WCC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2019-20 season
By Andy Patton
No. 10 – Portland Pilots
The Terry Porter era has not gone even remotely to plan on the Bluff for the Portland Pilots.
A team that couldn’t win a single game in conference play last year lost their best player, guard Marcus Shaver, who transferred to Boise State. They even lost Franklin Porter – who was not only one of their better players but was coach Porter’s oldest son. Porter is grad transferring, although it is not clear where yet.
This team has failed to grow in any measurable way since Terry Porter took over, and another lackluster recruiting class could have this team finishing without a win in conference play yet again this season.
If that is the case, don’t be surprised if Porter isn’t coaching the Pilots in 2020 – even if his youngest son, Malcolm Porter, is still on the squad.
No. 9 – San Diego Toreros
The Toreros spent the last few years flirting with a top-four spot in the WCC, but they lost an absolutely ridiculous amount of talent from last year’s squad. They graduated both Isaiah Pineiro and Isaiah Wright, along with Olin Carter III and Tyler Williams – the team’s top four scorers.
That’s pretty much all of their production gone at once, making them one of the hardest team’s in the conference to predict.
Second-year coach Sam Scholl will have a lot of work to do in order to avoid the cellar in the WCC again – although they are rarely down for too long.