LAS VEGAS — The West Coast Conference’s commissioner said Thursday that BYU’s entrance into the league has changed the tide for both the tournament schedules and the overall talent the conference displays.
Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich spoke to the media on Thursday about the competitive nature of the conference and the impact adding BYU to its ranks has had.
[/media-credit]
“BYU has been a great addition for us,” Zaninovich said. “I think it adds another really quality program that has a chance to win on men’s and women’s teams we have this year. Competitively, they’ve come in and challenged for a lot of conference championships.
Zaninovich mentioned that the feedback from both BYU and other programs in the conference has been positive, and that everyone has enjoyed competing in the revamped conference.
In addition to the conference change, BYU is about to begin its inaugural conference tournament as the third seed behind Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s. The talent in the WCC has Zaninovich excited about this year’s tournament.
“This is the deepest potential of teams both on the men’s and women’s side that we’ve had in a long time,” Zaninovich said. “Schools that have really strong potential and that are on a neutral court, anything can happen. It’s the most fair way to decide a championship.”
