handing St. Mary’s, the only other undefeated team in West Coast Conference play, their first defeat the weekend before last, the Bulldogs have taken the reigns of the conference and won’t be looking back.

With a 15-2 overall record and 5-0 WCC mark, the Bulldogs have jumped out the gate faster than Democratic candidate John Kerry (and Gonzaga has already staked wins in Idaho, Georgia and Maryland… take that Howard Dean!). The ‘Zags are clearly the cream of the West Coast crop, and teams like St. Mary’s, Santa Clara and Pepperdine will be hard-pressed to overcome these spooks from Spokane.

In fact, the chances of any other team making the tournament are pretty slim, and even if they were capable of beating the Bulldogs, they might have to play in the “play-in” game. At the moment, St. Mary’s is trying to keep their head above water. True, they did beat the mighty Banana Slugs of UC Santa Cruz, and handily I might add, but they are far from being anything more then a 16th seeded squad. They have played a handful of non-division one games, and have not had an ounce of consistency throughout the entire season. Their longest winning streak is two games, but to their credit, this is also the length of their longest losing streak. Last year, the San Diego team surprised the league with a strong conference showing as well as long winning streaks later in the year. This year, a team has yet to step forward, and time is running out. The goal now for all the teams outside of Gonzaga has to be to get a rhythm in their game, a rhythm that can be translated into a strong conference tournament finish.

The Difference Makers

By now, everyone knows Ronny Turiaf, Cory Violette and Blake Stepp, but what about Yakhouba Diawara, Terrance Johnson, Alex Acker and Glen McGowan? The Pepperdine quartet are all averaging better then 13 points a game. For most of the season, it has been Acker, Johnson and McGowan. Recently, Diawara’s eligibility was reinstated by the NCAA, and he has taken over the team, scoring 16 in his debut against Santa Clara and 24 more recently against Loyola Marymount. Sherman Gay at Loyola Marymount and Eugene Jeter at Portland are having quality seasons as well, but their teams are suffering, especially Loyola Marymount, which entered conference play with a strong record, and is so far 1-4 against conference foes. Brandon Gay at San Diego is also having a strong season, but couldn’t outperform Sherman Gay in the battle of the Gays’. The next rematch will be on Saturday February 14th. Mark the date on your calendar.

WCC Player of the Week

Daniel Kickert, St. Mary’s

Kickert averaged 21.0 points per game in leading the Gaels to wins over Santa Clara and USD last week. The 6-10 forward nailed 17 of 28 shots (61%) in the victories, and was 6-9 behind the arc. Through 19 games, Kickert is netting over 15 points and almost six boards a game for a Gaels’ team that has played extremely well in the early going of the WCC season.

Inside the WCC

Gonzaga (15-2, 5-0)

In its only game of the week, Gonzaga notched its eighth straight victory with an 80-65 win at Portland last Friday. Junior forward Ronny Turiaf had a huge night with 21 points and 14 boards against the Pilots, while teammates Blake Stepp and Cory Violette chipped in 19 and 17 points, respectively, in the win.

Gonzaga connected on 51% of its shots, holding Portland to just 36% shooting for the night.

Leading by just a point at the break, the ‘Zags outscored the Pilots 41-27 in the second half, closing the game on a 19-6 run. The win avenged Gonzaga’s stunning 72-68 loss to Portland last year, and pushed the Bulldogs’ conference record to a gleaming 5-0.

Next up: 1/29 at San Diego; 1/31 at Santa Clara

Loyola Marymount (10-8, 1-4)

After dropping three of its first four games to open the WCC season, LMU took its frustrations out on non-conference opponent, Northern Colorado, winning 74-56 last Tuesday.

Senior forward Sherman Gay made nine of 11 shots en route to a game-high 20 points in leading LMU to the victory. Gay, who also pulled down six rebounds, was one of four Lions to score in double-figures.

LMU netted 23 assists on 30 made field goals, and forced 23 turnovers in just its second home win since Dec. 3 (68-67 vs. Cal-Poly).

Loyola’s victory celebration was short-lived, however, as LMU fell on Saturday 82-67 at Pepperdine. The Lions hung with the Waves most of the game, but poor shooting from three-point range (2-15), along with 18 turnovers ultimately cost the Lions any chance at a second straight win.

Next up: 1/29 vs. San Francisco; 1/31 vs. St. Mary’s

Pepperdine (8-11, 3-2)

The Waves’ 82-67 victory over LMU gave Pepperdine its third WCC win in four games, keeping them in the top half of the conference standings.

Juniors Yakhouba Diawara and Terrance Johnson combined for 47 points in the victory, converting 18 of 30 shots from the floor. Sophomore Alex Acker contributed a dozen points and eight boards for the Waves, as well.

Diawara’s 24-point effort against the Lions was even more remarkable considering that game was just his third this season. The 6-7 JuCo transfer previously scored 18 and 16 points against San Diego (a win) and Santa Clara (a loss), respectively, and is leading the Waves with a 19.3 points per game average.

Next up: 1/29 vs. St. Mary’s; 1/31 vs. San Francisco

Portland (8-10, 2-3)

The Pilots have alternated wins and losses their last five games, and following a Jan. 17 win over USF, Portland promptly dropped one to Gonzaga, 80-65 on Saturday.

Despite the double-digit defeat, Portland hung tight with the ‘Zags all game long. The Pilots actually held the lead twice in the second half, but seemingly ran out of gas down the stretch.

Portland’s Eugene Jeter (18 points) and Donald Wilson (15 points) played inspired ball against Mark Few’s bunch, but no other Pilot topped double-figures in the loss. Surprisingly, the Pilots took 17 more shots than Gonzaga, but made one less field goal for the game.

Portland was within four of the lead with four minutes to go in the second frame, but the ‘Zags used a 19-6 run to clips the Pilots’ wings.

Next up: 1/29 at Santa Clara; 1/31 at San Diego

San Diego (3-16, 0-4)

The Toreros’ trip up north last week solidified one stone-cold fact for San Diego: there’s no way USD will be making a return trip to this year’s NCAA Tournament.

On Thursday, San Diego gave San Francisco its first WCC win, losing 78-68. On Saturday, USD barely showed up in an 86-67 defeat to St. Mary’s. After their Bay Area bomb, the Torero’s are in the throes of an eight-game skid and are the only team in the WCC without a conference win.

It’s not hard to see what ails USD. In its last two losses, San Diego committed 44 turnovers. Junior point guard Michael McGrain accounted for 13 of those miscues, and that’s not the type of production coach Brad Holland would like out of his floor general.

