Greg Wrubell's All-WCC Selections


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The West Coast Conference will tomorrow announce its annual all-league honors, as selected by the the conference's ten head coaches. Although I do not have a vote that counts, this article details how my ballot would have looked.

The WCC implements a 10-player First Team and five-player Second Team format; an All-Freshman Team is also named. The league recognizes a Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year (freshman or transfer), Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year.

(Note: in the WCC, the only votes are cast by coaches, and none of the coaches may vote for members of their own team. Statistics considered/referenced are for conference games only; only those stats are considered in the balloting)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga: Kyle Wiltjer arguably got most of the national attention among Gonzaga players, and may be the Zags' Player of the Year nominee after an excellent season, but I thought Sabonis had an equally notable impact for the conference co-champions. In choosing between Sabonis and the equally worthy Kyle Collinsworth for Player of the Year honors, I leaned toward a member of the league's title team.

Sabonis finished 8th in scoring at 17.1 points per game, and led the WCC in rebounding by a wide margin, at 12.3 boards per game. The rebounding gap between Sabonis and the second-best rebounder was roughly equal to the gap between second place and ninth place. He was 4th in the WCC in FG%, and 7th in blocked shots. He recorded 13 double-doubles in 18 league games.

His foul trouble against BYU in Spokane was a key factor in the Cougars' road win over the Zags--a game in which Wiltjer scored a season-high 35 points. In Gonzaga's return visit to the Marriott Center, with BYU rallying down the stretch, Sabonis had a two-minute sequence in which he made three consecutive jump shots, blocked a shot and grabbed a rebound, helping to keep the Cougars at bay.

Sabonis finished the Zags' conference championship-clinching game in Provo with 15 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal.

A 6-foot, 11 inch sophomore with excellent footwork, soft hands and a nice touch, Sabonis is a projected 1st-round pick should he choose to leave Gonzaga after this season for the NBA Draft.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Kyle Collinsworth, BYU: An all-around impact player with bona-fide Player of the Year credentials, Collinsworth is able to guard backcourt and frontcourt positions. He led the WCC in steals for the second time in three seasons, and finished 3rd in rebounding/defensive rebounds per game, from his point guard spot. He helped BYU led the league in defensive efficiency during conference play.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Nick Emery, BYU: The league's highest-scoring freshman (16.2 ppg) was an every-game starter for Dave Rose's 13-5 Cougars. He scored in double-figures in 15 of 18 conference games, and after a 68-point weekend at San Francisco/Santa Clara was named the WCC Player of the Week--the only freshman to earn that honor this season.

BYU's freshman record-setter for three-pointers made (79 and counting), Emery finished 4th in the league in three-pointers made, and was 3rd in steals per game. He finished 10th in free-throw percentage

Emery will surely split votes with LMU's Adom Jacko, who as a junior-college transfer sparked the Lions before late-season back injury forced him to miss the final four games of his conference campaign.

In 14 games, Jacko's scoring average ranked 6th, while he finished 7th in rebounding, 3rd in field-goal percentage and 6th in blocked shots.

In games against BYU, Jacko was a force of nature at times, repeatedly rocking the rim. He'll get some preseason all-conference attention next season.

Saint Mary's guard Joe Rahon could also receive consideration in this category.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Randy Bennett, Saint Mary's: Working with an entirely new starting five, Bennett led his Gaels to a shared league championship--the team's first title since their outright crown in 2011-12.

One of the top shooting and three-point teams in the country, the Gaels employed a typically methodical pace with deadly precision. Saint Mary's is ranked in the top 25 in offensive efficiency, while ranking 1st overall in effective field-goal percentage.

Bennett's Australian pipeline continues to pay off, and will for seasons to come, as six Aussies are among an entirely non-senior roster. A seventh down-under player joins the program next season.

ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM (listed alphabetically)

Jared Brownridge, Santa Clara: 2nd in scoring (21.3 ppg), 5th in FT% (84.0), 1st in 3PFGM/game (3.2), 11th in 3PFG% (41.6), 3rd in minutes played (35.6 mpg). Among the most dangerous shooters and scorers in the WCC, he set season highs in conference play with 14 field goals made and 38 points in a win at Portland. In a win at Pacific, he made eight three-pointers, second only to Nick Emery's ten-triple performance at San Francisco. He scored in double figures in all 18 league games, and scored 20 points or more in nine of them.

Kyle Collinsworth, BYU: 13th in scoring (15.6 ppg), 3rd in rebounding (8.2 rpg), 1st in assists (7.6 apg), 1st in steals (2.0 spg), 6th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4). Scored in double figures in 16 of 18 conference games, with three triple-doubles and three additional double-doubles in league play. Has surpassed 1,600 points, 1,000 rebounds, 600 assists and 200 steals for his career--the only Div. I player ever with that particular portfolio. One-of-a-kind contributor for the Cougars.

