BYU's move raises WCC's profile, Gonzaga's competition

Did the West Coast Conference enhance its national profile more than any other league this year?

That's what Gonzaga coach Mark Few suggested in a phone conversation late Tuesday, and I think he might be right. Sure, the Big Ten plucking Nebraska from the Big 12 was nice, and the Pac-10 adding Utah and Colorado was an OK consolation prize when commissioner Larry Scott's grand plan to lure Texas and five others fell apart. But do you really think much differently about the Big Ten or Pac-10 than you did two months ago? Both leagues are stronger, obviously, but I'm not convinced either elevated itself from one place to the next as much as the WCC did Tuesday when it announced it'll be the home of BYU athletics for everything except football, most notably men's basketball.

'We've improved our lot,' Gonzaga coach Mark Few says of BYU's addition. (Getty Images)

"If nothing else, it helps perception wise," Few said. "I've argued in the past that a lot of our teams are plenty good enough; they just don't garner any respect nationally. But this program already brings things nationally. So we've improved our lot."

In a major way.

Think about it: The Zags have won 10 consecutive conference championships, but folks discount the titles each year because they're mostly examples of what happens when one school overwhelms its league brethren in funding, facilities and commitment in general. When Gonzaga wins, we yawn. When Gonzaga loses, we rip. And though nobody would ever argue it's a bad setup (because it's actually a tremendous setup, which is among the reasons Few has passed on several job opportunities in recent offseasons), it must be frustrating to feel as if you must apologize for loading the trophy case year after year.

Come next year, those days are over. The Zags might not win every WCC title over the next decade, but each time they add one you'll now be required to take it seriously. The addition of BYU (for the 2011-12 season) gives the league a second marquee program that operates at a high level, and it will give Gonzaga at least two and possibly three additional games each year against a school that's made the past four NCAA tournaments.

That's the upside Few believes outweighs any potential negatives.

Which is not to suggest there aren't potential negatives.

One downside could be that Gonzaga's national brand ends up damaged if we discover it will finish second instead of first more often than not when placed in a league with a similar program. The only thing less respected than winning a conference devoid of comparable talent is finishing second in a conference with only one other program whose administration allows it to conduct itself like a high-major.

Remember, Memphis was never considered a national power back when John Calipari was trading wins and losses with Cincinnati and Louisville in the initial version of Conference USA. That only happened after the Big East plucked every relevant C-USA program except Memphis and left the Tigers to overwhelm a bunch of outmanned left-behinds that simply can't compete in funding, facilities, travel, recruiting, or any other tangible way. It's precisely why the only person in Memphis who wouldn't mind the Tigers forever staying in this version of C-USA is current coach Josh Pastner, because his job is designed for him to win at a high rate and make the NCAA tournament every year going forward as long as he continues to recruit the way he's already showed he can recruit. For proof, consider that Memphis' schedule this year will allow the Tigers to take 30 wins into Selection Sunday even if they don't beat a single team that'll be ranked in preseason polls.

That's a nice setup -- especially when home games still sell out.

And it's precisely the setup Few has enjoyed since taking over at Gonzaga in 1999.

The reality is that the addition of BYU could put a dent in that to an unknown degree, but Few didn't seem the least bit concerned upon hearing the news. Again, in his eyes, the positives far outweigh any potential negatives. So if you thought Few might have an issue with sharing the WCC spotlight and no longer being the only game some opposing WCC fans circle on the calendar, well, all I can tell you is that he sure didn't sound like it late Tuesday.

"Check back with me," Few said with a laugh. "But it feels like this is going to be a really good thing."