By Jeff Faraudo
#WCChoops Columnist  | ARCHIVES
SPARK VERSION
 
Mark Few understands the distinction will win no games for his Gonzaga team. Still, the Bulldogs being voted No. 1 in the preseason AP Top-25 poll for the first time left him a bit tickled.
 
“I think it’s a really cool accomplishment because it’s something we’ve never done up here,” Few said. “We know it doesn’t mean anything right now. 
 
“It’s getting harder and harder to check things off. There’s still one big one.”
 
A No. 1 ranking at least suggests others believe the Zags may be positioned to chase the NCAA championship missing from their otherwise sparkling resume. Further evidence: Gonzaga actually had four players named to the preseason watch for the Naismith Player of the Year award.
 
Meanwhile, perennial challengers BYU and Saint Mary’s both sustained significant personnel losses after last season. Does that widen the gap between Gonzaga and the pack?
 
Don’t suggest that to Pepperdine coach Lorenzo Romar: “I will never, ever tell you that BYU or Saint Mary’s are down.”
 
“I hope he’s right,” Gaels coach Randy Bennett said.
 
Mark Pope, beginning his second season at BYU, believes the league is loaded. He called Pepperdine guard Colbey Ross “a phenom,” and labeled Santa Clara as underrated. 
 
Saint Mary’s? "They’re going to be great because they’re great every single year,” Pope said. “You can take five dudes out of the rec center and Randy will make them great.”
 
For now, at least, Gonzaga is No. 1, in both the Top-25 rankings and the WCC coaches poll.
 
No argument from Pope. “What Few’s done up there is beyond. There are no words.”
 
Here’s our preview of the WCC (listed in order of the coaches poll):
 
1. GONZAGA
 
2019-20: 15-1/1st in WCC; 31-2 overall; won WCC tournament
Coach: Mark Few (599-124 in 22nd season)
Top returning players: Senior forward Corey Kispert (13.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 43.8% 3-point), junior guard Joel Ayayi (10.6 points, 6. rebounds, 3.2 assists),  sophomore forward Drew Timme (13.6 points, 5.0 rebounds).
Top newcomers: Freshman guard Jalen Suggs, a 6-foot-4 freshman point guard from West St. Paul, Minnesota, is the highest-rated recruit ever to sign with Gonzaga. He was ranked fifth in ESPN’s Top-100 after averaging 23.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.8 steals as a high school senior. Aaron Cook, a senior transfer from Southern Illinois, will provide support and experience at the point. Freshman guard Julian Strawther, one of two more top-100 signees on the roster, should find a spot on the rotation. Then there is Oumar Ballo, a 7-foot, 260-pound center from Mali and former top international recruit, who figures very much in the mix this season after sitting out the 2019-20 campaign.
Key non-conference games: The Bulldogs have arranged a high-level non-conference slate, starting with matchups against preseason No. 6 Kansas and Auburn at the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Thursday and Friday. Gonzaga plays No. 2 Baylor on Dec. 5 at Indianapolis and No. 5 Iowa on Dec. 19 in Sioux Falls, S.D. “After everything that was taken away from us last year and looking at all the limitations currently and that are projected for our season, I was hellbent on trying to make this special and fun and exciting for our guys,” Few said of the schedule. 
What matters: The Bulldogs have an enviable mix of returning players and incoming talent. Kispert made the preseason All-America first team, Ayayi is a versatile dynamo and fans are eager to see how well Suggs lives up to the considerable hype. Kispert, Ayayi, Drew Timme and Suggs all are on the Naismith Award watch list, the most ever by a WCC team. The Bulldogs will be seriously tested through the non-conference portion of their schedule and will enter WCC play as a heavy favorite. Gonzaga had designs on chasing a national title last season before the NCAA tournament was scrapped because of the emerging COVID-19 threat. That remains a legitimate goal. Few likes this team, and praises his players for their focus and motivation. “That’s what makes them special,” he said. “They’re driven and confident. If anything, with everything we went through last year we're going to appreciate anything we can get this year.”
Quote: “He’s getting better, day by day. People just assume if you’re a high-level recruit you’re going to walk in and start dominating. The veteran college guys are not bad. There’s an adjustment period. He definitely went through that. The last 10 days to two weeks he’s making significant jumps.” — Coach Mark Few on freshman Jalen Suggs 
 
