# 2021–22 West Coast Conference men's basketball season

The 2021–22 West Coast Conference men's basketball season began with practices in September 2021 and ended with the 2022 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament in March 2022. This will be the 71st season for WCC men's basketball, and the 33rd 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
### Coaching changes

Two new head coaches will lead their team in the WCC during the 2021–22 season. On March 22, 2021, Shantay Legans, the then coach at Eastern Washington University, revealed via Twitter that he had accepted the position as the head coach at the University of Portland. Then, on July 7, 2021, the University of the Pacific announced that associate head coach Leonard Perry would become the new head coach of the Tigers. The former head coach, Damon Stoudamire, accepted a position as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics under Ime Udoka. Perry was previously the head basketball coach at the University of Idaho from 2001 to 2006.

### Coaches

| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years at school | Overall record | WCC record | WCC Tournament record | NCAA tournaments | Sweet Sixteens |
| BYU | Mark Pope | Utah Valley | 3 | 44–15 (.746) | 23–6 (.793) | 1–2 (.333) | 1 | 0 |
| Gonzaga | Mark Few | Gonzaga (asst.) | 23 | 630–124 (.836) | 305–31 (.908) | 45–5 (.900) | 21 | 10 |
| Loyola Marymount | Stan Johnson | Marquette (asst.) | 2 | 13–9 (.591) | 7–5 (.583) | 1–1 (.500) | 0 | 0 |
| Pacific | Leonard Perry | Pacific (asst.) | 1 | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 |
| Pepperdine | Lorenzo Romar | Arizona (asst.) | 4 | 89–90 (.497) | 21–25 (.457) | 5–3 (.625) | 7 | 3 |
| Portland | Shantay Legans | Eastern Washington | 1 | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 1 | 0 |
| Saint Mary's | Randy Bennett | Saint Louis(asst.) | 21 | 454–192 (.703) | 223–98 (.695) | 25–17 (.595) | 7 | 1 |
| San Diego | Sam Scholl | San Diego (asst.) | 4 | 35–50 (.412) | 11–30 (0.268) | 3–3 (0.500) | 0 | 0 |
| San Francisco | Todd Golden | San Francisco (asst.) | 3 | 33–26 (.559) | 13–16 (.448) | 3–2 (.600) | 0 | 0 |
| Santa Clara | Herb Sendek | Arizona State | 6 | 76–72 (.514) | 36–40 (.474) | 4–5 (.444) | 8 | 1 |
Notes:
* Year at school includes 2021–22 season.
* Overall and WCC records are from time at current school and are through the beginning of the 2021–22 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, BYU remained a member of the WCC for this season and the 2022–23 season, with the WCC potentially dropping to nine teams for the 2023–24 season. West Coast Conference commissioner Gloria Nevarez indicated that the conference is open to adding additional schools to the conference to ensure "continued success" for the league.

### Preseason poll

2021-22 WCC Preseason Men's Basketball Coaches Poll :
| Rank | Team (First Place Votes) | Points |
| 1. | Gonzaga (9) | 81 |
| 2. | BYU (1) | 72 |
| 3. | Saint Mary's | 63 |
| 4. | Loyola Marymount | 56 |
| 5. | San Francisco | 49 |
| 6. | Santa Clara | 45 |
| 7. | Pepperdine | 31 |
| 8. | Pacific | 24 |
| 8. | San Diego | 20 |
| 10. | Portland | 9 |

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

| Honor | Recipient |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Alex Barcello, BYU |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Jamaree Bouyea, San Francisco |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Logan Johnson, Saint Mary's |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Caleb Lohner, BYU |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Andrew Nembhard, Gonzaga |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Eli Scott, LMU |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Khalil Shabazz, San Francisco |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Drew Timme, Gonzaga |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Josip Vrankic, Santa Clara |
| Preseason All-WCC Team | Jalen Williams, Santa Clara |

