This article is part of our Conference Preview series.
In a just world, Gonzaga would be playing against Pac-12 competition year after year. The Zags have dominated the WCC for long enough that they deserve a promotion. What if we swapped places with Washington State? The Cougars would probably find more success in the WCC than they ever have in their current conference. Everybody wins! Especially people like me who'd like to see Gonzaga play Arizona, Oregon and UCLA twice a year. Sadly, these things don't just happen.
That is not to say that the Bulldogs will waltz their way to the WCC regular season or tournament championship. BYU will take St. Mary's place as the main contender. These Cougars welcome back forward Yoeli Childs and guard TJ Haws as well as Nick Emery, who left school in November. BYU is talented and experienced, but it has to do something exceptional to keep Gonzaga from winning its seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament autobid.
Center: Aaron Menzies, St. Mary's Gaels
Center was once a position of strength for the WCC with players such as Jock Landale, Przemek Karnowski, Zach Collins and Brad Waldow manning the post in recent years. There are no standout candidates in 2018-19, but the 7-3 Menzies could be a player to watch. He has spent the last three seasons at Seattle and provided 11.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks for the Redhawks last year. The Gaels under coach Randy Bennett have generally fed the post a great deal, so Menzies as a senior should be able
In a just world, Gonzaga would be playing against Pac-12 competition year after year. The Zags have dominated the WCC for long enough that they deserve a promotion. What if we swapped places with Washington State? The Cougars would probably find more success in the WCC than they ever have in their current conference. Everybody wins! Especially people like me who'd like to see Gonzaga play Arizona, Oregon and UCLA twice a year. Sadly, these things don't just happen.
That is not to say that the Bulldogs will waltz their way to the WCC regular season or tournament championship. BYU will take St. Mary's place as the main contender. These Cougars welcome back forward Yoeli Childs and guard TJ Haws as well as Nick Emery, who left school in November. BYU is talented and experienced, but it has to do something exceptional to keep Gonzaga from winning its seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament autobid.
Center: Aaron Menzies, St. Mary's Gaels
Center was once a position of strength for the WCC with players such as Jock Landale, Przemek Karnowski, Zach Collins and Brad Waldow manning the post in recent years. There are no standout candidates in 2018-19, but the 7-3 Menzies could be a player to watch. He has spent the last three seasons at Seattle and provided 11.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks for the Redhawks last year. The Gaels under coach Randy Bennett have generally fed the post a great deal, so Menzies as a senior should be able to use his size in the paint for easy buckets. Perhaps he can put up numbers similar to last year, which would make him one of the better centers again in college basketball.
Also Considered: Jimbo Lull, San Francisco; Matt McCarthy, San Francisco; Jacob Larsen, Gonzaga
Freshman: Trey Wertz, Santa Clara Broncos
The Broncos bounced back from a three-win non-conference slate to win eight games against WCC competition last year. They return three of their top four scorers and could get a nice bump from the 6-foot-5 Wertz. The guard should fill a lot of roles for coach Herb Sendek. He will take some pressure off KJ Feagin by being a secondary ball handler and has the ability to score in bunches. As a high school senior, Wertz provided 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists for Providence Day School in Charlotte, N.C. Wertz's length should also help on defense since the Broncos will likely start a pair of 6-1 guards (Feagin, Matt Hauser).
Also Considered: Kristers Zoriks, St. Mary's; Filip Petrusev, Gonzaga; Kessler Edwards, Pepperdine; Connor Harding, BYU Cougars
Scoring: James Batemon, Loyola Marymount Lions
It wasn't Batemon's fault the Lions won just five games in the WCC last season. The 6-1 junior college transfer provided 17.8 points, 4.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds for the Lions. He swished 39.1 percent of his 3-pointers, but will need a little more help for LMU to have its first winning season in conference since 2011-12. Batemon scored in double digits in 13 of his last 14 games and put up a season-high 30 points in the Jan. 13 loss to San Diego. The guard and forward Eli Scott should give the Lions a solid nucleus for coach Mike Dunlap to have his best season in his five years in Los Angeles.
