With Star Power Gone, Where Will West Coast Conference Turn?

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Red-shirt freshman Tim Williams will be a big key to the teams' success as he will be replacing two-time WCC Defensive Player of the Year Diamon Simpson.

The x-factor for the Gaels will be senior Wayne Hunter. He has shown flashes of being a prominent scorer but has never put it all together. He has always been an active defender and could replace Simpson as the DPOY. But his activity on the offensive end will determine the success in Moraga.

San Diego has large holes but large hearts. The one thing the Toreros have never lacked is grit. With Brandon Johnson returning from his Achilles injury, he could be the best point guard in the conference.

Roberto Mafra and De'Jon Jackson will add to the fire power of the Toreros. This year will also be the first time we will see Bill Grier's recruits and he had one of the better recruiting classes on the West Coast.

San Francisco and Santa Clara are a mess.

SCU is losing players almost everyday. John Bryant graduated and then freshman James Rahon jumped ship. With those two players alone, they lost over 30 points and 16 rebounds per game. Head coach Kerry Keating has not had a winning seaosn since taking over the Broncos.

The Dons are in a slightly better condition. The players from the Jesse Evans era are filtering out and head coach Rex Walters can place his system in without the distraction of a Dior Lowhorn or a Manny Quesada.

As far as Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount... they can only go one direction. Up.

This will be a transition year for the conference and where the next crop of stars come from, we will see. This maybe the year the conference goes back to only one postseason team. But maybe the youth movement is exactly what this conference needs.

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