Gonzaga Bulldogs
Coach: Mark Few, 105-29, 5th season; same overall.
Players to watch: Blake Stepp, sr., g; Cory Violette, sr., c; Ronny Turiaf, jr., f; Erroll Knight, so., g; Richard Fox, sr., c; Tony Skinner, sr., g.
Outlook: The Bulldogs return three firstteam all-league players, including Stepp, the 2002-03 WCC player of year. He and Violette are Wooden Award candidates, and Turiaf is as athletic as any front-liner the Zags have had. Mix in one of the best crop of newcomers in the school's history, including Knight, a University of Washington transfer, and freshmen Sean Mallon, Adam Morrison and Derek Raivio, and you have a GU team that is big, deep, talented and everybody's pick to win their fourth-consecutive regular-season conference title and, quite possibly, make another deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Pepperdine Waves
Coach: Paul Westphal, 37-22, third season; 121-49 overall, 6th season.
Players to watch: Alex Acker, so., g; Terrance Johnson, jr., g; Robert Turner, jr., f; Glen McGowan, sr., f.
Outlook: The Waves were washed out by season-ending injuries to two starters and their sixth man last season, but still managed to win 15 games and finish fourth in the WCC. One of those starters was McGowan, a 6-8, 240-pound beast, who has been declared healthy and ready to bang away in the paint again this year. Johnson, who averaged 15 points per game last year, was a first-team all-league pick last season, and Acker was named the WCC's freshman of the year. If Westphal can keep everyone happy and healthy, Pepp should remain among the WCC's elite and maybe even challenge Gonzaga for the regular-season title.
San Francisco Dons
Coach: Philip Mathews, 122-109, 9th season; same overall.
Players to watch: John Cox, sr., f; James Bayless, sr., f; Jovan Harris, sr., g; Alvin Broussard, sr., f.
Outlook: Once again, Mathews heads into the season with a boatload of experience and talent. Replacing three-time All-WCC pick Darrell Tucker will be a major chore. But the return of four starters, including Cox, a first-team all-WCC performer who averaged 15.3 points last winter, should make it less painful. Harris is one of the best streak shooters in the league and can carry a team when he gets it going. In addition, junior point guard Jason Gaines returns after finishing second in the WCC in assists with an average of 5.14 per game.
Saint Mary's Gaels
Coach: Randy Bennett, 24-25, 3rd season; same overall.
Players to watch: Daniel Kickert, so., f; Chase Poole, Sr., f; Tyler Herr, sr., g/f.
Outlook: Look for the Gaels to continue their remarkable climb under Bennett, despite the losses of all-conference point guard Samuel Saint-Jean and WCC defender of the year, Anthony Woodards. If Bennett can groom someone to take over at the point, the Gaels could be salty. There are plenty of inside scoring options, starting with Kickert, a 6-10, 250-pound Aussie, who averaged 12.7 points as a rookie. There are some questions on the perimeter, but the return of junior Paul Marigney, who missed last season after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery, should provide some answers.
Santa Clara Broncos
Coach: Dick Davey, 186-32, 12th season; same overall.
Players to watch: Kyle Bailey, jr., g; Jim Howell, sr., f; Jordan Legge, jr., f; Brandon Rohe, 6-4, so., g; Ethan Rohde, jr., g.
Outlook: Davey, the dean of WCC coaches, watched his once-proud program slip dramatically last season when the Broncos went a dismal 4-10 in conference play and finished in a three-way tie for last. Injuries were a key factor, and the return of Bailey, a 2001-02 all-WCC point guard, from a leg injury that forced him to shut down after only six games last season, will make a huge difference. In addition, Rohe, who made 50 3-pointers to break Steve Nash's freshman school record last season, has proven he can light it up from the perimeter. And the 6-8 Howell, who Davey calls the ''heart and soul of this team,'' is a proven leader who averaged 9.0 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds as a junior.
San Diego Toreros
Coach: Brad Holland, 144-111, 10th season; 167-142 overall, 12th season.
Players to watch: Nick Lewis, so., f; Cory Belzer, jr., f; Brice Vounang, jr., f.
Outlook: The Toreros lost four starters off last year's team, which knocked off Gonzaga in the finals of the WCC Tournament and made the school's first NCAA appearance since 1987. The biggest hole to fill is at center, where Oklahoma State transfer Jason Keep, a 6-10, 280-pounder, averaged 18.0 points and a WCC-best 9.0 rebounds last winter. Lewis is 6-10, but not the banger that Keep was. The addition of Vounang, a 6-8, 250-pound transfer from Northeastern Oklahoma, adds some muscle on the low blocks. But this doesn't appear to be one of Holland's better teams. Still, the former UCLA standout has built a well-deserved reputation for getting the most out of his players.
Portland Pilots
Coach: Michael Holton, 17-41, 3rd season; same overall.
Players to watch: Adam Quick, sr., g; Casey Frandsen, sr., g; Dustin Geddis, sr., f; Eugene Jeter III, so., g.
Outlook: The Pilots continue to makes strides under Holton. And with Quick, a three-year starter, returning at the point, there is reason to believe they will be improved over last year. Frandsen, who averaged 19.2 points as a sophomore, had an off-year as a junior and needs to regain his scoring touch if Portland hopes to challenge for a first-division finish. But even if he does, there will still be a lack of muscle and production inside -- unless Andreas Gahlman, a 6-8, 250-pounder in his second season since transferring from CS Fullerton, shows vast improvement.
Loyola Marymount Lions
Coach: Steve Aggers, 29-59, 5th season; 343-329 overall, 25th season.
Players to watch: Charles Brown, jr., g; Sherman Gay, sr., f; Keith Kincade, sr., Brandon Worthy, so., g.
Outlook: The Lions were crippled by the off-season defections of forward Andy Osborn, who transferred, and guard Kent Dennis, who quit the team to focus on academics. That set Aggers' massive rebuilding project back considerably and leaves the Lions short on experience. Worthy had a sensational freshman year, averaging 11 points a game, and Brown can also shoot it from the perimeter. But the lack of inside muscle will most likely prevent LMU from pulling itself out of the WCC basement.