The WCC honorees

Here are the honorees from the West Coast Conference:

BYU senior All-American Kyle Collinsworth set the NCAA all-time record for most triple-doubles (11) and captured West Coast Conference Player of the Year honors after a record-setting career in Provo. Saint Mary’s Randy Bennett collected Coach of the Year accolades for the third time, while junior guard Joe Rahon was named Newcomer of the Year in his first season with the Gaels. Gonzaga’s Eric McClellan earned Defensive Player of the Year honors as announced Tuesday by the league office. 

All four individual awards – along with the All-West Coast Conference Teams and the All-Freshman Team – were voted on by the league’s 10 head coaches. 

Collinsworth becomes the second Cougar in three seasons to earn selection as WCC Player of the Year following in the footsteps of former teammate, All-American guard Tyler Haws (2014). A national finalist for the Cousy Award, Collinsworth averaged 15.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game. BYU’s all-time leader in both assists (660) and rebounds (1,001), Collinsworth ranks first (6) and second (5) on the NCAA single-season triple-double chart. 

McClellan is the sixth Gonzaga student-athlete to capture Defensive Player of the Year since the award made its debut in the 1998-99 season and the second straight joining former teammate Gary Bell Jr. (2015). McClellan keys a stingy defensive unit, limiting league foes to just 39.5% from the field and the stingiest 3-point defense in the country – 28.5%. A physical defender, typically tasked with guarding the opposition’s top offensive perimeter player, McClellan adds 10.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

Rahon is the fifth Gael student-athlete named Newcomer of the Year and the first since current San Antonio Spur Patrick Mills collected the hardware in 2007-08. In his first season at Saint Mary’s, Rahon ranks 11th nationally in assist/turnover ratio (3.59), 25th in total assists (165) and 27th in assists per game (5.9). During league play, Rahon averages 10.0 points, 4.2 rebounds to go along with 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals. 

Bennett collects his third WCC Coach of the Year honors after being selected by his peers in both in 2008 and 2011. This season, Bennett replaced his entire starting lineup and Saint Mary’s didn’t miss a beat posting one of the most efficient seasons in league history, ranking in the top-10 nationally in multiple categories including field goal percentage (first) and assist/turnover ratio. Bennett directed the Gaels to its third WCC Regular Season title in six seasons despite being picked to finish fourth in the preseason coaches poll. 

Of the 10-member All-WCC First Team, six appeared on the 2015-16 preseason All-WCC squad. Pepperdine’s Stacy Davis earned his third straight first team berth, while Santa Clara’s Jared Brownridge, BYU’s Collinsworth and Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer each appear on the first team for the second consecutive season. 

This marks the second straight season the WCC will honor a five-member second team after a 30-year hiatus. The first team expanded to 10 members in 1980-81. 

With the conclusion of the regular season, WCC teams head to Las Vegas to compete for the 2016 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship and subsequent automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Tournament action tips off Friday, March 4 at the Orleans Arena.

2015-16 West Coast Conference Major Awards

Player of the Year: Kyle Collinsworth, BYU
Coach of the Year: Randy Bennett, Saint Mary’s
Defensive Player of the Year: Eric McClellan, Gonzaga
Newcomer of the Year: Joe Rahon, Saint Mary’s

2015-16 All-WCC Men’s Basketball First Team

Jared Brownridge Jr. G Santa Clara

Kyle Collinsworth Sr. G BYU

Stacy Davis Sr. F Pepperdine

Chase Fischer Sr. G BYU

Emmett Naar So. G Saint Mary’s

Joe Rahon Jr. G Saint Mary’s

Domantas Sabonis So. F Gonzaga

Devin Watson So. G San Francisco

Kyle Wiltjer Sr. F Gonzaga

Alec Wintering Jr. G Portland

2015-16 All-WCC Men’s Basketball Second Team

Tim Derksen Sr. G San Francisco

Nick Emery Fr. G BYU

Adom Jacko Jr. F Loyola Marymount

Lamond Murray Jr. Jr. G/F Pepperdine

Bryce Pressley Sr. G Portland

2015-16 WCC Men’s Basketball Honorable Mention Selections

Brandon Brown, Loyola Marymount
Alec Kobre, Pacific
Jett Raines, Pepperdine
T.J. Wallace, Pacific

2015-16 All-WCC Men’s Basketball Freshman Team

Kameron Edwards F Pepperdine

Nick Emery G BYU

KJ Feagin G Santa Clara

Evan Fitzner C Saint Mary’s

Josh Perkins G Gonzaga