2024-25 WCC Basketball Preview

Conference Overview

Join us for our 2024-25 WCC Basketball Preview, where we dive into an exciting conference filled with top talent and opportunities for multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament. Dating back to 2009, the conference tournament has been dominated by either Gonzaga or Saint Mary’s, two of the top teams in non-Power 5 conferences.

This season, it looks like a similar story. Saint Mary’s won last season’s tournament but were upset in the first round as a #5 seed, while Gonzaga advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before losing. However, Gonzaga will leave the conference to reform the Pac-12 in 2026. This season features two powerhouse teams alongside five others with solid depth competing for a spot in the upper half of the conference, and four teams aiming to exceed expectations.

Gonzaga returns four starters from last season and adds Arkansas transfer Khalif Battle, a proven Power 5 starter. The team’s stars are point guard Ryan Nembhard and center Graham Ike, both contenders for Player of the Year. Nolan Hickman and Ben Gregg round out the starting lineup, both of whom would be top players on almost any other team in the conference. Pepperdine transfer Michael Ajayi, who led the WCC in scoring last season, will likely come off the bench as a scoring threat.

Saint Mary’s returns last season’s WCC Player of the Year, Augustus Marciulionis, who could win the award again. Despite losing star guard Aidan Mahaney, the Gaels will rely on freshman Mikey Lewis, a top candidate for WCC Freshman of the Year. The frontcourt is strong, with last season’s Defensive Player of the Year, Mitchell Saxen, and Arizona transfer Paulius Murauskas, who could be a breakout candidate.

San Francisco lost NBA Draft pick Jonathan Mogbo but returns three key starters, including last year’s Freshman of the Year, Ryan Beasley. Marcus Williams, the point guard, will likely compete for an all-conference spot and has the talent to lead the Dons. They also added UTSA center Carlton Linguard Jr. and Vanderbilt transfer Jason Rivera-Torres, both of whom could start.

Washington State joins the conference from the Pac-12 along with Oregon State for two years before the conference reforms in 2026. Under new coach David Riley, they bring four impact players, including Cedric Coward, a potential all-conference candidate, and a strong frontcourt duo of Dane Erikstrup and Ethan Price.

Santa Clara is a strong contender for a top spot, led by Adama Alpha-Bal, and returns former player Carlos Stewart Jr. after his time at LSU. The Broncos also have a powerful frontcourt duo in Johnny O’Neil and Christoph Tilly and look to build on last season’s chemistry.

Loyola Marymount secured one of the best intra-conference transfers with Jevon Porter from Pepperdine, a capable scoring big man who will be a team leader. They also added San José State’s Myron Amey Jr., a great scorer, to their backcourt.

Oregon State enters its first season in the WCC with a group of strong scoring transfers, including Damarco Minor, a rebounding and scoring guard from SIUE. They also return Michael Rataj, who will play a key role in the frontcourt.

After a tough season with a winless conference record and an embarrassing loss in the conference tournament, Pacific returns with a completely revamped starting lineup. They’ve added a group of high-major guards with potential, including point guard Lamar Washington from Texas Tech. They also brought in a solid center in Nevada transfer Jazz Gardner and Canadian Elias Ralph, who should contribute as a shooter.

Portland returns Vukasin Masic and is likely to pair him with Elon transfer Max MacKinnon, both capable point guards. Freshman Todd Jones is expected to play a key role this season. Pepperdine was hit hard in the transfer portal, losing their top three scorers, two of whom transferred to conference rivals. However, they picked up two intra-conference transfers: Moe Odum from Pacific, who is expected to start at point guard, and Stefan Todorovic from San Francisco, who should play a key offensive role.

Lastly, San Diego returns center Steven Jamerson II but will need high-level contributions from their new backcourt, which includes a JUCO and a Division II transfer.

The central question in our 2024-25 WCC Basketball Preview is whether Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s can maintain their dominance, or if another team will emerge to challenge them for the top spot in the conference.

WCC Basketball Preview: Projected Standings

1. Gonzaga
2. Saint Mary’s
3. San Francisco
4. Washington State
5. Santa Clara
6. Loyola Marymount
7. Oregon State
8. Pacific
9. Portland
10. Pepperdine
11. San Diego

WCC Basketball Preview: Projected Award Winners

Player of the Year: Graham Ike, Gonzaga

Defensive Player of the Year: Mitchell Saxen, Saint Mary’s

Newcomer of the Year: Cedric Coward, Washington State

Freshman of the Year: Mikey Lewis, Saint Mary’s

Coach of the Year: Mark Few, Gonzaga

WCC Basketball Preview: Projected All-Conference First Team

Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga

Marcus Williams, San Francisco

Augustas Marciulionis, Saint Mary’s

Cedric Coward, Washington State

Graham Ike, Gonzaga

Gonzaga Bulldogs

Projected Starters:

PG: Ryan Nembhard (12.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 6.9 apg)

SG: Nolan Hickman (14.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.7 apg)

SF: Khalif Battle (14.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.3 apg @ Arkansas)

PF: Ben Gregg (9.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.2 apg)

C: Graham Ike (16.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 0.9 apg)

