West Coast Convo’s All-WCC Third Team
By Josh Horton
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
Kevin Bailey – Forward – Portland
Kevin Bailey came into the season with high expectations. Many people, myself included, expected the junior to develop into one of the WCC elite athletes. The tools are there, he is extremely athletic, with an ability to elevate over anyone and get his shot off, he blocks a surprising amount of shots, and in the open court, he is Portland’s most deadly player.
With all that being said, Bailey was far from a perfect player. He often played out of control, which led to turnovers and difficult shots, and it hurt his efficiency. Bailey did improve this year, bringing down his turnover rate to 15.9, a huge improvement from his first two years where he was between 23.0-24.9. He also became much more efficient on the offensive end, a big part to that was his increased 3 point shooting percentage (42% in 2013-2014 compared to 32% in 2012-213).
Right before Bailey went down with a calf injury, the Pilots were playing some really good basketball and were looking toward the conference tournament to make some noise. Alas injuries happen, and Portland stumbled down the stretch. Now Bailey must look toward this offseason to improve and make the jump that so many of us expected this season. As a senior Bailey will have a lot to prove, and should have a chip on his shoulder from not being included on the All-WCC list.