LAS VEGAS – For the 23rd time in the last 25 seasons, the Gonzaga men's basketball team was selected as favorites in the West Coast Conference preseason coaches' poll. The annual poll, along with the WCC Preseason Team, was released at the ninth annual #WCCHoops Tip-Off event at the Resorts World Resort.
Braden Huff and
Graham Ike were both named to the conference's preseason team. Ike earned the recognition for the third straight season, while Huff makes his first appearance.
With the exception of the 2023-24 and 2017-18 seasons, the Zags have been first place in every West Coast Conference preseason poll since 2001. GU received nine of the league's 12 first place votes in this year's poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own program. Saint Mary's and San Francisco collected the other three first place votes in this year's poll. The Zags had 119 points in the poll, while Saint Mary's was second with 109, and San Francisco was third with 98. Santa Clara and Oregon State rounded out the top-half of the league.
The Bulldogs have won 24 of the last 28 WCC regular season championships, 20 of which have been won outright. GU has 26 WCC regular season titles overall, including 22 of the last 25. Gonzaga has appeared in 28 straight WCC Tournament Championship games, which is the longest streak of its kind in the nation. The Zags have won the conference tournament title 11 times in the last 14 years.
Ike is 41 points from 2,000 in his career. He has started in 108 of his 115 career appearances. Last season led the WCC in field goal percentage (59.8), was third in scoring (17.3), and fifth in rebounding (7.3). He is coming off back-to-back First Team All-Conference selections. The Colorado native was named Preseason All-American by multiple outlets after earning the WCC Tournament Most Outstanding Player honor last year.
Huff started the final three games last season. He averaged 11 points on 57.7 percent shooting from the field in 2024-25. The redshirt junior added 3.4 rebounds per outing. He shot 58.6 percent from the field during conference play, which ranked second in the league.
Gonzaga's welcomes Western Oregon in its final exhibition Monday at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs' first regular season game is at home against Texas Southern Nov. 3.
2025-26 West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
| Place |
Team |
First Place |
Points |
| 1. |
Gonzaga |
9 |
119 |
| 2. |
Saint Mary's |
2 |
109 |
| 3. |
San Francisco |
1 |
98 |
| 4. |
Santa Clara |
|
92 |
| 5. |
Oregon State |
|
76 |
| 6. |
Washington State |
|
69 |
| 7. |
LMU |
|
61 |
| 8. |
Seattle U |
|
53 |
| 9. |
San Diego |
|
36 |
| 10. |
Pacific |
|
32 |
| 11. |
Pepperdine |
|
24 |
| 12. |
Portland |
|
23 |
2025-26 West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Team
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
School |
| Ryan Beasley |
Jr. |
G |
San Francisco |
| Thierry Darlan |
Jr. |
G |
Santa Clara |
| Braden Huff |
Jr. |
F |
Gonzaga |
| Graham Ike |
Sr. |
F |
Gonzaga |
| Mikey Lewis |
So. |
G |
Saint Mary's |
| Elijah Mahi |
Sr. |
F |
Santa Clara |
| Paulius Murauskas |
Jr. |
F |
Saint Mary's |
| Elias Ralph |
Sr. |
F |
Pacific |
| Tyrone Riley IV |
So. |
G |
San Francisco |
| Harry Wessels |
Sr. |
C |
Saint Mary's |
