Top 5 for each position

Hey guys, over at WestCoastConvo.com we took a writers poll, there's writers from most of the schools I think, about who the top 5 players at each position are. I wrote up a short blurb on each Portland player.

Yesterday the SF were revealed and Kevin came in at the second best SF in the WCC. Really the SF is an untested and could be a weak position within the WCC, perfect for KB to assert himself as the cream of the crop from the wing, something he is definitely capable of. I'm not sure when the next two installments will be printed (Portland didn't have anyone make the PG or SG list) but there should be more interest in the PF and C positions.

http://westcoastconvo.com/

You guys are doing a great job with this site.

Thanks, the kid who's running it is pretty talented. He's going to be freshman at Gonzaga I think, so his decision making skills can be called into question a little, but he does a great job of running the site. I need to post more than I have been, but hopefully I can find the balance of work, social life, and blogging in addition to other commitments.

Ryan Nicholas at #4 on the Top 5 PF list is probably fair considering the lack of UP team success the last couple of years.

#3 Beau Levesque (SMC); #2 Stacy Davis (PU); and #1 Sam Dower (GU) are all very good players, but IMO Nicholas does the most to raise the level of his team.

I'm hoping someone shares this list with Ryan so as to give him even more motivation moving into his senior season.

http://westcoastconvo.com/2013/07/30/top-5-power-forwards-in-the-wcc/

Thanks for the link and info, it helps to have some WCC hoops to read about in the off season.
I am confused though, is this list generated by the speculation of how they are supposed to do this year or on how they have already proven they can play in the conference?
All but the Pacific PF has played at least a year in the WCC and if I am going by current body of work then Ryan ranks #1 or #2.
All of the above mentioned are solid PF's but none of them averaged 13 and 8.

The list was voted on by the writers of the blog and is currently who the top 5 in each position are. This does assume that these writers are knowledgeable about all wcc something that I can say for myself isn't all that true. When voting on some positions I had trouble figuring out who I would vote for. It's a bit easier with Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, and BYU because they are a tad more visible, but for teams like ours it's easy to undervalue players. I personally voted him higher.

oldtimer wrote:I am confused though, is this list generated by the speculation of how they are supposed to do this year or on how they have already proven they can play in the conference?

Judging by the inclusion of Gonzaga's Nunez (who can't even play until January, I think) it's projections for this season. It's the offseason, so fine time for speculating.

Will be interesting when the center list comes out...will probably look something like this:

1) Brad Waldow
2) Nate Austin
3) Thomas van der Mars
4) Przemek Karnowski
5) Yannick Atanga or maybe R. Barker

The GU homers like their big Polish fella so Karnowski might be slotted higher on the actual list.

Yeah, turns out each writer is a bit of a homer, including me, who had a UP in the top 5 of each position except PG, and in some cases two (VDM and Barker). But if nothing else it gives a little bit of what the perception of UP is.

DeanMurdoch wrote:Will be interesting when the center list comes out...will probably look something like this:

1) Brad Waldow
2) Nate Austin
3) Thomas van der Mars
4) Przemek Karnowski
5) Yannick Atanga or maybe R. Barker

WOW, your list and mine are almost exactly the same!

The only difference is at #5....I consider Atanga more of a PF, not a C.....so I slipped Jito Kok from USD in there.  

I honestly believe R. Barker will exceed expectations, and could even pass T. van der Mars on the depth chart....it should be an fun and competitive time for both. 

Karnowski was in terrible shape when he showed up in Spokane, but by the end of the season he was looking good and putting up pretty good numbers for the amount of minutes he was playing.  I don't think anyone expected former guard Kelly Olynyk to dominate as he did.....and take all the minutes too.

Regarding the Power Forward list from WestCoastConvo posted a few days ago....everyone has an opinion as it's all very subjective and there will be many variables for each player and team in the upcoming season, but here's my Top 5:

1. Ryan Nicholas, Sr, UP
2. Stacy Davis, So, PU
3. Sam Dower, Sr, GU
4. Mark Tollefson, So, USF
5. Tony Gill, Sr, UOP

It could be very tough squad out of Stockton this year; if I were to pick a #6 on the list, it would be Ross Rivera, Sr, UOP.

My bold statement of the year - when these lists are redone next season, VOLODYMYR GERUN will be a unanimous choice as the top PF in the WCC.

DoubleDipper wrote:WOW, your list and mine are almost exactly the same!

Hmm. Did you post a list somewhere? I swear I came up with it on my own time (well, on work time - thanks, taxpayers of Saskatchewan).

DeanMurdoch wrote:

DoubleDipper wrote:WOW, your list and mine are almost exactly the same!

 Hmm. Did you post a list somewhere? I swear I came up with it on my own time (well, on work time - thanks, taxpayers of Saskatchewan).

  Ha-ha, I guess I could have worded that better...

What I meant to say was, I was about to write a list, but saw it was the same as yours, except at #5, so I didn't. 

Hmm, Voldy @ #1.....that IS a bold statement if you've not seen him play.  I'll see him scrimmage against the other bigs tomorrow.....and will then form an opinion.

.

DoubleDipper wrote:Hmm, Voldy @ #1.....that IS a bold statement if you've not seen him play.  I'll see him scrimmage against the other bigs tomorrow.....and will then form an opinion.

