SB Nation - Robert Sacre

The Can Ball Report's NC-Double-Eh Player of the Week - Dec 20

rbala — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:55:49 -0000

More photos » by Kevin Rivoli - AP

Syracuse's Kris Joseph took his high wire act all over the Zags this past weekend to earn NC-Double-Eh Player of the Week honors. (AP Photo/Kevin Rivoli)

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Like in that great movie/tv series from the later century The Highlander, there can only be one. And the Can Ball Report has finally come up with that player. Help us congratulate Montreal's own Kris Joseph of the Syracuse Orangemen as this week's Can Ball Report NC-Double-Eh Player of the Week.

Player of the Week

Kris Joseph (Montreal) – Soph., Syracuse

With most athletes cramming for the last exams before the winter break, there weren’t too many games being played last week. But in the one game that Syracuse’s Kris Joseph played this past Saturday, he had a great one helping the Orange defeat the visiting St Bonaventure Bonnies 85-72.

Increasing his role on the fifth ranked Orangemen over the last few weeks, Kris Joseph has made a case for being one of the most improved players on the team if not the Big East Conference. Coming off the bench, Joseph had a season high 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot playing 33 very effective minutes for legendary coach Jim Boehiem. For the game, he shot 7 of 9 from the floor, also a season high, and made all three of his free throw attempts.

As an excellent candidate for the Big East Sixth Man of the Year, Joseph is currently averaging 10.2 points per game to go along with 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 steals on the season. He is the team’s fifth leading scorer, third leading rebounder and fourth in steals. Look for Joseph to build on this current success now for a brighter future come this March.

Honorable Mention: Andrew Nicholson, St Bonaventure – on Dec 19: 18 pts, 5 rbs, , 1 stl, 1 blk, 9 of 10 from the floor, 32 minutes.

Line of the Week

Gonzaga’s Canucks – Dec 19

In what can really only be classified as equivalent to a New York mugging, the Gonzaga Bulldogs got handled rather roughly by the Duke Blue Devils this past Saturday in Madison Square Garden. The final score was 71 – 41 in favor of Duke and if you had the (dis)pleasure of watching the game looking for a colossal fight, well you were disappointed with the outcome. So then why would we want to highlight this particularly bad game here? Well, primarily because our Canadians boys had a great collective game despite the mangling at the Garden.

Rob Sacre, Manny Arop, Kelly Olynyk and Bol Kong have all played significant roles on this year’s Zags team contributing to the success they have had to this point in the season and here is how they fared in the game:

Of the 41 total points scored by Gonzaga, our Canadian boys accounted for half (20) with nine coming Sacre who started at center. They accounted for a third of the rebounds (10 of 29) with Manny Arop coming off the bench to grab a team high six. They accounted for half (7 of 15) of the made field goal attempts and Sacre was responsible for half the Zags’ free throw makes (5 of 10). Is it a line to be proud of? Sure. It means that our boys down in Spokane are making meaningful contributions to a Top 25 team. But I’m sure they would have gladly given stats up for a better outcome in that forgettable game in the Garden.

Honorable Mention – Andrew Nicholson, St Bonaventure: 18 pts, 5 rbs, 1 stl, 1 blk, 9 of 10 FG, 32 mins. Vs. Syracuse.

The Can Ball Report's NC-Double-Eh Player of the Week - Dec 13

rbala — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:42 -0000

After a slow start for Kyle Johnson at Long Island University this season, the Ajax, ON native may hit a turning point this season in the past week where he averaged a double-double on his way to being named The Can Ball Report's NC-Double-Eh Player of the Week.

Player of the Week

Kyle Johnson (Ajax, ON) – Jr., Long Island University

Kyle Johnson has been able to fill the bucket up since his break out freshman season with the Blackbirds in 2007 and this season he is doing the same. After starting the season a little sluggish he had seemed to find his stride this past week after averaging a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 57% from the three point line and picking up 2.5 steals a game as well. With those great numbers, Johnson is this week’s Can Ball Report Player of the Week.

In the Blackbirds’ 80-64 loss to Iona on Dec 9, Johnson recorded his double-double of the season posting 15 points and 11 rebounds. He also added four steals and shot 3 of 7 from the three line, 6 of 14 overall from the floor in 29 minutes.

