PRESEASON POLL, ALL-WCC VIDEO | 2019 #WCCHOOPS TIP-OFF CENTRAL
 
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – With the 2019-20 basketball campaign a month away, Gonzaga University is once again the preseason favorite to win its eighth straight West Coast Conference regular season title in the annual poll of the WCC’s 10 head coaches. The Bulldogs received seven first place votes and 79 points. The poll and the all-conference team were announced Thursday at Orleans Arena – site of the 2020 WCC Basketball Championships – as part of the Ninth Annual West Coast Conference Basketball Tip-Off, presented by Southern Nevada Toyota Dealers and streamed live on WCC Network.
 
Fresh off the program’s 21st consecutive NCAA Tournament berth, fifth straight march to the Sweet 16 and the third Elite Eight appearance in five seasons, Gonzaga is generating national buzz once again entering 2019-20. The Zags have posted 12 straight seasons of 25 wins or more and have posted five 30-win campaigns in the last seven years.
 
Gonzaga (33-4, 16-0 WCC) owns the longest active string of NCAA Sweet-16 appearances with five and placed senior forward Killian Tillie, the 2018 WCC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, as its lone representative on the preseason All-WCC team. The Bulldogs lost two NBA First Rounders off their 2018-19 club and all-conference voting is restricted to returning student-athletes.
 
Saint Mary’s (22-12, 11-5 WCC) was picked second in the preseason poll with 75 points and three first-place votes. The Gaels advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time since 2010 after upsetting No. 1 Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament title game. The Gaels return nearly 90 percent of their scoring from 2018-19.  Senior guard Jordan Ford represents the Gaels on the All-WCC preseason team after ranking second in the WCC in scoring last season (21.1). Junior forward Malik Fitts joins Ford on the squad after averaging 15.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in his first season in Moraga.
 
Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s both appear in all reputable “Way Too Early” Preseason Top-25 national polls.



Brigham Young University (19-13, 11-5 WCC) was picked third in the WCC preseason poll with 65 points. New BYU head coach Mark Pope enters his first season at the helm in Provo and welcomes back a pair of decorated all-conference seniors: forward Yoeli Childs and guard TJ Haws. Childs, the leading scorer (21.2) and rebounder (9.7) in the WCC in 2018-19 joins Haws, who enters his senior campaign with 1,450 career points, on the preseason All-WCC team.
 
Pepperdine University (16-18, 6-10 WCC) was picked fourth in the survey with 56 points. The Waves posted a 10-game improvement over the previous year in Lorenzo Romar’s return to Malibu season. Junior guard Colbey Ross is one of the top returning players in the conference after averaging 19.4 points and 7.0 assists per game. Ross ranked sixth among national assist leaders and was third in made free throws (238). Joining Ross on the preseason All-WCC team is sophomore forward Kessler Edwards, who averaged 10.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in his collegiate debut.
 
Santa Clara University (16-15, 8-8 WCC) rounded out the top-five with 50 points. The Broncos closed out the regular season on a 15-9 tear fueled by a roster that received nearly 75 percent of its scoring from first-year players. Junior guard Tahj Eaddy led four Broncos in double-digit scoring (15.0) and earned a spot on the preseason All-WCC team.
 
University of San Francisco (21-10, 9-7 WCC) was picked sixth with 40 points. First-year head coach Todd Golden will look to preseason all-WCC selection Charles Minlend to lead the way for the Dons. The junior guard earned All-WCC Second Team honors last season after averaging 14.5 points and 4.7 rebounds.
 
Loyola Marymount University (22-12, 8-8 WCC) was picked seventh with 34 points. The Lions posted the best start in program history last season (10-1) and advanced to the quarterfinals of the CBI Postseason Tournament.
 
University of the Pacific (14-18, 4-12 WCC) was picked to share eighth place with University of San Diego (21-15, 7-9 WCC). The Tigers will look to preseason All-WCC performer Jahlil Tripp. The senior guard averaged 10.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals as a junior while starting all 32 games for Pacific.
 
Last season, the Toreros posted its second straight 20-win campaign under first-year head coach Sam Scholl. USD earned a berth in the NIT for the first time in program history. University of Portland rounded out the survey.
 
West Coast Conference play begins on Thursday, January 2, 2020. For the most up-to-date schedule with game times and TV listings, visit WCCsports.com and follow @WCChoops on Twitter.
 
The complete preseason poll and all-conference team follows.
 
2019-20 WCC Preseason Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll

Team (First Place Vote)			Pts.
1. Gonzaga		(7)		79
2. Saint Mary’s		(3)		75
3. BYU				65
4. Pepperdine				56
5. Santa Clara				50
6. San Francisco				40
7. LMU				34
8. Pacific				21
8. San Diego				21
10. Portland				9

 
2019-20 All-WCC Preseason Men’s Basketball Team

Name	Year	Pos.	Institution
Yoeli Childs	Sr.	F	BYU
Tahj Eaddy	Jr.	G	Santa Clara
Kessler Edwards	So.	F	Pepperdine
Malik Fitts	Jr.	F	Saint Mary’s
Jordan Ford	Sr.	G	Saint Mary’s
TJ Haws	Sr.	G	BYU
Charles Minlend	Jr.	G	San Francisco
Colbey Ross	Jr.	G	Pepperdine
Killian Tillie	Sr.	F	Gonzaga
Jahlil Tripp	Sr.	G	Pacific