All-WCC Draft: The S-R’s Theo Lawson and Jim Meehan pick individual awards, draft All-WCC teams
A banner year for the West Coast Conference is coming to an end and the conference is expected to hand out its postseason awards early next week.
In anticipation of the all-conference reveal, we enlisted the help of The Spokesman-Review’s Gonzaga writers, Jim Meehan and Theo Lawson, to select the conferences’s individual awards and draft All-WCC teams.
The writers chose all five individual awards – agreeing on three of those five – and went through a traditional draft process to select their all-conference teams, each consisting of five players (mirroring the WCC’s 10-player first team) and a sixth man. Meehan won the coin toss to earn the first overall pick, giving Lawson the first crack at the sixth man.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Lawson: Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga). It was a toss-up between Holmgren and his frontcourt mate at Gonzaga, but my logic for choosing the freshman was this: If opposing WCC coaches were able to remove one player from the Bulldogs’ roster, I believe the majority would pick Holmgren based on his impact at both ends. The 7-footer has been the WCC’s most efficient offensive player and his ability to erase shots at the rim is a large reason conference opponents are making just 40% of their attempts inside the arc against the Zags this season.
Meehan: Drew Timme (Gonzaga). The junior forward is at the top of every opponent’s scouting report and still leads the WCC in scoring. He’s been the most efficient low-post scorer in the nation the past two years and his paint presence creates opportunities for teammates. He’s averaging a career-high 2.5 assists, including 2.8 in conference games this season.
Also considered: none.
COACH
Meehan: Randy Bennett (Saint Mary’s). Throwing a curveball here. The Gaels’ longtime coach, similar to Mark Few, sometimes becomes an afterthought for the award because his teams are usually in the top two of the standings and rarely experience a down year. With essentially the same personnel as last year’s squad that finished 14-10 overall and 4-6 in conference, Bennett has returned the program to relevance nationally. They’re No. 21 in the NET and projected as high as a sixth seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Lawson: Todd Golden (San Francisco). With a 22-7 record entering the final week of WCC play, where the Dons should be heavy underdogs in one game (Gonzaga) and significant favorites (San Diego) in the other, USF could finish the regular season with 23 wins – the most since 1981-82. Not including Gonzaga, Golden has the WCC’s top backcourt pairing while big man Yauhen Massalski may be the WCC’s most impactful transfer, outside of Rasir Bolton.
Also considered: Mark Few (Gonzaga), Shantay Legans (Portland), Sam Scholl (San Diego), Herb Sendek (Santa Clara).
NEWCOMER
Meehan/Lawson: Holmgren (Gonzaga). We could point to any number of reasons why Holmgren is the obvious choice here, but we’ll leave you with this: Gonzaga’s two-way star has won the WCC’s Freshman of the Week honor nine times while the rest of the conference has combined to win it seven times. Though he’ll likely be a top-three pick in this year’s 2022 NBA draft, Holmgren’s fit seamlessly into a Gonzaga team that often asks him to be the second, third or fourth option on offense.
Also considered: Marcellus Earlington (San Diego), Rasir Bolton (Gonzaga), Tyler Robertson (Portland), Fousseyni Traore (BYU).
DEFENSIVE PLAYER
Meehan/Lawson: Holmgren (Gonzaga). If Gonzaga played a full 16-game WCC slate rather than the 14-game, COVID-impacted schedule they’ll wind up playing, Holmgren would easily break Brandon Clarke’s single-season blocks record, provided the Bulldogs play at least two or three games in the NCAA Tournament. Needing 32 to match Clarke, he could still get there. He’s on track to finish with 3.4 blocks per game – a touch higher than the 3.3 bpg Clarke averaged in 2018-19. Holmgren’s presence down low has made trips into the paint a dicey endeavor for WCC teams. Even when the 7-footer isn’t blocking shots, he’s usually impacting the opponent’s shot selection.
Also considered: Jamaree Bouyea (San Francisco), Yauhen Massalski (San Francisco), Logan Johnson (Saint Mary’s), Andrew Nembhard (Gonzaga).
