Always an exciting day inside the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, for all 12 schools a part of the West Coast Conference.
On the women’s side, Oregon State (nine first-place votes, 119 points) was named the favorite to win the WCC, while Gonzaga (three first-place votes, 111 points) is picked as the runner-up.
The two Zags’ backcourt members in sophomore guard Allie Turner and junior guard Zeryhia Aokuso (Saint Mary’s transfer), were named to the All-WCC Preseason Team. Oregon State has three players on the team, and Santa Clara has two.
Alongside coach Lisa Fortier and senior guard Ines Bettencourt in Las Vegas, Turner spoke on how she was going to elevate her game to the next level after a stellar freshman season.
“Leadership is a big part for me this season. We lost six or seven people that played a lot of minutes last season. Stepping into their role, doing what they did for me and bringing that to the team this season. As far as on the court, I would like to elevate my defense, my rebounding.” – Allie Turner via ESPN+
On the men’s side, Gonzaga is the favorite to win the WCC in its final season with the conference. The Zags received nine first-place votes and 119 points. Saint Mary’s got two first-place votes, and San Francisco received one.
One of the country’s strongest frontcourt duos residing in Spokane has been named to the All-WCC Preseason Team. That’s redshirt junior forward Braden Huff and graduate student forward Graham Ike, who represented the Zags in Las Vegas.
The Slipper Still Fits spoke with coach Mark Few over Zoom for this year’s event and asked him about the possibility of seeing redshirt junior guard Braeden Smith and freshman guard Mario Saint-Supery share the court together in the same lineup this season.
“We’ll see. You never know how it’s going to play out. But they both have the ability to score the ball. So that’s always important. If you’re going to play two point guards, they still have to have that scoring mentality. And I think they they both possess that.” – Gonzaga coach Mark Few on two-point guard lineup
Instead of Few, head coach in-waiting Brian Michaelson was in Las Vegas with Graham Ike and Braden Huff at West Coast Conference Media Day on Thursday. Few remained in Spokane to attend Tyon Grant-Foster’s eligibility hearing, despite it being postponed.
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When Ike and Huff hit the ESPN+ stage with Roxy Bernstein, Michaelson stayed behind and just let the student-athletes do the talking. Shows a lot about the trust that has been put in place by the program with those two individuals. Huff has been with Gonzaga since 2022-23, Ike since 2023-24.
Bernestein asked Ike about what it’s like to play in the Kennel for one final season.
“There is nothing like it in the nation. The Kennel every single night is live and upbeat. We know what we’re going to get from them. Honestly, I have a tough time going to sleep after the games. It takes me a couple of hours to unwind because of all the energy. It really gets me ready, once you hear that ‘Zombie Nation’ and get that beat in your chest, it’s go time.‘ – Graham Ike via ESPN+
The West Coast Conference, once again, can be a three-bid league in the NCAA Tournament with the talented groups coming out of the Bay Area. The Zags look to make it 27 straight bids to March Madness.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho
