Starting on the men’s side, Gonzaga Bulldogs graduate forward Graham Ike has been named the 2025-26 West Coast Conference Player of the Year in his final college basketball season. He averaged a conference-leading 19.7 points on a 56.4 field goal shooting percentage and 8.3 rebounds per game.
This is the Zags’ first conference Player of the Year honor since Los Angeles Lakers two-way forward Drew Timme shared the award with Santa Clara Broncos and Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski in the 202-23 season.
Ike became the 21st player in the history of the Gonzaga men’s program to earn the award and the 18th under coach Mark Few.
The graduate big man was the only Zag named to the All-West Coast Conference First Team. No one was present on the Second Team or Honorable Mention, which is quite shocking and egregious towards the West Coast Conference regular season champions.
Out of the 23 players listed, only one from Spokane, Washington, was rewarded. Just simply the silliest lasting remark one can make towards the program on its way out, helping put the West Coast Conference on the map in the 21st century. Onto bigger and better things with the new version of the Pac-12 Conference.
Both Gonzaga wing Davis Fogle and guard Mario Saint-Supery were named to the 2025-26 All-West Coast Conference Freshman Team. Fogle put together 8.2 points on a 53.5 field goal percentage and 2.7 rebounds in just 15.7 minutes per game off the bench. As for Saint-Supery, the Spaniard contributed 8.4 points, 3.6 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game while starting 13 of his 31 appearances.
The first noticeable problem with the major awards is that graduate wing Tyon Grant-Foster should have been named the conference’s Newcomer of the Year over San Francisco Dons forward David Fuchs. The Grand Canyon Antelopes transfer averaged 11.1 points on 47.2 percent from the field, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game for the Zags.
One can also see the case that junior wing Emmanuel Innocenti could have won the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award over Seattle U Redhawks redshirt sophomore forward Will Heimbrodt, or Few for the Coach of the Year award over Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek, given the lack of All-Team members from the Lilac City. 13 different starting lineups for Gonzaga and still finishing 28-3 overall, 16-2 in conference play.
Even Broncos’ forward Allen Graves getting chosen over Portland Pilots guard Joel Foxwell for the conference’s Freshman of the Year award was a bit of a head-scratcher from the votes of the league’s 12 head coaches.
On the women’s side, redshirt freshman forward Lauren Whittaker became the first freshman to be named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year since US International guard/forward Sonya Carter in 1985-86. This is the fourth year in a row that a Bulldog has taken home the conference’s top honor.
Whittaker averaged a conference-leading 19.3 points on a 55.8 field goal shooting percentage and 10.2 rebounds per game during the 2025-26 season. She was also named the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year for her efforts in her first college basketball season.
Freshman forward Jaiden Haile was given the Sixth Woman of the Year award and was listed on the All-West Coast Conference Freshman Team along with Whittaker.
Haile added 6.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game off the bench for coach Lisa Fortier.
For the second season in a row, sophomore guard Allie Turner was put on the All-West Coast Conference First Team and was listed alongside Whittaker.
The sharpshooter scored 14.4 points on a conference-high 44.1 three-point percentage. She also chipped in 3.4 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game for the Zags.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
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