# 2023–24 West Coast Conference men's basketball season

The 2023–24 West Coast Conference men's basketball season began with practices in September 2023 and will end with the 2024 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament in March 2024. This will be the 73rd season for WCC men's basketball, and the 35th under its current name of "West Coast Conference". The conference was founded in 1952 as the California Basketball Association, became the West Coast Athletic Conference in 1956, and dropped the word "Athletic" in 1989.

## Head coaches
### Coaches

| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years at school | Overall record | WCC record | WCC Tournament record | NCAA Tournaments | Sweet Sixteens |
| Gonzaga | Mark Few | Gonzaga (asst.) | 25 | 689–135 (.836) | 332–34 (.907) | 49–5 (.907) | 23 | 12 |
| Loyola Marymount | Stan Johnson | Marquette (asst.) | 4 | 43–39 (.524) | 19–24 (.442) | 2–3 (.400) | 0 | 0 |
| Pacific | Leonard Perry | Pacific (asst.) | 3 | 22–39 (.361) | 10–20 (.333) | 1–2 (.333) | 0 | 0 |
| Pepperdine | Lorenzo Romar | Arizona (asst.) | 6 | 105–136 (.436) | 24-53 (.312) | 5–5 (.500) | 7 | 3 |
| Portland | Shantay Legans | Eastern Washington | 3 | 32–33 (.492) | 12–18 (.400) | 2–2 (.500) | 1 | 0 |
| Saint Mary's | Randy Bennett | Saint Louis (asst.) | 23 | 507–208 (.709) | 256–95 (.729) | 27–19 (.587) | 9 | 1 |
| San Diego | Steve Lavin | St. John's | 2 | 11–20 (.355) | 4–12 (.250) | 0–1 (.000) | 8 | 4 |
| San Francisco | Chris Gerlufsen | San Francisco (asst.) | 2 | 20–14 (.588) | 7–9 (.438) | 2–1 (.667) | 0 | 0 |
| Santa Clara | Herb Sendek | Arizona State | 7 | 120–94 (.561) | 57–50 (.533) | 5–7 (.417) | 8 | 1 |
Notes:
* Year at school includes 2023–24 season.
* Overall and WCC records are from time at current school and are through the beginning of the 2023–24 season.

## Preseason
### Conference realignment

On September 10, 2021, BYU was one of four schools (the others being Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF) that accepted invitations to join the Big 12 Conference beginning with the 2023-24 athletic season. Therefore, the WCC dropped to 9 teams for the current season.

### Preseason poll

2023-24 WCC Preseason Men's Basketball Coaches Poll :
| Rank | Team (First Place Votes) | Points |
| 1. | Saint Mary's (5) | 61 |
| 2. | Gonzaga (4) | 60 |
| 3. | San Francisco | 45 |
| 4. | Loyola Marymount | 42 |
| 5. | Santa Clara | 41 |
| 6. | Portland | 27 |
| 7. | Pepperdine | 22 |
| 8. | Pacific | 16 |
| 9. | San Diego | 10 |

### All-WCC Preseason Men's Basketball team

| Honor | Recipient |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Alex Ducas, Saint Mary's |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Graham Ike, Gonzaga |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Keli Leaupepe, LMU |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Aidan Mahaney, Saint Mary's |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Houston Mallette, Pepperdine |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Jevon Porter, Pepperdine |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Tyler Robertson, Portland |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Mitchell Saxen, Saint Mary's |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Anton Watson, Gonzaga |

## Rankings

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings
| | Improvement in ranking |
| | Drop in ranking |
| RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 |
| NV | No votes received |
| | | Pre/ Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 |
| Gonzaga | AP | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 15 | 13 | 24 | 23 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 19 |
| Gonzaga | C | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 25 | 21 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 22 | 18 |
| Loyola Marymount | AP | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| Loyola Marymount | C | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| Pacific | AP | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| Pacific | C | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| Pepperdine | AP | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| Pepperdine | C | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| Portland | AP | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| Portland | C | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| Saint Mary's | AP | 23 | RV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | RV | RV | RV | 18 | 18 | 17 | 23 |
| Saint Mary's | C | 23 | 24 | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | RV | RV | 19 | 18 | 17 | 21 |
| San Diego | AP | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| San Diego | C | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| San Francisco | AP | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | RV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| San Francisco | C | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| Santa Clara | AP | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| Santa Clara | C | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |

