Men's Basketball

WCC 2010-11 Final Men's Basketball Release

May 27, 2011

Santa Clara head coach Kerry Keating shares his thoughts on the Broncos' CIT Championship | Complete Release in PDF Format Get Acrobat Reader


AROUND THE WCC

WCC Quick Hits...

  • Santa Clara won the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The Broncos won five games to capture the title, including the last three on the road.
  • Only eight Division I programs have compiled 25+ wins in each of the last four seasons. Three of those programs (BYU, Gonzaga, Saint Mary's) now reside in the WCC.
  • Saint Mary's guard Mickey McConnell, the West Coast Conference Player of the Year, was an A.P. Honorable Mention All-American.
  • For the first time in West Coast Conference history, five of the eight WCC member institutions participated in postseason play.
  • The WCC has produced multiple 20-win teams in each of the last five years.
  • Gonzaga appeared in its 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Third Round.


WCC All-Academic Team
Gus Clardy, Pepperdine, Sr., History *
Taylor Darby, Pepperdine, Jr., Integrated Marketing Comm. *
Matthew Dellavedova, Saint Mary's, So., Psychology
Matt Dorr, San Diego, Sr., Business *
Devin Ginty, San Diego, Sr., History *
Kramer Knutson, Portland, Sr., Philosophy *
Corbin Moore, Pepperdine, Jr., Economics *
Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga, So., Undeclared
Michael Santos, Santa Clara, Sr., Management *
Marc Trasolini, Santa Clara, Jr., Finance *

Honorable Mention: Mike Hart, Gonzaga *
*denotes 2010 Winter All-Academic selection

NCAA APR Success
2010 West Coast Conference men's basketball average: 963
2010 NCAA men's basketball average: 959

Record Five WCC Teams See Postseason Action
For the first time in conference history, five West Coast Conference men's basketball teams advanced to the postseason following the 2011 WCC campaign. Gonzaga, the 2011 Zappos.com West Coast Conference Tournament Champion, made its 13th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. 2011 WCC Regular Season Co-Champion Saint Mary's took part in the NIT for the second time in the last three seasons. Santa Clara, San Francisco, and Portland each earned an invitation to the Collegeinsider.com Postseason Tournament. The Broncos became the first West Coast Conference team to win the CIT. The Dons advanced to the CIT quarterfinals, while the Pilots made their third consecutive CIT appearance.

McConnell Named WCC Player of the Year
The West Coast Conference has announced its All-WCC teams and individual award winners for the 2011 season as voted on by the league's eight head coaches. Saint Mary's and Gonzaga shared the West Coast Conference regular season crown, and the two teams combined to earn three of four major conference awards. Saint Mary's senior guard Mickey McConnell was named the WCC Player of the Year, Gonzaga junior transfer Marquise Carter was named the WCC Newcomer of the Year, and Santa Clara senior Troy Payne was recognized as the West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, Gaels' coach Randy Bennett earns WCC Coach of the Year honors for the second time. Download the full release (above) for a complete list of award winners.

2011 Zappos.com West Coast Conference Championships All-Tournament Team
At the conclusion of the Zappos.com WCC Basketball Championships, the conference announced the all-tournament team, as voted on by members of the media in attendance:

Marquise Carter, GON: 14.5 ppg, 2.0 steals/game, 13-of-15 FT
Matthew Dellavedova, SMC: 17.0 ppg, 4.5 apg., 80 min.
Steven Gray, GON: 11.0 ppg., 6.0 rpg.
Mickey McConnell, SMC: 17.0 ppg., 4.0 apg.
Michael Williams, USF: 17.5 ppg., 4.5 rpg.
MVP: Marquise Carter, GON

A New Look
The West Coast Conference has teamed with CBSSports.com College Network, its web site host and multimedia partner, to re-launch WCCsports.com. Among the new features on the site are front-and-center video content, larger images and graphics, campus updates, fan polls, and integration with other West Coast Conference social media platforms - such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Visitors to WCCsports.com can also find additional features such as a WCC insider blog, and interactive results.

