Ranking the Coaches in the WCC

Feb. 7, 2013; Spokane, WA, USA; Pepperdine Waves head coach Marty Wilson reacts during a game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first half at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

In a conference with smaller schools that have limited resources, coaching is extremely important. If a program such as LMU or Pepperdine were to have a poor coach, it could set the program back multiple years. Thankfully for most of the institutions in the West Coach Conference, there a great deal of coaches in the conference. Here is how they rank, from 10 to 1.

10. Ron Verlin- Pacific

It would be impossible to judge the coaching abilities of Ron Verlin, considering he has not coached a game for the Pacific Tigers yet. He was next in line to replace legendary head coach Bob Thomason, and because of that he obviously has some big shoes to fill. Verlin will see himself skyrocket up these rankings if he continues the tradition of success that Thomason instilled in the University of the Pacific men’s basketball program.

9. Marty Wilson-Pepperdine

His first season as the Pepperdine men’s basketball coach went worse than expected. The Wave went 4-12 in conference play, ranking them tied for second to last in the WCC standings, and 12-18 overall. The rebuilding process of the program is still young,  but this first year was not quite what the program was hoping for.

8. Bill Grier-San Diego

In his first season as the Toreros head coach, he led them to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, which included a first round upset over the Connecticut Huskies. Ever since then, Grier’s coaching resume at USD has been lackluster. The Torero’s have not had a winning season since there mini-cinderella NCAA tournament run, and no significant improvements have been made. The program now hangs in the balance, and Grier appears to at least be on the edge of the hot seat.

7. Eric Reveno-Portland

When Reveno took the reigns of the Portland men’s basketball program, it was a mess. His first two years at the University of Portland are a testament to that. After a few rough years, things were looking up; the Pilots recorded three straight winning seasons, and the team went to the CIT tournament in each of those seasons. However, the program has regressed a little bit. Reveno is a high character coach, that preaches mental toughness and disciplined basketball. He certainly has the ability to get the program back on track.

6. Max Good-LMU

As the head coach of the Lions, Good had some good seasons (pun intended), and some terrible seasons. His coaching record at LMU would be symbolic to a roller coaster. In 2009-2010, the Lions were 7-7 in conference and 18-15 overall. They followed up that season with a 2-12 conference record, which was tied for last. In 2011-2012, 11-5 in conference and 19-12 overall, which they followed up by finishing 1-15 in conference play, which was the worst in the WCC, and an 11-23 record overall. Good is going to need to establish some consistency if he wants to keep his job at LMU in the long run.

5. Kerry Keating-Santa Clara

Although Keating has only had 3 seasons at .500 or over, his coaching in recent years is what puts him at number five on this list. After coming in dead last in the WCC the previous season, Keating followed it up with a fourth place finish in the conference and a berth in the CBI tournament, which the Broncos eventually won. A year before, the Broncos were 0-16 in conference play and in complete turmoil. Now, the Broncos are relevant in the WCC, something that just a short year ago would have been unthinkable.

4. Rex Walters-San Francisco

Ever since Walters took over the Dons in 2008, the Don’s have been consistently in the middle of the pack in the WCC. Walter has built up the program the right way, with passion and integrity. As a former NBA player, and Kansas Jayhawk, Walters is extremely familiar with the game, and his coaching shows that. Next season the Dons are expected to be towards the top of the WCC, partly due to the coaching of Walters.

3. Randy Bennett-Saint Mary’s

An influx of Australian players have come to Saint Mary’s College in the past decade, such as Daniel Kickert, Patty Mills, and Matthew Dellavedova, and in turn escalated the program to great heights. Without Randy Bennett, these players might not have come Saint Mary’s at all. If you ignore his first season in Moraga, Bennett has had a winning season every year he has been in Moraga. This constant improvement has propelled Saint Mary’s into the upper tier of not only the West Coast Conference, but the West Coast as a whole.

2. Dave Rose-BYU

The BYU faithful could not ask for a better coach than Dave Rose. Just like many of the other coaches in the WCC, Rose has a rich background in basketball. However, Rose’s is most likely the most unusual. He was the captain for Phi Slamma Jamma, the nickname for the University of Houston basketball team from 1982-1984, which is regarded as one of the best basketball teams in the history of college basketball. Rose has led the Cougars to a post season tournament in each of the eight years that he has been at BYU (NCAA six times, NIT twice). The Cougars went 9-20 the year before Rose got the job, and he immediately turned the program around, leading the Cougars to a 20-9 record. This turnaround is indicative to the great coaching ability of Rose.

1. Mark Few-Gonzaga

The cornerstone of the Gonzaga program. Mark Few turned Gonzaga from a Cinderella story to a West Coast powerhouse. Few has never been anywhere other than the NCAA tournament; the Bulldogs have been to the NCAA tournament every season of Mark Few’s fourteen year tenure. He has been named the WCC coach of the year ten times. This impressive resume is all that needs to said. Few has this program humming, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. A lot of this can be attributed to the stellar coaching of Few.