## Regular season
### Conference matrix

| | Gonzaga | Loyola Marymount | Pacific | Pepperdine | Portland | Saint Mary's | San Diego | San Francisco | Santa Clara |
| vs. Gonzaga | – | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 |
| vs. Loyola Marymount | 2–0 | – | 0-2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. Pacific | 2–0 | 2–0 | – | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. Pepperdine | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | – | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. Portland | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | – | 2-0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. Saint Mary's | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | – | 0-2 | 0–2 | 0–2 |
| vs. San Diego | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | – | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. San Francisco | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | – | 1-1 |
| vs. Santa Clara | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | – |
| Total | 14–2 | 5–11 | 0–16 | 5–11 | 5–11 | 15–1 | 7–9 | 11–5 | 10–6 |

### Early season tournaments

The following table summarizes the multiple-team events (MTE) or early season tournaments in which teams from the West Coast Conference will participate.
| Team | Tournament | Dates | Result |
| Gonzaga | Maui Invitational | November 20–22 | 5th |
| Loyola Marymount | Cayman Islands Classic | November 19–21 | 7th |
| Pacific | Pacific MTE | November 24–29 | – |
| Pepperdine | Ball Dawgs Classic | November 21–24 | – |
| Portland | Diamond Head Classic | December 21–24 | 8th |
| Saint Mary's | Continental Tire Main Event | November 17–19 | 4th |
| San Diego | Acrisure Invitational | November 24–25 | 2nd |
| San Francisco | Arizona Tip-Off | November 17–19 | 3rd |
| Santa Clara | Emerald Coast Classic | November 18–25 | 2nd |

### WCC Player/Freshman of the Week

Throughout the year, the West Coast Conference names a player of the week and a freshman of the week as follows:
| Week | Date | Player of the Week | Freshman of the Week |
| 1 | November 13, 2023 | Carlos Marshall Jr., Santa Clara | Tyler Harris, Portland |
| 2 | November 20, 2023 | Justice Hill, LMU | Tyler Harris (2), Portland |
| 3 | November 27, 2023 | Anton Watson, Gonzaga | Ryan Beasley, San Francisco |
| 4 | December 4, 2023 | Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga | Braden Huff, Gonzaga |
| 5 | December 11, 2023 | Dominick Harris, LMU | Nils Cooper, Pepperdine |
| 6 | December 18, 2023 | Mitchell Saxen, Saint Mary's | Kevin Patton Jr., San Diego |
| 7 | December 26, 2023 | Malik Thomas, San Francisco | Braden Huff (2), Gonzaga |
| 8 | January 2, 2024 | Luke Barrett, Saint Mary's | Dragos Lungu, San Diego |
| 9 | January 8, 2024 | Jonathan Mogbo, San Francisco | Tyler Harris (3), Portland |
| 10 | January 15, 2024 | Jonathan Mogbo (2), San Francisco | Kevin Patton Jr. (2), San Diego |
| 11 | January 24, 2024 | Joshua Jefferson, Saint Mary's | Braden Huff (3), Gonzaga |
| 12 | January 29, 2024 | Graham Ike, Gonzaga | Kevin Patton Jr. (3), San Diego |
| 13 | February 5, 2024 | Jonathan Mogbo (3), San Francisco | Bol Dengdit, Portland |
| 14 | February 12, 2024 | Wayne McKinney III, San Diego | Braden Huff (4), Gonzaga |
| 15 | February 19, 2024 | Ryan Nembhard (2), Gonzaga | Kevin Patton Jr. (4), San Diego |
| 16 | February 26, 2024 | Michael Ajayi, Pepperdine | Ryan Beasley (2), San Francisco |
| 17 | March 4, 2024 | Graham Ike (2), Gonzaga | Ryan Beasley (3), San Francisco |

