COLLEGE BASKETBALL 1995-96 : WEST COAST CONFERENCE / THE OTHER TEAMS : Santa Clara Figures to Repeat

Santa Clara Coach Dick Davey isn’t one to dodge the obvious.

“We have no excuses this year,” he said. “We’re returning all five starters and we’ll see how it turns out.”

Davey gets back not only all of his starters, but all but one player from a team that posted a 21-7 overall record and finished atop the West Coast Conference with a 12-2 mark.

Among those players is WCC player of the year Steve Nash. The 6-foot-3 senior point guard led the league in scoring with a 21-point average, in three-point shooting (45%) and assists (6.4 per game).

No other WCC team has as well-rounded a leader as Nash, one of the top point guards in the country and a legitimate NBA prospect.

And no other WCC team can boast a victory over defending champion UCLA, a feat Santa Clara pulled off on Monday in the Maui Invitational.

A look at the West Coast Conference teams other than Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine:

GONZAGA

* 1994-95 Records: 21-9 overall, 7-7 conference.

* Conference Finish: Fourth.

The Bulldogs won the conference tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to Maryland in the first round. “The reality of it is, we were a good team at the end of last year,” Coach Dan Fitzgerald said. And despite the loss of two starters, notably guard John Rillie and his 15-point average and touch from three-point range, Fitzgerald said Gonzaga is an even better team this season because of its experience. He is counting on Jon Kinloch (12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds) to replace Rillie as the “go-to guy,” and 6-11 forward Paul Rogers (10.6 points, 5.1 rebounds) and guard Kyle Dixon (12 points) to share the offensive burden.

PORTLAND

* 1994-95 Records: 21-8, 10-4.

* Conference Finish: Second (tie).

The Pilots lost three of their top four scorers, and Coach Rob Chavez, in his second year at Portland, finds himself with eight new players, five of them freshmen. Lemont Daniels, a 6-4 senior forward, and guards Kasey Flicker and Dionn Holton will have to perform beyond expectations if the Pilots are going to post their first back-to-back winning seasons in more than 10 years.

ST. MARY’S

* 1994-95 Records: 18-10, 10-4

* Conference Finish: Second (tie).

Though Coach Ernie Kent says there are three or four teams that can compete for the WCC title, his squad has perhaps the best chance of unseating Santa Clara. Providing he doesn’t lose any more players. Forward Ali Peek is a medical redshirt because of a knee injury and 6-10 center Todd Marshall transferred to Oregon State last summer. This means Kent will not be able to hold out Brad Millard as as a redshirt as planned. And the 7-2, 230-pound freshman is already off to a slow start, suffering from a sore Achilles’ tendon that has kept him out of practice. The Gaels lost top scorers Brent Farris (14.4 points) and Chris Johnson (12 points), but have three returning guards--all of whom started--and Jumoke Horton, a 6-9, 295-pound center who averaged 10.3 points and 6.2 rebounds.

SAN DIEGO

* 1994-95 Records: 11-16, 5-9.

* Conference Finish: Fifth.

The Toreros lost only one starter, but it was their leading scorer, Doug Harris (17.2 points). The good news for San Diego is the return of four starters and that Coach Brad Holland, who was hired only two months before the start of last season, will have had time to get to know and prepare his team. Senior forward Sean Flannery is the top returning scorer at 14 points a game. Davis Fizdale is one of the top point guards in the conference.

SAN FRANCISCO

* 1994-95 Records: 10-19, 4-10.

* Conference Finish: Sixth (tie).

New Coach Phil Mathews, who was very successful on the junior college level (298-56 record, two state titles at Ventura), is without three starters from last season’s team. But he has senior guard Gerald Walker (18 points), who is only three steals shy of becoming the all-time conference leader, and junior forward John Duggan (15.7 points, 6.9 rebounds). While the Dons do have some talent, they lack size and experience to challenge for the conference title.

SANTA CLARA

* 1994-95 Records: 21-7, 12-2

* Conference Finish: First

Nash and Marlon Garnett, a 6-2 junior, give the Broncos the best backcourt in the conference. The two combined to average 34.5 points per game and shoot 44% from three-point range. Up front are 6-6 senior forward Kevin Dunne (9.4 points, 6.2 rebounds), 6-10 senior center Brendan Graves (7.8 points, 5.6 rebounds), and 6-7 junior forward Jason Sedlock (6.6 points, 3.6 rebounds).