Unfortunately for Holland and company, this week may be even tougher than the last with the ‘Zags and Pilots next up on the slate. On the bright side, the Toreros will be playing those games at home, and all three of USD’s wins this year have come at the Jenny Craig Pavillion.

Next up: 1/29 vs. Gonzaga; 1/31 vs. Portland

San Francisco (12-9, 2-3)

The Dons are the opposite of the Santa Clara Broncos, having won their last two games after starting conference play with three straight losses. Their biggest win to date was against the Big Ten’s Ohio State. They too have the opportunity to make a run in conference, and have shown a resiliency that not too many expected after senior John Cox went down with an injury. They, like many of the West Coast Conference schools, either lose big or win big, and there is no middle ground.

The key to the Dons’ run will be if anyone can step into the shoes of John Cox. The senior guard/forward was injured in the very first game, and has been declared out for the entire season. The left knee injury he suffered forced Cox to seek a second medical redshirt season. The blow left the Dons seeking a new scoring option, and it has boiled down to two forwards, James Bayless and Tyrone Riley.

After the Dons’ three-game losing streak to open conference play, USF collected double-digit wins over San Diego (78-68) and Santa Clara (64-48) to keep itself in the hunt for the WCC crown.

On Thursday, six Dons collected eight or more points and the whole team forced 24 turnovers as San Francisco got by USD at home. Juniors Jovan Harris and Tyrone Riley combined for 33 points in the win, while Andre Hazel dished out a season-high 11 assists for the Dons.

Two days later, San Francisco played lights out defensively against Santa Clara, holding the Broncos to just 37% shooting while forcing 20 turnovers. Oddly, USF won the game despite going just 1-7 from the foul line. Harris led all scorers with a dozen for the Dons.
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With those two victories, USF ran its home record to 8-0. Unfortunately the Dons won’t return to the friendly confines of War Memorial Gym until Feb. 7 when they’ll play St. Mary’s.

Next up: 1/29 at LMU; 1/31 at Pepperdine

Santa Clara (11-9, 3-2)

After starting out the WCC season 3-0, Santa Clara got blasted by the Gaels on Thursday, 84-52. The Broncos made only 19 of 57 shots (33%), setting a season-low in points. Santa Clara trailed by 20 at the midway point, and barely showed up to finish the game. Junior guard Kyle Bailey (12 points) was the only horse in double-figures.

Two days later, the Broncos set another season-low for points, falling to USF 64-48. Santa Clara had five more turnovers than made shots (20-15), and connected on just 37% from the field.

Despite its poor play, the Broncos trailed by just one point with 14:45 to play in the second half. However, the Dons exploded on a 15-0 run, shutting the door on Santa Clara and sending them to their second straight conference loss.

Guard play is important on this team, and the two guards, Doron Perkins and Kyle Bailey, need to share the ball better, which in turn will raise their shooting percentage which has suffered in recent games.

Next up: 1/29 vs. Portland; 1/31 vs. Gonzaga

St. Mary’s (12-7, 3-1)

The Gaels haven’t won a big game yet, unless you want to call the Banana Slug bashing a real game (the slugs probably got higher from the weed they were smoking then the jumping that they were attempting). However, they have put together a strong conference showing outside of their loss to Gonzaga. They have beaten their conference opponents by an average of 23 points. This might be surprising had not they been winning games outside of conference by around the same margin (24 points non-conference average of victory).

St. Mary’s has played tough teams close. The usual gauge for West Coast Conference teams is how they perform against the Pac-10, and St. Mary’s took UCS to the final shot, losing on a missed three pointer. They also played Arizona close to the very end, losing their lead for the first time with only 55 seconds to play. Predicting that this team would do well in conference play might have been a no brainer had it not been for their loses to other unimpressive teams in non-conference play, such as Montana and UC Riverside, and USC is only 8-9 after all is said and done. All in all, St. Mary’s has only played three games that were decided by less then ten points, against USC, Arizona and Montana. This could be a sign of greatness, or a sign of futility and inconsistency. Either way, they could prove one way or another with big wins during a stretch of four games coming up, three on the road. Couple that with a big win at home over Gonzaga, and maybe this team deserves a little more attention from the bubble.

The Gaels continued putting together their solid season with a pair of wins last week over Santa Clara and San Diego.

In Thursday’s victory over the Broncos, sophomore forward Daniel Kickert led four Gaels in double-figures with 19 points. St. Mary’s shot a healthy 53% from the floor (29-55), which included a masterful performance from behind the arc. The Gaels hit 14-22 from three-point range, with Kickert nailing five of six.

On Saturday, St. Mary’s continued to find the hot hand in its 86-67 win over the Toreros. The Gaels made 30 of 58 shots (52%), and hit nine three’s in the win. Junior guard Paul Marigney produced a game-high 25 points for St. Mary’s, while teammate Kickert had another solid outing with 23 points on 11-16 shooting.

The weekend win was the Gaels fourth triumph in five attempts, and six of eight overall. St. Mary’s remains just a game-and-a-half behind Gonzaga for first place in the WCC.

Next up: 1/29 at Pepperdine; 1/31 at Loyola Marymount

Hoopville Staff Writer Joaquin Mesa contributed to this report.

Gonzaga at Portland

No Upset This Time

by Jed Tai

You’d never guess it from their relative places in the WCC standings the past few years, but Gonzaga has had a devil of a time with the Portland Pilots.

Last season in their two meetings, the Zags beat Portland by only three on the road, and in the rematch back in Spokane, the unthinkable happened. Head Coach Michael Holton led his Pilots over Gonzaga in the Kennel, 72-68, in what was likely his biggest win as a head coach.

So entering this year’s first matchup between the Zags and the Pilots, Gonzaga was determined to not take anything for granted.

“That was the second loss in the Kennel in my career,” said Gonzaga senior guard Blake Stepp. “You definitely think about that, and coming into here, we definitely had to change some things.”

So that’s exactly what Gonzaga did against Portland at the Chiles Center in Portland on Friday evening. While the Pilots hung tough for 35 minutes, Gonzaga used swift ball-movement, tough defense, and clutch shooting to down Portland, 80-65.

“We showed great poise and really stuck with the game plan down the stretch of the game,” said Gonzaga head coach Mark Few. “We were about as efficient as we could be in the last eight minutes both offensively and defensively. I thought we weathered some storms in there, but eventually we made some of tough shots miss and were able to capitalize at the other end.”

While the final score indicated a double digit win, the game was actually tight for most of the contest in front of a sold-out, capacity crowd. It started early on when Portland used hot shooting from three-point range to take an early 13-11 lead. But Gonzaga used their size advantage inside with Rony Turiaf and Cory Violette, pounding the ball into the paint. The Zags went on an 11-2 run to take a 22-15 advantage midway through the half.