Stacy Davis, Pepperdine: 12th in scoring (15.9 ppg), 2nd in rebounding (9.2 rpg), 10th in FG% (48.1), 9th in FT% (80.7). Pepperdine's career leading scorer, Davis has been an all-league-caliber player almost from the moment he stepped on campus in Malibu. A big body with a face-up game to go with his post-up play, Davis helped Pepperdine to upper-tier status in the WCC in each of the last three seasons.

Tim Derksen, San Francisco: 9th in scoring (16.8 ppg), 4th in rebounding (7.4 rpg), 13th in FG% (47.1), 6th in 3PFG% (45.6), 12th in 3PFGM/game (1.7), 3rd in offensive rebounding (2.6 orpg). A hard-nosed grinder with a knack around the rim, Derksen is one of my favorite WCC players. Has been a steadying force for a Dons program accustomed to a significant amount of annual turnover.

Chase Fischer, BYU: 5th in scoring (18.7 ppg), 3rd in FT% (84.9), 11th in steals (1.1 spg), 3rd in 3PFGM/game, 5th in minutes played (35.2 mpg). Fischer scored in double figures in 17 of 18 conference games, and made multiple threes in 16 of 18 league contests. A thousand-point scorer in only two seasons of play at BYU (1,010 points and counting), he is the only league player with 90-plus made threes in all games and is on pace to be the only player in BYU history with 100 or more three-pointers in multiple seasons.

Emmett Naar, St. Mary's: 16th in scoring (13.5 ppg), 2nd in assists (6.0 apg), 7th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4), 11th in steals (1.1 spg), 4th in FT% (84.6), 1st in minutes played. His outstanding non-conference three-point percentage dipped a bit in league play, but Naar was the leading scorer on a very balanced Gaels team.

Dane Pineau, St. Mary's: 27th in scoring (10.8 ppg), 4th in rebounding (7.4 rpg), 1st in FG% (68.4), 3rd in blocked shots (1.6 bpg), 8th in offensive rebounds (2.2 orpg). Helping to fill the void left by four-year starter Brad Waldow, Pineau was remarkably efficient in the post. In the Gaels' title-clinching road win at USF, Pineau went 9-for-11 from the field. He is top 25 nationally in effective FG% and top 50 in offensive rating.

Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga: (see Player of the Year notes above).

Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga: 1st in scoring (21.8 ppg), 6th in FG% (52.9), 10th in rebounding (5.8 rpg), 1st in FT% (85.9), 4th in 3PFG% (45.7), 11th in blocked shots (0.7 bpg), 5th in 3PFGM/game (2.7). A versatile big man who garnered preseason National Player of the Year consideration, Wiltjer scored in double figures in 16 of 18 league games, and topped 20 points 12 times.

Alec Wintering, Portland: 3rd in scoring (20.6 ppg), 7th in assists (4.3 apg), 2nd in FT% (85.2), 4th in steals (1.3 spg), 12th in 3PFG% (41.4), 13th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3). A diminutive point guard who plays fearlessly and led the league in free throws attempted and made, Wintering was a handful, topping 20 points nine times in 18 league games, and scoring 30 or more twice.

ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM (listed alphabetically)

Nick Emery, BYU: see Newcomer of the Year notes, above.

Adom Jacko, Loyola Marymount: see Newcomer of the Year notes, above.

Lamond Murray, Jr., Pepperdine: 7th in scoring (17.3 ppg), 9th in rebounding (6.0 rpg), 7th in minutes played (33.9 mpg). He led the Waves to a second consecutive top-four finish in league, and paced Pepperdine in conference scoring. The rare shooter who favors the mid-range jumper as much as any other shot, Murray will be the anchor of Marty Wilson's team next season.

Joe Rahon, Saint Mary's: 4th in assists (5.3 apg), 2nd in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.5), 5th in steals (1.3 spg), 2nd in minutes played (37.6 mpg). Just outside the top 30 in scoring at 10.1 ppg, Rahon is one of four Gaels starters averaging in double figures. Charged with quarterbacking a deliberate and efficient attack, Rahon almost never leaves the floor, and played all 40 minutes in half of his 18 conference games.

Devin Watson, San Francisco: 4th in scoring (19.8 ppg), 6th in assists (4.8 apg), 8th in 3PFGM/game (2.1), 11th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5), 3rd in minutes played (35.6 mpg). Like Wintering, Watson is a smaller player who excels at drawing contact and finishing at the rim or getting to the free throw line. He scored in double figures in all but one conference game and topped 20 points 13 times in league play.

ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

Nick Emery, BYU

KJ Feagin, Santa Clara

Evan Fitzner, Saint Mary's

Josh Perkins, Gonzaga

Zac Seljaas, BYU

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