WCC Basketball: Breakout candidates from each team for 2020-21 season

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 06: A logo for the West Coast Conference basketball tournament is shown on the court before the championship game between the Brigham Young Cougars and the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Orleans Arena on March 6, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bulldogs won 74-54. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

5 of 11

SPOKANE, WASHINGTON – JANUARY 25: Head coach Damon Stoudamire of the Pacific Tigers (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /

WCC Basketball breakout candidate – Justin Moore (Pacific)

The Pacific Tigers finished fourth in the West Coast Conference last season and won 23 games under head coach Damon Stoudamire. He loses two of his top three scorers including leading scorer and rebounder Jahlil Tripp, so if the run of success is to continue for them, they will need to figure out how to replace the 24% of offensive production that Tripp provided.

With Tripp gone, the leadership role should fall upon the shoulders of senior guard Justin Moore. Moore was second on the team in scoring last season with 8.1 which was exactly half of Tripp’s total, and he was also second on the team with 2.7 assists per game. The 6-4 native of San Diego began his career at Georgia Tech and last season was his first at Pacific and his first full season since the 2016-17 season.

Moore is the only one of the team’s top four scorers returning to the Tigers and with such a big offensive hole to fill, Moore is the first guy that gets the first shot at being the focal point of the Tigers’ offense. He will have to regain the form he showed during the first half of last season when he scored in double figures in 11 of his 14 games, but the remainder of the season he failed to crack 10 points. For Pacific to be successful next season, a breakout season from Moore is almost imperative.