But the Pilots remained hot from the perimeter and continued to fire away from three-point range. And when senior guard Casey Frandsen hit a three just minutes later, the Pilots went back ahead 26-25. Again, the Zags responded by going down low, and went on another 14-4 run to lead 39-30 with two minutes left. But Portland came back with a mini 8-0 streak, and pulled to within one when Pilots forward Patrick Galos scored on a coast-to-coast fast break bucket at the buzzer.

The teams remained separated by no more than six points early in the second half. Portland leading scorer Pooh Jeter started to get hot, and his deep three at the 10:21 mark gave the Pilots a 54-53 lead. Gonzaga came back with a 12-3 run, but Jeter kept the Pilots to within striking distance of six, 67-61, when he sank another three with five minutes left.

But that would be Portland’s last gasp. Behind Turiaf and Stepp, the Zags milked the clock on offense, forcing Portland to chase the ball, sucking the Pilots out of any energy they had left for the offensive end. Portland missed their last ten shots in a row, while Gonzaga scored the next 11 points of the ballgame, essentially putting the contest out of reach.

While the Zags improved to 15-2 overall, 5-0 in the WCC, they knew they were in for a tough fight, regardless of the final score.

“Everybody that plays us right now wants to bring their ‘A’ game to beat us,” said Turiaf. “Tonight we did a good job of making every shot difficult for them, and I think we wore them down. Since we have so much depth, it’s difficult to deal with us for 40 minutes.”

Turiaf led Gonzaga with 21 points and 14 rebounds, shooting 8-for-10 from the field. Stepp finished with 19 points and nine assists – surpassing John Stockton for number two on Gonzaga’s all-time assists list in the process. Violette added 17 points and eight rebounds.

Portland was paced by Jeter, who scored 18 points. Fellow sophomore Donald Wilson added 15, while senior forward Dustin Geddis grabbed 13 rebounds. The Pilots gave it their all in their attempt to pull off the upset, but fell just short.

“I thought we competed and I was pleased with our energy and effort,” said Holton. “They wore us down as the game progressed in the second half and that was the difference. Our goal coming in was obviously to try and win the basketball game and we did everything we could to give ourselves that opportunity, and for that I’m proud that our guys competed. At the end of the day there was a difference in our basketball teams and down the stretch, it was pretty apparent.”

Portland dropped to 8-10 overall, 2-3 in conference play. But as the Pilots head on the road this upcoming week, the fact they were able to hang tough for most of the game against the league’s top team gives them hope.

“That energy that we had the first 35 minutes, that’s the way we should play every game,” said Jeter. “We do that, we’ll come out on top.”

Portland faces Santa Clara in San Jose its next contest on Thursday. Gonzaga will look to continue their eight-game winning streak at San Diego.

Portland vs Oregon

Ducks looking for Redemption and Revenge

by Jed Tai

Two years ago, the Oregon Ducks came up to the University of Portland in desperate need of a win. Unfortunately, they went away empty-handed and it was such a bad loss that they’ve never forgotten it. So when they came up Interstate-5 on Monday night, the Ducks were definitely not going to let this one get away. And behind some deadeye three-point shooting and a big second-half run, the Ducks put it to the hometown Pilots, 88-70, to right some of the wrongs from the past.

“Losing here two years ago might have been the worst loss that I can remember since I’ve been at Oregon,” said Oregon swingman Luke Jackson. “You just don’t forget a game like that; it was the low point of our season. I wanted this game so bad just for everybody that was on that team. We wanted to prove to (Portland) that game really hurt us. They were very capable of doing that again if we let them do it. But fortunately we had that run in the second half and we executed.”

The outsized Pilots hung tough with the bigger Ducks early in the game. For a good part of the first half Portland shot the ball well, and on a jumper by Patrick Galos with 8:39 in the period, actually led Oregon, 17-14. But the Ducks went on an 11-0 run to regain the lead and momentum, and led 34-28 at the break.

While Portland would seem to hang around for part of the second half, Oregon was able to start grabbing control and put the game into cruise control. In the opening minutes of the period, Oregon – in particular James Davis – started firing away from three-point range and hitting. And when Andre Joseph canned a long jumper at the 16:20 mark, Oregon was up by 12.

Portland could never really recover and watched as the Ducks offense executed almost to perfection. And Jackson started to get things into gear, taking over midway through the half. He shook a Pilot defender with a crossover and drove the baseline for a jam to give the Ducks a 59-46 lead. And after personally hitting a runner and two threes later, Jackson dished to a cutting James Davis at the 9:45 mark for a 69-52 advantage. The Ducks were scoring and having fun, and cruised the rest of the way out for the win.

“Second half I really thought that the offense started playing,” said Oregon center Ian Crosswhite. “We started moving the ball and were really unselfish, and (everyone) started knocking down threes.”

Oregon ended up shooting over 71 percent on three-pointers for the game, and tied a Chiles Center record for most three-point field goals made in a game by an opponent with 15. The Ducks put four players in double figures, led by Jackson’s 19. Portland was led by guard Eugene Jeter’s

While revenge certainly was a motive coming into the game, there were several other factors at play too. A lot of them had to do with the bitter taste the Ducks had in their mouth after a tough loss to Alabama in Las Vegas on Saturday.

“We felt terrible that we let a game get away against Alabama,” said Oregon head coach Ernie Kent. “So coming into this game, we called it a continuation of the Alabama second half. We wanted to come out with the same intensity and same firepower and I felt we got that accomplished.”

Portland knew that the odds would be stacked up against them, but did as good as they could despite being overmatched.

“We just ran into a team that we’d have a hard time beating at this time if we played perfect,” said Holton. “They’re finding their rhythm and their stride, and they’re really playing well.”

“On the other side of the ledger, I told our guys that at 5-5 the sky hasn’t fallen,” he added. “There’s still a lot of basketball to be played. We have three non-conference games left, and hopefully we can go into our conference season with a winning record and see what we can do, because all of these games are in preparation for conference.”

The loss was the fourth in a row for the Pilots, who had gotten off to a quick start earlier this season including upsets on the road at Oregon State and New Mexico. But a nationally-televised drubbing at the hands of Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium started a streak of four straight losses, and it doesn’t get any easier as the Pilots’ next five games are on the road.

“We’re kind of swimming upstream right now,” said Holton. “We were 5-1 and everyone thought we were going to shock the nation. But it’s a long season. I thought our trip to Duke took a lot out of us, but I aggressively scheduled this team because I thought it was in our program’s long-term interest. I didn’t want to schedule D-II teams and schedule wins – I don’t believe in self-preservation. I didn’t do that as a player and I don’t do that as a coach.”