In following game against Lafayette (Toronto’s Jared Mintz) on Dec 12, Johnson put up 15 points and grabbed nine boards in the LIU close loss, 73-77. He also had a steal and shot 5 of 12 from the floor and went for a season high five treys in his productive 29 minutes.

For the season, Johnson is averaging a team high 6.7 rebounds per game to go along with his 10.4 points, which is good for second on the team, as well as an assist and a steal.

Honorable mention: Andrew Nicholson, St Bonaventure – 18 pts, 5.5 rbs, 14-22 FG, 8-8 FT, 25 mpg.

Line of the Week

Rob Sacre (Vancouver) – Soph., Gonzaga

For this week’s winner we present Rob Sacre. In the Zags tighter-than-should-have-been win over Davidson Dec 12, Sacre had a great game. He put up 23 points in a very efficient 25 minutes going a perfect 6 of 6 from the floor. From the line, Sacre was less than stellar but he managed to go to the line 18 times making 11of his attempts. If he had made the seven he missed he would have cracked the 30 point plateau for the first time in his college career. Great game indeed but the oddest thing about his stat line is that the imposing, 260 lbs paint monster only had one rebound to compliment his point total! Gonzaga is in trouble if Sacre continues with these numbers any further.

Honorable mention: Murphy Burnatowski, Maine – 13 pts, 6 rbs, 9 asts, 4 stls, 5 of 6 FG, 3 of 3 FT, 23 mins.

Poll

Who has impressed so far this NCAA season?

On the horizon: Zags get a break before taking on Duke

Zach B — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:00:55 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

Elias Harris dominated the Wildcats of Davidson. Is he poised for a breakthrough game on basketball's biggest stage? (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

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Davidson gave Gonzaga a run for their money on Saturday evening but the Wildcats did not have enough to take down the Bouldin-less Bulldogs. The Battle in Seattle was set up by Gonzaga to not only bring good college basketball to the city of Seattle but to also attract big name programs to play the Zags in the Pac-NW. While Davidson isn't much these days without Stephen Curry, you really couldn't have picked a better team for Gonzaga to play without their senior leader Matt Bouldin. As we said in our game recap, Gonzaga was able to physically impose their will on Davidson for 40 minutes and put up 100+ points in Seattle. Robert Sacre and Elias Harris fought, scrapped, and dominated the interior against Davidson while Steven Gray and Demetri Goodson ruled the perimeter. The silver lining of the whole Matt Bouldin incident may have been the way these four played. There's no doubt that they will have to consistently "bring it" if Gonzaga is going to finish out Decmeber the way we are all expecting them to. They should all be riding high after playing Davidson and I expect them to have a great week of practice before heading off to New York. With that, here are a few things to get your week off to a good start...

It's Duke week...

For the first time as a blogger I kind of feel like I'm covering a college football team. November's early season tournament madness is well behind us and were at a bit of a lull in the schedule. Gonzaga will only have two games in the next two weeks. Duke on Saturday and then Eastern Washington all the way on December 28th in the comfy confines of the MAC. Ever since the Duke game at Madison Square Garden was confirmed, Gonzaga fans have had their eyes on the 19th. When you combined one of America's most storied athletic programs with America's most fabled sports arena, there is no need for embellishment. Gonzaga will head into the game an 8-2 ball club and assuming Duke takes care of Gardner-Webb on Tuesday, they'll be 8-1. It will undoubtedly be a game most of the nation will have their eyes on. Gonzaga hasn't played in the Garden since the 2006-07 season when they played three games in the basketball mecca. They played Duke in December and lost a tightly contested game to the Blue Devils but the game most Gonzaga fans like to remember is the preseason NIT when Gonzaga upset North Carolina before being upset by Butler. That game was the official coming out party for big man Josh Heytvelt who absolutely shut down Tyler Hansbrough and established himself as a premier player in the country. I'm assuming there are a couple current Gonzaga big men that wouldn't mind having their official coming out part on basketball's biggest stage come Saturday

continue reading after the poll and jump...

Mark Few made the most of his trip to Seattle...

