MBB | Johnson, Ducas Named Preseason All-WCC, Gaels Picked Second
10/6/2022 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SAN MATEO, Calif. — The West Coast Conference announced their 2022-23 Preseason Men's Basketball Coaches Poll on Thursday morning. Saint Mary's lands a pair of players on the conference's annual Preseason All-WCC squad in the form of Logan Johnson and Alex Ducas, while the Gaels are picked to finish second in the standings.
Saint Mary's received 73 votes to trail only Gonzaga (81) in the projected polls, while receiving one first place vote. BYU and San Francisco are in a tie behind the Gaels for third, while Portland has made the jump up to fifth in the preseason poll. Last year, the Gaels finished second in the WCC after going 12-3, including a win over the conference champion, Gonzaga.
Logan Johnson was selected for the Preseason All-WCC team for the second consecutive year after landing postseason honors each of the last two years. Last season, Johnson averaged 11.9 points per game and led the conference with 67 total steals, the second-most in a single season in Saint Mary's history. The Mountain View native also set career-highs in assists per game (2.6) and rebounds per game (4.1) en route to being named All-WCC Second Team.
Alex Ducas makes his first appearance on the Preseason All-WCC team after the best season of his collegiate career. The senior out of Geraldton, Australia set career-highs with 10.3 points per game, 0.9 assists per game and steals per game, and 29.8 minutes per game. Ducas continues to be the best three-point shooter on the team, leading the team with 67 made three-pointers and was selected to the All-WCC Second Team for the first time in his career.
This season marks the first time since the 2019-20 season that the Gaels have had multiple players land on the Preseason All-WCC team, when Jordan Ford and Malik Fitts were chosen before the season.
Only Saint Mary's (2) and Gonzaga (3) have multiple players on the Preseason All-WCC team. Five other schools are represented with one player on the team. San Diego, Loyola Marymount, and Pacific are the three schools without a player represented.
Saint Mary's has finished at least third or better in the WCC in 17 of the past 19 seasons under head coach Randy Bennett, the reigning West Coast Conference Coach of the Year. Even more, they've finished first or second in the WCC in 13 of the last 15 years. Bennett has a 224-91 (.711) record in conference play since coming to Moraga in 2001, and 179-52 (.775) since the 2007-08 season.
WCC Preseason Coaches Poll
1st Place Votes Points
1. Gonzaga (9) 81
2. Saint Mary's (1) 73
3. BYU 57
San Francisco 57
5. Portland 48
6. Santa Clara 43
7. Pepperdine 33
8. San Diego 31
9. LMU 17
10. Pacific 10
All-WCC Preseason Team
Name Yr. Pos. School
Rasir Bolton Sr. G Gonzaga
Alex Ducas Sr. F Saint Mary's
Logan Johnson 5th G Saint Mary's
Keshawn Justice Sr. F Santa Clara
Houston Mallette So. G Pepperdine
Tyler Robertson Jr. F Portland
Khalil Shabazz Sr. G San Francisco
Julian Strawther Jr. G Gonzaga
Drew Timme Sr. F Gonzaga
Fousseyni Traore So. F BYU
Saint Mary's received 73 votes to trail only Gonzaga (81) in the projected polls, while receiving one first place vote. BYU and San Francisco are in a tie behind the Gaels for third, while Portland has made the jump up to fifth in the preseason poll. Last year, the Gaels finished second in the WCC after going 12-3, including a win over the conference champion, Gonzaga.
Logan Johnson was selected for the Preseason All-WCC team for the second consecutive year after landing postseason honors each of the last two years. Last season, Johnson averaged 11.9 points per game and led the conference with 67 total steals, the second-most in a single season in Saint Mary's history. The Mountain View native also set career-highs in assists per game (2.6) and rebounds per game (4.1) en route to being named All-WCC Second Team.
Alex Ducas makes his first appearance on the Preseason All-WCC team after the best season of his collegiate career. The senior out of Geraldton, Australia set career-highs with 10.3 points per game, 0.9 assists per game and steals per game, and 29.8 minutes per game. Ducas continues to be the best three-point shooter on the team, leading the team with 67 made three-pointers and was selected to the All-WCC Second Team for the first time in his career.
This season marks the first time since the 2019-20 season that the Gaels have had multiple players land on the Preseason All-WCC team, when Jordan Ford and Malik Fitts were chosen before the season.
Only Saint Mary's (2) and Gonzaga (3) have multiple players on the Preseason All-WCC team. Five other schools are represented with one player on the team. San Diego, Loyola Marymount, and Pacific are the three schools without a player represented.
Saint Mary's has finished at least third or better in the WCC in 17 of the past 19 seasons under head coach Randy Bennett, the reigning West Coast Conference Coach of the Year. Even more, they've finished first or second in the WCC in 13 of the last 15 years. Bennett has a 224-91 (.711) record in conference play since coming to Moraga in 2001, and 179-52 (.775) since the 2007-08 season.
WCC Preseason Coaches Poll
1st Place Votes Points
1. Gonzaga (9) 81
2. Saint Mary's (1) 73
3. BYU 57
San Francisco 57
5. Portland 48
6. Santa Clara 43
7. Pepperdine 33
8. San Diego 31
9. LMU 17
10. Pacific 10
All-WCC Preseason Team
Name Yr. Pos. School
Rasir Bolton Sr. G Gonzaga
Alex Ducas Sr. F Saint Mary's
Logan Johnson 5th G Saint Mary's
Keshawn Justice Sr. F Santa Clara
Houston Mallette So. G Pepperdine
Tyler Robertson Jr. F Portland
Khalil Shabazz Sr. G San Francisco
Julian Strawther Jr. G Gonzaga
Drew Timme Sr. F Gonzaga
Fousseyni Traore So. F BYU
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