You planning to post some sort of update after you go watch? Will be interesting to hear some opinions about how the team's shaping up here in the early going.

DoubleDipper wrote:Ahhh, beautiful blue sky in Saskatchewan

Had two tornadoes skirt by last week...bit of a close call. Not always sunshine here!

DeanMurdoch wrote:1) Brad Waldow
2) Nate Austin
3) Thomas van der Mars
4) Przemek Karnowski
5) Yannick Atanga or maybe R. Barker

Well, great minds think alike, I guess....

WestCoastConvo rates the Top 5 Centers:
1. Brad Waldow
2. Thomas van der Mars
3. Przemek Karnowski
4. Nate Austin
5. Mark Tollefson

I personally rated Tollefson as the #4 Power Forward.....but again, it's not always easy to define a player's position....it often depends on the offensive or defensive scheme.

Hey everyone, I am the lead editor over at West Coast Convo and I love the banter on here. I have recently been checking out all of the WCC message boards, and looking what people have been saying about our top 5 lists. It's been pretty interesting haha. We have gotten a little bit of flak, but that's expected with these types of articles.

Glad you guys are liking the site, we are just trying to put the most WCC coverage we can.

Thanks for checking-in, Josh.

I doubt you'll get much, if any, flak from the PN faithful....for the most part our posts are pretty positive, or we don't post at all.  Most of us are just eager to read anything we can about WCC sports.

With football (soccer) season approaching, those of us supporting two-time National Champion UP will expect to read something about the #1 sport on the Bluff.

I generally glance at all the articles on WestCoastConvo.....and my only word of caution is to not get so Gonzagacentric that you turn off the rest of the "other" readers.  There is already so much (too much?) written on other sites and blogs about GU, that almost anything is now considered redundant.  Remember, there are 10 WCC schools....all should be equally represented to achieve the best perspective without alienating the readers.

Good luck as you begin your freshman year at GU....the partying will be the easy part.....

Thank You!

I appreciate your concern about the site getting a little Gonzagacentric, and I agree with it for the most part. My plan for West Coast Convo is still in its awkward stages, since I wanted to find a writer for each site, with me being the primary Gonzaga writer. Our Portland, Saint Mary's, Gonzaga, BYU, and USF coverage is good right now, but we still need better coverage for the 5 other schools. I am still looking for writers, so I could see how WCC could be viewed as a little Gonzagacentric right now.

I'm sure David will cover soccer and get some articles on UP soccer up there once that time of year rolls around.

Can't wait for GU. I will be studying journalism over there and I am beyond excited. I am hoping I can get out to all the WCC schools and watch some games and check out the campuses this season, but that might not be completely do-able.

DoubleDipper wrote:Regarding the Top 5 Power Forwards ....everyone has an opinion as it's all very subjective and there will be many variables for each player and team in the upcoming season, but here's my Top 5:
1. Ryan Nicholas, Sr, UP
2. Stacy Davis, So, PU
3. Sam Dower, Sr, GU
4. Mark Tollefson, So, USF
5. Tony Gill, Sr, UOP

This is what West Coast Convo posted:
1.Sam Dower
2.Stacy Davis
3.Beau Levesque
4.Ryan Nicholas
5.Tony Gill

Here’s how Zack Farmer saw the PFs in his Top 25 countdown:
1.Ryan Nicholas, UP
2.Stacy Davis, PU
3.Tony Gill, UOP
4.Sam Dower, GU
5.Mark Tollefsen, USF

That’s a pretty good consensus, I’d say…..

DeanMurdoch wrote:My bold statement of the year - when these lists are redone next season, VOLODYMYR GERUN will be a unanimous choice as the top PF in the WCC.

DeanMurdoch wrote:You planning to post some sort of update after you go watch? Will be interesting to hear some opinions about how the team's shaping up here in the early going.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:Would love to get some more reports from folks who attended practices this past week. Who's improved? Who hasn't? Are the new guys holding their own?

The new guys….early impressions based purely on observed practices and a couple of open-gym scrimmages:

1. Voldy: Very active around the basket with the ability stop and pop from the outside.  He’s not particularly impressive in drills, but when the “lights go on” he is VERY impressive on offense….still not sure of his defensive capability.  Voldy probably won’t get the minutes he deserves because he’ll play behind Rhino, but IMO he’s a candidate for All-WCC in his senior year while having an impact this year.

2. Alec: A wonderful ball handler with good court vision and quickness that has an overdrive gear allowing him to go by defenders driving to the basket.  Needs to improve his outside shooting…..but he’s much more of a threat from outside than his predecessor at UP.  He’s not very big, so some may shoot over him, but few will get by him. IMO he’ll be UP’s #1 PG….even when David is healthy toward the end of October.


3. Bobby: A really good shooter with a VERY quick release and a green light from the coaches.  Probably not a starter, but an instant spark off the bench.  Could be a streaky shooter, but has the ability to turn a game around.  Not a brilliant defender, but he can certainly hold his own….and he’ll be on the court to SHOOT!

4. Xubi: So far very inconsistent with a propensity to turn the ball over.  I’ve seen a few flashes of brilliance, but my early impression leaves him at the end of the bench or redshirting (something I doubt he’ll do).  He’s currently nursing a hip flexor injury and can’t play.

Pretty encouraging synopsis of the new guys. Nice to hear that the Pilots have a point guard!!!