Childs named preseason All-WCC, Cougars picked to finish third

LAS VEGAS – BYU men’s basketball was selected to finish third in the annual West Coast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll while junior forward Yoeli Childs was named to the All-WCC Preseason Team.

The Cougars received one first-place vote and finished with 67 points, one behind Saint Mary’s. Gonzaga was picked to finish first with nine first-place votes and 81 points. San Francisco and San Diego were picked to finish fourth and fifth, respectively, while the rest of the poll was round out with Pacific, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Santa Clara and Portland coming in at six through 10.

Last season BYU finished third in the WCC standings with an 11-7 record and 24-11 overall. The Cougars earned an at-large bid to the NIT, giving BYU 13-straight seasons with 20 wins and a postseason bid under coach Dave Rose.

Childs is coming off a sophomore season in which he averaged 17.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while shooting 54.1 percent from the field. The South Jordan, Utah, native earned All-WCC First Team honors and was also named all-district by the United States Basketball Writers Association and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

In addition to earning a spot on the Preseason All-WCC Team, Childs was also named to the watch list for the 2019 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award.

Visit WCCsports.com for more information.