WCC ready to move forward without Gonzaga

LAS VEGAS — For the West Coast Conference, we’re about to find out what life is like without Gonzaga.

The Bulldogs, who have been a member of the WCC since 1979, are leaving for the reconstituted Pac-12 come July 1. The void will be attempted to be filled by Denver this coming year and UC San Diego in 2027. That’s not very equitable but I’m sure nobody at Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara and Pacific are complaining too loudly.

These are interesting times in college athletics to say the least. The Name, Image and Likeness Era along with the transfer portal has forced a seismic shift in fortunes, creating an even wider chasm between the haves and the have nots. When you look at athletic budgets in the SEC, the Big Ten and Big 12 compared to a non-football playing conference like the WCC, it’s like watching two entirely different universes operate.

Stu Jackson, the WCC commissioner, tries to make sense of it all. And he admits it’s no easy task. Gonzaga has brought tremendous visibility to his league over the decades and while it may open the door for someone else to compete with Saint Mary’s, the Zags’ primary basketball rival, the fact is the WCC will miss Mark Few and his team. They bring the most fans to the conference tournament year after year and they have brought tons of recognition, not to mention valuable units from their NCAA appearances, to the league.

“I lead all my members in prayer; that’s my first job I have as commissioner,” Jackson said in jest Monday at the Orleans Arena prior to the semifinals of the men’s tournament which had both Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s — surprise, surprise! — competing. “But in all seriousness, our objective, recognizing we’re in such turbulent times, is to not dwell in the change itself, but rather to lean in to coming up with solutions.

“I see my role as, number one, stabilizing this conference from a membership standpoint, to continue to try to find alternative sources of revenue for our conference that are going to be badly needed for our institutions and our student-athletes. Basically, become the point guard for our member institutions to deal with issues that affect our schools. I’m fortunate that I have a staff that helps in dealing with these issues which seem to come on a weekly basis.”

There was some good news to share Monday as Jackson announced the WCC Tournament, which has been held at the Orleans Arena since 2009, will return in 2027. The conference has partnered with Las Vegas Events to hold the tournament here over the years.
 
“Our fans like coming to Las Vegas,” he said.

Last Friday, there was this roundtable at the White House trying to figure out a way to get college athletics under control. Fifty people were invited for what was little more than a photo op with President Donald Trump who thinks the answer is to eliminate NIL payments and go back to the old ways.

Fortunately for him, Jackson was not among those invited so he didn’t have to waste his time with such nonsense. His challenges and those of his conference are very much real. And he has to deal with hard facts. He will be dealing with 10 private schools, none of which play football except for San Diego, which is at the FCS level, and when UCSD joins, it will be the lone public university in the WCC though the conference had two public institutions the last couple of years in Washington State and Oregon State.

How does he maximize revenues for the conference? How does he help the members’ NIL collectives to give them a fighting chance to build rosters that are good enough to compete with the nation’s best basketball programs? How does he try to make the transfer portal a reasonable option for both the athlete and the schools in his conference? How can he protect the integrity of men’s basketball in his league against sports betting and the temptation to alter outcomes with prop wagers for individual players who collude with friends, or worse, organized crime?

Jackson is also on the NCAA men’s basketball committee. There’s growing speculation that the tournament is going to expand from its current 68 teams. By how many, who knows? But expansion would not necessarily help mid-major conferences such as the WCC. More than likely, those additional bids would wind up with middle-of-the-road teams from Power 4 leagues. And he might fight like hell for the mid- and low-major conferences for additional representation should expansion come to pass. But in the end, it’s likely to be a losing battle.

This year, it appears Jackson’s league will be well represented. Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s can start making their travel plans now as they await Selection Sunday. Santa Clara, which has had a wonderful season to date and played the Gaels Monday night in one of the semis, stands a good chance of hearing its name called as well.

“We’re optimistic we’ll receive three bids,” he said. “Santa Clara has been nothing short of extraordinary."

But the future isn’t as clearly defined. Will the WCC still be respected enough to receive multiple bids a year from now? Two years from now? Or will Saint Mary’s merely take over the mantle from Gonzaga as the flagship program with the other nine, 10 schools fighting for the crumbs? Will ESPN keep its cameras shining on the conference, not just for a few days in March, but in January and February? Will the school presidents find a way to meet the moment in a time of escalating costs and athletics becoming bigger business than they could have ever envisioned?

That is Jackson’s mandate along with other mid-major commissioners as they attempt to swim upstream against a rising tide of costs in doing business in a world that has seemingly spiraled out of control.