## Rankings

Legend :
| | Improvement in ranking |
| | Drop in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| RV | Received votes but were not ranked in top 25 of poll |
| (Italics) | Number of first-place votes |
| | | 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 | Final |
| BYU | AP | RV | RV | 18 | 12 | 24 | RV | RV | | | RV | RV | RV | | | | | | | |
| BYU | C | | | 18 | 13 | 23 | RV | RV | | RV | RV | RV | RV | | | | | | | |
| Gonzaga | AP | 1 (55) | 1 (55) | 1 (55) | 3 (1) | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 (25) | 2 (15) | 2 (12) | 2 (13) | 1 (56) | 1 (61) | 1 (46) | 1 (52) | 1 (54) |
| Gonzaga | C | 1 (29) | 1 (29) | 1 (30) | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 (23) | 1 (18) | 1 (16) | 1 (18) | 1 (30) | 1 (32) | 1 (20) | 1 (27) | 1 (31) |
| Loyola Marymount | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Loyola Marymount | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Pacific | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Pacific | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Pepperdine | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Pepperdine | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Portland | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Portland | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Saint Mary's | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | RV | RV | 22 | RV | 23 | 19 | 17 | 18 |
| Saint Mary's | C | | | | | | RV | RV | RV | RV | | | RV | RV | 22 | RV | 23 | 20 | 17 | 16 |
| San Diego | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| San Diego | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| San Francisco | AP | | | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | | | | RV | RV | | | RV | RV |
| San Francisco | C | | | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | | RV | RV | | RV | RV | RV | | RV | RV |
| Santa Clara | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Santa Clara | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Regular season
### Conference matrix

| | BYU | Gonzaga | Loyola Marymount | Pacific | Pepperdine | Portland | Saint Mary's | San Diego | San Francisco | Santa Clara |
| vs. BYU | – | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| vs. Gonzaga | 0–2 | – | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 |
| vs. Loyola Marymount | 2–0 | 1–0 | – | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. Pacific | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | – | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. Pepperdine | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | – | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| vs. Portland | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | – | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| vs. Saint Mary's | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | – | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 |
| vs. San Diego | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | – | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. San Francisco | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | – | 0–2 |
| vs. Santa Clara | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | – |
| Total | 9–6 | 13–1 | 3–12 | 3–11 | 1–15 | 7–7 | 12–3 | 7–9 | 10–6 | 10–5 |

### 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 | Arena | Arena location | Record | Bracketed | Finish | TV partner |
| BYU | Diamond Head Classic | December 22–25 | Stan Sheriff Center | Honolulu, Hawaii | 2–1 | Yes | 3rd | ESPN |
| Gonzaga | Empire Classic | November 18–19 | Madison Square Garden | New York, New York | 2–0 | No | N/A | ESPN |
| Loyola Marymount | Jacksonville Classic | November 17–22 | UNF Arena | Jacksonville, Florida | 2–1 | Yes | 3rd | CBS |
| Pacific | Rainbow Classic | November 10–13 | Stan Sheriff Center | Honolulu, Hawaii | 1–2 | No | N/A | N/A |
| Pepperdine | SoCal Challenge | November 22–24 | Pavilion at JSerra | San Juan Capistrano, California | 0–3 | No | N/A | CBS/FloHoops |
| Portland | Incarnate Word Tournament | November 26–28 | McDermott Center | San Antonio, Texas | 2–1 | No | N/A | N/A |
| Saint Mary's | Maui Invitational | November 22–24 | Lahaina Civic Center | Maui, Hawaii | 2–1 | Yes | 2nd | ESPN |
| San Diego | Las Vegas Classic | November 25–26 | Orleans Arena | Paradise, Nevada | 2–1 | Yes | 3rd | N/A |
| San Francisco | Las Vegas Invitational | November 25–26 | Orleans Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada | 2–0 | Yes | 1st | Fox Sports |
| Santa Clara | SoCal Challenge | November 22–24 | Pavilion at JSerra | San Juan Capistrano, California | 2–1 | No | N/A | CBS/FloHoops |