## Postseason
### WCC Tournament

| First round Thursday, March 7 | First round Thursday, March 7 | First round Thursday, March 7 | Second round Friday, March 8 | Second round Friday, March 8 | Second round Friday, March 8 | Third round Saturday, March 9 | Third round Saturday, March 9 | Third round Saturday, March 9 | Semifinals Monday, March 11 | Semifinals Monday, March 11 | Semifinals Monday, March 11 | Championship Tuesday, March 12 | Championship Tuesday, March 12 | Championship Tuesday, March 12 |
| | | | | | | | | | 2 | Gonzaga | 89 | |
| | | | | | | 3 | San Francisco | 72 | 3 | San Francisco | 77 | | | |
| | | | 6 | Portland | 78 | 6 | Portland | 51 | | | | 2 | Gonzaga | 60 |
| | | | 7 | Loyola Marymount | 70 | | | | | | | 1 | Saint Mary’s | 69 |
| | | | | | | | | | 1 | Saint Mary’s | 79 | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Santa Clara | 104 | 4 | Santa Clara | 65 | | | |
| | | | 5 | San Diego | 57 | 5 | San Diego | 79 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Pepperdine | 102 | 8 | Pepperdine | 52 | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Pacific | 43 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### NCAA Tournament

| Seed | Region | School | First round | Second round | Sweet 16 | Elite Eight | Final Four | Championship |
| 5 | Midwest | Gonzaga | Defeated (12) McNeese, 86–65 | Defeated (4) Kansas, 89–68 | Lost to (1) Purdue, 68–80 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 5 | West | Saint Mary's | Lost to (12) Grand Canyon, 66–75 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| | Bids | W-L (%): | 1–1 (.500) | 1–0 (1.000) | 0–1 (.000) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | TOTAL: 2–2 (.500) |

### NIT

| Seed | School | First round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final |
| – | San Francisco | Lost to (2) Cincinnati, 72–73 (OT) | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| | W-L (%): | 0–1 (.000) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | TOTAL: 0–1 (.000) |

## All-WCC Awards and Teams

On March 5, 2024, the West Coast Conference announced the following awards:
| Honor | Recipient | School |
| Player of the Year | Augustas Marčiulionis | Saint Mary’s |
| Coach of the Year | Randy Bennett | Saint Mary’s |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Mitchell Saxen | Saint Mary’s |
| Newcomer of the Year | Jonathan Mogbo | San Francisco |
| Sixth Player of the Year | Deuce Turner | San Diego |
| All-WCC First Team | Michael Ajayi | Pepperdine |
| All-WCC First Team | Adama-Alpha Bal | Santa Clara |
| All-WCC First Team | Graham Ike | Gonzaga |
| All-WCC First Team | Aidan Mahaney | Saint Mary’s |
| All-WCC First Team | Augustas Marčiulionis | Saint Mary’s |
| All-WCC First Team | Jonathan Mogbo | San Francisco |
| All-WCC First Team | Ryan Nembhard | Gonzaga |
| All-WCC First Team | Mitchell Saxen | Saint Mary’s |
| All-WCC First Team | Anton Watson | Gonzaga |
| All-WCC First Team | Marcus Williams | San Francisco |
| All-WCC Second Team | Alex Ducas | Saint Mary’s |
| All-WCC Second Team | Nolan Hickman | Gonzaga |
| All-WCC Second Team | Wayne McKinney III | San Diego |
| All-WCC Second Team | Tyler Robertson | Portland |
| All-WCC Second Team | Deuce Turner | San Diego |
| All-WCC Freshman Team | Ryan Beasley | San Francisco |
| All-WCC Freshman Team | Jake Ensminger | Santa Clara |
| All-WCC Freshman Team | Tyler Harris | Portland |
| All-WCC Freshman Team | Braden Huff | Gonzaga |
| All-WCC Freshman Team | Kevin Patton Jr. | San Diego |
| WCC Honorable Mention | Joshua Jefferson | Saint Mary’s |
| WCC Honorable Mention | Houston Mallette | Pepperdine |
| WCC Honorable Mention | Carlos Marshall Jr. | Santa Clara |
| WCC Honorable Mention | Alex Merkviladze | LMU |
| WCC Honorable Mention | Jevon Porter | Pepperdine |
| WCC Honorable Mention | Ndewedo Newbury | San Francisco |
| WCC Honorable Mention | Malik Thomas | San Francisco |
| WCC Honorable Mention | Christoph Tilly | Santa Clara |