Men's Basketball WCC Columnist Jeff Faraudo

Timme's Taking Over

The good news for the rest of the West Coast Conference is that the 11th-ranked Gonzaga men, while still the class of the league, aren’t quite the juggernaut they were two years ago when they were unbeaten until the final day of the season.

The bad news is All-America senior Drew Timme appears to be better than ever. And at times, virtually unstoppable.

During the Zags’ current five-game win streak, the 6-foot-10 forward is averaging 27.6 points on 67-percent shooting, along with 10.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 steals. It’s the highest-scoring five-game stretch of his career.

“Just doing whatever it takes to win,” Timme told the Spokane Spokesman Review. “That’s what has been needed of me lately, so that’s what I do.”

Timme, the easy choice as the West Coast Conference men’s Midseason Player of the Year, had a season-high 32 points in the Zags’ 85-75 win over Montana last week, causing teammate Malachi Smith to almost swoon in admiration.

“It’s beautiful to watch,” Smith said. “He works hard so you see the behind-the-scenes work. We have to take the load off his shoulders a little bit, but this is what he’s capable of doing.”

Timme, who has been part of 100 Gonzaga victories in 110 career games, is scoring 22.1 points through 13 games, and has been the key to everything Gonzaga does on offense.

“Just like all year, we’ve been running everything through him pretty much,” Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said. "A lot of our offense is generated through throwing it into him. He either scores it or throws it out for a three or gets to the free-throw line.”

Here are my other midseason WCC awards: 

MEN

NON-FRESHMAN NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Brandin Podziemski. The Santa Clara sophomore guard, a transfer from Illinois who is averaging 18.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists, has led the Broncos to a 12-3 start, with nine wins in their past 10 outings. Podziemski gets a close nod over San Diego’s Eric Williams Jr., a grad transfer from Oregon, who scored 43 points against Utah State and is contributing 15.4 points and a WCC-leading 10.7 rebounds per game. Also: Tyrell Roberts, USF; Malachi Smith, Gonzaga. 

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Aidan Mahaney. The Saint Mary’s guard is averaging 13.6 points — best on the team and best among WCC freshmen. That number is 14.6 in five games since he joined the starting lineup. Also: Dallin Hall, BYU; Jevon Porter, Pepperdine.

ALL-WCC FIRST TEAM: Brandin Podziemski, Santa Clara; Tyler Robertson, Portland; Cam Shelton, Loyola Marymount; Julian Strawther, Gonzaga; Drew Timme, Gonzaga.

ALL-WCC SECOND TEAM: Maxwell Lewis, Pepperdine; Mitchell Saxen, Saint Mary’s; Khalil Shabazz, USF; Fousseyni Traore, BYU; Eric Williams Jr., San Diego.

WOMEN

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kaylynne Truong. Unlike with the men, the choice here is not easy. USF guard Ioanna Krimili leads the WCC with an 18.1 scoring average, including games of 33 and 35 points. BYU forward Lauren Gustin is second nationally at 14.2 rebounds per game — and just grabbed 23 of them in a win over Monmouth. Oh yeah, she posted her 12th double-double in that one.

Portland’s Alex Fowler has been excellent, averaging 16.8 points while shooting 72 percent over the past 10 games. Gonzaga’s Yvonne Ejim, now a starter after two seasons as a super-sub, is a two-time WCC Player of the Week honoree.

But the most important player on the best team so far this season has been Gonzaga senior guard Kaylynne Truong. Sometimes left in the shadow of her twin sister and backcourt mate Kayleigh, Kaylynne has emerged as a dependable leader, especially since her sibling went down with an injury.

In the eight games since, Kaylynne Truong has elevated her game, averaging 17.4 points, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals for the 22nd-ranked Zags. 

NON-FRESHMAN NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Brynna Maxwell. The Utah transfer has been exactly what Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier expected — an elite shooter. She leads the nation in both 3-point and free-throw accuracy while also scoring 14.8 points per game. Through 14 games, Maxwell is residing in the exclusive 50-40-90 club, converting 50 percent from the field, 53 percent (40 for 75) from the 3-point arc and a remarkable 97.6 percent (41 for 42) from the free throw line. No other Division I player — female or male — is converting at least 50 percent from the arc and 90 percent at the line. Also: Theresa Grace Mbanefo, Pepperdine; Olivia Pollerd, Santa Clara; Marly Walls, Pepperdine.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Tess Heal. The Santa Clara guard and native of Melbourne, Australia, scored 28 points in her college debut and already has won WCC Freshman of the Week five times (out of six weeks). Last week she was named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week. Heal is averaging 15.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists. 

ALL-WCC FIRST TEAM: Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga; Alex Fowler, Portland; Lauren Gustin, BYU; Ioanna Krimili, USF; Kaylynne Truong, Gonzaga.

ALL-WCC SECOND TEAM: Ali Bamberger, Saint Mary’s; Tess Heal, Santa Clara; Anaya James, Pacific; Brynna Maxwell, Gonzaga; Ally Stedman, Pepperdine.

USF’S WILD WEEK: The USF men played four games in a span of six days through Thursday, winning three times and absorbing one unexpected defeat. The run started a week ago Saturday when the Dons traveled to Las Vegas and knocked off unbeaten UNLV, 75-73.

Back home two days later, USF stumbled, falling behind Texas-Arlington by as many as 17 points in a 68-63 loss. But on Wednesday, the Dons entertained No. 25 Arizona State and made some history, outscoring the Sun Devils, 24-2, out of the gate and leading by as many as 47 points on the way to a stunning 97-60 win.

The Dons had previously beaten 29 teams ranked in the AP Top-25 — with nine of those victories powered by the late Bill Russell — and never had they prevailed by such a large margin. Their biggest win over a ranked foe had been a 96-68 victory over No. 10 Providence on Jan. 2, 1975.

“We have shown glimpses of that but we have not done it for a full 40-minute game,” said first-year coach Chris Gerlufsen. “That’s what it should look like, and that’s what the expectation is. We’re a good team. We’re a team that can play in March.”

The Dons (11-4) completed the six-day gauntlet with an 85-53 win over Hartford on Thursday, and will be off until Dec. 29 when they open WCC play at Santa Clara.