For the first time in three years, Gonzaga coach Mark Few doesn't have to worry about replacing the West Coast Conference Player of the Year. He has him coming back.

Blake Stepp, unlike predecessors Casey Calvary and Dan Dickau, didn't wait until his senior season to reel in the WCC's most prestigious award. He earned it as a junior, leading the Bulldogs to a 24-9 record that included another regular-season league championship and a fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.

The 6-foot-4 guard returns this fall, along with the other top five scorers from last season, leaving Few feeling as comfortable about his team as he has since taking over the GU program four seasons ago. "Blake had about as good a year as you can have last winter," Few says. "It's nice to have him -- and those other six lettermen, too -- all coming back. We're certainly going to be deeper than we've ever been before."

And more talented, it would seem, thanks to the leadership of Stepp and fellow seniors Cory Violette, Kyle Bankhead, Tony Skinner and Richard Fox.

FRONTCOURT

Wide-body Violette and Ronny Turiaf were both named to the All-WCC first team last season, and Violette didn't have a particularly good year -- by his standards.

"He was a little inconsistent with his scoring and with how he shot the ball and finished plays," Few says of the 6-8, 255-pound Violette, who averaged 11.4 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds. "But his numbers were still good, and he had a really good summer. I think he's poised to have a great senior year."

Even if he doesn't, the Bulldogs should still be formidable inside.

Turiaf is as athletic as any frontliner to play at GU, and Fox, the tallest player on the roster at 6-11, gives Few 289 pounds and some splendid inside offensive production to work with off the bench. In addition, the Bulldogs gain the services of highly touted freshman Sean Mallon, who Few reluctantly decided to redshirt last winter.

"He's just so skilled," Few says of Mallon, who boasts a splendid outside shooting touch to go along with his great feel for low-post play. "Redshirting him last season was one of the toughest decisions I've ever made. But it will sure be nice to have him around for another four years."

BACKCOURT

What Stepp accomplished last season, when he averaged 18.0 points, 6.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game, was simply remarkable. The former shooting guard moved to the point for the first time since high school and proved every bit as valuable as Dickau.

"He was as consistently good as anybody in college basketball, in my opinion," Few says, "but he's still working as hard as anybody in the country to get even better."

Re-joining Stepp in the Bulldogs' backcourt are Bankhead, a senior shooting guard, and Skinner, a senior wing. Both are excellent perimeter shooters, and Skinner can defend the 3 spot as well as anyone in the WCC -- with the exception, perhaps, of his teammate Erroll Knight.

Knight, an immensely talented sophomore, redshirted after transferring from Washington, where he started 19 games, averaged 7.1 points and shot 42.9 percent from 3-point range as a freshman. At the time of his signing, former UW coach Bob Bender said Knight might be "as good an athlete as has ever worn a Washington uniform."

Now Few is busy trying to put a lid on the lofty expectations associated with his newest thoroughbred.

"The expectations on Erroll might be a little too high," Few says. "He brings a lot of athleticism and energy to our program, and he'll be able to lock people up defensively. But he's just a sophomore, and he's still learning the game."

Adding depth are freshmen Adam Morrison and Derek Ravio. Few says both Morrison, a 6-8 wing, and Ravio, a 6-1 point guard, will be asked to contribute immediately. "They're both too talented to sit," Few says.

FINAL ANALYSIS

Anyone who watched the Bulldogs' wildly entertaining double-overtime loss to Arizona in the second round of last year's NCAA West Region had to be impressed with the way the Zags butt heads with the big boys.

The only two players not returning from that team are Zach Gourde and Winston Brooks, who both struggled through their senior seasons.

That leaves Few with perhaps the best team Gonzaga has ever put on the court -- and with a legitimate chance to make a very deep run in this year's NCAA Tournament.

• Click here for complete index of 2003-04 team previews

To purchase the 2003 College Basketball Preview from Athlon Sports, click here.