Saint Mary's picked to win WCC, Gonzaga voted second in conference poll

For the first time in six years, Gonzaga is not the preseason favorite to win the WCC

The Saint Mary's men's basketball team was picked as the favorite to win the West Coast Conference regular season title, snapping Gonzaga's streak of five consecutive preseason nods in the annual coaches' poll. The announcement was made before the WCC's joint media day with the Mountain West Conference on Wednesday.

The Gaels received five first-place votes and 61 points, while the Zags took home four first-place votes and 60 points. The two programs shared the league's regular season title in 2022-23 after each posting a 14-2 conference record. Gonzaga defeated Saint Mary's 77-51 in last season's WCC Tournament Championship in Las Vegas. 

Aside from voting on a regular season champion, the WCC's nine head coaches also selected the Preseason All-WCC Team. Gonzaga's Anton Watson, Ryan Nembhard and Graham Ike were named to the preseason squad. 

Watson, a graduate student who has spent four years at Gonzaga, is the longest-tenured player on the team. He started all 37 games last season and helped the Zags reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. 

The 6-foot-8 forward posted career-high averages across the board: 11.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.7 blocks in 29.1 minutes per game. He was tabbed Honorable Mention All-West Coast Conference last season. 

Watson is one of two returning starters from 2022-23, the other being junior point guard Nolan Hickman. 

The rest of Gonzaga's Preseason All-WCC members are newcomers. Nembhard was 247Sports' ninth-ranked transfer in the country after entering the portal from Creighton. Ike, who came from Wyoming, was listed 21st.

Nembhard averaged 12.1 points and 4.8 assists in 37 starts while leading the Bluejays to the Elite Eight this past season. His career-high came in a second-round win over Baylor when he scored 30 points and shot 4-for-6 from 3-point range.

The younger brother of a former Gonzaga star, Nembhard is expected to serve as the primary playmaker for an offense that ranked No. 1 in efficiency by KenPom.   

Ike suffered a right leg injury and missed the entire 2022-23 season, but was previously a rising star in the Mountain West. He registered 19.5 points and 9.6 rebounds in 2021-22, placing second in the conference in both categories.

The redshirt junior forward did not participate in Kraziness in the Kennel due to an injury to the same leg. He was introduced to the crowd and wore his No. 13 jersey.

The next opportunity for Ike to play will come when the Zags host Lewis-Clark State for an exhibition on Nov. 3. Gonzaga's season opener is against Yale on Nov. 10.

Here are the full results of the coaches' poll:

WCC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll 

1. Saint Mary's (5) 61 

2. Gonzaga (4) 60 

3. San Francisco 45 

4. LMU 42 

5. Santa Clara 41 

6. Portland 27 

7. Pepperdine 22 

8. Pacific 16

9. San Diego 10

Men's Basketball Preseason All-WCC Team

Name	Year	Position	School
Alex Ducas	Senior	Guard/forward	Saint Mary's
Graham Ike	Junior	Forward	Gonzaga
Keli Leaupepe	Senior	Forward	LMU
Aidan Mahaney	Sophomore	Guard	Saint Mary's
Houston Mallette	Junior	Guard	Pepperdine
Ryan Nembhard	Junior	Guard	Gonzaga
Jevon Porter	Sophomore	Forward	Pepperdine
Tyler Robertson	Senior	Guard/forward	Portland
Mitchell Saxen	Senior	Center	Saint Mary's
Anton Watson	Senior	Forward	Gonzaga