The West Coast Conference is a Division One I athletic association featuring eight college programs: Gonzaga University, Loyola Marymount University, Pepperdine University, the University of Portland, Saint Mary's College, the University of San Diego, the University of San Francisco, and Santa Clara University.http://wccsports.cstv.com/school-bio/west-school-bio.html The conference was founded in 1952, and continues to have strong ties to the Bay Area. However, schools now span from Southern California up to the Pacific Northwest.http://wccsports.cstv.com/school-bio/west-school-bio.html
As with all Division I college basketball programs, the WCC plays a series of games against one another before advancing to a tournament later in the year. The winner of the tournament ends up receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament in March. By defeating San Diego in 2009, Gonzaga entered the tournament, where they have a history of advancing into the second round.http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/womensbasketball/2009-03-09-west-coast-championship_N.htm
While Gonzaga alum Adam Morrison may be the most famous college basketball player from the WCC, Santa Clara alum Steve Nash has been far more successful in the NBA. He is a two-time recipient of the Most Valuable Player awards and currently plays for the Phoenix Suns. Past NBA stars including Boston Celtics great Bill Russell and John Stockton of the Utah Jazz also attended WCC schools.http://www.usfdons.com/genrel/112901aaa.html
WCC 2009/10 Season
During the 2009-2010 season, the WCC is again led by Gonzaga, but Saint Mary's is also at the top of the conference. Meanwhile, Pepperdine, San Diego, and Santa Clara are at the bottom of the standings.http://wccsports.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2009-2010/confsked.html In terms of statistics, Gonzaga and Saint Mary's also lead the majority of the statistical categories. The leading scorer for the college is Omar Samhan of Saint Mary's.http://wccsports.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2009-2010/confldrs.html
The 2010 WCC basketball tournament will occur March 5-8, 2010 in Las Vegas.http://www.gozags.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/072209aaa.html
