Dec. 25—Our list of the best players on the best West Coast Conference teams isn’t packed with future All-Americans, projected lottery picks and two-time national champions like the one we compiled months ago highlighting the top players on Gonzaga’s non-conference schedule.
Do not take that to mean the WCC is down or lacks individual star power.
The ever-changing WCC has enjoyed one of its finest non-conference campaigns and currently stands seventh in KenPom’s conference rankings — its best since the website debuted in 1997.
The conference’s top six, bolstered by the addition of affiliate members Washington State and Oregon State, are in the NET rankings top 76, another high-water mark since the NET’s inception in 2018-19. Preseason favorite GU leads the way at No. 5.
The Mountain West, which sent a record six teams to the 2024 NCAA Tournament, has five in the top 75. The WCC is 9-8 vs. the Mountain West.
WCC play begins with four matchups Saturday — yes, we know No. 14 Gonzaga closes its non-conference slate against No. 22 UCLA that day — so here’s a look at players to keep an eye on.
Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga
The 6-foot senior is putting up eye-catching numbers at a program known for outstanding point guards. Nembhard has eight games with at least 10 assists and a low of seven, which is still slightly above his best single-season average of 6.9 last year.
Nembhard’s 10.2 assists per game is first nationally, just ahead of Louisiana Tech’s Sean Newman Jr. (9.8). Nembhard’s 4.69 assist-to-turnover ratio is third. Mississippi State’s Josh Hubbard’s 5.0 leads the way with Iowa’s Drew Thelwell’s 4.75 second. Newman’s 3.46 ranks 21st.
Nembhard pilots the nation’s top scoring offense (89.2 points per game).
Augustas Marciulionis, Saint Mary’s
The reigning WCC player of the year and conference tournament most outstanding player is the easy choice here, even though Arizona transfer forward Paulius Marauskas has been a huge addition to the frontcourt at 13.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
Marciulionis, a sturdy 6-4, 200-pound point guard, makes a bigger impact with each passing season. The son of Naismith Hall of Famer Sarunas Marciulionis joins a long list of SMC point guards that can score when needed, distribute without turning over the ball and control the pace.
Marciulionis averages 35.7 minutes and rarely leaves the floor unless it’s a blowout. He paces the Gaels in scoring (14.6) and assists (6.0) and has a solid 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. He had 23 points and eight assists in an overtime win over UTSA and 10 and 8 in a road win against Utah.
Marciulionis has guided SMC to a 10-3 record despite losing forward Logan Jefferson (Iowa State) and Aidan Mahaney (UConn) in the transfer portal after last season.
Adama-Alpha Bal, Santa Clara
The senior forward started the season strong with games of 24, 12 and 18 points, then slumped with seven sub-.500 shooting games over an eight-game span. The 6-7, 200-pounder regained his form with 27- and 20-point efforts in Santa Clara’s last two games. The Broncos (8-5) enter WCC play riding a five-game winning streak.
Bal’s shooting numbers are trending up — 42.6% on 2-pointers, 37.2% on 3s and 81.6% at the foul line.
Bal is a challenging matchup with his size and ability to score at all three levels. He’s averaging a team-leading 13.5 points. He contributed 14.4 points last year in his first season after transferring from Arizona.
Bal’s bank shot in the closing seconds accounted for the final points in Santa Clara’s 77-76 upset over the visiting Zags last January.
Malik Thomas, San Francisco
The 6-4, 190-pound senior guard is having a career season for the Dons (10-3). Thomas has bumped his scoring average by six points per game to 18.2 after checking in at 12.4 as a junior, his first year with USF after transferring from USC.
His 3-point percentage has dipped slightly (from 40% to 38.2%) and so has his free-throw percentage (from 86.1 to 80.8) but his 2-point percentage is 57.3%, easily a career high. The biggest jump? The USC transfer had 28 assists in 1,0003 career minutes in his first three seasons. He has 31 already in 379 minutes this year.
Scoring is still his specialty. He’s had six games with at least 22 points, including 35 vs. Loyola Chicago and 25 against Memphis, and seven with at least two 3-pointers.
Nate Calmese, Washington State
The Cougars (10-3) are without their best player, 6-6 senior guard Cedric Coward, who had season-ending shoulder surgery after averaging a team-high 17.7 points in six games.
Calmese isn’t far behind at 16.0 points per game while pacing WSU in assists (4.5) and steals (25). The 6-2 junior is more effective inside the 3-point arc, hitting nearly 58% on 2s compared to 26.9% from distance.
The Arizona native began his career at Lamar with a 17.7 scoring average. He transferred to Washington but was limited to reserve duty (10.9 minutes per game) and his scoring average dropped to 4.1 as a sophomore.
Calmese has battled turnovers issues — six games with at least four — but he’s been a consistent scoring threat with 11 games in double figures, 10 with at least 14 points.
Michael Rataj, Oregon State
The German native has taken a major step forward in his third season with the Beavers, who were 10-2 prior to Wednesday’s Diamond Head Classic title game against Nebraska in Honolulu.
Rataj, a versatile 6-9, 220-pound forward has helped replace the interior scoring void left by Tyler Bilodeaux’s transfer to UCLA.
Rataj produces 16.3 points, essentially doubling his scoring average as a sophomore, and a WCC-leading 9.1 rebounds. He’s reached double figures in all 12 games with a low of 13 points and a high of 23.
He’s been in a bit of a shooting slump in December but he’s still at 51% on 2s, 35% on 3s and 87.5% at the foul line. He posted 20 points, three 3-pointers and 10 rebounds in OSU’s near upset of current No. 9 Oregon.