For big-time college basketball coaches, there really is no downtime. Even after you coaching a high-scoring, up-tempo game like the one Gonzaga played in Saturday, it wasn't as though Mark Few could go back to the hotel and relax. Nope, instead the Gonzaga head man went out to the Kentridge-Federal Way game that tipped at 7:30 PM to get another glimpse at Kentridge's Gary Bell Jr. To be quite honest, this is exactly how I was hoping Coach would spend his time in Seattle. Bell Jr. is a smooth scoring guard from the Seattle area that blew up over the summer during the AAU circuit and is poised for an enormous junior season. Gary holds offers from the likes of Gonzaga, Washington, and Cal. He was quoted as saying the two Pac-10 schools were his leaders right now but it is early yet in the 2011 recruiting cycle. The Chargers of Kentridge lost by six points to Federal Way but Gary put up 18 of Kentridge's 52 points in the losing effort.

Projecting this week's rakings...

The five teams ahead of Gonzaga in last week's AP Poll lost this past week meaning that we should be seeing some significant improvement to our position at some point mid-Monday. Wisconsin, Cincy, UNLV, Washington (sweet), and Texas A&M all lost meaning that I would expected Gonzaga to probably fall somewhere between the 16-17 range tomorrow. Gary Parrish of CBSSports recently weighed in and put the Zags at 15 while Jeff Goodman slated Mark Few's club as the 17th best team in the nation at this point. If Gonzaga could have stole a win from Wake Forest, this Duke game coming up could have solidified Gonzaga as a top 10 team (assuming a positive result).

Bol Kong (and SSF) getting some love

The coolest part about the whole ESPN Insider set up is the Rumors section of the website. For every sport, there is a rumors page that is basically news before it really blows up. Smartly, ESPN's editors have made a conscious effort to stalk the blogosphere to get the pulse of a fan base so that they can get the inside dig quickly. We've been linked a couple of times now by this rumors page including today in a little blurb about Bol Kong:

We wrote last Friday that Gonzaga's Matt Bouldin should be able to play against Davidson despite a suspected concussion. Three hours from the Battle of Seattle's tipoff, coach Mark Few learned that Bouldin would not play or even dress for the game.

Even without Bouldin, the 'Zags were able to pull out the win and in the senior guard's absence, Bulldog fans were able to see first extensive action from heralded frosh Bol Kong. Against Augustana, Kong scored 19 points in only 10 minutes. In place of Bouldin against Davidson, Kong scored 9 points in 15 minutes of action, making one of two threes to increase his team-leading 3-point percentage to 60 percent.

While Bouldin should return, Kong's solid play should earn him more minutes and confidence from coach Mark Few. The administrators of The Slipper Still Fits (a Gonzaga men's basketball site) are definitely enthused by the freshman's play: "When Kong has the ball in his hands on offense, I have total confidence that good things will happen ... He's so deceptively fast and strong on the dribble that there aren't many players that match up well with him."

Bol seems to ideally fit ESPN's Rumors section because this kid is about to explode. I'm just waiting for that game where he comes in early in the first half and takes over. All the sudden...you look up and Bol's got twenty. That's exactly how I expect it to go and I've ran it through in my mind a number of times. I'll be curious to see if Bol has gained enough respect where Coach K recognizes when he is on the court and makes the necessary adjustment. For the Blue Devils, I'm not sure who that would be. Singler can take care of his size but I like Kong on the drive in that situation. If he is not accounted for, I would expect Bol to make some big shots against Duke like he has done all season.

With guys like Bol, Elias, Manny, and Kelly I rest at ease because they have yet to be phased by a situation. Their international experience has made them excellent competitors that have yet to show any real sign of getting caught up in the moment. Elias' ejection in the Wake Forest game was more of a hard foul in my book where he just got a bit overzealous. I exepct this solid play to continue from all four of these players as Duke waits in the wings.

Poll

Three players had career high scoring days on Saturday for Gonzaga. Which Zag impressed you the most?