### 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 15, 2021 | Drew Timme, Gonzaga | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga |
| 2 | November 22, 2021 | Alex Barcello, BYU | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga |
| 3 | November 29, 2021 | Dan Fotu, Saint Mary's | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga |
| 4 | December 6, 2021 | Jamaree Bouyea, San Francisco | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga |
| 5 | December 13, 2021 | Jamaree Bouyea, San Francisco | Houston Mallette, Pepperdine |
| 6 | December 20, 2021 | Andrew Nembhard, Gonzaga | Mike Mitchell Jr., Pepperdine |
| 7 | December 27, 2021 | Fousseyni Traore, BYU | Fousseyni Traore, BYU |
| 8 | January 3, 2022 | Logan Johnson, Saint Mary's | Nolan Hickman, Gonzaga |
| 9 | January 11, 2022 | Yauhen Massalski, San Francisco | Fousseyni Traore, BYU |
| 10 | January 17, 2022 | Drew Timme, Gonzaga | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga |
| 11 | January 24, 2022 | Alex Ducas, Saint Mary's | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga & Fousseyni Traore, BYU |
| 12 | January 31, 2022 | Matthias Tass, Saint Mary's | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga |
| 13 | February 7, 2022 | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga |
| 14 | February 14, 2022 | Tyler Robertson, Portland | Houston Mallette, Pepperdine |
| 15 | February 21, 2022 | Tommy Kuhse, Saint Mary's | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga |
| 16 | February 28, 2022 | Logan Johnson, Saint Mary's | Fousseyni Traore, BYU |

## National awards and teams
### All-Americans

The following WCC players were named as national All-Americans as follows:
| Player | School | Associated Press | United States Basketball Writers Association | National Association of Basketball Coaches | Sporting News | Consensus Points |
| Drew Timme | Gonzaga | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Chet Holmgren | Gonzaga | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 |

### Other National Awards

The following WCC players were named to national award watch lists and received awards as follows:

#### Wooden Award – Player of the Year

| Preseason Top 50 | Midseason Top 25 | Late Season Top 20 | Top 15 Ballot | Wooden 10 All Americans | 5 Finalists |
| Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga | Drew Timme, Gonzaga |
| Andrew Nembhard, Gonzaga | Drew Timme, Gonzaga | Drew Timme, Gonzaga | Drew Timme, Gonzaga | Drew Timme, Gonzaga | |
| Drew Timme, Gonzaga | | | | | |

#### Naismith Award – Player of the Year

| Preseason Top 50 | Midseason Top 30 | 10 Semifinalists | 4 Finalists |
| Alex Barcello, BYU | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga | (none) |
| Andrew Nembhard, Gonzaga | Drew Timme, Gonzaga | Drew Timme, Gonzaga | |
| Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga | | | |
| Drew Timme, Gonzaga | | | |

#### Lute Olson – Player of the Year

| Preseason Top 40 | Midseason Top 30 | 10 Semifinalists | 4 Finalists |
| Alex Barcello, BYU | Alex Barcello, BYU | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga | (none) |
| Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga | Drew Timme, Gonzaga | |
| Drew Timme, Gonzaga | Drew Timme, Gonzaga | | |

#### Bob Cousy Award – Point Guard

| Preseason Top 20 | Midseason Top 10 | 5 Finalists |
| Andrew Nembhard, Gonzaga | Andrew Nembhard, Gonzaga | Andrew Nembhard, Gonzaga |

#### Jerry West Award – Shooting Guard

| Preseason Top 20 | Midseason Top 10 | 5 Finalists |
| Hunter Sallis, Gonzaga | (none) | (none) |

#### Julius Erving Award – Small Forward

| Preseason Top 20 | Midseason Top 10 | 5 Finalists |
| (none) | (none) | (none) |

