2016-17 ALL-WCC VIDEO | 2017 #WCCHOOPS CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
SAN BRUNO, Calif. -- After rolling to one of the best regular seasons in NCAA and West Coast Conference history, No. 4 Gonzaga is well represented on the 2016-17 All-WCC Basketball Teams as announced Tuesday by the league office. Junior guard Nigel Williams-Goss captured Player and Newcomer of the Year honors for the Bulldogs, while Mark Few extended his own conference record, capturing his 11th Coach of the Year plaque. Saint Mary's senior guard Joe Rahon collected Defensive Player of the Year accolades after propelling the No. 20/18 Gaels to new heights during the regular season.
All four individual awards -- along with the All-West Coast Conference Teams and the All-Freshman Team -- were voted on by the league's 10 head coaches.
Williams-Goss becomes the third Bulldog in five seasons selected as WCC Player of the Year and the first since All-American guard Kevin Pangos (2015). A national finalist for the Naismith Trophy, the Oscar Robertson Award and the Wooden Award, Williams-Goss turned in a magical season for Gonzaga as it reached No. 1 in both national polls for the second time in program history (2013). The Cousy Award finalist averaged 17.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game during WCC play and ranks among active Division I national leaders in assists (30th/455) and turnover/assist ratio (29th/1.9).
In addition to being the first student-athlete named Player and Newcomer of the Year in WCC history, Williams-Goss also performed in the classroom. A 2014 Academic All-American while at Washington, the psychology major earned CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District 8 honors and was selected to the WCC All-Academic First Team, while posting a 3.84 GPA.
Rahon, the 2016 Newcomer of the Year, collects his second major WCC honor and is the fifth Gael student-athlete to add Defensive Player of the Year to his resume and the first since Omar Samhan accomplished the feat in 2010, capping three straight awards for SMC (Diamon Simpson, 2008-09). In his second season in Moraga, Rahon continued to orchestrate one of the most efficient teams in the country. The senior keyed a defensive unit ranked second among Division I leaders in points allowed (56.1) and eighth in 3-point field goal percentage defense (30%).
Rahon ranks sixth nationally in assist/turnover ratio (3.60), 20th in assists per game (5.8) and 10th in minutes per game (36:49). During league play, Rahon averages 9.2 points, 4.4 rebounds to go along with 1.1 steals. A leadership graduate student with a 3.62 GPA, Rahon earned CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District 8 honors and was selected to the WCC All-Academic First Team.
It was yet another record-setting season for Few and Gonzaga. The Bulldogs sprinted to a school record 29-0 start -- matching the 1976-77 and 1955-56 San Francisco Dons for the longest single-season winning streaks in WCC history. Along the way, Few guided the Bulldogs to a No. 1 ranking in both national polls and directed the most efficient offense in the country. The active NCAA career leader in winning percentage (81.5%), Few owns a 495-112 overall record is the only coach in conference history to surpass 200 wins, sitting at 243-29 (89.1%).
Of the 10-member All-WCC First Team, five appeared on the 2016-17 preseason All-WCC squad. Santa Clara's Jared Brownridge, and Saint Mary's Rahon make their second straight first team appearances, while Gonzaga's Przemek Karnowski collects his second first team honor after appearing on the 2014-15 list as a junior.
With the conclusion of the regular season, WCC teams head to Las Vegas to compete for the 2017 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship and subsequent automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Tournament action tips off Friday, March 3 at the Orleans Arena.
2016-17 All-WCC Men's Basketball Major Individual Honors
Player of the Year: Nigel Williams-Goss, Gonzaga
Coach of the Year: Mark Few, Gonzaga
Defensive Player of the Year: Joe Rahon, Saint Mary's
Newcomer of the Year: Nigel Williams-Goss, Gonzaga
2016-17 All-WCC Men's Basketball First Team
| Name | Yr. | Pos. | School |
| Jared Brownridge | Sr. | G | Santa Clara |
| TJ Haws | Fr. | G | BYU |
| Calvin Hermanson | Jr. | F | Saint Mary's |
| Przemek Karnowski | Sr. | C | Gonzaga |
| Jock Landale | Jr. | C | Saint Mary's |
| Eric Mika | So. | C | BYU |
| Lamond Murray Jr. | Sr. | G | Pepperdine |
| Joe Rahon | Sr. | G | Saint Mary's |
| Johnathan Williams | Jr. | F | Gonzaga |
| Nigel Williams-Goss | Jr. | G | Gonzaga |
2016-17 All-WCC Men's Basketball Second Team
| Name | Yr. | Pos. | School |
| Brett Bailey | Sr. | F | San Diego |
| Ronnie Boyce III | Sr. | G | San Francisco |
| Brandon Brown | Sr. | G | Loyola Marymount |
| Zach Collins | Fr. | C | Gonzaga |
| KJ Feagin | So. | G | Santa Clara |
2016-17 All-WCC Men's Basketball Freshman Team
| Name | Pos. | School |
| Yoeli Childs | F | BYU |
| Zach Collins | C | Gonzaga |
| TJ Haws | G | BYU |
| Charles Minlend | G | San Francisco |
| Jordan Ratinho | G | San Francisco |
2016-17 WCC Men's Basketball Honorable Mention Selections
Olin Carter III, San Diego; Jazz Johnson, Portland; Nate Kratch, Santa Clara; Jordan Mathews, Gonzaga; Emmett Naar, Saint Mary's; Josh Perkins, Gonzaga; Chris Reyes, Pepperdine; Buay Tuach, Loyola Marymount; T.J. Wallace, Pacific; Alec Wintering, Portland