2. BYU
 
2019-20: 13-3/2nd in WCC, 24-8 overall
Coach: Mark Pope (24-8 in 2nd season at BYU; 101-64 in 6th season overall)
Top returning players: Senior guard Alex Barcello (9.3 points, 3.1 rebounds), junior forward Kolby Lee (7.0 points, 3.2 rebounds)
Top newcomers: Senior center Matt Haarms (7.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.1 blocks in three seasons at Purdue), senior guard Brandon Averette (12.8 points, 3.0 assists at Utah Valley), sophomore forward Wyatt Lowell (2019 WAC Freshman of the Year at Utah Valley)
Key non-conference games: BYU will be tested at the Roman Legends Classic in Uncasville, Connecticut, where it faces USC on Dec. 1, then either UConn or Vanderbilt on Dec. 3. The Cougars host in-state rival Utah on Dec. 12 and will hit the road to face San Diego State on Dec. 18.
What matters: The Cougars lost three great players — Yoeli Childs, Jake Toolson and TJ Haws — but Mark Pope has reloaded and likes his team. Barcello, who began his career at Arizona, is the top returning scorer and a preseason All-WCC pick. Barcello’s role will change from complementary player to primary ballhandler. Pope is excited about what Lee can do after beginning to emerge last season. And the newcomers will be significant, starting with 7-foot-3 Haarms. “He’s a really talented player,” Pope noted. Averette, at just 5-11, will play both guard spots. Wyatt has huge upside.
Quote: “I think we have a chance to be good. We’ve just got a lot of things we’ve got to figure out . . . how to win games, how to put guys together in the right combinations, what kind of games we can play with different lineups on the floor. We have a lot of possibilities.” — Coach Mark Pope
 
3. Saint Mary’s
 
2019-20: 11-5/tied 3rd in WCC, 26-8 overall; lost in WCC tournament title game
Coach: Randy Bennett (440-182 in 20th season)
Top returning players: Junior center Matthias Tass (6.6 points, 3.6 rebounds), junior forward Dan Fotu (6.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 64.7% FG), senior point guard Tommy Kuhse (5.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists).
Top newcomers: The Gaels have four scholarship freshmen, headlined by guard Jabe Mullins, the Washington high school 4A Player of the Year. “He’s a good offensive player, a good talent,” Bennett said. “He will play for us, be somewhere in our rotation.” Also on board is 7-foot-4 center Matt Van Komen, a transfer from Utah. 
Key non-conference games: The Gaels waste no time finding high-end competition on Wednesday vs. Memphis in the opener of the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic at Sioux Falls, S.D. Texas A&M or No. 15 West Virginia awaits in the second round and the other side of the bracket includes 11th-ranked Creighton.
What matters: The Gaels will look different without WCC scoring champ Jordan Ford and forward Malik Fitts. The two combined to average nearly 39 points last year and everything ran through Ford. This team won’t have a big scorer. “That was the best way for us to win last year,” Bennett said. “It will be more balanced this year. I like it. The ball moves better. It’s more fun to play that way. Someone will emerge.” Tass will be at the center of things, but the Gaels also expect leaps in performance from Fotu, forward Kyle Bowen and wing Alex Ducas. Kuhse, who long ago raced past his status as a one-time walkon, returns to handle the point. 
Quote: “He’s doing well. He’s in shape. He’s strong. I think he’s more athletic. It’s crazy. It’s only been 10 1/2 months and he’s been doing great. We’ve been careful but I’ve been impressed.” — Coach Randy Bennett on the progress of center Matthias Tass, who suffered an ACL tear last December
  
