West Coast Conference Overview

The San Francisco Dons have become national competitors behind the play of the best defensive player in the world, one Mr. Bill Russell.  Russell is a six nine leaping machine who can flat dominate a game even if he never scores a point.  The senior has already taken to the Dons to the verge of winning the whole kit and caboodle and has one last chance to finally get this team over the hump.  It was Coach Phil Woolpert’s job to surround the great big man with enough talent to compete with other D-1 schools and Russell will do the rest.  Yes, he is that good!  The lefty can score but he prefers doing everything else and will undoubtedly lead the country in block shots and probably rebounding. Russell is without question the most valuable player on any roster in the WCC and perhaps the entire country!  His sidekick in crime (and defense) for the last three years is guard KC Jones who complements Russell perfectly as he is one of the best perimeter defenders playing the game.  The bulky Jones uses his physicality to his advantage and at six one and a solid 200 pounds can wear down smaller men throughout the game.  A point guard, who like Russell does not need to score much, Jones knows his role on this team and especially where his bread is buttered and plays the game the way it is supposed to be played.  Woolpert has brought in some offensive studs and give this team a chance to cut down the nets in April. Foremost of these is Junior center Bill Cartwright and sophomore guard Quentin Dailey.  Cartwright is a seven-footer who excels on the blocks and complements Russell’s high post play perfectly and Dailey has every shot in his bag and is not afraid to use them.  There are more and they all play a role on without question the best team in the country not from a major conference as can be attested by their preseason # 5 overall ranking in the polls.  Unless something really strange happens along the way this Don team will win the WCC going away and will be playing late into March and perhaps even April! 

As for the rest of the league unless the Dons do stumble they are battling for second place. These teams need either some miracle season or finish in the conference tourney to get an invite to the BD but in reality are competing for a spot in the NIT!  Not very encouraging is it but there is no more dominant team in any conference in D-1 than San Francisco going into this season and that includes UCLA and Kentucky!  The next best team and the favorite to get second place are the Santa Clara Broncos.  Coach Dick Garibaldi has an experienced squad that has some talent and size and in another league might compete for a title but with a difficult schedule including potentially 6 Pac-10 teams and a Big Ten team plus BYU the Broncs will be lucky to qualify for the NIT.  A workmanlike front line that has talent headlines this squad as seniors Dennis Awtrey at center, Ken Sears at the four and Bud Ogden at the three (or vice versa on a given night). The Broncos are the second best front line in the WCC and they even have a stud off to back them up in junior fan favorite Kurt Rambis.  All four can play and Awtrey and Sears will get to play at the next level but if Santa Clara wants to move up the backcourt especially the ball handling and three point shooting must improve.  The Pilots of Portland could challenge for number two as they do have experience and some talent in the Rose City.  Seniors Ray Scott and Cincy Powell have great potential up front but must stay on the court (a problem for both) and prove they deserve a shot at the next level as after all isn’t that what they are playing for.  Junior point guard Darwin Cook is a gamer and will lead this team and senior wing Andy Johnson can play but if this team is to challenge for the post season it believe they can win. 

Pepperdine has a chance of moving up the ranks as Coach Jim Harrick and his assistant and recruiting guru Tom Asbury are not afraid to take a chance on players nobody else considers and will go to all corners of the planet to get some talent.  Juniors Marcus Leite and Bird Averitt highlight this and are the leaders of this team.  Leite is a terrific post player who hails from Brazil and goes 6’10 235 and has a terrific low-post game.  Averitt is a terrific scorer who came from the foreign land of Kentucky which to Malibu really is about as foreign as it gets! 

The Waves could surprise if this diverse team blends and you know these progressive coaches are going to find some more talent combing the beaches of Malibu and the world for that matter.  You never know where you are going to find the next stud, heck it even could be some fork lift drive from Compton! The rest of the pack have a long way to go but all four of these teams have hope for the future.  The Gonzaga Bulldogs are a small school from Spokane but surprised with a nice tourney run last year before the mighty Dons ended their season.  Sophomore point guard John Stockton is a fiery and tough competitor who also has all of the skills you need to run a team.  He is their future but new coach Mark Few will surround him and senior scorer Frank Burgess with hungry new talent that promises to entertain and if they gets a few big guys could compete.

 Loyola of Marymount and former pro coach Paul Westhead will for sure entertain as he promises an upscale attack that will score in bunches.  He has beat the bushes of the LA area and his hometown of Philly and might have a few hidden gems here and the Lions’ cupboard is not completely bare.  Another new Coach in Randy Bennett of St. Mary’s has a beast of a big man to build around in senior Tom Meschery but not much else.  Bennett led a team of high schoolers down under for a tournament and has come back up with some Aussie talent as he knows that the basketball world is much larger than the US and these kids from overseas know how to play the modern game with their three-point shot and their Euro steps.  San Diego is picked last but the Toreros have some experience including junior guard Stan Washington who can play with anyone in this league and possibly beyond.  This six four point guard has a complete game and if he gets some help especially down low where this team struggles the Toreros could jump up the ranks a little.  A league title is out of reach however as it for the other teams not from San Francisco as the Dons will dominate the WCC once again.