The End

"What happened to the countdown? Why is there no new content on Will's WCC Blog? Doesn't he know that the season is just around the corner? This time last year there were multiple new articles each day! What in the world is happening here?!" 

- My Readers

First of all, I hope that's what my readers have been saying. Second, I hope I have readers to say things like that. Third, even if nobody has said that, it is a good observation. Why has this site fallen dormant over the past couple of weeks?

There is a very good reason for the lack of updates... I'm done updating this site.

It's been a great two season run of writing about the West Coast Conference, but now, it's time to abandon Will's WCC Blog. Well, actually just abandon the willswccblog.blogspot.com site. I'm moving to a bigger, better site that is all my own. That's right, no more .blogspot.com! No more restrictive publishing ability! No more limited layout options (assuming I learn CSS)!

I've still been writing articles, season previews and analyzing season previews. I just haven't been publishing them, yet. On October 6th my new site, Will's West Coast Hoops Blog, will go live. It's up right now, but there is very little on it. This Wednesday all sorts of content will roll out, all at once, in a grand opening style debut. Just in time for the 2013-2014 season!

Henceforth, Will's WCC Blog (.blogspot.com) will serve as an archive. Anything posted here that pertains to the upcoming season, like the non-conference schedule previews, will be moved to the new site on October 6th.

Thank you to everyone who ever read, commented on or shared one of my articles. It's because of you that I am able to move on up to a real website. Please, keep reading and keep rooting for the WCC.

2013 Non-Conference Schedules: San Diego Toreros

Click for full size view.
All times Pacific.

I like what Bill Grier and his staff have done with this year's schedule. It's very well rounded. First off, over half of the Toreros' games will be played at Jenny Craig Pavilion. Of those seven, two are guaranteed to be blowout victories (two non-D-I teams). The team has a few early season tests on the slate as well. Playing at New Mexico, while almost certainly a loss, will prepare the Toreros for the hostile environments in Provo and Spokane. San Diego State, in Jenny Craig, will provide fans with a great game and (hopefully) a great atmosphere. The atmosphere is up to you, USD fans. Finally, the Gulf Coast Showcase could provide USD with either a few tough games or an easy path to an pretty early-season record, depending on how the bracket shakes out.

My only qualm is the two games against non-D-I teams. Part of the WCC's rationale for adding Pacific was that two additional conference games would make it easier for WCC teams to schedule a non-conference slate of entirely D-I teams. Either San Diego couldn't do that, which I doubt considering the surplus of low quality D-I teams in the state of California. Or, the Toreros's staff wanted to play two games that would be nearly guaranteed victories. All-in-all though, this is a quality schedule for where the Toreros are at this season.

1. November 8th at 7:00 PM in San Diego
South Dakota State Jackrabbits, Summit League
Last Season: 25-10 (13-3), T-1st place Summit. 13 seed NCAA Tournament, lost in Round of 64 to Michigan.

Countdown 10/23/13

16 days remain...

but only one remains before the WCC Tip-Off Event!

Tomorrow's event is more interactive than ever, featuring Google+ Hangouts with the players and commissioner Jamie Zaninovich, question submission for on Twitter and interviews streaming on both TheW.tv and WCC Live.

If you can, you should be planning to catch the whole event on TheW.tv. However, if work gets in the way - good luck taking a break from 10:30 AM until 1:00 in the afternoon - you might want to tune in to see just your team's coach and player take the stage. Here's the schedule for the live video stream on TheW.tv.

Thursday, October 24th, 2013

10:30 - Randy Bennett and Beau Levesque, Saint Mary's

10:45 - Bill Grier and Johnny Dee, San Diego

11:00 - Rex Walters and Chris Adams, San Francisco

11:15 - Kerry Keating and Yannick Atanga, Santa Clara

11:30 - Dave Rose and Matt Carlino, BYU

11:45 - Mark Few and Sam Dower, Gonzaga

12:00 - Max Good and Anthony Ireland, LMU
12:15 - Ron Verlin and Tony Gill, Pacific

12:30 - Marty Wilson and Brendan Lane, Pepperdine

12:45 - Erik Reveno and Ryan Nicholas, Portland

Take a look at the complete release from the WCC for more information. The same format is set up for the women's so check up on them too.

Countdown 10/22/13

17 days remain...

Countdown 10/21/13

18 days remain...

If you ever wondered what Sam Dower's favorite children's book is...

Countdown 10/20/13

19 days remain...

Countdown 10/19/13

20 days remain...

Waste some time tonight by watching this 2011 Sweet Sixteen game. It doesn't end well for the WCC (though they weren't WCC then) team but it sure is exciting.

Countdown 10/18/13

21 days remain...

This guy is going to have a lot to do with how the Tigers' season goes.

Non-Conference Schedule Analysis - Santa Clara

Click for full size view.
All times Pacific.

I'm a big fan of the Broncos' non-conference schedule. For a team that wants to improve upon a CIT Championship last season, ideally by making a better tournament this year, this slate offers a number of chances to pick up good wins. It also provides fans in Santa Clara with seven home games, two of which are almost guaranteed to be blowout victories. Those two games are its only flaw; the Broncos failed to schedule enough D-I teams. No

1. November 8th at 7:00 PM at the Leavey Center
Bethesda Flames, National Christian College Athletic Association

The Broncos' first game of the real season is against a team that isn't in D-I, D-II, D-III or the NAIA so, they'll be 1-0.

2. November 12th at 8:00 PM at the Leavey Center
San Jose State Spartans, Mountain West Conference
Last Season: 9-20 (3-14), T-8th Western Athletic Conference.
Last Season vs. WCC: Loss at home to Santa Clara.

