WCC Basketball: Ranking of the top 25 players for 2021-22 season
By Tuck Clarry
16. Te’Jon Lucas, Bringham Young, Guard
Projecting Lucas and his role in the BYU offense is a bit fascinating. The Cougars already have an All-American honorable mention in Alex Barcello playing point guard, so how will adding another floor general work? Lucas is a great complement to Barcello’s style of play. Lucas will excel as a pick-and-roll threat, getting the frontcourt involved.
His 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio last year doesn’t necessarily leap off the page, but that was also due to the incredibly high usage rate he had with the Panthers. His shooting should improve thanks to that lessened workload. Lucas isn’t necessarily an elite shooter but far better than his 39.2% field goal and 27.5% perimeter shooting suggests, and playing alongside Barcello should only help him get cleaner looks.
15. Hunter Sallis, Gonzaga, Guard
The competition for playing time in the Gonzaga backcourt will likely be a storyline all season. And by the time conference play comes around, it’s hard to imagine that Sallis’s rare athleticism and skillset will not interject him into the conversation. The 6-foot-5 guard is a five-star and top 20 recruit that supplanted Suggs as the highest-ranked Gonzaga prospect in program history–that is before Chet Holmgren committed.
Sallis is a truly dynamic combo guard, able to use his length to his advantage when he drives and making him a plus defender. He’s great off-the-ball which will be his calling card as Gonzaga already is in good hands with Nembhard, Hickman, and Bolton. Sallis could be a one-and-done player but at the very least this season will see him gain confidence as a passer and shooter.
He has the skills to be adept at both, but coming into college had not relied on or shown a proactiveness to take a lot of those shots in-game. He’s a perfect player in Few’s system attacking the basket and a nightmare in transition.
14. Rasir Bolton, Gonzaga, Guard
Another high-usage guard looking to contribute to a winning program, Bolton goes from being the guy to a dude. The lone bright spot for a sputtering Iowa State Cyclones, he slots in immediately as a dribble-penetrating replacement for Jalen Suggs. Only time will tell in terms of playing time, but Bolton is a rare speedster that will benefit immensely from Mark Few’s pick-and-roll system. His 34.2% career three-point shooting could see an uptick now that he isn’t forced to create his own shot and take contested shots.
If he starts, he’ll be the off-the-ball threat he was meant to be, getting great looks from the premiere ball movement offense in college basketball. If he comes off the bench he’ll likely be asked to serve as a high-energy scorer and sparkplug that breaks the back of second rotations. Regardless, expect Bolton to be in the fight for the Newcomer of the Year award and what made him choose Gonzaga: winning.