Top 5 Small Forwards in the WCC

March 6, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Portland Pilots guard Kevin Bailey (00) against the Loyola Marymount Lions during the first half of the WCC Basketball Championships at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

No. 2- Kevin Bailey (Portland)

By David Thompson

When Kevin Bailey came to Portland as a freshman in 2011, he arrived on the Bluff as the most highly touted recruit to enroll in Coach Eric Reveno’s tenure. A mixture of injuries, transfers, inconsistent play, and difficult scheduling has limited the number of wins Bailey has seen on the bluff but the talent is there for him to take charge and be the go-to guy on a team. His athleticism and ability to create his own shot make him Portland’s most dangerous player.  There were games last season where Bailey took over (27 pts, 69% from the field including 75% from three against North Florida) and games where Bailey was horrific (2 pts, 0-10 from the field, 0-3 from three, 3 rebounds in 26 minutes against Santa Clara) and that inconsistency is really what is holding Bailey back from being an elite WCC player.

Bailey should benefit from a more well-rounded team this season (Portland took care of their two biggest needs in adding a true PG in Alec Wintering and a prolific shooter in JC Transfer Bobby Sharp) as well as a foreign tour the Pilots will be taking this summer in Spain. Bailey has shown flashes of being an ALL-WCC player, as well as being “The Guy” for Portland but needs to add consistency to reach that level.