2024 Preview
Superlatives:
Best Overall Team: Gonzaga
Best Overall Player: Ryan Nembhard, GON
Best Shooter: Nolan Hickman, GON
Best Defenseman: Mitchell Saxen, SMC
Sleeper Team (Conference): Pacific
Sleeper Team (March): Saint Mary’s
Gonzaga Forward Graham Ike; Gonzaga Athletics
1. Gonzaga Bulldogs
2023 Record: 27-8
The Bulldogs return over 75% of 2023-24’s production, including potential All-Americans Ryan Nembhard and Graham Ike as well as comfortable shooter Nolan Hickman on the wing. An influx of high-profile and award winning transfers headline one of the more impressive off season classes in the country. The league’s top scorer from last season transferred up North to play for Mark Fue, as Michael Ajayi brings over 17 points per game with him from Pepperdine. Patriot League POTY Braeden Smith is a skilled guard capable of running the offense when Nembhard is out of the game.
This is the deepest Bulldog team Few has assembled in close to a decade, with the only departing starter being replaced by five stars aplenty and two of the top three scorers in the WCC last season. Gonzaga is once again the clear alpha “dawg” on the West Coast, with visions of a deep tournament run back on the horizon for a team plagued by inconsistencies in 2023. Buckling down on the defensive boards and getting the ball into the hands of playmakers will be a pressing issue for Ike and company.
2. Saint Mary’s Gaels
2023 Record: 26-8
There are a handful of returning pieces back for the Gaels, arguably one of the best teams in the nation from December to February last season, most obvious of which being Augustas Marciulonis. The former league MVP was one of the most reliable guards in the conference last season and is a contributor on the defensive end. The return of board-getter Mitchell Saxen is huge (quite literally) for the Gaels, who look to build off an impressive effort on the offensive glass last season. Transfer Paulius Murauskas (Arizona) will likely be the second piece down low with Saxen and will need to acclimate early to one of the country’s slowest tempos.
The Gaels were tough on the defensive end last season but lose pieces such as Mahaney that will make matching up with the dynamic Gonzaga backcourt a challenge. Saint Mary’s will go as far as the inexperienced backcourt will take them, whether that be to the Sweet 16 or NIT.
3. Santa Clara Broncos
2023 Record: 20-13
The Broncos and Dons (below) have established themselves as the clear-cut three and four in the WCC by continually taking Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s to the wire. Santa Clara upended the Bulldogs last season and paired that with upset wins against Oregon and Stanford. There is certainly something boiling in the cauldron of coach Herb Sendek, with 20+ wins coming in every season not counting the shortened COVID-year since 2020.
There is a pair of experienced shooters in Brenton Knapper and Tyeree Bryan to pair alongside budding star Adama Alpha-Bal and hardy rebounder Jake Ensmiger down low, forming the nucleus of the offense. The Broncos struggled with allowing second chance points on the defensive end last season despite being one of the best teams against the shot in the WCC. Shoring up on the boards, much like SMC, will be paramount.
4. San Francisco Dons
2023 Record: 23-11
One of the conference’s best players in center Jonathan Mogbo is gone to the NBA, but the Dons replaced him with UTSA big Carlton Linguard Jr. in hopes of continuing better rebounding attacks. There are extreme question marks forming in the frontcourt with a lack of experience and depth outside of Linguard. The backcourt is one of the more multiple attacks in the WCC, with lead guard Malik Thomas now welcoming reigning freshman of the year Ryan Beasley.
Vanderbilt transfer Ndewedo Newbury is sticky on the defensive end and will stabilize a unit losing a lot of production from Mogbo’s departure. Finding an identity early, particularly down low, on offense will be a priority for the Dons.
