WCC Basketball Preview: Pacific Tigers

A lot of WCC teams saw some of their best players head for the portal at the conclusion of last season, and Pacific University was no exception. The Tigers’ top-scorer in Elijah Fisher transferred to Seton Hall, while standout guard Lamar Washington is headed to Georgia Tech. Especially coming off of a 9-24 season, this doesn’t look like a recipe for success. 

However, there is reason for head coach Dave Smart to be optimistic about his second season at the helm, and it all starts with the return of their star forward. Elias Ralph averaged 15 points and seven rebounds last year, and getting him to stick around for a fifth season is huge.

Though Ralph will miss the presence of Fisher and Washington, coach Smart has brought in talented guards to play around him. The first is TJ Wainwright, a 6’3” PG/SG hybrid who averaged 13 points per game last season at Long Beach State. A versatile guard who is physical getting to the rim and also likes to shoot from deep, Wainwright was a headache for opposing teams last season. The other most notable guard they are bringing in is Lamar transfer Alexis Marmolejos, a 6’1” point guard who averaged 14 points and two assists in 2025. To round out this position group, the Tigers have also landed Florida transfer Kajus Kublickas and Maine transfer Jaden Clayton.

While the Tigers are looking to have solid depth in the backcourt, they are going to need guys to step up down low. Center Jazz Gardner transferred to Saint Mary’s, leaving some question marks surrounding the center and power forward positions. Washington transfer KC Ibekwe provides an intriguing option as a big man, though his conditioning is shaky and he’s been a bit inconsistent throughout his career. However, he had some big performances during his two years at Oregon State (before he went to Washington), and Ibekwe has the potential to be a big piece for the Tigers this season.

With so much roster turnover all across the conference, it’s difficult to predict how Pacific will stack up with the other teams. However, coach Smart has got to be happy about the talent he’s acquired in the portal this offseason. It will certainly take time for all these incoming players to build up chemistry, but if the pieces can be put together, Pacific has the potential to be much more competitive this season.