Rackin' Up the Frequent Flyer Miles
WCC teams haven't been afraid to hop on a plane to face the nation's best. West Coast Conference teams played games in 19 states this season: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Washington.

West Coast Conference Announces 2012 Zappos.com Tournament Bracket
The 2012 Zappos.com West Coast Conference Basketball Championships will begin on Wednesday, February 29 and run through the championship games on Monday, March 5. The tournament will begin with an opening round game between the eighth and ninth seed on both the men's and women's sides. Each winner will then play on Thursday, March 1, against the tournament's fifth seed. Also on Thursday, the sixth and seventh seeds will square off. Friday's action will see seeds No. 3 and No. 4 play for the first time, while the top two seeds in each bracket will advance all the way to the semifinals on Saturday, March 3. There will be no games played on Sunday, March 4, with both the men's and women's championship games on Monday.

What'd He Say?
For the latest scores and news, follow the West Coast Conference on Twitter @WCCSports.

Did you know that WCC Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich is on Twitter, too? See what The Commish has on his mind. Follow him @WCC_Commish.

Zappos.com Continues as Title Sponsor of the WCC Championships
The West Coast Conference (WCC) and its multi-media rights partner, IMG College, announced Zappos.com as the official title sponsor of the WCC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships. The deal represents the WCC's first-ever title sponsorship. In addition, the WCC and Zappos.com have partnered with Soles4Souls to challenge each West Coast Conference campus to collect the most shoes from December to the end of the conference basketball season. The gently used shoes will be distributed internationally through Soles4Souls to individuals in need. Last year's shoe drive resulted in over 5,200 shoes being donated to Soles4Souls by West Coast Conference institutions.

West Coast Conference to Welcome BYU in 2011-12
The West Coast Conference announced that Brigham Young University has formally accepted an invitation to join the WCC with competition to begin in the 2011-12 academic year. BYU has been consistently recognized as one of the top-rated academic institutions in the nation and is home to an athletic program that has enjoyed success at both the conference and national levels. BYU, which will become an independent in FBS football, will compete in the West Coast Conference in baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, women's soccer, men's and women's tennis and women's volleyball. This is the first time the West Coast Conference has formally invited an institution as a full member since Gonzaga University and the University of San Diego began competing in the WCC in 1979.


WCC TEAM NOTES

SCHOOLTEAM NOTES

Overall Record: 25-10
WCC Record: 11-3
  • Gonzaga rolled to an 86-71 victory over 6-seed St. John's in an NCAA Second Round game, before falling 89-67 to future WCC member BYU in the NCAA Third Round in Denver.
  • Redshirt junior guard Marquise Carter was named Zappos.com WCC Tournament MVP and the WCC Newcomer of the Year. Carter started GU's final eight regular season games, shooting 63% in his final four WCC contests.
  • Senior guard Steven Gray and junior center Robert Sacre were named to the WCC All-Conference team, while sophomore Elias Harris was an honorable mention selection. Sam Dower was an All-Freshman team honoree.
  • The Bulldogs, winners of ten of their final 11 contests, graduate just one senior from this season's squad that was an NCAA Third Round participant.

Overall Record: 11-21
WCC Record: 2-12
  • Loyola Marymount topped No. 5 Portland, 72-68, in the opening round of the 2011 Zappos.com West Coast Conference Basketball Championships. The following day, the eighth-seeded Lions fell 76-68 to No. 4 Santa Clara.
  • Senior guard Vernon Teel and junior forward Drew Viney were All-Conference honorable mention selections in 2011.
  • Guard Anthony Ireland was recognized as an All-Freshman Team selection. Ireland ranks in the top ten in the West Coast Conference in both assists (3.1 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7).
  • Loyola Marymount concludes its season with an 11-21 overall record. The Lions lose just two players from their 2010-11 roster.