“But now we’re experiencing some growing pains,” he added. “We have to go back to the drawing board a little bit.”

Portland’s next game will be at Boise State on December 28. Oregon, meanwhile, will have some time off. The next time the Ducks suit up will be when they start Pac-10 Conference play January 2 at USC.

West Coast Notebook

West Coast Conference Notebook

by Joaquin Mesa

When most people think of the West Coast Conference they think of upstart Pepperdine or the competitive Gonzaga teams of the past, but what they don’t realize is that there are three one loss teams in the conference so far. That’s more then the Atlantic 10 and the Mountain West Conferences, each with two teams with one loss or less. They have three teams with at least five wins, something that the Pac-10, Conference USA, Big Ten and the Big 12 cannot claim. And they are doing it without the help of Pepperdine which has only two wins in six tries.

Who else is showing up so far? Well, look no further then Loyola Marymount. The small Jesuit school on the hills above Playa Vista in Los Angeles doesn’t get a lot of attention. A few years ago it was ranked by Playboy as having the seventh most beautiful group of undergraduate women in the country, but nobody in Los Angeles realized it because they had no idea where the school was. As far as basketball is concerned, other then Bo Kimble and a certain basketball hero/icon in Hank Gathers, the greatest thing to happen to the University is when Bill Russell and the University of San Francisco Dons came to town and promptly expelled of the Lions. In fact, the only basketball image in the newest building on campus is one of Bill Russell rejecting a ball from an unnamed Lions player.

After going 11-20 last year, and scoring some upsets that helped give hope to those in Westchester that were avid Lion fans (I have my sweatshirt), the team is looking to take advantage of the experience they now have. They have scored quality wins over CSU Northridge, UC Riverside and Cal Poly (that’s right, the team that beat Cal). Instead of losing the close games, they seem to have finally learned how to close them out. Let’s take a look at who else is making headlines in the WCC.

Gonzaga Bulldogs (6-1)

86-62 W at Washington
82-68 W at Maryland
96-91 W at George Washington

Blake Stepp only leads his team in assists, which doesn’t bode well for my pre-season choice for point on the All-American team. Come on Blake, I don’t want to look bad. Instead, the team is led by powerful forward Ronny Turiaf, another pre-season Wooden Award ‘whoops’. His 2 blocks a game and 16 points are enough to make him the early season MVP of the team. Those of you who would disagree based on the fact that he often sits out at the end of games because of foul trouble or because of his lack of consistency at the line might have a point, but I don’t want to hear it. He is simply doing more for the team then anyone else, and as soon as Stepp starts showing his worth I’ll jump right back onto his bandwagon, fair enough? All joking aside, Gonzaga has proven to its doubters after that early season loss to St. Joseph’s (PA) that it can beat big time programs, with dominant wins over Georgia, Washington and Maryland. Its nest two games are deadly, against Missouri and Stanford…good luck.

Loyola Marymount Lions (5-1)

68-67 W Cal Poly
78-61 L UNLV

The Lions had won its two games before UNLV by a point a piece. This was a sign of experience, a team that could pull these types of games out. Well, it also shows that the team wasn’t prepared for a UNLV team that had beaten two Pac-10 teams in USC and Cal. Though weathered, the Lions were not invincible. Led by seniors Keith Kincade and Sherman Gay, the Lions have established one of their best pre-season to date. Their next test comes against UCLA on Saturday, where they will be playing a team that is as good as a two point loss to Kentucky and as bad as a two point win against Vermont. It is the battle of Los Angeles, with no raging against the machine.

Portland Pilots (5-1)

86-70 W Nevada
60-53 W Portland State

The Pilots are led by two sophomore sensations in Eugene Jeter and Donald Wilson. Where are these guys from you ask? Well, Los Angeles of course. Well, technically, Jeter is from Gardena, but that is close enough to the city to consider him ours. This is why Portland is doing so well, because the Southland has inspired them. Every year, Los Angeles recruits make big news in other parts of the country. In the NBA, we have Paul Pierce, Baron Davis, Tyson Chandler, the Collins twins, Jason Kapono, Tayshaun Prince, Elden Campbell, Reggie Miller, Lucious Harris, Richard Jefferson, Brian Scalabrine, Stacey Augmon, Sean Rooks (Fontana baby!!!!), Lamond Murray, Mitchell Butler, Gilbert Arenas, Chris Anderson (the rejection machine), Andre Miller, Jeff Trepagnier, Cherokee Parks, Bryon Russell (San Bernardino baby!!!), Jamal Sampson, Mark Madsen, Casey Jacobsen, and Scott Williams. Perhaps Jeter and Wilson are next. You never know. Their next game is against Duke, so we will all see what they have got.

Santa Clara Broncos (5-2)

90-62 W Holy Names
66-64 W at San Jose State
74-56 W at Montana State

Santa Clara beat Central Michigan, which beat Notre Dame. If this was the BCS, this team might be ranked by all seven of the computers, and be challenging Florida for the top spot in the BCS Sugar Bowl. But, alas, college basketball has a system that works, and the Broncos aren’t ranked. However, they have a chance to prove themselves at Oregon on December 17th. This team is very well-rounded, with only one player getting thirty minutes, and ten players in double digit minutes. They only have one player in double digit scoring, which makes it all the more amazing that they are 5-2 overall. I don’t know how long this balanced attack is going to work. I am of the belief that a team needs at least one player to be a leader, and willing to take the big shot. I don’t know who that is on this team. Kyle Bailey might be that guy, but he is shooting himself in the foot by putting up brick after brick.

St. Mary’s Gaels (4-3)

86-39 W Norte Dame de Namur
84-83 L USC

The Gaels should have won the game against USC, but the Trojan Gods were shining on them. It would have been their second quality win, with an earlier win against UC Santa Barbara. However, 4-3 isn’t bad for a team that lost two starting guards. The two guards that took the starting roles are now two of the top six scorers, and four guards are in that group as a whole. Sophomore Daniel Kickert is leading the team with 16 points a game and 6.4 rebounds per game, and he is my early pick for conference MVP, screw Stepp.

San Francisco Dons (4-4)

84-52 L at St. Joseph’s (PA)
72-71 W at Montana

The Dons are not yet on the same page as Gonzaga, proven by their devastating loss to St. Joseph’s (PA). The good news? Well, they have beaten Big Ten’s Ohio State, and they have proven that they can win close games against Delaware and Montana. Hoopville writer Andria Wenzel has this team finishing third in the conference, and I think that once they work out a few problems, they are definitely that kind of team. The problems that are most glaring are turnovers and steals. They turned the ball over 24 times against St. Joseph’s (PA), while only taking the ball away twice. Only twice? Good lord, how come they didn’t lose by thirty? Oh, wait, they did. Even in their wins against Montana and Delaware, the Dons were minus 6 and minus 5 in turnover margin, while only stealing 6 in each game. Fix this, and this team will be a good team in the WCC.

