SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO - A pair of Broncos are among the 11 players selected to the 2024-25 WCC Men's Basketball Preseason Team. Senior guards
Adama-Alpha Bal and Carlos Stewart, Jr. were both honored on the annual preseason team as voted on by the league's coaches. Additionally, Santa Clara was picked to finish third in the WCC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll. The WCC made the announcement on Thursday ahead of their annual media day event in Las Vegas.
The backcourt duo of Bal and Stewart is expected to be one of the best tandems in the WCC this season. Both players have previously been honored as First Team All-WCC selections with Bal earning the distinction last season and Stewart garnering the honor as a sophomore in 2022-23.
"We are excited for Adama and Carlos to both be named to the preseason All-WCC team," head coach
Herb Sendek said. "Both of those guys have worked really hard in the offseason and are deserving of being honored among the league's best."
Bal returns for his senior campaign and second season with the Broncos after leading the squad in scoring and assists in 2023-24. The Le Mans, France product averaged 14.4 points (seventh in the WCC) and 3.1 assists as part of an outstanding junior campaign after transferring in from the University of Arizona. Starting 30 games and averaging a team-high 31.2 minutes per contest, Bal posted a team-best nine 20-point games and 21 total games in double figures while shooting 43.3 percent from the field. He scored 20 or more points in each of Santa Clara's games against Pac-12 opponents to help them to a 3-1 record in such games, and posted a season-high of 28 on the road against Pepperdine.
After spending one season at LSU, Stewart made the decision to return to Santa Clara for his senior campaign. The Baton Rouge, La., product made 66 appearances and 35 starts in his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Broncos, averaging 10.3 points on 44.8 percent shooting. As a sophomore in 2022-23, he was part of an outstanding backcourt alongside Brandin Podziemski, and helped lead SCU to a third-place finish in the conference and their second-straight trip to the National Invitation Tournament. Stewart averaged 15.2 points while starting all 33 contests and notched 24 double figure scoring efforts en route to earning First Team All-WCC honors.
Stewart made 13 total appearances with nine starts last season at LSU before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the Tigers' conference opener vs. Texas A&M.
The WCC Men's Basketball Preseason Team traditionally honors 10 players, however due to a tie there were 11 players honored for 2024-25. The full list can be found below.
| Name |
Year |
Position |
School |
| Michael Ajayi |
Sr. |
G |
Gonzaga |
| Adama-Alpha Bal |
Sr. |
G |
Santa Clara |
| Cedric Coward |
Sr. |
G |
Washington State |
| Nolan Hickman |
Sr. |
G |
Gonzaga |
| Graham Ike |
Sr. |
F |
Gonzaga |
| Augustas Marciulionis |
Sr. |
G |
Saint Mary's |
| Ryan Nembhard |
Sr. |
G |
Gonzaga |
| Jevon Porter |
Jr. |
F |
LMU |
| Mitchell Saxon |
Sr. |
C |
Saint Mary's |
| Carlos Stewart, Jr. |
Sr. |
G |
Santa Clara |
| Marcus Williams |
Sr. |
G |
San Francisco |
Gonzaga was selected to win the league in the coaches poll, earning nine first place points to finish ahead of Saint Mary's. Santa Clara was picked third ahead of San Francisco and Washington State. The Broncos have finished inside the top four of the final WCC standings in each of the last three seasons, which is their longest stretch doing so since 2006-08.
| Place |
Team |
Points (1st place votes) |
| 1. |
Gonzaga |
99 (9) |
| 2. |
Saint Mary's |
86 (1) |
| 3. |
Santa Clara |
81 |
| 4. |
San Francisco |
77 (1) |
| 5. |
Washington State |
62 |
| 6. |
LMU |
60 |
| 7. |
Oregon State |
44 |
| T8. |
Portland |
28 |
| T8. |
San Diego |
28 |
| 10. |
Pacific |
23 |
| 11. |
Pepperdine |
17 |
