Candid Coaches: Would Gonzaga be higher off staying in WCC, or transferring to Large 12, Large East or Pac-12/MW combo?

CBS Sports activities school basketball insiders Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander spent a month surveying 100-plus Division I males’s basketball coaches for our annual Candid Coaches sequence. They polled throughout the game’s panorama: among the greatest names in school basketball, but in addition small-school assistants in low-major leagues. Coaches agreed to share unfiltered opinions in trade for anonymity. We requested them 10 questions, and can submit the outcomes over a three-week span.

We started this yr’s Candid Coaches sequence on Monday with a take a look at UConn’s place in convention realignment and what basketball coaches consider is finest for that college.

Now we flip our consideration to the alternative coast. 

Gonzaga, the king of the WCC for practically 25 years now, has semi-privately flirted with the Large 12, Mountain West and Large East in recent times. It has additionally lengthy been seen by some in school sports activities as a logical/geographical add-on (even with out soccer) to the Pac-12 … however that was earlier than the Pac-12 crumbled. 

There is no such thing as a evolutionary story in school athletics fairly like Gonzaga. It’s a one in all one. From mid-major outpost to nationwide energy. As football-dominated realignment continues to obliterate the geography of school sports activities, the place does a college like GU match? Does it match anyplace, apart from the convention the place it is grown right into a basketball behemoth?

So, we requested … 

Which league is finest for Gonzaga: WCC, Large 12, Large East or a combo of Pac-12/Mountain West faculties? 

Quotes that stood out

Keep in WCC

• “Outdoors of income, I’d say they might be STUPID for leaving the convention they’re in.”

• “They’re a high-major staff in a mid-major league. They’re set as much as win 25-30 video games yearly and they don’t have soccer. Transferring to a convention the place they’ll face equal/larger expertise each evening AND journey cross-country … that simply does not make sense to me. Positive, they might make some extra money in a greater convention, however they run the chance of turning into simply ‘one of many guys’ as a substitute of THE man. Why threat it?”

• “WCC is one of the best league for them. They’ve put themselves able, and so they’ve earned it, due to how good they’re and have been. There’s numerous concessions made for them as effectively. And cash is an element, however once you transfer to a type of different leagues, there’s going to be no concessions. You’ve got performed for a nationwide championship, you have had No. 1 seeds. Take a look at the (WCC) convention match schedule. I’ve seen nothing prefer it. To be that good and have these benefits, it will be exhausting to copy that sort of success elsewhere.” 

• “They know what they’re coping with and so they know what they should do yearly to get their schedule accordingly to be a 1- or 2-seed. I feel there’s extra threat, harder league, completely different journey. I’ve handled a convention change and you have so much to get used to. The brand new gyms, the expertise, recruiting, the referees. If it ain’t broke, I do not suppose you have to repair it.”

• “Gonzaga is getting all the things they want and wish whereas within the WCC. They’re constantly a top-10 or top-five staff. They’re beating blue blood applications head-to-head in recruiting and on the court docket. They’ve the flexibility to maneuver their preseason schedule how they need and they’re extraordinarily engaging for different extremely ranked applications across the nation to schedule with. The WCC is vastly improved, which is permitting for Gonzaga to be battle-tested sufficient all through their convention season whereas nonetheless having the ability to win the league most years. They’ve been to a number of nationwide championship video games and Last Fours popping out of the WCC, to not point out their run of Candy 16s. So the argument that they can’t advance within the NCAA Match popping out of the WCC has zero factual backing. In truth, you might make an amazing argument for the precise reverse. Gonzaga is clearly one of the best program within the West over UCLA, Arizona and others with out being part of a Energy 5 convention. Their uniqueness turns into a bonus in recruiting, in my view.”

• “I feel for those who ask three separate events, you’d get three separate solutions. When you ask the coaches within the WCC, I might think about they want to see Gonzaga elsewhere. When you ask the Gonzaga workers/administration, I might think about they’re proud of the WCC and the mannequin they’ve been doing for over 20 years. When you ask the school basketball fan, I might think about they’d like to see Gonzaga in an influence convention. If I have been teaching at Gonzaga, I might wish to keep proper within the WCC.”

Align with Pac-12/MW combo

• “Gonzaga ought to benefit from the instability out West. Use your leverage to discover a extra appropriate match, conference-wise, and place your self to be the highest canine of no matter that league appears to be like like.”

• “Gonzaga within the Mountain West would create very high-level, thrilling regional video games for school basketball. Gonzaga vs. San Diego State, vs. New Mexico, Boise, UNLV, and so on. could be higher-profile matchups than what they presently have apart from Saint Mary’s.” 

• “I do know issues aren’t trying nice for the Pac-12 total proper now, however it nonetheless could be a serious step up from WCC if they will maintain among the remaining groups after which probably add some up-and-comers that geographically match.”

Transfer to Large East 

• “I feel they match the mould of a Large East staff. Basketball-centric for certain. Journey could be powerful, although.” 

• “Faculties are just like them academically and basketball-wise. Not soccer faculties. Good match.” 

Intention for Large 12

• “It is time for them to step right into a power-conference. And that is coming from somewhat little bit of after I was within the Pac-12 at the moment, that they had some video games after they have been difficult themselves, however there wasn’t sufficient in that convention. They need to be at a spot the place they’re difficult themselves in league play. It is time to go to one of many bigger-boy conferences.”