Pepperdine Waves (2-4)

65-62 L at UC Santa Barbara
87-73 W Long Beach State

The Waves got back on the right path by beating Long Beach State on Saturday after three straight losses brought them to the brink of hopelessness. They didn’t play bad ball in any of these games, and it must have felt as if someone was working against them. Against Santa Barbara, Casey Cook hit a game winning three. This wouldn’t be so hard to come to terms with had Cook been a hot shooting point guard coming around a screen; however, he is a 6-8 forward who probably won’t be taking another three the rest of the season. Against Oklahoma, it was a free-throw that killed them with 2.5 seconds remaining. Against Cal State Fullerton, the Waves rallied to tie the game at 74-74 with 1:13 left. Then, four free-throws did them in. Perhaps the Waves should consult the Dons on how to win games in the final minute.

San Diego Toreros (1-6)

66-63 L San Diego State
82-39 L at Utah

The Toreros have been the biggest disappointment in the conference to date. They were picked to finish second by Hoopville writer Andria Wenzel, and there was no objection from any of us. Instead of living up to it, the Toreros have become the punching bag of the conference, not even putting up a good game against Coppin State or Creighton. They played San Diego State well, but Coach Brad Holland made a costly error by receiving a technical foul with 31 seconds to play, and both free-throws were made. Had he not received the violation, there could have been a chance to take a two pointer instead of a three, which the Toreros eventually missed. Brad Lechtenberg had made five three pointers in a row before missing the final shot, a shot that became the norm in the game against Utah. The Toreros shot a dismal thirty percent from the field against the Utes. They got doubled up, and it doesn’t look to be a good year for the folks down in the shopping district of San Diego. Maybe if they got a new stadium…

West Coast Conference Preview

West Coast Conference Preview

by Andria Wenzel

All-WCC first team
G – Blake Stepp, Sr., Gonzaga
G – Alex Acker, So., Pepperdine
G – Brandon Worthy, Fr., Loyola Marymount
F – Ronny Turiaf, Jr., Gonzaga
F – Cory Violette, Sr., Gonzaga

Player of the Year

G – Blake Stepp, Sr., Gonzaga

Freshman of the Year

Damian Martin, G, Fr., Loyola Marymount (Australia)

1. Gonzaga (24-9 overall, 12-2 WCC, first)

If the Zags steer clear from injuries there is no team in the conference that will come close to their talent level. Ranked 12th in the Hoopville preseason poll, the Bulldogs post a starting lineup that can upset any team from UConn to Arizona. Seniors Blake Stepp, Cory Violette and Richard Fox along with junior Ronny Turiaf have an offensive output that will go uncontested in the conference and lead the team to another NCAA tournament appearance.

Returning Starters
C – Richard Fox, Sr. (6.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
G – Tony Skinner, Sr. (9.2 ppg)
G – Blake Stepp, Sr. (18.0 ppg, 6.0 apg)
C – Cory Violette, Sr. (11.4 ppg, 8.0 rpg)

Supporting Cast
G – Kyle Bankhead, Sr. (7.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
F – Ronny Turiaf, Jr. (15.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg)

WCC coaches haven’t slept comfortably since the end of last year, thinking of the fact that Turiaf, Fox and Violette will be one of the most menacing frontcourts in the nation. If a WCC team chooses to concentrate defensively on the frontcourt, guards Tony Skinner and Stepp are willing to dish or knock down the jumper. The Bulldogs biggest trouble could come from the athletic backcourt of Pepperdine, but the Zags will cruise to WCC championship glory.

2. San Diego (18-12 overall, 10-4 WCC, second)

The team that upset the Bulldogs in the WCC tournament last year looks like the team that could make the fastest fall to the bottom of the conference with four starters departing, including center Jason Keep (18.0 ppg) and forward Jason Blair (17.1 ppg).

The Toreros could be helped with the addition of sharp shooter Brett Melton, who sat out last season after transferring from the University of Illinois. The team’ s only returning starter, Cory Belser, has been mostly known for his defense and has been asked to pick up his offensive game. Mike McGrain who saw time last season off the bench will take the starting point while last season’s bench spark plug Nick Lewis, will have to rework his game to spark from the tip.

Returning Starters
F -Corey Belser, Jr. (4.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg)

Supporting Cast:
F/C – Nick Lewis, So. (8.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
G – Mike McGrain, Jr. (2.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.8 apg)
G – Brad Lechtenberg, Sr. (4.1 ppg)

San Diego will have to rely on three newcomers to the team – Brandon Gay, Brice Vounang and Michael Hubbard. Gay will attempt to make up for the frontcourt losses. The 6-foot-8 forward will attempt to adjust to the Division I game after being named MVP of the Jayhawk West Conference while averaging 14.9 ppg and 8.4 rpg at Seward County CC in Kansas. Voungang spent time at Eastern Oklahoma JC and averaged 18.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg as a forward. He and Gay will take time to fill the void left by Kepp and Blair. Hubbard, a guard, hasn’t played in year after sitting out last season with an MCL injury.

3. San Francisco (15-14 overall, 9-5 WCC, third)

The Dons return four players who saw starting time last season and have two freshman recruits that may have the ability to break into the rotation. San Francisco was on the brink last year, beating the teams they were supposed to, while falling to the Toreros and Bulldogs. With four returning starters that will become more suited to their individual roles on the team, the Dons have the opportunity to score upsets, but will be tested in an overall improved conference.

Returning Starters
G – John Cox, Sr. (15.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
F – James Bayless, Sr. (10.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
F- Alvin Broussard, Sr. (8.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
G – Jason Gaines, Jr. (3.0 ppg, 5.1 apg)

Supporting Cast:
G – Jovan Harris, Sr. (4.4 ppg)

The passing ability of Jason Gaines and John Cox’s scoring ability will combine for another very talented WCC backcourt. But the question mark falls with contribution from two members of the freshman class; Australian forward Tom Burns who averaged 25.0 ppg and 12.0 rpg at Balwyn HS and Alan Wiggins who scored 15.3 ppg at Horizon Christian HS.