Overall Record: 12-21
WCC Record: 5-9
  • Pepperdine outlasted No. 7 San Diego, 84-81, in the opening round of the 2011 Zappos.com WCC Basketball Championships. The sixth-seeded Waves then fell 76-59 to No. 3 San Francisco in the quarterfinals.
  • Senior forward Mychel Thompson and junior guard Lorne Jackson were each recognized as honorable mention selections by the WCC head coaches this season.
  • Thompson ranked fifth in the conference in scoring during WCC play, averaging 15.5 points per contest. Jackson was third, at 16.6 points per night.
  • Pepperdine concludes its season with a record of 12-21. Following the tournament, head coach Tom Asbury announced his retirement, and Associate Head Coach Marty Wilson was promoted to lead the Waves beginning in 2011-12.

Overall Record: 20-12
WCC Record: 7-7
  • Portland came up on the short end of a 76-64 score to Hawai'i in the opening round of the Collegeinsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT).
  • Junior guard Nemanja Mitrovic and senior forward Luke Sikma were named to the All-Conference team. Senior guard Jared Stohl was an honorable mention selection.
  • The Pilots are one of the nation's top three-point shooting teams, connecting on nearly 42% of their attempts from long range, good for third nationally. Both Mitrovic and Stohl are in the top 20 in three-point field goal percentage.
  • The Pilots conclude their season with a 20-12 mark. UP has appeared in the postseason in each of the last three campaigns.

Overall Record: 25-9
WCC Record: 11-3
  •  Saint Mary's dropped a heartbreaking 71-70 game to Kent State in the opening round of the NIT at McKeon Pavilion.
  • Senior guard Mickey McConnell was named the WCC Player of the Year, ranking among the national leaders in assists and WCC leaders in scoring. Head coach Randy Bennett earns Coach of the Year honors for the second time.
  • McConnell, sophomore guard Matthew Dellavedova, junior forward Rob Jones were named to the All-Conference Team. Guard Stephen Holt garnered All-Freshman Team recognition.
  • Saint Mary's caps its season with a 25-9 record. The Gaels captured a share of their first WCC regular season title since 1997.

Overall Record: 6-24
WCC Record: 2-12
  • San Diego came up just short against No. 6 Pepperdine, falling 84-81 to the Waves in the opening round of the 2011 Zappos.com West Coast Conference Basketball Championships in Las Vegas.
  • Junior guard Darian Norris was San Diego's leading scorer this season, averaging 10.4 points per night.
  • Sophomore forward Chris Manresa was the team's leader in both rebounds (5.4) and blocked shots (22).
  • San Diego closes its season with a 6-24 record. One of the youngest teams in the West Coast Conference, the Toreros lose just two players to graduation: captain Devin Ginty and guard Matt Dorr.

Overall Record: 19-15
WCC Record: 10-4
  • San Francisco's season came to an end in the CIT quarterfinals, when the Dons bowed to rival Santa Clara, 95-91. Rashad Green led the Dons, averaging 19 points, 8.7 boards, and 4.3 assists in the CIT.
  • Junior guard Rashad Green and sophomore guard Michael Williams earned All-Conference Team recognition. Sophomore forward Perris Blackwell was named honorable mention.
  • Guard Cody Doolin was named to the West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team. Doolin was in the WCC top ten in three-point field goal percentage (.378) during conference play.
  • San Francisco ended its season following a pair of postseason victories, and the most overall wins for the program in over a decade. USF's ten conference wins were the most for the program since 1982.

Overall Record: 24-14
WCC Record: 8-6
  • Santa Clara became the first West Coast Conference team to win the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), with a 76-69 victory at Iona. The Broncos went 5-0 in the tournament, including three straight road wins.
  • Redshirt sophomore guard Kevin Foster garnered All-Conference recognition, led Division I in three-point field goals per game (3.7), and was named the CIT Most Valuable Player.
  • Freshman guard Evan Roquemore was named to the All-Freshman Team by the league's head coaches. Roquemore averaged 5.1 helpers per WCC game, good for second in the conference.
  • Senior Troy Payne was named the West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was a CIT All-Tournament selection.