Countdown 10/16/13

23 days remain...

Countdown 10/15/13

24 days remain...

I've been quite busy today as I'm starting a new writing job with a local TV station here in Spokane. So, today's countdown will be a lazy one. Just a link to the article I've posted today on Mid-Major Madness. It's a top-ten list of players in the WCC. Enjoy!

Countdown 10/14/13

25 days remain...

I'll be publishing my top-ten list of players in the WCC tomorrow on Mid-Major Madness. It was really hard to trim my list down to ten and a couple of guys kept floating off, on and back off again. This guy was one of those.

I actually wanted to post a video of Beau Levesque highlights, because I had him as high as seventh at one point, but I couldn't find a good video. Something I think every WCC school should do, which Gonzaga excels at, is make simple highlight videos of the players. Because they don't, I'm gonna go with this video of Gary Bell Jr., even though I only had him at tenth. Bell has been one of my favorite players in the conference since his arrival so, I hope he makes me look bad for leaving him off the list.

Too bad lockdown defense doesn't ever make highlight reels.

Countdown 10/13/13

26 days remain...

Last night Brandon Davies once again played basketball in Utah, but this time he wasn't playing with the home team. In a preseason NBA game between the Jazz and Clippers, Davies netted nine points in 16 minutes of action. Here's a video from just after the official announcement that Davies had signed with the Clippers. Interestingly, three WCC products will be playing in the Staples Center this year as Gonzaga's Elias Harris and Robert Sacre play for the Lakers.

Countdown 10/12/13

27 days remain...

It's the weekend so you've got some time to waste. Do just that by watching this NCAA Tournament game from 1983. It doesn't end well for the WCC team involved, but it is entertaining and it features the eventual champs.

Countdown 10/11/13

28 days remain...

 I'm writing a top-ten players in the WCC for Mid-Major Madness' season preview series. This guy is in that top-ten.

Countdown 10/10/13

29 days remain...

While it's still to early to see WCC teams play somewhat meaningful basketball games, and by that I mean exhibition games, it's not too early to watch former WCC players play somewhat meaningful games. Last night in San Antonio the Spurs played host to six-time Euroleague champion CSKA Moscow. CSKA's previous game was a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Gonzaga's Jeremy Pargo is now the starting point guard for CSKA Moscow. Patty Mills came off the bench for the Spurs but he, expectedly, saw more playing time than starter Tony Parker. Those two went at each other all night long, making the game reminiscent of the early rivalry days of Gonzaga vs. Saint Mary's.

Pargo led all scorers with 20 points. He also logged six rebounds and five assists in 40 minutes 36 seconds of action. Mills too was highly productive, scoring 14 points in just over 22 minutes. Pargo may have the prettier stat sheet but Mills had the last laugh. In overtime, Mills hit the game winning three and it was Pargo who was defending him.

The NBA is apparently not a fan of allowing their videos to be embedded, so watch the highlights here. Since this is from NBA.com, they're mostly Spurs highlights.

2013 Non-Conference Schedule Analysis - Loyola Marymount

Click for full size view.
All times Pacific.

The Lions' non-conference schedule is very back-heavy. The first four games feature what will likely be the worst four D-I teams they face all season. The Paradise Jam provides the Lions with three chances for quality wins. Then, three straight road games, two of which are east of the Mississippi. Finally two games at home end the non-conference. This schedule is actually pretty solid when you consider the teams in the Paradise Jam. The only real problem is the Lions play just three home games and go a whole month away from Gersten Pavilion.

1. November 8th at 4:30 PM in San Diego
Grand Canyon 'Lopes, Western Athletic Conference
Last Season: 23-8 (14-4), T-2nd place PacWest Conference (Division II).

Countdown 10/8/13

32 days remain...

Today was BYU Basketball Media Day. Every player on the roster as was interviewed and coach Rose held a press conference. BYUtv Sports presented a live stream of the whole event. Unfortunately, the whole thing took place during regular business hours. If you missed it, you can watch everything here. Coach Rose's press conference took place about two and a half hours into the event. Scroll around to find interviews with specific players.

Non-Conference Schedule Analysis - Pepperdine

Click to view full size image.
(All times Pacific and subject to change)

The Waves' non-conference doesn't provide many chances to pick up a quality win. San Jose State provides a chance for a WCC team to beat a Mountain West team, but San Jose State isn't up to MWC standards yet. Utah Valley can challenge in the depleted WAC but likely won't win due to New Mexico State's dominance. The Waves' second game in the Great Alaska Shootout will likely be their best shot a quality win, especially if they can win their first game. Both Harvard and Denver will contend for NCAA Tournament berths this season. UC Irvine could make the big dance as well, though Pacific's exit from the Big West certainly helps the Anteaters in that regard. Finally, Washington State is the Waves' only game against a BCS team that is sure to happen (they could face TCU in Alaska depending on how the bracket shakes out). Unfortunately, Washington State is about as bad as a BCS team can get (TCU too, for that matter). 

While there aren't many, if any, strong teams on the schedule, there are ample opportunities for confidence boosting wins. This Waves program has been improving steadily under Marty Wilson. Making it through this slate without a bad loss could be just what they need to make the jump from young and inexperienced to upwardly mobile in the West Coast Conference.

1. November 9th at 5:00 PM in Malibu
San Diego Christian Hawks, Golden State Athletic Conference (NAIA)
Last Season: 7-17 (0-9 vs. D-I, not included in official 7-17 record)

Countdown 10/7/13

33 days remain...

Stay tuned for a full article about Pepperdine later this afternoon.