4. Pepperdine (15-13 overall, 7-7 WCC, fourth)

Breaking records is usually a good thing, but the Waves ended their four-year streak of appearing in the postseason (two NITs, two NCAA tourneys) in 2002-03 after injuries knocked three starters out of the lineup for the majority of the season.
Pepperdine’s success will rest heavily on the shoulders of forward Glen McGowan – who Pepperdine is counting on to return to the frontcourt after rehabilitating from knee surgery. With the backcourt solid and tall – two 6-foot-5 guards – the emphasis will be how McGowan, junior forward Robert Turner and sophomore center Derick Grubb play together.

Starters Returning (3)
G – Alex Acker (13.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.3 apg)
G – Terrance Johnson (15.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.9 apg)
F – Robert Turner (7.0ppg, 3.1 rpg)

Supporting Cast:
Derick Grubb

Pepperdine was picked to tie for second in the conference with Saint Mary’s, but the Waves have the difference makers. With freshman of the year Alex Acker directing traffic and Terrance Johnson (2003 All-Conference team) at shooting guard, the 6-foot-5 guards may have the best chance in the conference to upset Stepp and Gonzaga. The Waves also welcome four players who redshirted last year, one true freshman and on JC transfer.

5. Saint Mary’s (15-15 overall, 6-8 WCC, fifth)

The Gaels were picked in the coaches’ poll to tie for second place in the conference with Pepperdine, despite losing starting guards Anthony Woodards and Samuel Saint-Jean. Head coach Randy Bennett – in his third year with Saint Mary’s – has been an assistant coach with Pepperdine and San Diego, bringing him great familiarity and respect in the conference.

Saint-Jean was the first player to make the All-WCC team since 1999 and Woodards was named WCC Defender of the Year, so the holes to fill are certainly not insignificant.

Returning Starters
F – Daniel Kickert, So. (12.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
F – Chase Poole, Sr. (8.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
G/F – Tyler Herr, Sr. (7.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, started in 12 games)
F – Frederic Adijwanou, Sr. (9.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, started in six games)
G – Paul Marigney, Jr. (11.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2001- ’02 stats)

Supporting Cast:
G/F – Jonathan Sanders, Jr.

If the Gaels want to live up to their preseason billing, then guard Paul Marigney will have to show no ill effects from returning to the court after sitting out 2002-03 with a torn ACL. In his sophomore season with the Gaels he averaged 11.3 ppg and 4.2 rpg and it will be he who will shoulder the loss of last year’s starting backcourt. The burden could possibly be lifted if the frontcourt of Daniel Kickert and Chase Poole perform to capability and attract defensive pressure until Marigney can acclimate himself to the pace of the game.

6. Portland (11-17 overall, WCC, sixth)

The Pilots’ starting guards will try to improve on their 2002-03 stats, after both were named to the All-WCC honorable mention team. Donald Wilson and Casey Frandsen are the heart of a team that struggles with an inconsistent frontcourt, especially in the rebounding department.

Returning Starters
G – Casey Frandsen, Sr. (12.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg)
G – Adam Quick, Sr. (9.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
G – Karl Aaker, Jr. (5.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
G – Donald Wilson (11.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg)

Supporting Cast:
C – Andreas Gahlmann, Jr.
G – Eugene Jeter, So.
F – Patrick Galos, Jr.
F – Dustin Geddis, Sr.

The Pilots backcourt will once again have to carry them unless the frontcourt finds some sort of consistency and is able to grab the ball off the backboard. Look for Wilson to have an outstanding year and be named to the All-WCC team.

7. Loyola Marymount (11-20 overall, WCC, seventh)

The Lions were a young team that scored upsets over Gonzaga, Montana and South Carolina State last season. But more importantly the team lost 10 games by less than eight points and all that could change this year with an experienced lineup ready to step on the floor.

Returning Starters
G- Charles Brown, Jr. (11.1 ppg, 4.4 apg)
G/F – Keith Kincaide, Sr. (9.2 ppg)
F- Sherman Gay, Sr. (9.0 ppg, 60 blocks)
C – Chris Ayer, So.
G – Wes Wardrop, So. (4.7 ppg)

Supporting Cast:
G – Brandon Worthy, So. (11.0 ppg)

Sophomore guard, Brandon Worthy, the team’s offensive Player of the Year, will step into the starting five while junior Charles Brown, who was third in the WCC with assists, should expand upon his floor leading ability. Sherman Gay and Chris Ayer will try and control the frontcourt while swingman Keith Kincaide will be looked upon to lead the team with his five years of experience. The Lions may not be ripe enough too win the WCC tourney, but scoring more upsets this season and finishing in the top half of the conference may not be a surprise.

8. Santa Clara (13-15 overall, WCC, eighth)

Like Pepperdine, Santa Clara will be exuberant if the injury bug doesn’t make any unplanned visits. Two-time All-WCC player Kyle Bailey, after having surgery and rehabbing an injured leg, will return this season with his impresiive scoring ability. With forward Jim Howell returning for his senior season after making All-WCC honorable mention last year, this will be the first time an experienced Howell and Bailey will be able to share the floor. Add 3-point shooter Brandon Rohe – who broke two of Steve Nash’s records – and the Broncos will have a more educated and tested lineup on the court this season.

Starters Returning
C – Jim Howell, Sr., (9.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg)
G – Brandon Rohe, So., (10.6 ppg)
G – Ethan Rohde, Jr., (9.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg)

Supporting Cast
G – Alex Kargbo, Sr.
G – Doron Perkins, Jr.
F – Jordan Legge, Jr.
F- Scott Borchart, So.

The biggest pitfall of this team could be that the team’s two potential top scorers have never shared the hardwood before. It may take Rohe and Bailey time to adapt to one another. Rohe who made 51 three-pointers and attempted 145 will be competing for shooting time with Bailey, who led the Broncos in scoring before last season’s injury. Throw Southwestern Oregon CC transfer Doron Perkins into the mix, an athletic player who averaged 25.0 ppg and 6.5 apg, and Santa Clara will have the bodies to score, but it may not all come together until midseason.

West Coast Offseason Update

West Coast Conference Offseason News Update

by Andria Wenzel

The WCC preseason poll has Gonzaga University as the leading vote getter to win the conference, followed by Saint Mary’s, Pepperdine, San Francisco, San Diego, Santa Clara, Portland and Loyola Marymount.

The coaches also voted on the conference’s top returning players – half of them coming from Gonzaga, including Blake Stepp, Cory Violette and Ronny Turiaff. The other three returnees voted to the team were San Francisco’s John Cox, Saint Mary’s Daniel Hickert and Santa Clara’s Kyle Bailey.

Gonzaga

The Bulldogs’ Ronny Turiaff – who has recently been receiving treatment for a stress fracture – was called for duty in September, competing for the French national team in the Eurobasket championships.