No Bouldin, no problem as Gonzaga upends Davidson

Zach B — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:03:17 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

This was a common sight earlier today as Gonzaga defeated Davidson in Seattle (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

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When news broke before the game that Matt Bouldin would be inactive and not even suited up for the Battle in Seattle, I wouldn't say that Gonzaga fans were worried. The word I would use to describe the feeling is uncomfortable. For the past four years, Matt Bouldin has created a legacy for himself at Gonzaga. Ever since he torched Washington in his freshman year, people knew he was special and Coach Few definitely understood this. A three-year starter, Matt's been a steady influence on this team and will probably go down as one of the best Zags to come through the program. For this reason, you can understand why today's game against Davidson felt a little bit different. That feeling didn't last long as the Zags got some huge performances from a number of different players and went on to defeat the Wildcats of Davidson, 103-91.

It was pretty obvious from the get-go that Mark Few had been preparing to play this game without Matt Bouldin since the conclusion of the Augustana game. Davidson has the reputation of being a very well-coached and fundamental team. What they aren't known for is being physically imposing. Rather than get to the rack and challenge the defense, Davidson has been built on the outside shot. Realizing this, Mark Few decided to let his bigger, stronger, faster, and more athletic team take control of the game and enforce their will. What I think we may also have seen, was a glimpse into Gonzaga's future as a basketball program.

The Wildcats couldn't keep up with the speed of Demetri Goodson and they couldn't handle the power and size of Elias Harris and Robert Sacre. These three all had the best offensive nights in a Gonzaga uniform as each went for a career high. Demetri Goodson constantly sped past the Davidson defense as he finished with 22 points on 6-7 shooting. Meech was also 10-13 from the free throw line. The power of Sacre and Harris was evident from the very start of the game. Robert Sacre used a variety of post moves to score his 23 points. He was so good, in fact, that the only time he missed was from the free throw line as he hit all six of his field goal attempts and went 11-18 from the line. Elias Harris did it from all over the court. Whether it was from the low post, driving from the wing, or spotting up for three, Harris was a man possessed this evening. He finished with 27 points on 7-9 shooting and 11-14 from the charity stripe. These three set such a physical tone all evening that, despite Davidson's best effort, there wasn't anything in the world that was going to stop them from getting a win in Seattle.

It wasn't all a field of roses for the Gonzaga Bulldogs today at Key Arena. Two of the three stars had their fair share of issues on the court. For Demetri Goodson, it was turnovers. Meech had six turnovers in comparison with two assists in today's contest. He had some issues keeping the dribble up with his own speed and just got out of control at times. He made a few ill-advised passes as well but overall it is really hard to critique Meech because I think he did exactly what Coach Few asked of him. By pushing the tempo early and often, Davidson was constantly in reactionary mode on defense. Due to this, Gonzaga was able to get to the line 54 times and really take this game over. People are going to look at the box score and clamor for Meech to be benched because of the turnovers but I just think he's too valuable to the team in other areas. He'll make you pull your hair out at times, but for a kid that's only started 10 games, I'm happy with what I'm seeing. Robert Sacre struggled with his normal issue, fouls. Rob picked up two midway through the first half when it looked like he couldn't be stopped. Once he came back in the game, Davidson was dead in the water. The big man had his most outstanding offensive night and only picked up one more foul in the game.

Matt Bouldin's absence meant that Steven Gray and first-time starter Grant Gibbs had to step up in a big way for Gonzaga. Steven Gray, who came out of the gates hot in 2009, struggled early in today's game and it appeared that we were heading to another frustrating Steven Gray performance. In the second half, however, Steven Gray was sensational in my estimation. He hit some big time jumpers at crucial points in the game and connected on 3-5 shots from beyond the arc. Finishing with 16 points, I think Steven did a great job leading this team and delivering the big shot when necessary. Grant Gibbs had to fill in for his good friend Matt Bouldin and he did an admirable job. Gibbs played 29 minutes and it was clear that Mark Few wanted to keep him out there a lot early on so that he would gain confidence. Even though he only finished with two points, he did a lot of good things on the court. First and foremost, his court vision is Bouldin-esque. When Matt came in as a freshman, he dazzled as a passer and Grant did the same today. His passing into the post is crisp and he puts his team in great position upon reception. Gibbs also pulled down eight big boards and just continues to fill up the stat sheet for this team.

