Foster selected to preseason WCC All-Conference list

Posted: Oct 22, 2009

Oct. 22, 2009

Bronco sophomore Kevin Foster, the WCC Newcomer of the Year last season, was named today as a WCC Coaches Preseason All-Conference honoree. Foster shattered former Bronco Steve Nash's three-pointers made record last year, hitting 85. Foster is just one of three sophomores on the preseason all-conference list.

Bronco fans are encouraged to order season tickets today for the 18-game home schedule in 2009-10. Home contests include UNLV, Fresno State, Pacific, San Jose State, the 43rd annual Cable Car Classic (Kent State, Northeastern, Wofford), along with seven WCC contests in the Leavey Center. Bronco fans can order tickets by calling 408-554-4660.

Foster scored 20+ 11 times in 2008-09. He broke two Santa Clara regular season records and five Bronco freshman records, including Kurt Rambis' SCU freshman record for points scored (Foster had 486, Rambis scored 414 in 1977). Foster played 30.3 mpg, averaged 14.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg and 2.5 apg last season. He started the final 28 games, scored 17+ in 15 games - including 6 of the last 8 - and had a career-high 31 points at Saint Mary's.

Gonzaga University was selected as the favorite to capture the WCC title in the 2009-10 WCC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Zags received six first place votes and tallied 48 points to narrowly edge out the University of Portland, which received the remaining two first place votes and collected 44 overall points. Saint Mary's College was picked third with 34 overall points, followed Santa Clara and USF, which tied for fourth with 26 points.

Rounding out this year's poll is the University of San Diego in sixth place with 21 points, followed by Pepperdine University in seventh place with 13 points, and Loyola Marymount University in eighth place with 12.

Gonzaga enters the season having won nine consecutive WCC regular season titles, marking the longest active conference title winning streak in the nation. UCLA owns the longest streak with 13 consecutive Pacific-10 Conference titles (1967-79).

The Zags will have a different look this season as 11th-year head coach Mark Few welcomes in seven newcomers and 10 players who have never played a minute of collegiate basketball. The Zags will have a few familiar faces to lead them this season, headlined by senior guard Matt Bouldin, a 2009 All-WCC and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District 9 first-team selection.

The Pilots return their top 12 players from last year's team, which finished 19-13 overall, third place in the WCC standings and advanced to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), marking the first postseason appearance for the program since 1996. Four Pilots earned All-WCC awards last season, tying for the most in school history. S

Saint Mary's, coming off a school-record 28 wins, will look toward returning starters Omar Samhan, Wayne Hunter and Mickey McConnell to lead the squad this season.

The Broncos return one of the best young players in the league - Foster - and have nine underclassmen on their roster.

San Francisco will be led by senior forward Dior Lowhorn, who has paced the conference in scoring in each of the last two seasons.

San Diego, Pepperdine, and Loyola Marymount round out this year's poll and each team landed a player on the preseason all-conference team. The Toreros welcome senior guard Brandon Johnson, who was granted a medical redshirt last season, while the Waves and the Lions bring back sophomore guards Keion Bell and Jarred Dubois to lead them in 2009-10.

2009-10 WCC Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Gonzaga 48 (6)

2. Portland 44 (2)

3. Saint Mary's 34

4. Santa Clara 26

San Francisco 26

6. San Diego 21

7. Pepperdine 13

8. Loyola Marymount 12

(First place votes)

2009-10 WCC Preseason

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