Also Considered: Yoeli Childs, BYU; Nick Emery, BYU; KJ Feagin, Santa Clara; Isaiah Pineiro, San Diego
Rebounding: Yoeli Childs, BYU Cougars
As a sophomore, Childs continued to do fine board work, and he added top notch scoring. The 6-8 junior gave the previously perimeter-oriented Cougars a big body in the paint to grab misses and convert around the goal. He averaged 17.8 points and 8.6 rebounds with 2.2 assists and 1.8 blocks. If he continues to progress, Childs could be a leading candidate for WCC Player of the Year. That candidacy would be burnished if the forward can lead BYU past Gonzaga. The Zags beat the Cougars three times last season, but Childs averaged 17.6 points and 8.0 rebounds in the losses. Haws and Emery should loosen opposing defenses so that Childs can work one-on-one in the post.
Also Considered: Eli Scott, Loyola Marymount; Aaron Menzies, St. Mary's; Isaiah Pineiro, San Diego; Tahirou Diabate, Portland; Jahlil Tripp, Pacific
Assists: Isaiah Wright, San Diego Toreros
In his first year with the Toreros after transferring from Utah, Wright showed that he could handle a starting role. He was a reserve for two years with the Utes, but the 6-2 guard provided 13.4 points, 5.3 assists and 4.9 rebounds as San Diego went .500 in the WCC. Wright tallied four double-digit assist games and fell one rebound shy of a triple-double in the November win over Grand Canyon. He was also solid from the perimeter and knocked down 39.3 percent of his 3-pointers. Wright and fellow Isaiah, forward Pineiro (15.7 points, 6.2 rebounds), should lead San Diego back to the upper half of the WCC.
Also Considered: Josh Perkins, Gonzaga; Colbey Ross, Pepperdine; James Batemon, Loyola Marymount; T.J. Haws, BYU
Sleepers
Charles Minlend, San Francisco Dons
The Dons should have one of the better backcourts in the conference. The team returns Frankie Ferrari (11.4 points, 4.6 assists) and Jordan Ratinho (10.7 points, 41.5 percent on 3-pointers), but they also get the 6-4 Minlend back after he missed last season with a shoulder injury. Minlend contributed 10.0 points and hit 37.0 percent of his 3-pointers as a freshman in 2016-17. He opened his USF career by scoring in double digits in 10 of his first 14 games, including a 20-point game in a win over San Diego in his WCC debut. Conference play, and possibly the shoulder injury, caused his production to dip, but he should give the Dons a third threat from the perimeter.
Theo Akwuba, Portland Pilots
We go into the deep sleeper category for Akwuba, a freshman center for Portland. While coach Terry Porter may concentrate on getting the most out of his sons, Franklin and Malcolm, he may have a hard time looking past the 6-10 Akwuba, who averaged a triple-double as a high school senior at the Brewbaker Technical Magnet School in Montgomery, Ala. He averaged 11.7 points, 14.1 rebounds and 10.4 blocks. The Pilots are looking to replace Philiipp Hartwich, who led the team with 2.3 blocks. Tahirou Diabate could get the starting nod at the beginning of the season, but Akwuba might get minutes as a rim protector.
Also Considered: Erik Johansson, Loyola Marymount; Jade' Smith, Pepperdine; Khy Kabellis; Pacific; Ryan Andrus, BYU
Top 10
1. Yoeli Childs, F, BYU
2. James Batemon, G, Loyola Marymount
3. Killian Tillie, F, Gonzaga
4. Isaiah Wright, G, San Diego
5. TJ Haws, G, BYU
6. KJ Feagin, Santa Clara
7. Rui Hachimura, G/F, Gonzaga
8. Colbey Ross, G, Pepperdine
9. Isaiah Pineiro, F, San Diego
10. Aaron Menzies, C, St. Mary's
