19. Pierre Crockrell II, Pacific, Guard
There may be no bigger part to a WCC team’s offense than Crockrell’s role for the Pacific Tigers. The driving floor general may be the most underrated point guard in the conference. His 3.41 assist to turnover ratio led the conference and was the 4th best in all of Division I hoops.
Crockrell’s speed and the Tigers’ screen-heavy system resulted in 10.1 points per game. The added shooting of transfers Luke Avdalovic and Alphonso Anderson should help Crockrell improve his assist total even further. His excellent decision-making should help keep Pacific in a lot of games this season.
18. Gideon George, Bringham Young, Forward
The last couple of seasons have been those of major strides for George. The 6-foot-6 lockdown wing has gone from New Mexico Junior College to BYU and worked this offseason with his home country Nigeria’s national team. It’s an incredible journey and one that could not have been made with George’s grit and talent. His length makes him a great on-ball defender that can guard all positions.
He’s a natural rebounder which is invaluable from the wing position. He’s also untapped a bit of an offensive game over the last year, scoring double-digits eight times. With the added confidence from his experience with the Nigeria team as well as praise from their staff and teammates, George could make another big step and help BYU fight for first place in the conference.
17. PJ Pipes, Santa Clara, Guard
The Broncos needed help in the backcourt (both scoring and at the point guard position) and in the arrived Pipes to answer the call. He is a fifth-year senior transferring from Green Bay where he proved to be a reliable shooter and ballhandler, averaging 14.5 points and 3 assists last season. He is a natural scorer with an elite outside shot.
George averaged 44.7% and 40.7% outside his junior and senior seasons on a combined 263 attempts. He shared a lot of guard duties with a loaded backcourt which sometimes forced him to play off the ball. His passing may take another step as the de facto point guard and playing alongside and through scoring postman Josip Vrankic.