Four other newcomers played a part in today's win over Davidson. Two looked like they need more minutes and two looked like freshman (which is good). First and foremost, it has come to my attention that we, as Gonzaga fans, just have no clue how good Bol Kong is. When Kong has the ball in his hands on offense, I have total confidence that good things will happen. Kong was 3-4 from the floor today, connecting on one three-pointer but I think I was most impressed with his drives. He's so deceptively fast and strong on the dribble that there aren't many players that match up well with him. For a 6'6'' player to have his ability with the basketball on the perimeter is truly remarkable. I also liked what I saw from Kong in other areas. He hit the boards well, hustled well, and I think he more than held his own on defense. Does he have mental lapses time to time? Of course...but he's still learning. Mangisto Arop is another guy I have great confidence in just because I love what he brings on defense. His length on defense is such an asset and when you combine that with Demetri Goodson's quickness, the tandem is a nightmare for opposing guards. He's still gun shy offensively if he can continue to make this type an impact on defense, I'm sure Coach Few will be able to find a way to play him.

I think we all know what lies ahead for Gonzaga. The Zags have a week off to get Matt Bouldin healthy and prepare for the eighth-ranked Blue Devils of Duke. To make things even bigger, the two teams will square off on basketball's biggest stage: Madison Square Garden.

Pre-Davidson Zags Around the Web

Zach B — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:43:41 -0000

Gary Bell Jr. scored 16 points in his last game against Auburn. The Kentridge Chargers have a huge game on Saturday against Federal Way. (photo courtesy of waprepsports.net)

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Just a few links for you this morning as we wait for the Battle in Seattle. It may not be the most anticipated BiS in recent memory but it still should be a great test for the Bulldogs. Davidson is 2-6 at this point but, looking at their schedule, they have lost some heartbreakers and have been in basically every game they've played in. For now, here is a few articles worth reading to pass the time!

-- Sacre sizzling as a Gonzaga Bulldog; basketball: Injury lay-off spent honing mental game pays dividends for ex-Royals star | Kelowna.com

Some odd formatting going on in this article but it is a nice read about Robert Sacre's time at Gonzaga. From his injury issues to his life off the court, we get a nice glimpse into what a day is like for Rob and what he expects from himself. Definitely worth a read.

-- Parsing The WAC: Some Drew Gordon tidbits

Just in case you didn't catch our article yesterday, this is a great piece by the guys over at Parsing the WAC. Like us, they are also very interested in Drew Gordon's next step.

-- Husky Men's Basketball Blog | Desmond Simmons, Angelo Chol and more Pac-10 bashing | Seattle Times Newspaper

If you are in the Seattle area, it sounds like this game is worth checking out!

And finally, one of the best local high school boys basketball games this weekend features a clash of two of the area's top point guards: UW recruit Gary Bell Jr. of Kentridge and Federal Way's Isiah Umipig, who is headed to Cal State Fullerton. Kentridge (2-0) hosts top-ranked and defending 4A state champion Federal Way (3-0) on Saturday. Bell, a junior, scored 30 points in the season opener and 16 in the second game. Federal Way also has San Francisco-bound recruit Cole Dickerson.

-- YouTube - Brett Kingma 12.08.09 vs. Glacier Peak

Brett Kingma's highlights vs. Glacier Peak in the 2nd game of the 2009-2010 season. Kingma sort of fell off everyone's radar after he broke his arm a season ago but watching this video you can sure see where all the original hype came from. Brett put up 32 points in his most recent effort against Glacier and appears to be back in full form.

-- SWX - Gonzaga - Bouldin is okay, expected to start Saturday - SWX Right Now - Sports and Weather for Spokane and North Idaho-

Matt Bouldin's going to be okay. After colliding with an Augustana player Wednesday night in a blowout win, coach Mark Few said Thursday his star guard is expected to start Saturday.

-- Spokesman.com | Blogs | SportsLink | Day after Augustana

Always some good stuff from Jim Meehan after games. Very knowledgeable writer.

-- DavidsonCats.com :: View Forum - Men's Basketball

Want to get the pulse of the Davidson fanbase? Look no further than the heavily trafficked davidsoncats.com.

That's all for today, the Zags take the court tomorrow in Seattle against Davidson for the Battle in Seattle. Check back tomorrow as we get ready for the Wildcats. Game tips off at 4 PM and our game thread will open up at 3:30!