The junior forward who averaged 15.6 points per game in a Bulldog uniform last season spent most of his time on the bench, before France ended their run – losing 69-67 to Italy in the third place game. Turiaff played 14 minutes and scored four points in the tournament.

Turiaff wasn’t the only member of Gonzaga’s program pulling national team duty. The Bulldogs’ Blake Stepp was one of 12 college players competing for the United States at the Pan-American Games. The U.S. lost to Puerto Rico, 76-70, in the third place game. In five games Stepp averaged 14.6 minutes per game and 3.2 points per game.

Stepp was also named to the John R. Wooden Award Pre-season Top 50, along with senior forward Cory Violette. Violette was named to the WCC first-team for the last two seasons. Stepp was named the WCC Player of the Year and named an Associated Press All-America honorable mention after he averaged 18.0 ppg and 6.0 apg.

Loyola Marymount

In his fourth season as head coach of the Lions, Steve Aggers has gone down under in search of a guard and forward tandem to shake up the WCC. Competing in the U-19 World Championships, Australia defeated Lithuania 126-92 an point guard Damian Martin, who will soon be heading up the Lions’ offense, had six points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Heading over with Martin will be Mathew Knight, who helped lead the Australians to a 7-1 record. Knight was third on the team in scoring, averaging 11.25 ppg and 6.2 rpg.

Pepperdine

Patrick Whitlock, who served the past two seasons as Director of Basketball Operations, was promoted to assistant coach. Whitlock replaces Gib Arnold, who took the head coaching job at the College of Southern Idaho.

Pepperdine also replaced their Neptune logo with some sort of swirling whirlpool logo, and changed the teal colors to more of a royal blue. Word on the street is that their new graphics on their court in Firestone Fieldhouse are quite attractive, however.

Portland

With a fresh batch of recruits, the Pilots headed to the Bahamas for some pre-season tune-ups.

Josh Jamieson was hired as an assistant coach after three seasons as a graduate assistant at the University of Oregon.

The Pilots have signed Dreshawn Vance, a 6-foot-8 forward from Walnut, Calif. and Seam Smith, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard from Vancouver, Wash. The Pilots also followed the path of Loyola Marymount, signing Chris Jackson, a 6-foot-9, 240 pound forward from the U-20 Australian national team. The Piolts also brought in 6-foot-5 forward, Devan Paul from Richmond, Calif.

Saint Mary’s

Head coach Randy Bennett has agreed to a five year contract extension through the 2007-08 season. Bennett has led the Gaels to a 24-35 record in two seasons, but the extension comes on the heels of a 15-15 season and Bennett’ two West Coast Conference semifinals appearances. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Also, the Gaels will receive a bit more exposure this season. First, the Gaels will participate in the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska in November. Saint Mary’s is scheduled to face Binghamton in the first match, and are guaranteed two additional games, and will face either Rice or Idaho State in the second round. Additionally, the Gaels will be featured on national television four times this season, twice on Fox Sports Net, and twice on ESPN 2.

San Diego

Brian Fish, who was head coach Brad Holland’s top assistant last year, has been promoted to Associate Head Coach. The Torreros have some top junior college transfers coming in after San Diego won its first-ever conference championship and made the NCAA tourney for the first time in 16 years.

The Torreros have Cameroon native Brice Vounang coming in to replace departed Jason Keep in the post. Vounang is 6-foot-8, 240 pounds and averaged 18 points per game and nine rebounds at East Oklahoma Junior College.

Brandon Gay, who was named MVP of the Jayhawk conference, is transferring from Seward community college in Kansas.

San Francisco

The Dons return four starters to last season’s 15-14 team. They have brought in California’s junior college Player of the Year, Tyrone Riky. The 6-foot-7 forward played for state champion LA community college averaging 13.7 ppg and 9.5 rpg.

San Francisco will also have an Australian native on the roster, 6-foot-7 Tom Burns.

Santa Clara

Lloyd Pierce, a 1998 SCU graduate and former player has been named assistant coach after volunteering last season as director of basketball operations. Pierce played professionally in Mexico, Australia and Germany before returning to California last year.

The Broncos lose four-year assistant coach Antonio Veloso, who was hired to be the new Athletic Director and head men’s basketball coach at the University of Great Falls, Montana.

Santa Clara has signed 6-foot-2 guard Doron Perkins from Southwestern Oregon community college. Perkins averaged 25.0 ppg and 6.5 assists per game and was named Northwest Athletic Association of Community colleges Player of the Year twice.

West Coast 2002-03 Season Recap

West Coast Conference 2002-03 Season Recap

by Jimmy Spencer

The 2002-03 West Coast Conference season was highlighted yet again by another amazing run by the Gonzaga Bulldogs (24-9 overall, 12-2 in WCC). The Bulldogs, led by 2002-03 WCC Player of The Year, junior guard Blake Stepp, took No. 1-seeded Arizona to the wire in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but ultimately lost 96-95 in double-overtime.

The other exciting run came from San Diego (18-12 overall, 10-4 in the WCC), who finished second in the conference and upset Gonzaga in the conference tournament finals to win their first ever WCC tournament title. The Toreros, led by senior forward Jason Blair, made their third-ever tournament appearance and their first appearance since 1987. They earned a No. 13 seed, but dropped to Stanford in the first round.

In conference tournament play, San Francisco (15-14 overall, 9-5 in WCC) defeated Loyola Marymount, but fell to San Diego in the semi-finals. It was the fourth-consecutive year that USF has lost to the host team in the West Coast Tournament and the third-straight in San Diego. WCC first-team honorees guard John Cox and senior forward Darrell Tucker led USF.

Saint Mary’s (15-15 overall, 6-8 in WCC) beat Pepperdine in the conference tournament before bowing out to Gonzaga in the semi-finals. The Gaels finished fifth in the conference and were led by their defense, which was best in the WCC allowing just 64.1 points per game. Freshman forward Daniel Kickert was the team’s leading scorer at 11.6 points per game.

Pepperdine (15-13 overall, 7-7 in WCC) finished fourth in the conference, led by WCC first-team member, sophomore guard Terrance Johnson. Santa Clara (13-15 overall), Portland (11-17 overall) and Loyola Marymount (11-20 overall) all finished with a conference record of 4-10, respectively. Loyola Marymount got the edge in tiebreakers to advance to the conference tournament, but ultimately lost in the first round to USF.

