Tag: WCC Basketball

Gonzaga and UCLA finalize two-year scheduling agreement

Gonzaga and UCLA will square off at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles in December and again in 2025 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs and UCLA Bruins will continue what has been among the best non-conference rivalries in college basketball for at least the next two seasons, agreeing to a pair of matchups starting in the 2024-25 season.

The Zags will face UCLA at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on December 28, before meeting in Seattle at Climate Pledge Arena on December 13, 2025.

It will be the tenth and eleventh all time meetings between these two powerhouse programs. Gonzaga has won seven of the last nine, including four in a row – although three of the games have been decided by less than 10 points. Last year Gonzaga held off UCLA in the fifth place game of the Maui Invitational behind 32 points from Anton Watson.

Prior to that, Julian Strawther hit a three pointer with 7.2 seconds left to send UCLA packing in the 2023 Sweet 16, and before that Jalen Suggs hit a half-court buzzer beater in the 2021 Final Four – propelling the Zags to the national championship game which they lost to Baylor.

This year’s event has been named the West Coast Hoops Showdown, and will be the first college basketball game played at the Intuit Dome, which will be the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers when it opens this August.

Drew Timme continues to prove he deserves a shot on an NBA roster

Former Gonzaga big man Drew Timme dropped 19 points for the Sacramento Kings in NBA Summer League, could he make his debut this season?

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are producing NBA talent on a consistent basis. The Zags have seen at least one player selected in each of the past four NBA drafts and currently boast more players in the league than every college basketball program not named Kentucky, Duke, Michigan, UCLA, Arkansas, and Kansas.

However, the program’s all-time leading scorer, Drew Timme, is not among them. Timme had an unbelievably prolific career in Spokane, earning consensus All-American honors three times, twice winning WCC Player of the Year, along with two NCAA All-Region nods, an All-Tournament nod, and WCC Tournament MVP.

Despite the accolades, the 6’10 big man went undrafted in 2023 and landed with the Milwaukee Bucks, spending his first professional season with the Wisconsin Herd in the G-League – where he averaged 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds in 25 games before suffering a foot injury.

Timme is back healthy and playing in the Summer League with the Sacramento Kings, and he put together a vintage performance on Monday in Las Vegas – dropping 19 points on 8-12 shooting with five rebounds and four assists.

Praise poured in for the big man, including on the broadcast when former NBA coach P.J Carlesimo discussed why he believes Timme fits in the modern NBA.

“Drew Timme’s not a good basketball player, he’s an excellent basketball player,” Carlesimo said. “That’s one of the reasons right there, the way he can pass the ball and it’s become so important for so many teams. You don’t have to be Nikola Jokic, but we showed those guys before, Vlade Divac up on the elbow making the passes. Drew Timme does a lot of things well. It’s hard for me to imagine there’s not a place somewhere among the 30 teams for this young guy.”

Timme’s improved passing gives him more offensive versatility than just being a back-to-the-basket low post scorer – a role that is very out of style in the current NBA. His ability to operate in the high post, set screens, make good reads with the basketball, and hit open cutters will translate at the next level, even if he has yet to prove he can consistently hit shots from the three point line.

Timme’s main issue is on defense, where his lateral mobility and vertical athleticism are subpar – enough so that he is a liability as a switch defender and underwhelming even in drop coverage.

Still, the offensive bag is enough for him to merit serious consideration for any NBA team in need of more frontcourt depth, and if he keeps putting together highly efficient performances in Summer League he should land a two-way contract or at least an invitation to training camp ahead of the upcoming NBA campaign.

Grand Canyon and SeattleU accept invites to WCC starting in 2025

The West Coast Conference will add Grand Canyon and SeattleU as full time members starting in the 2025-26 season.

The West Coast Conference approved the addition of both Grand Canyon University and Seattle University as members, with both schools accepting the invitation on Friday.

The two programs will become the 10th and 11th full-time members of the conference starting on July 1, 2025.

“We are thrilled to welcome two institutions of higher education that each will make significant contributions to the future of the West Coast Conference,” Gonzaga University President and Chair of the WCC Presidents’ Council Dr. Thayne McCulloh said. “While each university has a unique and distinctive character, both are deeply invested in the welfare of their students and surrounding communities, are making significant investments in their athletics programs and facilities, and will enhance the competitive profile of the West Coast Conference.”

The WCC previously added Oregon State and Washington State as partial members on a temporary basis while the two programs search for a new home following the dismantling of the Pac-12.

Now the conference strikes again, adding a Grand Canyon program coached by Bryce Drew who has made the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four years, advancing for the first time last year after beating new conference opponent Saint Mary’s.

SeattleU has won 20 or more games in three straight seasons as well, and with new facilities and a promising young coach in Chris Victor it was time for the WCC to cash in and improve the conference’s long term stability in case Gonzaga’s pursuit of a power conference comes to fruition.

Pepperdine star Houston Mallette among first big transfer portal targets

Pepperdine guard Houston Mallette has reportedly entered the NCAA transfer portal, among the first college basketball stars to do so.

One day after it was announced the Pepperdine Waves were firing longtime head coach Lorenzo Romar, star junior guard Houston Mallette reportedly entered the NCAA transfer portal to look for a new school to play out his final year of college basketball eligibility.

Mallette is one of many outstanding players to have played for Romar at Pepperdine – although the influx of talent did nothing to help the Waves in the win column: an unfortunate trend that followed Romar his entire career particularly while as the head coach of the Washington Huskies.

