UCU WCC TOURNAMENT CENTRAL | MEN’S BRACKET | WOMEN’S BRACKET
SAN MATEO, Calif. – Gonzaga All-American forward
Corey Kispert was named Player of the Year leading four major individual honors for the top-ranked Zags.
Mark Few earned Coach of the Year honors, extending his WCC record to 14.
Andrew Nembhard captured the inaugural Sixth Man of the Year honor while
Jalen Suggs collected Newcomer of the Year honors. BYU’s
Matt Haarms was named Defensive Player of the Year.
All five major individual awards – along with the All-West Coast Conference Teams and the All-Freshman Team – were voted on solely by the league’s 10 head coaches.
Kispert was the focal point for Gonzaga in his fourth season and departs campus as the winningest player in program history, wrapping the regular season at 119-10 (.922). The senior All-American averaged 18.5 points and connected on .427 (38-89) from 3-point range during league play and led the No. 1 Zags to their second unbeaten conference slate in three seasons as a full-time starter. Kispert is one of three Zags on the Naismith Trophy Midseason List and the Wooden Award Late Season List and is also a finalist for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year presented by the Naismith Hall of Fame. Kispert is the 18th Bulldog to capture Player of the Year honors overall – all coming since 1984 – and is the 15th since the 2001 campaign.
Suggs made an immediate impact quarterbacking the nation’s top offense for the nation’s No. 1 team. The All-American candidate averaged 13.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals during conference play. A 10-time WCC Freshman of the Week selection, Suggs is one of three Zags on the Naismith Trophy Midseason List and the Wooden Award Late Season List and is also a finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year presented by the Naismith Hall of Fame. Suggs is the 11th Zag to capture Newcomer honors and the fourth in the last five years.
Nembhard gave the Zags an unexpected shot in the arm when the Florida transfer was declared eligible to compete this season after two years as a starter for the Gators. Nembhard wasted no time, averaging 8.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and a team-high 4.1 assists per game during WCC action and ranked No. 11 nationally in assist/turnover ratio (3.39).
It was yet another record-setting season for Few and the Zags. Gonzaga spent the entire regular season as the nation’s No. 1 team and is the first squad to finish an unbeaten regular season (24-0, 15-0 WCC) since Kentucky did so in 2014-15. Few won his 600th game as the top Bulldog in a 102-90 season-opening win against No. 6/5 Kansas in a year full of milestones. The first WCC coach to register 200 league victories posted his 300th WCC triumph in a 95-49 win at Pacific Jan. 23. When the Bulldogs beat LMU 86-69 in the regular season finale, they won their 21st straight game by double-digits as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25. That sets a record for consecutive double-digit wins by a No. 1 team, topping the 20-game streak of UCLA during the 1971-72 season. The win against the Lions set a new program record as their 51st straight home victory.
Haarms made an immediate impact for the Cougars who retooled nearly its entire starting lineup on the fly without seemingly missing a beat. The Purdue transfer averaged 10.9 points, connecting on .571 from the field to go along with 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per night. Haarms completed the 2020-21 regular season ranked second among active NCAA blocked shots leaders with 253. Haarms is the first Cougar to capture top defensive accolades.
Gonzaga led the way with four All-WCC First Team selections: Kispert, Suggs and
Drew Timme joined
Joel Ayayi, the 2020 UCU WCC Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Nine out of the 10 members on the All-WCC First Team were Preseason All-WCC selections.
2020-21 All-WCC Men’s Basketball Major Individual Honors
Player of the Year: Corey Kispert, Gonzaga
Coach of the Year: Mark Few, Gonzaga
Defensive Player of the Year: Matt Haarms, BYU
Newcomer of the Year: Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga
Sixth Man of the Year: Andrew Nembhard, Gonzaga
| 2020-21 All-WCC Men’s Basketball First Team |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
School |
| Joel Ayayi |
Jr. |
G |
Gonzaga |
| Alex Barcello |
Sr. |
G |
BYU |
| Jamaree Bouyea |
Sr. |
G |
San Francisco |
| Kessler Edwards |
Jr. |
F |
Pepperdine |
| Corey Kispert |
Sr. |
F |
Gonzaga |
| Colbey Ross |
Sr. |
G |
Pepperdine |
| Eli Scott |
Sr. |
G/F |
LMU |
| Jalen Suggs |
Fr. |
G |
Gonzaga |
| Drew Timme |
So. |
F |
Gonzaga |
| Josip Vrankic |
Sr. |
F |
Santa Clara |
| 2020-21 All-WCC Men’s Basketball Second Team |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
School |
| Brandon Averette |
Sr. |
G |
BYU |
| Matt Haarms |
Sr. |
F |
BYU |
| Logan Johnson |
Jr. |
G |
Saint Mary's |
| Andrew Nembhard |
Jr. |
G |
Gonzaga |
| Khalil Shabazz |
Jr. |
G |
San Francisco |
| 2020-21 All-WCC Men’s Basketball Freshman Team |
| Name |
Pos. |
School |
| Jalin Anderson |
G |
LMU |
| Oumar Ballo |
C |
Gonzaga |
| Caleb Lohner |
F |
BYU |
| Mitchell Saxen |
C |
Saint Mary's |
| Jalen Suggs |
G |
Gonzaga |
| 2020-21 WCC Men’s Basketball Honorable Mention Selections |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
School |
| Ahmed Ali |
Sr. |
G |
Portland |
| Jeremiah Bailey |
Sr. |
F |
Pacific |
| Joey Calcaterra |
Jr. |
G |
San Diego |
| Dameane Douglas |
So. |
G/F |
LMU |
| Daniss Jenkins |
So. |
G |
Pacific |
| Keli Leaupepe |
So. |
F |
LMU |
| Dzmitry Ryuny |
Jr. |
F |
San Francisco |
| Jalen Williams |
So. |
G |
Santa Clara |