First-team West Coast Conference
John Cox: junior guard, USF
Blake Stepp: junior guard, GON
Jason Blair: senior forward, USD
Jimmy Miggins: senior forward, PEP
Jason Keep: senior center, USD

Honorable Mention:
Terrance Johnson, sophomore guard, PEP
Samuel St. Jean, senior guard, SMC
Ronny Turiaf, sophomore center, GON
Cory Violette, junior forward/center, GON
Darrell Tucker, senior forward, USF

Conference Player of the Year:

Blake Stepp: junior guard, Gonzaga

Stepp is the third-straight Gonzaga player to win the WCC player of the year award. The Eugene, Oregon native averaged 18 points and six assists in 2002-03. He is a rhythm shooter with great range and excellent court awareness.

Stepp was the WCC’s top scorer in conference play at 20.6 points while also leading the league in assists at 5.79 per contest. Stepp, the third-straight Gonzaga player to win the award (Dan Dickau, 2002 and Casey Calvary, 2001), was one of 52 players invited to the 2003 USA Basketball Men’s National Team Trials.

Freshman of the Year:

Alex Acker: guard, Pepperdine

In conference play, Acker was the top-ranked freshman in scoring (13.9 points), assists (3.57) and rebounding (5.2 boards). Coming from Eisenhower High in Rialto, Calif., Acker red shirted in 2001-02, but became a starter for the injury-plagued Waves this past season. He was the first Gael to win a WCC individual award since Eric Schraeder was honored Player of the year in 1999.

Defensive Player of the Year:

Anthony Woodards: senior guard, Saint Mary’s

The Gaels will miss their 6-foot-1 senior guard, who played as their defensive stopper for the last two seasons and helped the Gaels to finish as the conference’s best defensive team. He was frequently utilized to offset the opponents top perimeter scorers, including the WCC’s player of the year, Blake Stepp, and First Team-All WCC members John Cox of USF and Jimmy Miggins of Pepperdine.

Coach of the Year:

Mark Few, Gonzaga (third-straight year)

Few guided the Zags to their third-straight conference title and is proving to quite possibly be one of the top coaches in college basketball. He became only the fourth coach to win the conference award in three-consecutive seasons.

Gonzaga Bulldogs (24-9, 12-2)

Starters Leaving/Staying: 1/4

Key Players Leaving:
Winston Brooks, guard: graduated

Key Players Staying:
Blake Stepp: senior guard
Ronny Turiaf: junior forward
Tony Skinner: senior guard
Cory Violette: senior center
Kyle Bankhead: Redshirt senior G/F

Coach’s Corner: Head Coach Mark Few won his third consecutive WCC Coach of the Year honors in the 2002-03 season.

Scoring Leader: Blake Stepp, 18.0
Rebounding Leader: Cory Violette, 8.0
Assist Leader: Blake Stepp, 6.0

Notes: With the return of most of their starters, the Zags should be knocking on the upset door again in 2003-04.

San Francisco Dons (18-13, 9-5)

Starters Leaving/Staying: 2/3

Key Players Leaving:
Darrell Tucker, forward: graduated
Shamell Stallworth, guard: graduated

Key Players Staying:
John Cox: senior guard
Jason Gaines: junior guard
James Bayless: junior forward

Coach’s Corner: Head Coach Phil Matthews, who just completed his eighth season at USF, signed a multi-year extension to stay at the helm.

Scoring Leader: Darrell Tucker, 18.5
Rebounding Leader: Darrell Tucker, 8.1
Assists Leader: Jason Gaines, 5.1

Notes: USF announced the signing of California State Junior College Player of the Year Tyrone Riley (6-7, 220) to an NCAA Letter of Intent.

San Diego Toreros (18-12 overall, 10-4 in WCC)

Starters Leaving/Staying: 4/1

Key Players Leaving:
Roy Morris, guard: graduated
Jason Blair, forward: graduated
Matt Delzell, g/f: graduated
Jason Keep, center: graduated

Key Players Returning:
Corey Belser, junior g/f
Nick Lewis, sophomore F/C

Scoring Leader: Jason Keep, 18.0
Rebounding Leader: Jason Keep, 9.1
Assists Leader: Matt Delzell, 3.5

Saint Mary’s Gaels (15-15, 6-8)

Starters Leaving/Staying: 1/4

Key Players Leaving:
Samuel Saint-Jean, guard: graduated

Key Players Staying:
Daniel Kickert, sophomore forward
Chase Poole, senior forward
Tyler Herr, senior guard
Adam Caporn, junior guard

Scoring Leader: Daniel Kickert, 12.7
Rebounding Leader: Chase Poole, 8.2
Assists Leader: Samuel Saint-Jean, 3.7

Pepperdine Waves (15-13 overall, 7-7 in WCC)

Starters Leaving/Staying: 3/2

Key Players Leaving:
Boomer Brazzle, forward: graduated
Jimmy Miggins, forward: graduated
Mike Westphal, guard: graduated

Key Players Staying:
Alex Acker, sophomore G/F
Terrance Johnson, junior guard
Robert Turner, junior forward

Scorer Leader: Jimmy Miggins, 15.4
Rebounding Leader: Boomer Brazzle 6.3
Assists Leader: Jimmy Miggins, 3.7

Portland Pilots (11-17 overall, 4-10 in WCC)

Starters Leaving/Staying: 0/5

Key Players Leaving:
Eric Knight, guard: graduated

Key Players Staying:
Karl Aaker, junior guard
Casey Frandsen, senior guard
Dustin Geddis, senior forward
Patrick Galos, junior forward
Eugene Jeter, sophomore guard
Adam Quick, senior guard
Donald Wilson, sophomore guard

Scorer Leader: Casey Frandsen, 12.7
Rebounding Leader: Dustin Geddis, 5.9
Assists Leader: Adam Quick, 4.2

Loyola Marymount Lions (11-20, 4-10)

Starters Leaving/Returning: 0/5

Key Players Leaving:
Patrick Madigan, guard: graduated
Miroslav Neskovic, forward: graduated

Key Players Returning:
Charles Brown, junior guard
Kent Dennis, senior guard
Sherman Gay, senior forward
Keith Kincade, senior forward
Andy Osborn, junior forward
Wes Wardrop, sophomore guard
Brandon Worthy, sophomore guard

Scoring Leader: Charles Brown, 11.1
Rebounding Leader: Sherman Gay, 4.5
Assists Leader: Charles Brown, 4.4

Santa Clara Broncos (13-15, 4-10)

Starting Leaving/Returning: 1/4

Key Players Leaving:
Cord Anderson, forward: graduated

Key Players Returning
Bakari Altheimer, junior guard
Kyle Bailey, senior guard
Jim Howell, senior center
Jordan Legge, junior forward
J.R. Patrick, senior guard
Brandon Rohe, sophomore guard

Scoring Leader: Brandon Rhoe, 10.6
Rebounding Leader: Jim Howell, 6.2
Assists Leader: Bakari Altheimer and Brandon Rhoe, 2.4