Gonzaga WCC opponent preview: Can Steve Lavin turn San Diego into a contender?

The Bulldogs host the Toreros at the Kennel

San Diego Toreros men's basketball coach Steve Lavin. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Despite being picked to finish last in the West Coast Conference standings, the San Diego men’s basketball program moved up the league’s totem pole last season. There’s a chance Steve Lavin and company will exceed expectations once again in 2024-25.

The Toreros won 18 games, the program’s most in five seasons, and finished fifth in the league’s pecking order. They started 0-5 in conference play, though four of those defeats came against Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s and San Francisco, before rattling off six victories in their next seven games. One of those was an 11-point win at Santa Clara in early February.

San Diego went 7-3 against the non-Bulldogs, Gaels and Dons teams in the WCC. Not bad for a program that won just four league games total the year prior. 

A three-win increase from year one to year two is reason to believe Lavin and company are on a steady climb up the WCC leaderboard. The next breakthrough won’t come easy though after the conference expanded, even if temporarily, by adding two schools with more history and resources in Washington State and Oregon State. Gonzaga still has its grasp on the league for the next two seasons, with Saint Mary’s right there and ready to take the throne. San Francisco and Santa Clara brought back most of their rosters from last season, while Loyola Marymount is optimistic it won’t have to deal with a myriad of injuries again.

Lavin and company will have to navigate this short-term landscape without three-quarters of their scoring output from 2023-24. The transfer portal lured away five of the top six bucket-getters, two of whom were standout freshmen. Kevin Patton Jr. (USC) and PJ Hayes (Rutgers) found new homes in power conferences. Wayne McKinney moved right across town to San Diego State.

There’s a chance the Toreros’ rise isn’t as linear now in a more competitive WCC landscape, though a future without Gonzaga in the league could hold something different entirely. Until then, San Diego will look to play the spoiler to the league’s top teams.

Here is a look at the Toreros’ 2024-25 roster.

GUARDS:

A majority of what the Toreros do on the offensive end of the floor starts and ends with Kjay Bradley Jr., a 6-foot-1 junior who's adept at getting to the rim and applying foul pressure. A transfer from San Diego City College, Bradley Jr.'s transition to the Division-I level has been to the benefit of his new team, as the Inglewood, California, native paces San Diego in scoring at 15.4 points per game on 45% from the field. He hasn't shot the ball well from 3-point range so far, though his ability to knife through opposing defenses and draw contact in the lane more than makes up for it.

In addition to his scoring output, Bradley Jr. helps set up his teammates to the tune of 3.8 assists per game, a team-best. He recorded a season-high seven assists in San Diego's lone WCC win thus far, a 75-65 victory over Pacific, then dished out six assists to go with 23 points in a close 81-80 loss to Santa Clara.

Keyon Kensie Jr., a 6-foot-7 sophomore, came on strong to end his first year of college hoops. He dropped 16 points and grabbed six rebounds in San Diego's season-ending loss to Santa Clara in the WCC Tournament. The Los Angeles native started two games this season before deciding to take a redshirt for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign.

Kensie Jr. starred in San Diego's exhibition win over Division II Sonoma State with 17 points. One of Lavin's transfers from the Division II level, 6-foot-6 graduate transfer Kody Clouet, also had 17 points, which was around his season average last year at Southeastern Oklahoma State. Clouet has made six starts in his 12 appearances this season, highlighted by a 15-point effort against Idaho State on Nov. 16.

Fifth-year senior Deven Dahlke stepped up for Lavin and company out of the gate with 11 starts through his first 16 games. Time will tell how much Dalke sees the floor in WCC play, as the Toreros also have to figure out playing time for Joey Chammaa. The 5-foot-11 sophomore averaged 19.4 minutes off the bench over a 5-game stretch from Dec. 21 to Jan. 4 after previously logging 73 minutes total in his first nine games of the season.

Chammaa was one of the few bright spots for San Diego during its 81-54 loss to Oregon State, along with 6-foot-5 freshman Tony Duckett. The Carlsbad, California, native led the way with 12 points to record his second straight game with 10 or more points.

WINGS:

Bendji Pierre has been a welcomed addition back to the rotation after he missed all of last season due to injury. The 6-foot-8, 230-pound senior has put up 6.3 points while grabbing 3.6 rebounds per game. Pierre spearheaded a valiant effort from the Toreros in a loss to cross-town rival San Diego State, as he finished with 17 points on 5-for-11 from 3-point range and four rebounds in the 74-57 defeat.

Dragos Lungu was expected to play a bigger role in year two with the Toreros, though the 6-foot-6 sophomore has missed time due to injury.

Lavin added a versatile playmaker over the offseason in 6-foot-8 freshman Gavin Ripp. He averaged 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3.6 assists during his senior year at Archbishop Mitty (California). After guiding the school to the WCAL Championships as a sophomore and junior, Ripp was named the WCAL Player of the Year as a senior.

FORWARDS/CENTERS:

San Diego's frontcourt is headlined by a two-headed monster in the form of 6-foot-10 senior Steven Jamerson II and 6-foot-10 sophomore Santiago Trouet. Together they combine for almost 16 rebounds per contest. Trouet is second on the team in scoring through 16 games and has five double-doubles, which doesn't include a 9-point, 20-rebound performance against UC San Diego.

David Simon, a 6-foot-11 sophomore from Canada, started the first four games of the season while Pierre was out of the lineup. Simon scored in double-figures in the first two games against Rider and Boston University, going 9-for-22 from the field and 5-for-12 from 3-point range in that span. Simon hasn't played since Dec. 28, though.

Kean Webb rounds out San Diego's freshman class. Upon graduating from American Fork High School in American Fork, Utah, Webb attended Golden State Prep for one season as a fifth-year post-graduate. He averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in his lone season at Golden State Prep.

Webb suffered an Achilles injury over the summer, though he was ready to play in the team's season-opening exhibition game and should be good for the regular season.

WRAP IT UP:

At a time when everyone else in the sport is consumed with the transfer portal, Lavin and the coaching staff acquired freshmen while retaining some of their young talent from last season. Whether their youth pays off against the WCC's older teams, the Toreros have a foundation to build upon even if they take on a few extra losses in a much more competitive WCC.

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS

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