Gonzaga 74, Washington State 69

Grady. — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:29:39 -0000

NCAA Basketball Stats

There's a reason I (usually) only use the final score as the title on my game recaps. Not because I'm boring, or can't think of a catchy title that would summarize the game in a few snappy words.

It's because it is what it is.

All that really matters in the end is the final score. It didn't matter if the Zags went on their run in the first five minutes or the last five. We knew they were too good a team not to have a stretch with momentum on their side. It was a matter of how we responded. Tonight, we didn't. In that event, it doesn't matter what the score was 10, 20 or even 30 minutes in. All that matters is the result.

What you saw tonight was a young team falling apart on the road against a veteran team. Of course the Zags are young at a couple spots, but we're young at every spot, minus Nikola Koprivica.

Ultimately, I think what really hurts about this loss is the brief glimpse of what this team could become. With Reggie Moore on the bench in foul trouble, and Klay not up to living up to his usual scoring prowess, this team dominated Gonzaga in the first half. Thames, Koprivica and Harthun played well off the bench. Casto and Lodwick controlled the interior. Scoring was balanced. Shots were in rhythm. The defense was taking away the three-point shot, for the most part.

But then we saw the ugly head of what this team really is, or at least has been up to this point. Horrific three-point defense. Rebounding issues. A lack of a reliable scorer outside of Klay and Reggie Moore. We also saw our inconsistencies: free throw shooting, turnovers and forced shots all in the final ten minutes. An inability to match the Zags' aggressiveness and ability to get to the foul line. 8 turnovers on 10 possessions is unacceptable; one of many lessons to be learned from this game. This was no longer a team hungry for an upset; it was a team trying to hang on. We did against Eastern because we were the better team; we didn't against Gonzaga because we aren't.

Still, try to see this for the whole picture, not the end of the second half. This was a five point loss to a great team, who is nearly unbeatable on their home floor (I know we debunked the Kennel myth a little bit earlier, but the fact is their dominance is due to the fact that so often they ARE the better team). And the Zags don't easily get upset. It hurts now, but next year when this team closes out a game just like this you can be thankful they had this kind of experience.

It is what it is. K-State next.

Player of the Game: DeAngelo Casto. 10 points, 10 boards, on 50% shooting with 3 blocks and 3 steals.

[I should also give some well-deserved respect to the Zags' Steven Gray, who did a phenomenal job defensively on Klay Thompson, especially late in the game.]

Unsung Hero: Xavier Thames. Did most of his damage in the first half, but still had 11 points on 3/5 shooting (including 3/3 from three-point range), 3 rebounds and an assist.

Play of the Game: I have to go with the Casto block that brought Robert Sacre back to the floor. Takes us back to the first half. Simpler, happier times.

It was over when... the Cougs failed to score on a field goal for an almost ten minute stretch late in the second half. Thanks to free throws we were able to score six more points in that stretch, but that obviously was not going to be enough. Ugh. I thought the scoring droughts were supposed to move to Virginia along with Tony.

Stat of the Game: I've already mentioned the scoring drought, so let's go with the Cougars missing 8 out of 20 free throw attempts - the secret killer for WSU in this game. Make just half of those misses and, well...

Bank on it: Cougs are hoping Zags engage in uptempo contest

Nuss — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Eugene Tanner - AP

The Bulldogs generally want to run as much as possible, but we wonder if that doesn't just play right into the Cougs' hands.

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Catch up with me on Twitter @NussCoug!

One of the more interesting things Jim Meehan said in our interview yesterday is that if the Cougs want to push the tempo tonight, he fully expects the Zags to be more than willing dance partners.

This doesn't come as a huge surprise -- the Zags have averaged right around 69 possessions over the past few years despite virtually every team they play in conference deliberately trying to slow them down. In an ideal world, Gonzaga wants to play a game with possessions in the high 70s.

Of course, it doesn't always work out that way. If a team wants to slow the game down, they generally can -- after all, it was Mark Few who last year said his team would love to turn up the tempo on the Cougs, but it takes two to tango, and he didn't expect the Cougs to do that since they had slowed the game down to historic proportions the year before.*

*Unfortunately for us, the Cougs actually were all-too-eager to indulge the Zags last year by putting up their third-worst shooting night of the year (allowing a lot of defensive rebounds to become transition opportunities) and turning the ball over in one out of five possessions (also leading to transition opportunities) on their way to WSU's third-fastest game of the year (65 possessions). But I digress.

