By CURRAN McCAULEY
As we reach the homestretch of the West Coast Conference men’s basketball season, teams are separating from the back with Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s trading Jabs at the top of the standings. At the same time, the best players in the league are jockeying for position in the All-WCC awards picture. Here is a look at the current Top 10 players in the league.
1. Kyle Wiltjer – Sr. Forward – Gonzaga
Hard to argue with this one, as Wiltjer has been putting up big numbers despite a bit of a down year for the Bulldogs. Wiltjer is averaging a conference-leading 21.1 points per game and is pulling down 6.5 rebounds a contest. His three-point output is down from last season (.420 from .466), but rebounds are up, as are minutes per contest. Wiltjer was named to the John R. Wooden Late Season Top 20 list on Wednesday, no small feat for the transfer from Kentucky.
2. Domantas Sabonis – So. Forward – Gonzaga
Wiltjer’s partner in the front court has helped pick up a lot of the slack in the wake of Przemek Karnowski’s season ending injury. Sabonis has been a rock for the ‘Zags, averaging a double-double (17.5 ppg and 11.7 rpg). Most recently, Sabonis put up 17 points and 11 boards against Portland in a big win, and then had a 20-point, 16-rebound performance in a non-conference loss at BYU. Big numbers seem to follow the guy, and expect more of the same as Gonzaga looks to use a relatively under-the-radar position to its advantage entering March.
3. Kyle Collinsworth – Sr. Guard – BYU
Collinsworth has proved his mettle among the best to ever suit up for the Cougars. As the all-time leader in rebounds for the program, Collinsworth has averaged 15 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per contest and 7.4 assists per game. Wiltjer has tallied four triple doubles this season, extending his chokehold on the all-time career record with 10th. Look for Collinsworth to be in serious discussion for WCC player of the year honors, in what could be more of a “lifetime achievement” type of designation.
4. Emmett Naar – So. Guard – Saint Mary’s – Naar has been a major breakout star for the Gaels, leading the WCC in 3-point percentage for most of the year while also hovering near the top of the charts in steals, assists and assist-turnover ratio, making his case as the most efficient player in the conference. While he might not have the eye popping stat lines of Sabonis or Collinsworth, Naar simply is part of what makes Saint Mary’s so tough to beat. He seems to be a lock for All-WCC first team with an outside chance of Player of the Year consideration.
5. Lamond Murray Jr – Jr. Guard/Forward – Pepperdine – Pepperdine was supposed to live and die with Stacy Davis this season, and Davis has been extremely solid all year, but it seems as if Lamond Murray Jr. is the new catalyst in Malibu, averaging 15.7 points per game for a squad that has been in fourth place most of the season. Murray Jr is another guy with an outside chance at POTY consideration, especially if Pepperdine can make a late run towards March glory.
6. Jared Brownridge – Jr. Guard- Santa Clara – Brownridge is a guy that is starting to get national attention because of his prolific, often ridiculous, scoring output. The 2014 newcomer of the year in the WCC is third only to Wiltjer and USF’s Devin Watson with 19.7 points per game and is prone to large outbursts such as a 38 point night at Portland, a 36 point game at Pacific and in perhaps the game that established much of his legend, a 44 point night in a near-miss of an upset against Arizona at the Wooden Legacy in Fullerton, Calif.
7. Stacy Davis – Sr. Guard – Pepperdine – I couldn’t let Stacy Davis fall too far down the list. Davis is one of those guys that you forget about during a game sometime. He is the type of player where you say “He’s having a bit of an off-night” and then you look up at the hustle board and he’s got a double-double. I know firsthand, as it happened to me Saturday night in Stockton. Davis, averaging 14.8 and 8.7, is well on his way to the Pepperdine history books, and will wrap up a monumental four years by the beach by returning his team to postseason play at some level.
8. Kyle Davis – Jr. Forward – BYU – Davis, the Utah State transfer, has been the second biggest overall threat for the Cougars, and although he hasn’t been as prolific as he was earlier in the season, he’s still averaging 8.6 rebounds per game and 12.9 points a contest, proving that he can be the perfect interior complement to the perimeter shooters such as Nick Emery and Chase Fischer.
9. Devin Watson – So. Guard – San Francisco – Watson has been amongst the top scorers in the WCC all season, pouring them in at a rate that matches Brownridge and WIltjer. He’s put up huge games at home against Gonzaga and BYU and has scored in double figures in all but one contest this season. For a young San Francisco team to be competing at the level they are this season is a testament to Watson’s play at guard thus far.
10. Jito Kok – Sr. Center – San Diego – At the 10th spot, I want to showcase the blocking prowess of San Diego’s Jito Kok. Kok sits at 20th in the nation in blocks and holds all of USD’s career records in the category. A Dutch Citizen, Kok sits at 254 blocks, with the WCC career record of 279 looming. An interesting subplot to watch for a Toreros team likely headed for an early offseason.
Also Considered: Bryce Pressley, Nick Emery, Chase Fischer, T.J. Wallace, Alec Kobre, Alec Wintering, Adom Jocko, Joe Rahon, Dane Pineau, Ray Bowles, Kyle Dranginis, Bryce Pressley.
It’s too bad santa clara isn’t very good. Brownridge is easily the most dominant player in the conference and will get drafted in the 2017 but will never beat guys like Wiltjer or Naar based on team performance
Yes, it does seem like WCC Player of the Year does often factor in things such as team performance. It will be interesting to see if Santa Clara can knock off a couple of teams in the WCC tournament. They have the ability to play with anyone on any given night – especially if Brownridge heats up. Brownridge has the ability to light up the scoreboard like no other.