• “Robust one, however I’ll go along with Large 12. Gonzaga is an elite basketball program and the Large 12 is one of the best basketball convention, so they might most likely be one of the best match.”

• “I feel it is one of the best basketball league proper now, depth-wise, and I at all times felt just like the Pac-12 match till UCLA and USC left. I feel there are too many unknowns there, and by default, you go to the subsequent one over. The Large 12 is so deep and aggressive. [The WCC] is working in sure areas … however I feel it is like dominating the JVs and also you at all times wish to play on the varsity.”

The takeaway 

Our polling on this query started in late July — simply as Colorado introduced it was leaving the Pac-12. Quickly thereafter got here the downfall of that league. So, this query (and our UConn one, to an extent) had a special backdrop to it than most surveys we have executed over the previous 11 years. Usually, circumstances surrounding a query we’re asking do not drastically change as we’re amassing our solutions. 

This one did, although. Responses to this Q spanned over a four-week window that included one of the vital upheavals in school athletics historical past.

That mentioned, the solutions are all nonetheless informative — as a result of as I made my calls and texts on this, I used to be certain to ask the coaches what they thought could be one of the best place for Gonzaga transferring ahead, whatever the noise of this information cycle. From that perspective, you are still getting an trustworthy appraisal through among the most knowledgeable minds within the sport.

So simple as it could have been to have an both/or selection for the Zags, that is not been the fact for this program prior to now 5 years. In 2018, the Mountain West pushed for Gonzaga to affix its ranks, just for Gonzaga to stay with the WCC as a result of it did not really feel as if the slight uptick in MW competitors (and the seemingly downgrade in annual cash) could be value it. 

Then got here some dialogue with the Large East. However that in the end fizzled because of the geography. As a number of folks have informed me over the months/years: If not for the place it is positioned, Gonzaga would have been within the Large East when the convention reformed in 2013. In each different means, the college matches that league’s ideologies. 

Previously year-plus, the Large 12 turned an element due to new commissioner Brett Yormark, who needed so as to add Gonzaga however couldn’t persuade his league’s presidents and athletic administrators to carry on a non-football college. The Large 12 bolstered its roster with BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, UCF in 2022, then received the 4 Corners faculties (Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Utah) prior to now month. 

Once we started polling on this query, the Large 12 did not have any of these Pac-12 applications. Now it is seemingly full at 16.

By the point we wrapped, the Pac-12 was on life help. However that did not cease a lot of coaches from saying that Gonzaga has an amazing window to improve its basketball state of affairs with the remnants of that league, if it ought to survive. The hitch right here, in fact, is the wait-and-see on what occurs with Cal, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington State. 

For the short-term, Gonzaga staying within the WCC is a win. The coaches making the case for GU to remain within the WCC made convincing factors. Is there any likelihood Gonzaga actually drifts out of the highest 5/10/20 of the polls as long as Mark Few is there? Onerous to see that taking place. Few will flip 61 in December, and I am unable to see him retiring within the subsequent 3-4 years. The WCC will not maintain Gonzaga again within the close to future.

However for the long-term, I feel Few remains to be devoted to creating certain Gonzaga is in one of the best place potential, and to him that most likely means a pivot out of the WCC. BYU leaving is a large blow. The WCC sits at 9 groups, seeking extra to return on board. 

I do not suppose a transfer to the Large East goes to occur. The map is an excessive amount of to beat for non-revenue sports activities. By no means say by no means, however sources in each leagues have informed me over the previous 16 months that these talks have been dormant. With the Large 12, I am considering that window is simply barely cracked now. That league is poised to proceed being a juggernaut in basketball, a lot in order that it will not want one other main participant; the impetus so as to add Gonzaga may dissipate. They’d add worth in hoops, however it does not sound just like the presidents are excited by a non-football entity.

Gonzaga’s finest transfer may effectively be to attend out no matter comes about with the Pac-4 and weigh that in opposition to what does or doesn’t occur with the Mountain West. If the MW takes on two of the Pac-4, all the higher. Gonzaga is one of the best program of any between these leagues. Is it a main improve? No. Wouldn’t it be higher than the WCC? Virtually definitely. If the Pac-4 can salvage itself and develop right into a 10-team soccer league that goes to 11 with Gonzaga, then I feel there’s so much to contemplate there as effectively. 

The cash state of affairs is vital, although. Due to how its WCC contract is ready up with NCAA Match models overwhelmingly going immediately to varsities that make deep March Insanity runs, Gonzaga is making thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands greater than every other WCC member. That places them at a novel benefit, and it is why half the coaches we polled mentioned that the college should not depart the convention. Gonzaga’s downside — to the extent it has one — is publicity and every-week relevance from Christmas by the top of February. Sooner or later, do not you need extra league video games in opposition to faculties which have budgets and expertise nearer to yours?

What Few has constructed is outrageous, and it ought to ultimately ship him to the Corridor of Fame. However when he leaves, what turns into of Gonzaga? That call must be made with college management earlier than he places down the whistle. The following yr or so behind the scenes certain appears like an enormous one.