4. Pepperdine
 
2019-20: 8-8/6th in WCC; 16-16 overall
Coach: Lorenzo Romar (74-78 in 6th season at Pepperdine; 23-318 in 24 years overall)
Top returning players: Senior point guard Colbey Ross (20.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 85.4% FT), junior forward Kessler Edwards (13.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, WCC-leading 1.9 blocks, 41.7% 3-point)
Top newcomers: Grad transfer Kene Chukwuka, a 6-9, 225-pound native of Sweden, comes from Pitt, where he started 17 games two years before missing last season while recovering from hip surgery. The Waves also added 6-8 freshman Kendall Munson, who helped Garfield-Seattle win the Washington 3A state title under coach Brandon Roy.
Key non-conference games: The Waves get home games against two strong southern California programs with a Wednesday matchup vs. Big West perennial contender UC Irvine, followed Friday by a visit from Pac-12 favorite UCLA.
What matters: The Waves have an imposing 1-2 punch in point guard Colbey Ross and forward Kessler Edwards. Ross, who was named to the Naismith Award watch list, scored 43 points against Saint Mary’s in the WCC tournament last year. He already is Pepperdine’s career assist leader and needs just 23 points to grab the scoring title. “Colbey has achieved a lot personally, but now he wants to go out a winner,” Romar said. “That’s in the forefront of his mind.” Edwards no longer has big brother Kameron by his side, but Romar believes that might free him. “He would defer to his brother. This year he’s way more aggressive to make plays.” Pepperdine lost guard Skylar Chavez (10.0 points), who opted out because of COVID-19 concerns. But guards Sedrick Altman and Jade Smith (who played just eight games last season before a knee injury) bring defensive toughness. Also back is forward Jan Zidek, a good shooter who was sidelined the second half of last year by a broken finger.
Quote: “That’s our whole season. It doesn’t matter what we do if we can’t guard. That’s not something we’ve done well the last three years.” — Coach Lorenzo Romar on the importance of improving defensively
 
5. San Francisco
 
2019-20: 9-7/5th in WCC; 22-12 overall
Coach: Todd Golden (22-12 in 2nd season)
Top returning players: Junior guard Jamaree Bouyea (12.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals), Khalil Shabazz (10.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 steals)
Top newcomers: Five fresh faces include two freshmen, a junior college recruit and two four-year transfers. Guard Damari Milstead, a Bay Area native, played 60 games for Grand Canyon, averaging 10.3 points last season. Sophomore Julian Rishwain, a 6-5 wing, played in 30 games last season for Boston College. Golden likes the defensive potential of 7-foot junior center Samba Kane, a native of Senegal who played two JC seasons. 
Key non-conference games: The Dons will twice venture into Pac-12 territory with mid-December games against Cal and USC.
What matters: The Dons recorded their fourth straight 20-win season in Todd Golden’s debut as head coach. They will be guard driven, led by returnees Jamaree Bouyea and Khalil Shabazz. Bouyea is a preseason All-WCC pick and Shabazz will graduate to the starting five after providing great energy off the bench. Both are super-quick. Expect the Dons to play faster this season. “I think it’s gong to happen organically,” Golden said. “They’ve earned my confidence, my trust. If they want to get up and go they can do it.” The frontcourt doesn’t return much scoring punch, but experience and know-how with Taavi Jurkatamm, Dzmirtry Ryunu and Josh Kunen.
Quote: “I’m cautiously optimistic. It’s so hard to tell this year because you  don’t get the two scrimmages we normally get. We lost a lot of guys but I think our guard play has a chance to be pretty good and we have experience up front.” — Coach Todd Golden
 