5. Loyola Marymount Lions
2023 Record: 12-19
Jevon Porter is back for the Lions after missing a chunk of last season with an injury. Myron Amey Jr. transfers in from San Jose State after an impressive all around campaign in the Mountain West last season. Nebraska transfer big Matar Diop oozes with potential as the linchpin down low. The theme? The Lions have the top end talent to contend in the WCC, but lack overall depth and consistency to rival the high-powered attacks of the teams above them.
LMU is one of the biggest teams in the WCC with only two players listed as below 6-5, and will look to control the tempo through suffocating rebounding attacks on both ends of the floor. The Lions must find consistency on the offensive end — especially inside the arc — to take the next step in a high-octane league.
6. Washington State Cougars
2023 Record: 25-10
The Cougars are one of the most depleted tournament teams from last season as the off season saw the departure of the entire starting lineup and its head coach. A new regime under David Riley forms in Pullman and must replace 95% of last season’s scoring. The lone returnee is guard Isaiah Watts who will operate the backcourt. Riley, coming over from Eastern Washington, took a chunk of his frontcourt with him, including the space-eater LeJuan Watts.
Wazzu’s regression is inevitable heading into 2024 but a solid season in a rented WCC is very possible. The Cougars must mesh early and find a stride in the non-conference slate in order to avoid the two top squads until the later-half of the WCC Tournament.
7. Oregon State Beavers
2023 Record: 13-19
Fellow PAC-XII holdover Oregon State trots into the WCC looking to replicate its miracle run to the Elite Eight in 2021. A decent amount of last season’s scoring is gone in Corvallis but the Beavers replaced four of its top six scorers with many mid-major transfers looking to upgrade. There is depth in the frontcourt considering the experience of Parsa Fallah, Matthew Marsh and Michael Rataj — all of whom can score down low.
The Beavers will need to fortify its interior defense and rebound better on the offensive glass to have any chance at competing with the conference’s top teams. With Marsh’s seven foot frame now an option, don’t be surprised if the Beavers turn the Wake Forest transfer into a breakout.
8. San Diego Toreros
2023 Record: 18-15
A majority of the Toreros’ scoring from last season is gone, including five of the top six scorers and a chunk of the starting lineup. But there are still building blocks to use for coach Steve Lavin. Leader Steven Jamerson II is a defensive headache and can score, and flashy sophomore Keyon Kensie is a potential breakout candidate in year two. A backcourt evolution will be needed for USD to gather wins, but with many returning rebounds, USD finds itself in a better position than the teams below them.
9. Pepperdine Waves
2023 Record: 13-20
The Waves had become infamous for producing high-end talent and NBA players under Lorenzo Romar and falling short in the WCC Tournament. The lone returnee is forward Boubacar Coulibaly, who will be paired with Jevon Cooley (three point ace) to form a dynamic duo. The Waves are one of the taller teams in the WCC and will look to improve on one of the worst rebounding attacks in the conference last season. The emergence of an alpha scorer is something coach Ed Schilling will be waiting for as his tenure as head coach begins in Malibu.
10. Portland Pilots
2023 Record: 12-20
Leading returnee Vukasin Masic lead the Pilots in almost every statistical category in 2023 and will lead a team featuring eleven (!) freshmen and three players over 6-10. There is difficulty in projecting freshmen, but with the amount of youngsters on the roster for the Pilots, at least two or three of them will emerge as scorers… right? Finding any sort of consistency will help Portland re-establish itself in the WCC entering year four under coach Shantay Legans.
11. Pacific Tigers
2023 Record: 6-25
The Tigers opened WCC Tournament play by trailing Pepperdine by 37 points in the first ten minutes of action. Gone are all but one of the Tigers’ rotation players and its head coach, who was replaced by Dave Smart. The headliner of the newcomers is DePaul transfer Elijah Fisher, a double digit scorer for the Blue Demons last season. There are a handful of impactful transfers with a chance to step into lead roles, like Texas Tech transfer Lamar Washington and SMU guard Jefferson Koulibaly. There is potential on this Pacific team, something that couldn’t be said about last year’s team, but a huge step forward is unlikely.