USD Women's Basketball 2002-2003

TheWestCoastConterence

20

TheWestCaastCanterence

When the West Coast Conference got its start back in 1952, the founders really had only one goal in mind - to create a convenient way for five Bay Area schools to play basketball. What has grown from that original vision 46 years ago is a marvelous cohesive athletics league which is competitive at the national level in 13 sports.

Torero Standouts 111-wcc. nrst Team

Amber Jansen Susie Erpelding

2000-01 1999-00 1998-99 1997-98 1999-00 1998-99 1993-94 1992-93 1990-91 1989-90 1991-92 1990-91 1989-90 1988-89 1987-88 1986-87 1985-86 1985-86

Jessica Gray

FINAL 2001-02 wee STANDINGS wee Overall

2002 PRESEASON

Jill Shaver Chris Enger

COACHES POLL

W- L PCT 11-3 .786

School

W- L 23-8

*' Pepperdine *Santa Clara #San Francisco

# School

9-5 9-5 9-5 7- 7 5-9

21-10 18-12 16-13 15-13 13-1 5 13-1 5 11-18

.643 .643 .643 .500 .3 57

1. ' Pe pperdi ne (7)

2. 'Santa Clara

Lynda Jones Christi English Candida Echeverria

San Francisco

#St. Mary's

4. L. Marymount 5. Saint Mary's

L. Marymount

Port land

6. San Diego

4- 10 .286 2-12 . 143

San Diego

7. Portland 8. Gonzaga

Jane Gilpin Julia Evans

Gonzaga

(first place votes)

'NCAA Tournament Team "WCC Tournament Winner ti WNIT Tournament Team

'2007-02 NCAA Tournament

Debbie Theroux

Torero Standouts 111-wcc Freshman Team 1994-95 1993-94 1989-90 1986-87 * wee Freshman of the Year Torero Standouts 111-WCC Honorable Mention Nailah Thompson Lorraine Watson Chris Enger* Candida Echeverria

The eight current members of the WCC span the Western United States from Canada to Mexico. Though the institutions range from the pine forests of the Northwest to the sun– drenched beaches of Southern California, the combined excellence in athletics and aca– demics sets the conference apart on the national scene and draws the individual institutions together in a common mission. The WCC sponsors championships in baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross-country, men's and women's golf, women's rowing, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis and women's volleyball. The league was chartered by five Bay Area institutions (Pacific, Saint Mary's, San Francisco, San Jose State and Santa Clara) as the California Basketball Association, playing its first game on January 2, 1953. After two seasons of play under that name, the conference expanded to include Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine in 1955, and became the "West Coast Athletic Conference" in 1956. The name was shortened to "West Coast Conference" in 1989. The current alignment of Gonzaga, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Diego, San Fran– cisco and Santa Clara has remained unchanged since 1979, making the WCC the third most stable conference in the nation. Only the Ivy League and Pacific-10 have been together longer. The 2002-2003 season marks the 16th year for the WCC's women's basketball league, one of the most improved in the nation. The West Coast Conference started the Millenium off with a bang, doing one better than in 1999-2000. For the third consecutive season and just the fifth time in league history four teams advanced to the post-season . Post-season partici– pants included San Francisco, Pepperdine, Saint Mary's and Santa Clara. St. Mary's re– ceived a bid to the NCAATournament and played into the second round in 2000-01 , losing to the #1 seeded Tennessee Volunteers. Four teams, Pepperdine, Saint Mary's, Santa Clara and Loyola Marymount won at least 20 games two seasons ago. In addition to Pepperdine and Santa Clara's bid into the NCAA's, Santa Clara and San Francisco received bids to the WNIT last season. WCC women's basketball began with seven teams, including Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, San Diego, San Francisco and Santa Clara. In 1987, Nevada and U.S. International left the WCC, replaced by Gonzaga, Portland and Saint Mary's.

Kerri Nakamoto

2001-02 2000-01 2001-02 1997-98 1996-97 1995-96 1995-96 1994-95 1994-95 1994-95 1992-93

Erin Malich Kari Ambrose Nailah Thompson

Michele Brovelli

Laura King Lorraine Watson Jill Shaver

www.ustJIOflJfOS.COm