6. Santa Clara 
 
2019-20: 6-10/7th in WCC; 20-13 overall
Coach: Herb Sendek (64-64 in 5th season at Santa Clara; 477-359 in 27th season overall)
Top returning players: Senior forward Josip Vrankic (12.5 points, 5.4 rebounds), senior forward D.J. Mitchell (10.7 points, 5.9 rebounds), junior forward Guglielmo “Willie” Caruso (9.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 19 games), junior forward Keyshawn Justice (9.0 points, 3.3 rebounds)
Top newcomers: Guard Trent Hudgins Jr. was rated by MaxPreps as the No. 4 recruit in the state of Arizona after leading his Ironwood High team to its first state title. The Broncos’ other newcomers include a pair of grad transfers, guard Christian Carlyle (8.1 points in 2018-19 at Florida Gulf Coast) and forward Vittoria Reynosa-Avila (Princeton)
Key non-conference games: The Broncos are still trying to firm up non-conference matchups.
What matters: The Broncos have experience and they have a deep assortment of forwards. Leading the charge is Josip Vrankic, a second-team All-WCC pick a year ago who found a spot on the preseason first team. D.J. Mitchell and Keyshawn Justice both are 3-point shooting threats and Willie Caruso was one of the WCC’s most efficient players (66% FG) when he suffered a lower right leg injury. Center Jaden Bediako (6.4 points, 5.2 rebounds) and guard Jalen Williams (7.7 points, 44 steals) both showed great promise as freshmen, Bediako earning a spot on the WCC All-Freshman team after replacing Caruso in the starting lineup. “I’d like to think we can be better at everything,” coach Herb Sendek said. “It starts with staying healthy. When you lose a player like Willie Caruso for the entire conference season, it’s hard to make up for that.”
Quote: “We only have one freshman, which is unusual. We’re a team that has some veteran players, some guys that have been through it before. We’re excited about that aspect of our team.” — Coach Herb Sendek.
 
7. Loyola Marymount 
 
2019-20: 4-12/8th in WCC; 11-21 overall
Coach: Stan Johnson (1st season)
Top returning players: Senior forward Eli Scott (15.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists), sophomore forward Keli Leaupepe (9.1 points, 4.9 rebounds), senior center Mattias Markusson (10.2 points, 6.3 rebounds , 58.6% FG in 2018-19)
Top newcomers: Freshman point guard Jalen Anderson will compete for a spot in the rotation and coach Stan Johnson is also excited about the prospects of 6-4 freshman guard Mayoum Mayoum, a native of Australia who averaged 28 points last season at the Potter’s House Christian Academy in Florida. LMU also added 6-8 forward Kodye Pugh, a grad transfer from Stanford, who missed last season due to injury.
Key non-conference games: The Lions’ two most challenging matchups will be a trip to Minnesota next Monday and a Dec. 9 road game against Stanford.
What matters: The cupboard is hardly bare for new coach Stan Johnson, a former Marquette assistant. It starts with All-WCC forward Eli Scott, one of the league’s most versatile players. He had LMU’s first-ever triple-double last season and is selfless to a fault. In fact, Johnson wants him to look to score more. “He can see the play before it even develops and he’s such a willing passer,” Johnson said. “The challenge for Eli, as good as he is, is there’s a whole another room for growth.” Keli Leaupepe, who averaged more than 13 points over the season’s final six games, brings toughness and shooting ability, but needs more consistency. Three key players return after missing last season— 7-foot-3, 266-pound center Mattias Markusson, who sat out following the death of his mother; wing Dameane Douglas, who sidelined by an ankle injury, and guard Joe Quintana, shelved by an ACL. Johnson wants to play at a faster tempo but says that will require players to buy in defensively.
Quote: “No. 1, I’m walking into a place where they know how to work, they’re not afraid of work. Coach Dunlap did a great job of creating high-character kids. That being said, everything’s new, everybody’s starting from scratch.” — First-year coach Stan Johnson on the team he inherited from former coach Mike Dunlap
  
8. Pacific
 
2019-20: 11-5/tied 3rd in WCC; 23-10 overall
Coach: Damon Stoudamire (62-68 in 5th season)
Top returning players: Senior guard Justin Moore (8.1 points, 2.7 assists), sophomore guard Daniss Jenkins (6.2 points), sophomore guard Pierre Cockrell II (6.0 points), junior guard Jahbril Price-Noel (5.7 points)
Top newcomers: Senior forward Jordan Bell arrives from WCC rival Loyola Marymount, where he produced 7.1 points and 4.6 rebounds last year. “I like Jordan because I know what Jordan gives me,” coach Damon Stoudamire said. A pair of transfer guards, senior guard Jervay Green (8.2 points, 4.2 rebounds at Nebraska) and Jalen Brown (Eastern Arizona CC) will be in the mix, along with 6-11 sophomore forward Marial Mading, who began his career at Rhode Island before a year at junior college.
Key non-conference games: The Tigers visit Nevada next Monday but otherwise will stay at home until a trip to southern California to face Cal State Northridge and Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 16 and 19, respectively.
What matters: There will be no replacing do-everything Khalil Tripp, who averaged 16.2 points and 8.9 rebounds, played point guard and brought intensity. Instead, Damon Stoudamire will operate by committee. “I’ve got a whole lot of options,” he said. “I’ve just got to keep people sleeping on our team.” Stoudamire has four returning guards who will mesh with a large incoming class. Moore and Cockrell will share the point, and Stoudamire believes he is two-deep at every position.
Quote: “I think we’re talented. But I’m always careful to anoint somebody to the throne. That to be has to be earned. Nobody on this team I’ve had to count on on a consistent basis.” — Coach Damon Stoudamire on having depth but no clear standout players
 
