Post by motorcitysam on Sept 14, 2020 12:41:17 GMT -5
Well, I created a thread on the Mountain West and the West Coast Conference got jealous, so here we go. And really, the WCC is a conference worth attention, given that it has a powerhouse program, a few schools with some significant tradition, and a school that I hope U of D is able to emulate quickly.
Gonzaga is of course the dominant force in the WCC, and recognized as one of the top programs in the nation. The Bulldogs are an every year lock to make the NCAA tournament, and got as far as the championship game in recent years. Every mid major program in the nation dreams of becoming Gonzaga.
St. Mary's has become a very solid program since the arrival of Coach Randy Bennett in 2001. Since 2005, SMC has made the NCAA tourney seven times, including five times in the decade of 2010-2019. This past decade also featured 5 NIT appearances for Coach Bennett's crew. Interesting note: Since Coach B arrived in 2001, the Gaels have had at least one Australian on the roster every season.
Brigham Young University doesn't exactly scream college basketball, but the program does boast two national Players of the Year in Danny Ainge and Jimmer Fredette.
Loyola Marymount is probably best known in the basketball sense for the Paul Westhead teams that scored a crazy amount of points in the 80s and 90s, led by players like the late Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble. That team made three straight NCAA tournaments in the 80s, including an Elite Eight appearance.
Pepperdine hasn't been good for awhile, but from 1976 to 1994, the Waves made the NCAA tournament nine times and had four NITs in the mix as well. Fans are hoping that Lorenzo Romar can get Pepperdine back on track in his second stint with the team.
San Francisco is the team that I would like to see the Titans emulate in a hoped for resurgence. The Dons were a dominant team in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. The program featured players such as Bill Russell, KC Jones, Phil Smith, Bill Cartright, and Quintin Dailey. Pete Newell, an influential figure in the world of basketball, coached there. Of course, the bottom fell out of the program due to multiple major cheating scandals and the school gave the program a self imposed death penalty (suicide penalty?) in 1982. The sport was reinstated in 1985. The Dons have returned to the NCAA tournament only once since the reinstatement, back in 1998, but recent years have seen a resurgence in the program. The Dons are currently on a four year streak of recording 20 plus wins, recording 20, 22, 21, and 22 wins. They played in the CBI in 2017 and 2018, making the Finals in 2018. In 2014, they made the NIT. No NCAA tournament yet, but they are trending in the right direction. Of course, we'd like to get to the NCAA tournament sooner, rather than later, but putting together some seasons of 20 plus wins would be a good start.
There is some good basketball played in the WCC. It's also a good conference, made up of private institutions of similar size (except for BYU, which has 34,000 plus students). The old MCC had that kind of set up, and I think that kind of connection benefits the member institutions, especially in a mid major setting. I miss it.
Gonzaga is of course the dominant force in the WCC, and recognized as one of the top programs in the nation. The Bulldogs are an every year lock to make the NCAA tournament, and got as far as the championship game in recent years. Every mid major program in the nation dreams of becoming Gonzaga.
St. Mary's has become a very solid program since the arrival of Coach Randy Bennett in 2001. Since 2005, SMC has made the NCAA tourney seven times, including five times in the decade of 2010-2019. This past decade also featured 5 NIT appearances for Coach Bennett's crew. Interesting note: Since Coach B arrived in 2001, the Gaels have had at least one Australian on the roster every season.
Brigham Young University doesn't exactly scream college basketball, but the program does boast two national Players of the Year in Danny Ainge and Jimmer Fredette.
Loyola Marymount is probably best known in the basketball sense for the Paul Westhead teams that scored a crazy amount of points in the 80s and 90s, led by players like the late Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble. That team made three straight NCAA tournaments in the 80s, including an Elite Eight appearance.
Pepperdine hasn't been good for awhile, but from 1976 to 1994, the Waves made the NCAA tournament nine times and had four NITs in the mix as well. Fans are hoping that Lorenzo Romar can get Pepperdine back on track in his second stint with the team.
San Francisco is the team that I would like to see the Titans emulate in a hoped for resurgence. The Dons were a dominant team in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. The program featured players such as Bill Russell, KC Jones, Phil Smith, Bill Cartright, and Quintin Dailey. Pete Newell, an influential figure in the world of basketball, coached there. Of course, the bottom fell out of the program due to multiple major cheating scandals and the school gave the program a self imposed death penalty (suicide penalty?) in 1982. The sport was reinstated in 1985. The Dons have returned to the NCAA tournament only once since the reinstatement, back in 1998, but recent years have seen a resurgence in the program. The Dons are currently on a four year streak of recording 20 plus wins, recording 20, 22, 21, and 22 wins. They played in the CBI in 2017 and 2018, making the Finals in 2018. In 2014, they made the NIT. No NCAA tournament yet, but they are trending in the right direction. Of course, we'd like to get to the NCAA tournament sooner, rather than later, but putting together some seasons of 20 plus wins would be a good start.
There is some good basketball played in the WCC. It's also a good conference, made up of private institutions of similar size (except for BYU, which has 34,000 plus students). The old MCC had that kind of set up, and I think that kind of connection benefits the member institutions, especially in a mid major setting. I miss it.