SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Gonzaga's Drew Timme was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year for the second straight season the league announced Wednesday. He shared this year's honor with Santa Clara's Brandin Podziemski.
 
The Zags' Malachi Smith was voted as the league's Sixth Man of the Year. Timme was joined by Julian Strawther on the conference's first team, while Anton Watson earned honorable mention accolades.
 
All five major individual awards – along with the All-West Coast Conference Teams and the All-Freshman Team – were voted on solely by the league's 10 head coaches.
 
Timme is the second Bulldog to earn back-to-back WCC Player of the Year honors. Blake Stepp achieved the feat in 2003 and 2004. The West Coast Conference named a Zag Player of the Year for the fifth straight season. Timme was Gonzaga's 20th WCC Player of the Year selection. Smith joined Andrew Nembhard (2021) as the lone GU players to be named Sixth Man of the Year, which started as a recognition in 2021.
 
Timme, a Preseason All-American, was named First Team All-Conference the last two seasons, after being named All-Freshman in 2019-20. He tops the West Coast Conference averaging 21.2 points per game, and second shooting 61.6 percent from the field. The senior is fifth in the WCC grabbing 7.5 rebounds per game, and seventh blocking 0.9 shots per game. Timme is third in the nation with 252 made field goals and is sixth with 637 points. He is 39 points from becoming Gonzaga's all-time leading scorer and currently has 2,158 points during his four seasons at GU. The Dallas native's 841 career rebounds rank sixth and his 106 blocks are eighth. Timme owns the record for most made field goals in GU history with 849, and his 61.8 career field goal percentage is third. He boasts a record of 115-12 (.901) in his Gonzaga appearances, going 57-4 (.934) in conference play.
 
After transferring from Chattanooga, Smith has become the Bulldogs' fifth leading scorer this season averaging 8.5 points per game. He has appeared in all 30 games, averaging 20.7 minutes per outing. The redshirt junior has made 37 three-pointers at 49.3 percent from behind-the-arc, which ranks second in the conference. He is sixth in the league shooting 55.6 percent from the field during conference play, including 50 percent from three-point range. Smith has scored 1,561 points in his career, with 661 rebounds, 291 assists and 156 steals.
 
Strawther, a preseason All-WCC selection, is second on the team averaging 15.4 points per game, which is also ninth in the league. His 17.6 points per conference game ranks eighth. He is 10^th in the league grabbing 6.3 rebounds per outing. The Las Vegas native has scored 20 or more seven times this season, including a 40-point outburst at Portland on Jan. 28. He was 8-for-12 from behind-the-arc in that road victory. He had 28-point scoring efforts at Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine on Jan. 16 and 18. Against Kentucky, the junior had a double-double of 20 points and 14 rebounds.
 
Watson leads the West Coast Conference shooting 61.8 percent from the field, while also topping the league in conference play at 64.8 percent. He has started all 30 games in 2022-23, averaging 11.2 points per game, and 12.9 points per WCC contest. The Spokane native has 56 steals this season, which is second in the conference and the eighth-most in a single season in program history. He is 10^th all-time at GU with 152 career steals. The senior has appeared in 109 games during his Gonzaga career, starting in 52.
 
2022-23 WCC Awards
Coach of the Year - Randy Bennett, Saint Mary's
Co-Players of the Year - Drew Timme, Gonzaga and Brandin Podziemski, Santa Clara
Newcomer of the Year - Brandin Podziemski, Santa Clara
Defensive Player of the Year - Logan Johnson, Saint Mary's
Sixth Man of the Year - Malachi Smith, Gonzaga
 
All-Conference First Team
Logan Johnson, Saint Mary's
Aidan Mahaney, Saint Mary's
Brandin Podziemski, Santa Clara
Tyrell Roberts, San Francisco
Mitchell Saxen, Saint Mary's
Khalil Shabazz, San Francisco
Cam Shelton, LMU
Carlos Stewart, Santa Clara
Julian Strawther, Gonzaga
Drew Timme, Gonzaga
 
All-Conference Second Team
Marcellus Earlington, San Diego
Keshawn Justice, Santa Clara
Maxwell Lewis, Pepperdine
Fousseyni Traore, BYU
Moses Wood, Portland
 
All-Conference Honorable Mention
Keylan Boone, Pacific
Alex Ducas, Saint Mary's
Spencer Johnson, BYU
Keli Leaupepe, LMU
Tyler Robertson, Portland
Anton Watson, Gonzaga
 
All-Freshman Team
Juan Sebastian Gorosito, Portland
Dallin Hall, BYU
Aidan Mahaney, Saint Mary's
Moe Odum, Pacific
Jevon Porter, Pepperdine