WCC Basketball: Ranking of the top 25 players for 2021-22 season

By Tuck Clarry | Oct 17, 2021

Apr 3, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Drew Timme (2) celebrates during the first half against the UCLA Bruins in the national semifinals of the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

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WCC Basketball St. Mary’s Gaels guard Tommy Kuhse Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports /

13. Cam Shelton, Loyola Marymount, Guard

I am high on the Lions this season and a big part of that is the addition of Shelton as the team’s point guard. Shelton joins the conference after winning the Big Sky Player of the Year award with the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. He averaged 19.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game while having the 5th highest usage rate according to KenPom. Shelton is an adept scorer at every level, becoming a consistent high volume outside shooter averaging 35% from three last season.

It will be interesting to see how the talented guard performs with the higher-level talent surrounding him. Where he had to hunt for looks as the Lumberjacks’ focal point, Shelton should benefit immensely from playing alongside Eli Scott. Shelton will need to fight his way into playing time with Joe Quintana returning, but point guard play was not the Lions’ calling card last season.

12. Tommy Kuhse, Saint Mary’s, Guard

Kuhse is the Rudy of college basketball, if Rudy was, ya know, good. A walk-on turned scholarship-earning point guard, Kuhse is playing his fifth year of college basketball leading the Gaels in their hopes to return to fighting at the top of the conference and playing in the NCAA tournament. He’s coming off of a season as the steady-hand for Randy Bennett’s team, averaging 12.8 points, 5 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game.

It’s Kuhse’s basketball IQ and vision that make him one of the best point guards in the conference and on the west coast. Kuhse relies on veteran maneuvers of ballhandling in the lane to get himself looks and to set up teammates. He shines by knocking down floaters and forcing defenses into tough positions. Kuhse is exceptional at controlling the pace of play at both ends of the court, bothering the opposing point guard, and forcing tough half-court sets.

11. Jalen Williams, Santa Clara, Guard

One of the biggest climbers last season was Williams out of Santa Clara. The 6-foot-6 guard was the second-leading scorer for the Broncos, averaging 11.5 points per game. Without a natural point guard, Williams was forced out of his comfort zone at times initiating the offense. With the addition of Pipes, Williams now gets to stay at his true position of shooting guard and benefit from better looks off of the ball.

He’s one of the best defenders at his position, using his length to disrupt passing lanes and to bother his assignment. That two-way play earned him WCC Preseason Team honors. Because of the added usage and lack of help, Williams saw his shooting percentages take a hit last year. He’s a far better shooter than the 27% three-point stat line he finished with last year and should be back above 30% like he was in his freshman campaign.