Landale's fame rising as Saint Mary's hosts Portland (Jan 27, 2018)
It's no surprise that Jock Landale looks like a shoo-in to be named West Coast Conference player of the year.
But more and more he is looking like the first first-team All-American for Saint Mary's, which hosts Portland on Saturday in Moraga, Calif.
BYU coach Dave Rose is a believer.
"Jock has got unbelievable skill, and he has worked hard and he has a skill set that is really hard to manage," Rose told The Salt Lake Tribune before Landale torched the Cougars for his sixth 30-point game of the season. "But the guys playing around Jock are really, really (helpful). Their emphasis is to get the ball to Jock. And Jock gets the ball on the left block 30, 40 times a game. And we are talking about a team that might be playing with 61, 62 possessions, and that's where he gets the ball.
"Obviously, you got to give Jock a lot of credit for as good as he's been. But these guys get him the ball, and then he is really smart with it."
The No. 16 Gaels (20-2, 9-0 WCC) extended their winning streak to 15 by beating BYU 75-62 on Thursday. A win over the Pilots on Saturday would make the streak the longest in school history.
Landale, who scored 32 points for the third time in four games, has 12 double-doubles over the past 14 games.
Saint Mary's point guard Emmett Naar, a fellow Aussie, has come to expect such things from his 6-foot-11 center.
"It's ridiculous how unsurprising it is, if that makes any sense," Naar told the (San Jose) Mercury News. "He's been doing it all year. You look at the stat sheet and he has like 30 and 15. For most players, 'Wow, that's unbelievable.' He's done it so many times now you sort of take it for granted. It's a ridiculous level he's playing at right now."
Landale scored 18 points during the final nine minutes when Saint Mary's pulled away, but he wasn't taking all the credit.
"Things went my way tonight, but it's not just about me," he said.
Naar, who trails only Oklahoma's Trae Young in assists per game, dished out 12 on Thursday to go with his 13 points.
Saint Mary's has become adept at closing out games.
The Gaels scored eight straight points to break open a six-point game late against BYU.
"They are very, very good at executing late in the game when it is really close," Rose said. "The three (close) road games that they have won, they were tremendous. They were all one-possession games, and they made the play. It is a step we really need to get to."
In its big Jan. 18 win over Gonzaga in Spokane, Wash., Saint Mary's overcame a nine-point deficit in the second half.
Portland (8-14, 2-7) comes in off a 95-79 home loss to the No. 15 Zags that snapped a two-game win streak after an 0-6 start to conference play.
"I don't think our confidence is lacking. We just ran into a very good basketball team. Some of the things we didn't do, give them credit for taking away," Portland coach Terry Porter told The (Portland) Oregonian.
Josh McSwiggan, the Pilots' leading scorer, struggled against the Bulldogs, making just 2 of 9 shots.
