WCC Men’s Basketball 2008-2009 Season Preview

Raymond Ayala / Sports Editor / The USD Vista

Number 1: Gonzaga
Strengths: Gonzaga has been the king of the college mid-majors for almost a decade now and it does not appear as if anything will change in the years to come.

Weaknesses: Gonzaga had some early bad news this year, as sophomore forward Austin Daye went down with a knee injury. Losing Daye would hurt Gonzaga tremendously, as he is their most skilled player and a potential first-round draft pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. According to head coach Few, Daye is still taking it easy on the court.

Preview: This season, the Gonzaga Bulldogs play one of the most challenging schedules in the entire country; they will play Oklahoma State, Maryland, Arizona, UConn, Tennessee and Memphis. Though Gonzaga may not win as many non-conference games as in previous seasons, they will once again be able to dominate the bottom half of the WCC. Gonzaga should be a lock to make the NCAA Tournament this year, regardless of whether they get upset for the conference crown.

Number 2: St. Mary’s
Strengths: Last year, an underdog Saint Mary’s team beat Oregon and officially put themselves on the national radar. The Gaels possess one of the top point guards in college basketball, Patty Mills, who is returning for his sophomore year.

Preview: St. Mary’s will play a tough tournament in Anaheim to begin their non-conference schedule and then later play Kent State, San Diego State, Oregon and Southern Illinois, all in a two-week span. St. Mary’s is a solid team and returns many players from their NCAA tournament team last year, but they are going to have to win the big games in the conference this year in order for them to have success. Saint Mary’s most likely will appear hungry for a win in the NCAA tournament in March.

Number 3: San Diego
Strengths: This Toreros squad is unlike any other in the school’s history. The Toreros have every player returning from their 2007-2008 season in which they finished as the WCC champions and held a 22-14 overall record. Starting point guard Brandon Johnson will be the catalyst of the USD offense this season. Head coach Bill Grier had no problem praising the WCC talent level at the point guard position: “Brandon was MVP of the conference tournament and he is definitely one of the many good point guards that our conference has.” The Toreros will also be relying on senior forward Gyno Pomare and junior guard De’Jon Jackson to help Johnson. Pomare was on fire in the NCAA Tournament and Jackson emerged as a clutch shooter in the game against UConn. The Toreros round out their starting lineup with two sophomores, Trumaine Johnson and Rob Jones, to solidify what is considered to be one of the most experienced lineups in the NCAA.

Preview: The schedule this year for the Toreros includes a couple of tough games. They open up their season at UNLV, then play Nevada at home in a tough stretch of games that concludes with the Paradise Jam Tournament. The schedule will also include games against San Diego State, Oregon and a bracket buster game where the opponent is chosen in the middle of the season. The Toreros have a long road ahead of them and if the team can find the ability to be consistent and string together a group of big wins, they may be dancing again in March, regardless of whether they win the WCC tournament or not. Go Toreros!

Number 4: Santa Clara
Strengths: The Broncos are improved this year and will be led by a WCC Preseason All-Conference Player, John Bryant. Earlier this year, the Santa Clara star was stabbed in an off-campus incident, but according to head coach Kerry Keating, he is getting better. This has to be a sigh of relief to Santa Clara fans, as Bryant is expected to be their main contributor.

Preview: The Broncos schedule is not very challenging, but it does include games against UNLV and UAB, with a shot at playing Arizona later on in the tournament. Keating was a bit surprised to find out his team was picked to finish fourth in the WCC: “It shows that they [WCC] have respect for our team by ranking us fourth in the conference.” Santa Clara’s easy non-conference schedule will make them look better than they actually are. Santa Clara will probably have some success in the non-conference season, but when the WCC games approach, their inexperience at the point guard position will lead to another average season.

Number 5: San Francisco
Strengths: The San Francisco Dons are a team that always seems to find its way to the middle of the pack in this conference. USF hired Rex Walters as their new head coach last year and inherited one of the conferences top players, junior forward Dior Lowhorn. Walters was happy to talk about his star player: “Dior is really talented. He is committed from a defensive standpoint. All he needs to do is take advantage of his teammates.”

Preview: Though USF has a relatively easy non-conference schedule, they will not be able to keep up with the likes of Cal, USC and Boston College. The Dons are an improving squad with a young and talented head coach, but their lack of discipline in play will lead to their demise once again this upcoming season.

Number 6: Portland
Strengths: Head coach Eric Reveno thinks the Portland Pilots are showing signs of improvement and he expects a lot out of his players this season: “We want to see results. I’m extremely excited about our returning players.” According to Reveno, the Pilots are going to rely heavily on sophomore forward Luke Sikma: “[he] is going to be key for us this season.”

Weaknesses: The Portland Pilots have recently gained the unfavorable reputation for consistently finishing near the bottom of the WCC. The Pilots completed their previous season in seventh place and were eliminated in the first round of the WCC tournament.

Preview: The Pilots have a tough non-conference schedule this year with games against Washington, Nevada, BYU and Oregon. They will also have to rely on junior guard Nic Ravio and junior forward Robin Smeulders for reliable offensive production. Both players return to the team after they led the team in points per game last season. If Portland plans on being a respected opponent in the WCC this year, they need to improve their defense and be smarter on offense.

Number 7: Loyola Marymount
Strengths: Loyola Marymount, in a move to revamp the program, hired a head coach with East Coast roots and NBA experience, Bill Bayno. He inherits a young team and is excited to see the men in action: “They are going to take some lumps, but I am looking forward to helping them grow.”

Weaknesses: Bayno brought two former four-star recruits with him to LMU, but both Drew Viney from Oregon and Larry Davis from Seton Hall are ineligible this season due to NCAA rules that require transfer players to sit out a season.

Preview: LMU faces several tough opponents including Arizona, UCLA and Notre Dame, but should improve on their 2007-2008 record of 5-26. Still, it looks like another season without a post-season appearance for the Lions.

Number 8: Pepperdine
Strengths: After head coach Vance Walberg quit in the middle of last season, Pepperdine replaced Walberg with one of the winningest coaches in its history, Tom Asbury. He inherits a team with talent that includes six freshmen, three sophomores and three seniors. Asbury emphasized the fact that the team is inexperienced: “We are going to be extremely young, but we are going to build this thing the right way.”

Preview: Pepperdine will face a significant challenge when playing against difficult teams such as Arizona, USC and Georgia Tech. In all likelihood, they will be too young to make any significant noise in the WCC this season and can use this year as a solid foundation for a run at the conference title in years to come. Although the Pepperdine Waves are improving, the team lacks the sufficient experience needed for success and will most likely have a disappointing finish.