9. San Diego
 
2019-20: 2-14/9th in WCC; 9-23 overall
Coach: Sam Scholl (30-38 in 3rd season)
Top returning players: Junior guard Joey Calcaterra (11.3 points, 2.8 rebounds), senior forward Yauhen Massalski (8.4 points, 7.0 rebounds), junior guard Finn Sullivan (7.6 points, 2.4 rebounds), sophomore point guard Marion Humphrey (6.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists)
Top newcomers: The incoming group is headlined by three transfers — junior guard Frankie Hughes (8.9 points in 2018-19 at Duquesne), senior forward Josh Parrish (7.5 points, 3.6 rebounds in 2019-20 at Rice), junior forward Ben Pyle (12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds in 2019-20 at Western Illinois). Pyle is a former Mr. Basketball in the state of Kansas.
Key non-conference games: USD anticipates opening its schedule at UCLA on Dec. 9. Two games previously scheduled for before that contest will be moved to new dates after an interruption by the coronavirus.
What matters: Progress the Toreros hope to make was stalled last Friday when the athletic department announced the team would pause all activities for 14 days as a result of a positive COVID-19 test by one of the players. Once back on the floor, USD expects to be deeper, more experienced and more talented than a year ago. Four veterans provide the nucleus, but they will be augmented and challenged by a robust incoming group. Coach Sam Scholl is determined that the Toreros will be improved defensively. “I like our spirit to want to play for each other and I love that experience factor,” he said.
Quote: “They want to win. A lot of it has to do with the lessons learned by the guys who are back from last year’s team. They certainly don’t want to experience that again.” — Coach Sam Scholl
 
10. Portland
 
2019-20: 1-15/last in WCC; 9-23 overall
Coach: Terry Porter (37-92 in 5th season)
Top returning players: Junior guard Takiula Fahrensohn (7.8 points, 3.0 rebounds), sophomore guard Chase Adams (7.1 points, 3.7 assists)
Top newcomers: Nine new faces give coach Terry Porter lots of options. Among the more promising are senior guard Ahmed Ali, who has played at Washington State and Hawaii, combo forward Eddie Davis, a junior college transfer, JC guards Latrell Jones and Isaiah Dasher and grad transfer forward Michael Henn from Cal Baptist.
Key non-conference games: The Pilots announced they will host a four-team event beginning Wednesday at the Chiles Center. Portland will open Friday against Idaho. Also on tap: A Dec. 10 game vs. Oregon State.
What matters: The Pilots lost their top four scorers from a year ago, including senior forward Tahirou Diabate (5.7 points), who opted out on this season. So the climb remains steep for Portland, which has won just seven WCC games the past four seasons. Porter, a two-time NBA All-Star during his 10 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, expects progress from returning guards Takiula Fahrensohn and Chase Adams. Newcomer Ali should add scoring from the point. With all the moving parts plus early practice limitations because of the coronavirus, Porter isn’t entirely sure what his team looks like right now. “It’s very difficult to expect those guys to come out of the block right away. They just haven’t had enough time,” he said. “Some of it is going to be learning on the fly, which five guys play well together.”
Quote: “Our strength right now is we have more depth. Last year we had good stretches then we started losing some of our top scorers for a few games here and there, and we struggled to score. Now not only do we have depth but also guys who can score multiple ways.” — Coach Terry Porter