#### Karl Malone Award – Power Forward

| Preseason Top 20 | Midseason Top 10 | 5 Finalists |
| Drew Timme, Gonzaga | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga | Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga |

#### Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award – Center

| Preseason Top 20 | Midseason Top 10 | 5 Finalists |
| Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga | Drew Timme, Gonzaga | Drew Timme, Gonzaga |

## All-WCC awards and teams

On March 2, 2022, the West Coast Conference announced the following awards:
| Honor | Recipient | School |
| Player of the Year | Drew Timme | Gonzaga |
| Coach of the Year | Randy Bennett | Saint Mary's |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Chet Holmgren | Gonzaga |
| Newcomer of the Year | Chet Holmgren | Gonzaga |
| Sixth Man of the Year | Tommy Kuhse | Saint Mary's |
| All-WCC First Team | Alex Barcello | BYU |
| All-WCC First Team | Jamaree Bouyea | San Francisco |
| All-WCC First Team | Chet Holmgren | Gonzaga |
| All-WCC First Team | Tommy Kuhse | Saint Mary's |
| All-WCC First Team | Yauhen Massalski | San Francisco |
| All-WCC First Team | Andrew Nembhard | Gonzaga |
| All-WCC First Team | Matthias Tass | Saint Mary's |
| All-WCC First Team | Drew Timme | Gonzaga |
| All-WCC First Team | Josip Vrankic | Santa Clara |
| All-WCC First Team | Jalen Williams | Santa Clara |
| All-WCC Second Team | Alex Ducas | Saint Mary's |
| All-WCC Second Team | Logan Johnson | Saint Mary's |
| All-WCC Second Team | Keshawn Justice | Santa Clara |
| All-WCC Second Team | Tyler Robertson | Portland |
| All-WCC Second Team | Eli Scott | LMU |
| All-WCC Second Team | Khalil Shabazz | San Francisco |
| All-WCC Freshman Team | Nolan Hickman | Gonzaga |
| All-WCC Freshman Team | Chet Holmgren | Gonzaga |
| All-WCC Freshman Team | Maxwell Lewis | Pepperdine |
| All-WCC Freshman Team | Houston Mallette | Pepperdine |
| All-WCC Freshman Team | Wayne McKinney III | San Diego |
| All-WCC Freshman Team | Mike Mitchell Jr. | Pepperdine |
| All-WCC Freshman Team | Fousseyni Traore | BYU |
| WCC Honorable Mention | Jeremiah Bailey | Pacific |
| WCC Honorable Mention | Rasir Bolton | Gonzaga |
| WCC Honorable Mention | Marcellus Earlington | San Diego |
| WCC Honorable Mention | Julian Strawther | Gonzaga |
| WCC Honorable Mention | Moses Wood | Portland |

## Postseason
### West Coast Conference tournament

Gonzaga defeated Saint Mary's 82–69 in the championship game to win the tournament on March 8. Mark Few was the winning coach and Andrew Nembhard was named the MVP of the tournament.

### NCAA tournament

Three teams from the WCC participated in the 2022 NCAA tournament. Gonzaga received the automatic bid from the WCC and the #1 overall seed. Gonzaga advanced to the Sweet 16, where they were defeated by Arkansas 74–68. Saint Mary's received a 5 seed as an at-large selection and advanced to the second round where they were defeated by UCLA 72–56. San Francisco received a 10 seed as an at-large selection but was defeated in overtime in the first round, 92–87, by Murray State.

### National Invitation Tournament (NIT)

BYU and Santa Clara participated in the 2022 NIT. BYU received a 2 seed and advanced to the quarterfinals where they lost to Washington State 77–58 while Santa Clara lost in the first round to Washington State 63–50.

### College Basketball Invitational (CBI) tournament

No teams from the WCC participated in the 2022 CBI Tournament.

### The Basketball Classic (TBC)

Portland received an invitation to and participated in the 2022 TBC. Portland defeated New Orleans in the first round but lost to Southern Utah in the quarterfinals 77–66.