The top four programs for the coming West Coast Conference season seem set. The Gonzaga Bulldogs, Saint Mary’s Gaels, San Francisco Dons, and Santa Clara Broncos will all look to contend for the conference crown. Still, seven other programs will make up the rest of the conference schedule, including newcomers from the Pac-12. WCC best of the rest is full of quality teams. While they may not have the same expectations as their previously mentioned counterparts, the remaining teams out west should make for a competitive season. Here is a preview of the West Coast Conference.
West Coast Conference Basketball Preview: Best of the Rest
Washington State Cougars
One of the newest additions to the conference, the Cougars of Washington State, should instantly compete with their new rivals with newly named head coach David Riley at the helm.
Riley brings with him a completely revamped roster, including multiple players from his previous program. Cedric Coward was a force in the Big Sky last year. He more than earned his Big Sky All-Conference selection to the tune of 15.4 points and 6.7 rebounds a game. Big Sky reining Freshman of the Year, LeJuan Watts, is also following his old coach to Pullman.
They will waste no time taking on a solid non-conference schedule, as well as key matchups with Boise State, Nevada, Washington, and Iowa.
Loyola Marymount Lions
The Lions of Loyola Marymount received an inter-conference boost with ex-Pepperdine coach Lorenzo Romar joining the staff. Despite being unable to win at a high level, Romar seemingly put together a talented roster last year. His recruiting chops are already on full display.
Jevon Porter looks the part of an NBA prospect standing six-foot-11 with a well-balanced “inside-out” game. Despite missing 12 games last season, he still put together a strong year with averages of 16.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and one block per game. Alongside Porter, Mountain West standout MJ Amey Jr. will be headed to LMU from San Jose State. With the Spartans, Amey Jr. was a bright spot for a struggling San Jose team. He should be poised for a big-time role after leading his old team in points, rebounds and steals.
Oregon State Beavers
Since their surprise run to the Elite Eight in 2021, the Oregon State Beavers have struggled with only 27 wins over the last three seasons. Head coach Wayne Tinkle lost his three top scorers from last season, with Jordan Pope, Tyler Bilodeau and Dexter Akanno moving on.
The Beavers have some interesting replacements in Parsa Fallah and Damarco Minor moving to Corvallis. Fallah most recently suited up for Southern Utah, where he led the Thunderbirds thanks to an efficient 13.2 points a night. Minor was a jack of all trades for the SIU Edwardsville Cougars, with an impressive 8.5 rebounds per game despite the guard only standing six feet tall.
Oregon State will undoubtedly struggle, but a handful of new reinforcements will give the Beavers a baseline to stay afloat in their new conference.
Pepperdine Waves
Last year’s Pepperdine team underperformed with a talented roster that just couldn’t put it together. This year’s team, with new head coach Ed Schilling, may not be as talented but should look forward to the program reset.
Schilling has had to replace almost all of last season’s squad. His top holdover will likely be Boubacar Coulibaly, who brings top-tier size to the center position. Coulibaly has been unable to remain healthy, but when on the court, he has been effective. In just 22 minutes per game last season, he put up a respectable 8.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per contest.
While Pepperdine does not play a compelling non-conference schedule, they will be tested once WCC play commences. Thankfully, their top transfer, Moe Odum, did compete in the conference last year as a member of the Pacific Tigers. While Pacific was one of the weakest teams in the nation, Odum did average 4.6 assists last season, good for second in the conference.
Pacific Tigers
There is no way around it. Last year’s rendition of the Pacific Tigers was not a pretty sight on the court. It was a brutal 6-26 season that finally gave way to Dave Smart being named the program’s new head coach.
This will not be a quick fix for Smart, but he has already brought in a trio of 2023-24 underclassmen to bolster his ranks. Elijah Fisher chipped in just over 10 points per game for a middling DePaul team last year and has made his way out west. Lamar Washington will be joining the Tigers after two seasons at Texas Tech, where he failed to crack the rotation in a meaningful way. Lastly, Jazz Gardner will be an intriguing prospect. The seven-footer didn’t see much action with the Nevada Wolfpack, but he should hopefully be a factor in the WCC at his size.
Portland Pilots
The key theme for the programs that will likely reign in the WCC is twofold. First, said programs likely returned at least two key contributors. Secondly, they bolstered said returners with strong incoming pieces via the transfer portal or freshman recruits. Unfortunately for the Pilots, they will enter this season with difficult voids to fill.
First, star freshman Tyler Harris has left, leaving a 12.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game hole. As a WCC All-Freshman team member last season, he was poised for a breakout year. On top of that, program mainstay Tyler Robertson has graduated. Over the last three years, Robertson averaged 15.9 points for the Pilots while shooting north of 35% from three. Plus, he was a crafty playmaker who posted three or more assists 20 times last year.
Replacing these players are Max Mackinnon and Jermaine Ballisager-Webb. Freshman Vincent Delano should also place himself in the mix as well. Last season, Mackinnon and Ballisager-Webb combined for 19.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. The WCC should represent a step up in competition for the duo. With big shoes to fill it is shaping up to be a difficult season for the Pilots.
San Diego Toreros
In today’s college basketball landscape, the transfer portal is king. Yet, after an 18-win season, the Toreros of San Diego have brought in zero impact players. Coupled with the team’s top four scorers all leaving, the remaining team is filled with question marks.
Senior center Steven Jamerson II is the top returning option in terms of last year’s production. During the 2023-24 season, Jamerson II averaged 8.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and a block per game. He will almost assuredly need to average a double-double as he anchors the paint.
The duo of Dragos Lungu and Keyon Kensie will also be tasked with taking major strides this season. With both players entering their second year, they must meet expectations. They were inefficient as scorers but they both stand roughly six-foot-seven and averaged a combined 28.7 minutes played per game.
The Toreros put together a good season last year. Unfortunately, so much of that production has left the roster. There just isn’t enough proven talent available to coach Steve Lavin to contend in a deep West Coast Conference.
The Last Word
The West Coast Conference is shaping up to be very competitive this year. While there are still expectations that the long-running conference powerhouses will remain at the top, challengers have thrown down the gauntlet. Everything will come to a head when conference play begins on December 28th.