6M: Michael Ajayi (17.2 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 1.9 apg @ Pepperdine)

Loyola Marymount Lions

Projected Starters:

PG: Myron Amey, Jr. (15.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.1 apg @ San José State)

SG: Will Johnston (11.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.7 apg)

SF: Caleb Stone-Carrawell (11.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.6 apg @ Utah Valley)

PF: Alex Merkviladze (12.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.5 apg)

C: Jevon Porter (16.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.7 apg @ Pepperdine)

6M: Jan Vide (1.9 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.5 apg @ UCLA)

Oregon State Beavers

Projected Starters:

PG: Josiah Lake II (3.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.3 apg)

SG: Damarco Minor (15.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3.1 apg @ SIUE)

SF: Nate Kingz (16.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.9 apg @ JUCO Southern Idaho) 2022-2023 Stats

PF: Michael Rataj (8.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.6 apg)

C: Parsa Fallah (13.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.6 apg @ Southern Utah)

6M: Matthew Marsh (1.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.1 apg @ Wake Forest)

Pacific Tigers

Projected Starters:

PG: Lamar Washington (2.1 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.8 apg @ Texas Tech)

SG: Jefferson Koulibaly (1.6 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 0.7 apg @ SMU) 2022-2023 Stats

SF: Elijah Fisher (10.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.4 apg @ DePaul)

PF: Elias Ralph (15.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.4 apg @ Victoria (Canada))

C: Jazz Gardner (2.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.2 apg @ Nevada)

6M: Petar Krivokapic (7.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.7 apg @ FIU)

Pepperdine Waves

Projected Starters:

PG: Moe Odum (8.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.6 apg @ Pacific)

SG: Aaron Clark (0.0 ppg, 0.1 rpg, 0.1 apg @ Wake Forest)

SF: Javon Cooley (7.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 0.6 apg @ Marist)

PF: Stefan Todorovic (3.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.4 apg @ San Francisco)

C: Boubacar Coulibaly (8.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 0.5 apg)

6M: Alonso Faure (7.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.0 apg @ Loyola Maryland)

Portland Pilots

Projected Starters:

PG: Vukasin Masic (12.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.9 apg)

SG: Chris Austin (6.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.1 apg)

SF: Max MacKinnon (12.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.6 apg @ Elon)

PF: Todd Jones (FR)

C: Jermaine Ballisager Webb (7.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.4 apg @ American)

6M: Bol Dengdit (6.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.7 apg)

Saint Mary’s Gaels

Projected Starters:

PG: Augustus Marciulionis (12.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 5.3 apg)

SG: Mikey Lewis (FR)

SF: Luke Barrett (5.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.7 apg)

PF: Paulius Murauskas (2.7 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.1 apg @ Arizona)

C: Mitchell Saxen (11.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.5 apg)

6M: Jordan Ross (1.3 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.8 apg)

San Diego Toreros

Projected Starters:

PG: Kjay Bradley, Jr. (17.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.5 apg @ JUCO San Diego City)

SG: Kody Clouet (17.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.1 apg @ D2 Southeastern Oklahoma State)

SF: Dragos Lungu (5.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.0 apg)

PF: Keyon Kensie, Jr. (3.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.2 apg)

C: Steven Jamerson II (8.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.0 apg)

6M: Santiago Trouet (2.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 0.5 apg)

San Francisco Dons

Projected Starters:

PG: Marcus Williams (14.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.9 apg)

SG: Malik Thomas (12.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 0.5 apg)

SF: Jason Rivera-Torres (6.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.6 apg @ Vanderbilt)

PF: Ndewedo Newbury (9.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.7 apg)

C: Carlton Linguard, Jr. (9.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 0.8 apg @ UTSA)

6M: Ryan Beasley (7.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.6 apg)

Santa Clara Broncos

Projected Starters:

PG: Carlos Stewart, Jr. (4.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.0 apg @ LSU)

SG: Tyeree Bryan (8.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.6 apg)

SF: Adama-Alpha Bal (14.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.1 apg)

PF: Johnny O’Neil (11.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.6 apg)

C: Christoph Tilly (9.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.9 apg)

6M: Jake Ensminger (4.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.6 apg)

Washington State Cougars

Projected Starters:

PG: Nate Calmese (4.1 ppg, 0.6 rpg, 0.8 apg @ Washington)

SG: Cedric Coward (15.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.7 apg @ Eastern Washington)

SF: LeJuan Watts (9.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.7 apg @ Eastern Washington)

PF: Dane Erikstrup (10.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.6 apg @ Eastern Washington)

C: Ethan Price (12.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.2 apg @ Eastern Washington)

6M: Isaiah Watts (3.7 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 0.5 apg)

Coming Next

Thank you for reading the 2024-25 WCC Basketball Preview. This concludes all 31 of our conference preview articles. Keep up to date with us on X @collegehoopsrpt for all things college basketball! If you haven’t already, feel free to check out one of our other conference previews linked below. Thank you for reading, and we appreciate all the support!

• America East Conference Preview
• American Athletic Conference Preview
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Cover Image: Photo Credit: West Coast Conference (WCC)