No surprise here as graduate forward Graham Ike has won his fourth West Coast Conference Player of the Week award of the season after his memorable performance against the Saint Mary’s Gaels over the weekend, the first time he’s beaten the rival inside the Kennel throughout his career.
He looked like a First Team All-American with his 30 points on 11-for-20 shooting against the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ rival. Ike’s 11 double-doubles in the 2025-26 season are tied for the eleventh-most in college basketball, while also being second in the West Coast Conference in scoring (18.7 per game) and rebounding (8.5 per game).
As for redshirt freshman forward Lauren Whittaker, winning 10 of the 13 West Coast Conference Freshman of the Week awards this season is simply ludicrous. It’s also her seventh time in a row to do so after averaging 17.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game in victories at the San Francisco Dons and at the Washington State Cougars this past week.
Whittaker’s 11 double-doubles of 2025-26 are the most of any freshman nationally and tied for the 12th-most in all of college basketball. She also leads the West Coast Conference in scoring (19.9 points per game), rebounding (10.2 rebounds per game), and field goal percentage (55.3 shooting percentage).
The big man on campus and the No. 6 Zags (22-1 overall record) continue their undefeated stretch in conference play at 10-0 with a trip to the state of Oregon against the Portland Pilots (10-14, 3-8 WCC) on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. PT on ESPN+/KHQ.
Whittaker’s squad (16-7, 8-2 WCC) prepares for the second bout with conference-leading Oregon State Beavers (17-6, 9-1 WCC) on Thursday, Feb. 5. The key matchup with first seed implications for the West Coast Conference Tournament on the line is set for 6:00 p.m. PT on ESPN+/SWX.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