Well, these Cougs most definitely don't want to slow it down. Beyond the fact that it's just Ken Bone's preferred style to get up and down the floor, this team also has struggled in half court sets for the better part of the year. Much of that can be blamed on youth; when you run a motion offense as Bone does, experience is important, given that an ill-timed screen or a missed cut can undermine the entire set.

Which is why I think the Zags might be making a mistake if they want to make tonight's contest into a race.

There's an old saying in coaching that a team should never get away from what it does best, and there's little doubt that what the Zags have done the best over the years is get out and run. But the advantage Gonzaga would hold in an uptempo contest over the young and athletic Cougs is much smaller than the advantage they'd hold in a half court contest.

Think about it: If your defense is designed to slow down Klay Thompson, is it easier to find that one guy in a half court set, or in transition? It goes without saying that Klay should have an easier time finding looks in a fast-paced game.

Additionally, the Cougs' most glaring weakness is in the frontcourt. Defending post players and defensive rebounding are going to be a major, major issues for this team all year long. Gonzaga has a decided advantage on both counts, with 7-foot Robert Sacre and 6-11 Kelly Olynyk. If those two share the floor with 6-foot-8 Elias Harris, that's a tough load for the Cougs to handle. Heck, if even two of them are on the floor at the same time, that's a huge advantage, given that one of them likely will be guarded by either Abe Lodwick or Nik Koprivica.

But if Gonzaga gets into an up-and-down game with WSU, I think that mitigates our defensive rebounding issues a bit. While we have had issues boxing out bigger offensive players in halfcourt sets, we have demonstrated an ability to offensive rebound with quickness and agility. Defensive rebounding in transition is a lot more like offensive rebounding than it is like defensive rebounding in the half court. I think a running game makes our rebounding deficiencies smaller.

It's probably true that Gonzaga is the better team. But if it's true that the Zags really do want to get into an uptempo contest with the Cougs, I think it gives them a puncher's chance to knock out a ranked team on their own home court.

AUDIO: CougCenter Podcast, Episode 17

Nuss — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:03:16 -0000

As promised, this week's CougCenter Podcast. We switch gears into full-on basketball mode with the Gonzaga contest tonight. Topics covered include a debrief of the Great Alaska Shootout, how long Klay Thompson might actually stick around Pullman, and a breakdown of just what the Cougs need to do to beat the Zags.

As usual you can listen to the audio via the player below, or visit our podcast page for myriad subscription options. You can also find us in the iTunes directory under keyword "CougCenter." The advantage of subscribing? Besides having the audio directly delivered to your player of choice, I often upload the audio to the podcast site before posting it here.

AUDIO: CougCenter Interview - Jim Meehan, The Spokesman-Review

Nuss — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:41:51 -0000

More photos » by Eugene Tanner - AP

Spokesman-Review writer Jim Meehan says Matt Bouldin has evolved into one heck of a leader for the Zags.

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It's Gonzaga day! Remember when we used to get this excited about football games?

Anyway, it's time to ramp it up for tonight's contest with the Zags. We'll be back later this afternoon with our own edition of the podcast to extensively preview the game, but to kick off our coverage, we present to you our interview with Jim Meehan, Gonzaga beat writer for The Spokesman-Review. We talk about the changing nature of Gonzaga's basketball team (they're tough? what?!?!?), Matt Bouldin's evolution as a leader, and whether the Zags want to run with the Cougs (you'll have to listen to find out).

Two items of note before you listen:

The audio quality on Jim's end is less than superb. He was on the road and talking on an apparently cheap Bluetooth headset (either that, or he should get his money back), so it's not great. I tried to clean it up in the audio file and amplify it, but it's still dicey in spots. Sorry.
Pay no attention to my apparent confusion over when the game actually is. Yes, I know the game is tonight. It was recorded yesterday, and I kept getting caught up in which way to say it because I wasn't sure when the audio was going to hit the site. So I just more or less sounded stupid. Forgive me -- I'm just not a podcast pro yet.

