SAN FRANCISCO – Pac-12 defenses knew when they played Washington State last year that DaVonté Lacy was the man to stop, but knowing did nothing. Lacy was a 19-point per game scorer, so opposing teams shouldn't feel good about what Lacy has been working on this summer.

Lacy wants to be the Shaq of the guards, using his size to bully smaller players in the post.

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"I can have that in my toolbox to pull it out every once in a while to get a couple points here or there, to help one of my teammates get open," Lacy said Thursday at 2014-15 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Media Day. "I'm a bigger guard, so I have to utilize that."

Lacy was one of the Pac-12's best scorers last year, but he was pouring in the points only when he was healthy and often times as the Cougars were losing. The senior spent the summer on the Pac-12 All-Star team that toured China, and from the team perspective, there was one difference-making takeaway he hopes to bring back to the Palouse.

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"I think one thing that I picked up a lot is how close we got in such a short amount of time," Lacy said. "It kind of helped us build trust on the court. I wanted to know that if I did the same thing at Washington State, come closer as a family, we have a chance to be really good."

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As for Lacy's individual improvements, well, it's hard to tell if first-year WSU coach Ernie Kent is all for Lacy in the post.

"Isn't it amazing how every big guy wants to be a guard, and every guard wants to be a big guy?" Kent quipped after Lacy explained his improvements in the post.

"Shaq ain't got nothin' on me," Lacy shot back with a smile.