SIXTH MAN
Meehan/Lawson: Tommy Kuhse (Saint Mary’s) or Anton Watson (Gonzaga). We admit we’re not certain of the rules here. Entering the final weekend, Kuhse has started 15 of 28 games, but just two of 13 conference games. If he’s eligible, the nod goes to Kuhse, who averages 11.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and hits 45.3% behind the 3-point line. If Kuhse isn’t eligible, the nod goes to Watson, who has been huge off GU’s bench. He averages 8.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in just 18.2 minutes.
Also considered: none.
WCC DRAFT (Writers alternated picks)
MEEHAN (won coin flip for first overall selection)
FIRST PICK: Drew Timme (Gonzaga). With the first pick of the All-WCC draft, I select Chet Hol … wait, that’s how the NBA draft might play out in June. I’m taking Timme, who boasts 64.5% career accuracy on attempts inside the arc and an 85-5 record in 90 career games. He also applies serious foul pressure on rivals.
SECOND PICK: Andrew Nembhard (Gonzaga). Let’s face it, Gonzaga arguably has the WCC’s three best players with Timme, Holmgren and Nembhard. The senior point guard has improved his 3-point shooting (35%), takes care of the ball (3.25 assist-to-turnover ratio) and leads the team in steals (40). The Nembhard/Timme ball-screen combination has tormented opponents for two years.
THIRD PICK: Jalen Williams (Santa Clara). The 6-6 junior has been a breakout star, boosting his scoring average by 6.2 points compared to last season. Williams, who averages a team-leading 17.7 points, scores at all three levels – 54.6% inside the arc, 40% on 3s and 82.5% at the foul line.
FOURTH PICK: Julian Strawther (Gonzaga). Sophomore wing has stepped into Corey Kispert’s role and responded with strong numbers (12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 38.8% on 3s). He’s committed just 20 turnovers in 25 games.
FIFTH PICK: Josip Vrankic (Santa Clara). Senior forward has been a steady inside force while averaging double-figure scoring in each of his five seasons. He contributes 14.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Yes, it’s a big starting five, but still capable of getting out in transition.
SIXTH MAN: Eli Scott (Loyola Marymount). Versatile, productive fifth-year senior fills up the stat sheet (17.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists). He’s a tough matchup at 6-6 and 232 pounds and gives my team an option of playing small-ball, too.
LAWSON
FIRST PICK: Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga). Though he hasn’t hit the 30-point mark this season, Holmgren’s had two of the best games by any player in the conference this season, scoring 23 points to go with 12 rebounds and four blocks at San Diego before scoring 20 points with 17 rebounds, five blocks and six assists at BYU two days later. He’s averaging 16.0 ppg, 10.9 rpg and 3.5 bpg in WCC contests.
SECOND PICK: Alex Barcello (BYU). BYU’s slide during the second half of the season may be even more dramatic if it wasn’t for Barcello, who’s been one of the nation’s top 3-point shooters, connecting on 47% of his attempts. He also sits third in WCC scoring at 17.4 ppg.
THIRD PICK: Jamaree Bouyea (USF). With two strong 3-point shooters in Holmgren (44%) and Barcello (47%), my team adds a third with USF’s Bouyea (39%). The fifth-year senior is also one of the WCC’s best on-ball defenders, giving my squad a strong defensive presence all around.
FOURTH PICK: Yauhen Massalski (USF). Massalski and Holmgren are the only WCC players averaging a double-double in conference play, with the USF big man scoring 13.6 ppg to go with 11.5 rpg. He adds solid rim protection, averaging 2.3 bpg and has been an efficient interior scorer, making 59% of his field goals.
FIFTH PICK: Tyler Robertson (Portland). Robertson’s versatility has been vital for Portland, which brought in 13 new players under first-year coach Shantay Legans. The former Eastern Washington player is averaging 15.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 4.4, with a season-high point total of 31, rebounding total of 13 and assist total of 11.
SIXTH MAN: Anton Watson (Gonzaga). Despite a slight drop in minutes per game, Watson’s managed to improve his point, rebound, assist and steal totals from last season. We think he’d average close to a double-double for almost every other team in the conference.