If you liked what Meehan had to say -- or if you just can't have audio at work or just prefer to read stuff -- here's his preview from the Gonzaga side. You can also read Grippi's preview from the WSU side here.

The Can Ball Report NC-Double Eh Player of the Week(s)

rbala — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:00:21 -0000

Being away for a week in very warm climes is a gift and a curse. Gift in that you are in very warm climes where you are catered to hand and foot (well not really but I’ll leave that story for another time). Curse in that you miss an entire week of hoop action since internet costs about $20 an hour to use on the resort - US dollars that is! But regardless, the Can Ball Report is back and since we missed last week’s installment, this week we give you a double hit of the NC-Double-Eh Player of the Week.

Jared Mintz (Toronto, ON) – Soph., Lafayette

Second year forward Jared Mintz made it really easy for us this week(s) to pick our standout Canadian baller. He had four outstanding games in a two week span, including an impressive showing against Georgetown, Jared has earned the Can Ball Report’s Player of the Week for both Nov 22 and Nov 29.

Having been a starter in the second half of last season for the Leopards, this year should be a break out type year for Mintz. If the last two weeks are an indication of the year he will have, then this may be the first of many honors for him.

In the previous week, Mintz helped his team to two victories. The first came on Nov 18 against St Francis (PA) where he had posted career high in scoring hanging 24 on a perfect 9-9 from the floor and a near perfect 6-7 from the line. He also added six rebounds and a steal as well in his efficient 28 minutes of action.

Three nights later, Mintz would put up 19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a block in Lafayette’s 69-52 win over N.J.I.T. He would go 8-10 from the field and 3-4 from the free throw in the game also.

For the week of Nov 22, Jared averaged 21.5 pts, 5.5 rbs and 1.5 asts. He shot 89% from the floor (17-19) and 82% from the charity stripe (9-11).

In Lafayette’s two games this past week, Mintz continued his great playing. In the Leopards win over Hartford on Nov 24, he put up 18 points on 6 of 7 shooting. He added 10 rebounds for his fourth career double-double to go with a steal and a block. He also shot 6 of 8 from the free throw line.

In his last game of the week Saturday, Mintz held his own against an always tough Georgetown team. Going up against sure shot future NBA draft pick Greg Monroe, Mintz posted a team high 16 points on 5 of 7 from the field including making his only three attempt. He also added four boards along with an assist and steal in the loss.

For the week of Nov 29, Mintz averaged 17 points, 7 rebounds and a steal. He shot 78.5% from the floor (11 of 14) and the free throw (11 of 14).

For the season, Mintz is the team’s leading scorer at 18.2 a clip and second leading rebounder at 6.7. He's shooting 69.1% from the field and 86.5% from the free throw line.

Honorable Mentions:

Week of Nov 22 – Rob Sacre, Gonzaga – 16 pts, 6 rbs, a block, 12 of 19 from the field, 8 of 9 from the line in two games.

Week of Nov 29 – Papa Oppong, Eastern Kentucky – 12.5 pts, 3 rbs, 2.3 asts, 1.3 stls, 15 of 28 from the field, 8 of 17 from the three in three games.

Stat Line of the Week (s)

Andrew Nicholson (Mississuaga, ON) – Soph., St Bonaventure

After beginning the Basketball Travellers Classic with a 15 point, 12 rebounds in the Bonnies thumping of Southeast Missouri State, Nicholson followed that up the next game with a career night. In his team’s easy win over Norfolk State, Andrew posted 29 points and 14 rebounds, both personal bests. He shot 11 of 13 from the floor and 7 of 10 from the line while adding two blocks in his 33 minutes of action. Look out for more of this from Nicholson as the season goes on.

Don't forget the games for today and tomorrow as well. As always the games that are highlighted are should see games ...

Nov 30

Columbia @ Sacred Heart

Stetson @ USC Upstate

Colgate @ (9) Syracuse

Tennessee State @ Belmont

St. Peter’s @ Lafayette

Cal State Bakersfield @ Cal State Northridge

Dec 1

Providence @ Northeastern

Vermont @ Dartmouth

Chicago State @ Central Michigan

Delaware @ Delaware State

Paul Quinn @ McNeese State

UTEP @ New Mexico State

Santa Clara @ UC Santa BArbara