Mallette just wrapped the best season of his career in 2023-24, averaging a career-high 14.7 points along with 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting a blistering hot 41.5% from beyond the arc.

Mallette’s former teammate, Mike Mitchell Jr, transferred last offseason to Minnesota where he averaged 10.6 points and 2.7 assists while shooting an even 40% from three, so certainly a handful of Power-6 programs will take a look at Mallette and his sharp shooting ways this offseason.

Mallette initially committed to Penn State in 2020 before decommitting and enrolling at Pepperdine, and the 6’5 guard from Newport Beach also had interest from Washington State, James Madison, and Santa Barbara out of high school.

Additionally, programs like Washington, USC, San Diego State, and Colorado who are expected to lose multiple backcourt players after this season could show interest as well.

Gonzaga’s win at San Francisco protected 25 year streak of making NCAA Tournament

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs likely stamped an at-large bid in the 2024 NCAA Tournament with a win over San Francisco on Thursday.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs entered the final week of February and the start of March in unfamiliar territory: on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

They knew they needed at least one win in the final week of the WCC regular season, but road games against San Francisco and St. Mary’s looked daunting.

So far, so good for the Zags however, as Mark Few’s team took their first lead of the game with under a minute to go in the first half and never once looked back – destroying the Dons in the first seven minutes of the second half and coasting to an 18 point victory.

Graham Ike was outstanding, potentially locking up the WCC Player of the Year award by posting 26 points on 9-12 shooting, along with seven rebounds and two blocks and a perfect 8-8 performance at the free throw line.

Gonzaga moves to 23-6 overall and 13-2 in WCC play, cementing themselves as the No. 2 seed heading into the conference tournament which gives them a double-bye. They are now 2-5 in Quad 1 games, a still unremarkable record but one that comes with being No. 19 in the NET and No. 17 at KenPom.

With only one regular season game remaining, on the road against the No. 17 ranked Gaels of St. Mary’s, the Zags have positioned themselves to earn a bid in the Big Dance regardless of how things play out on Saturday and next week in Vegas.

Of course, Gonzaga would like nothing more than to avenge a two point loss at home and spoil St. Mary’s perfect regular season record – and a win in Moraga gives the Zags even more wiggle room and could lead them to as high as a six or seven seed if they win out and take the WCC autobid.

Gonzaga has not missed the NCAA Tournament since 1998, the third longest current streak, and Thursday’s second half against the Dons likely insured that streak won’t end in 2024.

Ben Gregg lifts Gonzaga over Pilots in homecoming for Portland native

Gonzaga forward Ben Gregg had a huge first half to lead the Bulldogs over the Portland Pilots in college basketball Thursday night action.

Growing up a Gonzaga fan while living in the Portland area, Ben Gregg was already plenty familiar with the Chiles Center from his many trips to see the Zags play the Pilots when he was a kid.

Now the junior forward is making his presence felt on the floor, instead of on the sidelines, after dropping 13 points and four rebounds – most coming in the first half – in an 86-65 win for Gonzaga on Thursday evening.

It is the fifth straight win for the Zags and gives them a 21-6 record ahead of a huge trio of remaining conference games: first at home against Santa Clara on Saturday followed by a Bay Area road trip to face San Francisco at the Chase Center and then a huge game in Moraga against the St. Mary’s Gaels, the nation’s only undefeated team in conference play.

Gonzaga got off to a pedestrian start this season, with a trio of new starters including freshman Dusty Stromer, who filled in when presumed starter Steele Venters tore his ACL just two days before the team’s opener.

However, Mark Few’s club has gotten back on track in large part because of Gregg, who replaced Stromer in the starting lineup on January 18 – a stretch in which the team’s offensive efficiency and rebounding dramatically improved.

Gregg is averaging 10.1 points and 6.9 rebounds since entering the starting lineup, and Thursday was just another example of how impactful he is – now that he’s the one on the court wearing the uniform, instead of sitting in the crowd.

WCC to add Oregon State and Washington State in basketball for next two years

The WCC is expected to vote to confirm Oregon State and Washington State as affiliate members for the next two seasons, giving Gonzaga a regional rivalry with the Cougars.

The expectation has long been that Oregon State and Washington State, the two remaining Pac-12 programs, would merge with the Mountain West Conference in all sports. After all, the two sides already reached a scheduling agreement for football, and line up as logical geographic and athletic partners in most sports.

However, reported logistical and ongoing legal concerns made a move difficult, and instead the two programs will reportedly join the West Coast Conference as affiliate members – playing a conference schedule in all sports except football and baseball – for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons, according to Matt Norlander of CBS.

League presidents and athletic directors are expected to vote and approve the measure on Thursday morning. This move will bring the WCC from nine schools to 11, helping alleviate the recent loss of BYU and bringing more brand recognition and scheduling appeal to the conference while they attempt to hold on to powerhouse basketball program Gonzaga, who have been in realignment rumors with the Big 12 for nearly a year now.

This move creates a regional rivalry between Gonzaga and Washington State, located 75 miles from each other in Eastern Washington, and while neither WSU or OSU are particularly elite at men’s basketball they add to the depth of the conference.

The addition of the Cougars and Beavers will inflate the league’s basketball schedule to 18 or 20, according to Norlander, and tweaks to the WCC Tournament format are likely coming as well – while financial payouts for NCAA Tournament units have not been disclosed.