Northwest Notes Nov. 13, 2020
WSU's Bonton named preseason second team All-Pac-12
SAN FRANCISCO — Washington State senior Isaac Bonton was named to the preseason second team All-Pac-12 in men's basketball, as announced by the conference office Thursday morning.
2020 marks the second time in Pac-12 history the conference recognized a preseason all-conference team with 20 players earning the award. CJ Elleby earned first-team honors in the inaugural season of the team last year.
In his first year as a Coug, Bonton finished the year 11th in scoring in the Pac-12 at 15.3 points per game despite missing four games in the heart of the season due to injury. His 15.3 points per game ranks fifth among returning players this season in the conference. Bonton led the Cougs in assists at 4.0 per game, ranking ninth in the conference. Bonton set a program record for free throw percentage at 88.6% (62 for 70) breaking David Sanders' 1988 record of 88.3% (53 for 60).
Bonton and the Cougs begin the new campaign Wednesday, Nov. 25 at home against Texas Southern. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the women's basketball team.
2020-21 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Preseason Media All-Conference
FIRST TEAM — Timmy Allen, Jr., F, Utah; Matt Bradley, Jr., G, California; Oscar da Silva, Sr., F, Stanford; Chris Duarte, Sr., G, Oregon; Remy Martin, Sr., G, Arizona State; Evan Mobley, Fr., F, USC; Will Richardson, Jr., G, Oregon; Chris Smith, Sr., G, UCLA; Ziaire Williams, Fr., F, Stanford; McKinley Wright IV, Sr., G, Colorado.
SECOND TEAM — Isaac Bonton, Sr., G, Washington State; Tyger Campbell, R-So., G, UCLA; Josh Christopher, Fr., G, Arizona State; Ethan Thompson, Sr., G, Oregon State; Alonzo Verge Jr., Sr., G, Arizona State
HONORABLE MENTION (on four or more ballots) — James Akinjo, Jr., G, Arizona; Evan Battey, Jr., F, Colorado; Quade Green, Jr., G, Washington; Jalen Hill, R-Jr., F/C, UCLA; Jaime Jaquez Jr., So., G/F, UCLA.
Gonzaga ranked No. 2 in preseason USA TODAY coaches poll
The Gonzaga men's basketball team was ranked No. 2 in the USA TODAY Coaches' preseason poll Thursday. It’s the best-ever preseason ranking in the poll for the Zags.
Baylor beat out GU by only two points for the No. 1 spot. It's the first time Baylor has led the preseason balloting since USA TODAY started administering the poll in 1991. In the preseason balloting, the Bears received 764 poll points and 12 first-place votes to narrowly edge out Gonzaga and Villanova for the top spot. The second-ranked Zags picked up 10 firsts and 762 total points, and the Wildcats got 755 points with eight top nods to open at No. 3. This is the closest preseason vote since the 2015-16 season, when Kentucky and North Carolina started out the year tied for first.
The remaining two No. 1 votes went to Iowa and Duke, ranked No. 6 and 8, respectively. Virginia, the winner of the most recent NCAA tournament in 2019, will open at No. 4, while perennial contender Kansas rounds out the top five.
See complete poll in Scoreboard.
The Bulldogs open the season with Kansas on Nov. 26, in Fort Myers, Fla. Baylor and Gonzaga square off in Indianapolis on Dec. 5. GU and Iowa meet in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Dec. 19. West Coast Conference opponents BYU and Saint Mary’s received eight votes and one vote, respectively.
The Zags were ranked seventh in last year's USA Today preseason coaches' poll, before ending the season at No. 2.
Zag women announce signing of point guard Muma
SPOKANE — Gonzaga women’s basketball coach Lisa Fortier announced the signing of point guard Payton Muma to a national letter of intent Thursday.
The 5-foot-8 Muma, from Highlands Ranch (Colo.) High, will join the Zags as a freshman in the fall of 2021.
As a junior, Muma led the Falcons to a 21-6 overall record and a trip to the Final Four of the state tournament for the second straight season. She was selected All-State in 2020 after averaging 15.2 points, 4.1 assists, 3.1 steals and 2.9 rebounds per game.
"Payton is a shifty guard who can fill it up from the 3-point line," Fortier said. "She has great ball skills and will add to the depth of our backcourt."
BSU president hopes to have AD hired by March
BOISE — Boise State University President Dr. Marlene Tromp announced Thursday the intention to have an athletic director hired by March of 2021.
“A thorough and exhaustive process will ensure our next leader is poised to build on our program and help it achieve even greater excellence,” Tromp said. “I am pleased, and certainly not surprised, at the level of interest we already have had in this important position.”
Boise State is in the process of naming a search committee, which will be finalized in the coming weeks. The committee will represent varied constituents, and will provide advice, consultation and assistance as the Broncos’ next athletic director is recruited and hired. An executive search firm will be selected by Dec. 1 to assist Boise State leadership and the search committee on this national effort.
Tromp has selected Mike Alden, former director of athletics at the University of Missouri, to advise the university leadership team throughout the transition.