COLLEGE BASKETBALL: 1993-94 SEASON PREVIEW : WEST COAST CONFERENCE PREVIEW : There Aren’t Many New Names to Learn

Santa Clara’s upset of regular-season champion Pepperdine in the West Coast Conference tournament final last season turned out to be merely a preview.

The Broncos went on to stun Arizona in the NCAA tournament, a victory that earned Coach Dick Davey’s team national recognition and an ESPN-televised opener against sixth-ranked California in the preseason NIT last week.

Santa Clara played Cal even until the Golden Bears pulled away late in the second half for an 81-74 victory.

So, the Broncos’ recent success makes them the logical favorites in the WCC, but Pepperdine and Gonzaga should have a big say in the final outcome. Each of those three teams has four starters returning.

“I think any one of those three teams can win it,” Loyola Marymount Coach John Olive said. “But I always feel a dark horse is (capable) of coming up and taking it as well.”

One team that could sneak up on the others is San Francisco, which has four starters back from a team that won 19 games and has added some key newcomers.

But don’t expect too many surprises. Thirty of the 40 starters in the WCC are back and, for the first time in 10 years, there are no new coaches.

A look at the WCC, excluding Pepperdine and Loyola:

* GONZAGA

1992-93 record: 19-9, 10-4.

Conference finish: Second.

Gonzaga has won 39 games in the last two seasons but has fallen just short of achieving its goals in the WCC. The Bulldogs were runners-up to Pepperdine in the WCC tournament in 1991-92, and last season they finished a game behind the Waves in the regular season and lost by two points to Santa Clara in the tournament semifinals. Close, but no NCAA tournament.

Coach Dan Fitzgerald returns for his 12th season at Gonzaga with another contender. Two-time All-WCC center Jeff Brown, a 6-foot-9 senior, averaged a conference-leading 16.7 points last season. Also returning are guards Geoff Goss and John Rillie and 6-7 forward Jason Rubright, who has been bothered by an Achilles’ tendon injury.

* PORTLAND

1992-93 record: 9-18, 3-11.

Conference finish: Seventh.

In six seasons under Coach Larry Steele, the Pilots have finished higher than seventh only once and have never won a WCC tournament game. Portland’s fortunes rest with 6-7 senior forward Matt Houle, who averaged 14.7 points last season, and two juniors who transferred from community colleges. Canaan Chatman, a 6-8 forward, and guard Ray Ross both started their collegiate careers at Oregon State.

* ST. MARY’S

1992-93 record: 11-16, 6-8.

Conference finish: Sixth.

The Gaels are the only WCC team without a double-digit scorer back, but all eight returning players started at least one game last season. Senior Darrell Daniel, a three-year starter, has the best assist-to-turnover ratio of any active point guard in the WCC. Junior Chris Johnson also returns in the backcourt. Forward A.J. Rollins, a 6-6 sophomore, could fill the team’s need for a consistent scorer.

* SAN DIEGO

1992-93 record: 13-14, 7-7.

Conference finish: Fifth.

The Toreros have four starters and eight of their top nine scorers back. Leading the way is All-WCC guard Doug Harris, a junior who averaged 12.2 points and led the WCC in three-point shooting at 47%. He will be joined in the backcourt by 6-3 senior Joe Temple, who finished last season by scoring 30 points against San Francisco in the WCC tournament. Up front, San Diego will rely on returning center Brooks Barnhard, a 6-9 senior.

* SAN FRANCISCO

1992-93 record: 19-12, 8-6.

Conference finish: Fourth.

San Francisco’s reputation as a talented but undersized team should change this season. With the addition of 7-foot Sung Fong and 6-10 Art Wallace, both community college transfers, the Dons have two centers to go with an athletic group of guards and forwards, although Wallace’s progress has been slowed by a hand injury.

Senior Orlando Smart and sophomore Gerald Walker could be the best pair of guards in the conference. Smart averaged 14.5 points and led the conference in assists last season, setting the WCC career record in the process. Walker, a spectacular leaper at 6-1, was the 1993 WCC freshman of the year. Also back are senior forwards Wilson Stephens and Kent Bennett.

* SANTA CLARA

1992-93 record: 19-12, 9-5.

Conference finish: Third.

Davey was named WCC coach of the year in his rookie season after working wonders with a team that many predicted would finish last. Expectations are considerably higher this season, what with four of the top five scorers back, including All-WCC senior forwards Pete Eisenrich and Dwayne Lewis, and playing host to the conference tournament.

The 6-5 Lewis was impressive last week in the loss to California, leading all scorers with 28 points. The 6-9 Eisenrich led the Broncos with averages of 14.4 points and 6.4 rebounds last season. Also back are point guard John Woolery and shooting guard Steve Nash, who came on late last season and became the first freshman to be named MVP of the WCC tournament.