Hear from Bryce Hendricks on the future of the West Coast Conference, the Pac-12 Conference and the resuming of the rivalry between the two Eastern Washington foes.
I decided to reach out to our friends at CougCenter, the Washington State Cougars community on SB Nation. Bryce Hendricks was kind of enough to give us some insights into Gonzaga’s future with the West Coast Conference as well as the Pac-12 Conference opponent. The two Eastern Washington foes haven’t played each other since 2015 but that’s all about to change.
Welcome to the WCC! What are your expectations for the Cougars these next two years in the league?
I think the expectation is for WSU to consistently be a top 4 team in the WCC. They have the upside to legitimately compete with St. Mary’s for the second-best team in the league. I have questions as to the likelihood of WSU being a consistent tournament team here, if for nothing else than the WCC’s still remaining lack of name recognition, but they should be a fun team to watch regardless.
And starting in 2026-2027, both our programs will be joining the Pac-12. How comfortable are you agreeing with that this is a strong basketball conference after all the new additions?
The Pac-12 will be a basketball powerhouse. The Mountain West had almost surpassed the previous Pac in terms of relevance as a basketball conference and, in all honesty, the new look Pac is just a separating the wheat from the chaff. The question will be whether or not it will receive the vaunted “high-major” status from the committees in the same way the Big East has. It is absolutely deserving considering the strength of those top teams, but the west coast has to fight for recognition and I’m wary that the Pac-12, at least in its early years, will get the tournament recognition it is likely to deserve.
What are your thoughts on Gonzaga and Washington State starting back up a rivalry for the pride of Eastern Washington?
In some senses, Gonzaga basketball has long been the enemy from afar for WSU. As a lifelong WSU basketball fan, it can be frustrating to see people who love Cougar football all the sudden be true blue Zag fans come basketball season. In some ways, I relish the opportunity to beat Gonzaga, or at least put those fair-weather Johnson’s in a situation where they have to pick a side.
However, from a purely personal perspective, I’m a bit torn. It’ll be fun for the two programs that most represent the side of the state on which I’ve grown up and still preside go head-to-head and I also relish the opportunity for WSU to have a chance at Quad 1 wins, but I also still hold this resentment for Gonzaga as a program that has ignored us for a while and I will hate to give them satisfaction as they inevitably win at least once. It’s similar to my feeling with UW. If they don’t want to play us or be a part of a rivalry that they so often look down on, then I don’t want to be a part of it either.
David Riley didn’t have to travel far from Cheney to Pullman to start his new job. What do you think of the hire and what do you expect from him during his tenure?
Riley is a high-level offensive coach who manages to maintain a lot of continuity despite having to fend off bigger programs with more money. His offense is great in both the analytical sense and in the aesthetic sense. Post play, zooms, transition, ball-movement, etc. There is a little something for everyone in his offense. However, he generally has very poor defensive units, which is a worry in comparison to the rest of the league. A lot of this is his recruiting and I think that maybe recruiting guys like ND Okafor might point to some change in philosophy there.
It will be interesting to see how they fit amongst the rest of the league given the fairly extreme splits between offensive and defensive competence. I think the biggest question will end up being recruiting. Recruiting well in the Big Sky and in the WCC (and Pac-12) are very different things. Riley has a real knack for getting under-the-radar guys by building great relationships and his biggest superpower is his ability to develop and maintain that talent. What he hasn’t proven yet is the ability to win battles in the recruiting world and the Cougs will have to do that to swim in the WCC and, eventually, the new look Pac-12.
Who’s the key player for the Cougars to watch out for this season?
Cedric Coward is the first guy everyone will point to and I’m inclined to agree. He is the key to WSU’s success this year. Can he continue to be a star stat-stuffer while maintaining efficiency as he moves up leagues? His shooting improvement has been consistently great and he will continue to be a high-level rebounder, but can his bully ball game translate? Will his finishing diminish while facing improved rim-protection? Those are questions to still be answered. Nate Callmese is a guy that I think will fly under the radar but surprise a lot of people. He was a star at Lamar before making a bad decision to go play for Coach Mike Hopkins at UW. He languished there but the talent is still very real. A high-level shot-maker with shift and intelligence, don’t be surprised if he is one of the best guards in the WCC.
Thanks, Bryce! Good luck!
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho