SB Nation - Josh Heytvelt

Back on the grind

SFBE.NF — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:13:29 -0000

Three things I never expected (or bothered to come to expect) happened to me on this blissful Thanksgiving weekend: I solidified my brand loyalty to United Airlines after receiving two vouchers valued at over $600 for future flights; had brunch next to former Dodger first baseman Steve Garvey (which triggered a recollection of his insanely cheesy yet hilarious televised fishing and ski events featuring 90s d-list celebrities); and sat at the Marriott-LAX bar just two stools away from NBA referees Bill Kennedy, Mark Ayotte, and Rodney Mott as they caught up on NFL highlights while chuckling about "doing" the Lakers game against the dreadful New Jersey Nets.

One thing I didn't do, though, was learn how to prevent a run-on sentence.

Admittedly college basketball was not a real priority over the past seven days, as we had to rely on the tickers and newspapers to stay informed while bronzing, bathing and studying. Currently working to return to homeostasis, and continue to figure out who's chic now that Feast Week has concluded, here are a few bullets that got us thinking:

Is Duke the best team in the ACC? I keep looking for a rule that prevents teams with more than seven white players from being a viable Final Four contender, but so far have not found it. Jon Scheyer may just be capable enough to concurrently score and run the point.
Is Gonzaga the best non-BCS team in the country? Apologizes to Butler, but the Zags have been more impressive (and visible) in the early going here. They win the Maui, which had one of the more interesting fields in recent memory, and have four players averaging double figures. The losses of Austin Daye, Josh Heytvelt and Jeremy Pargo may not be as detrimental as we initially thought. Conversely, Butler lost two games in the 76 Classic (to Minnesota and Clemson) and had to sneak by a UCLA team that just plain isn't fooling anyone this season.
Is Purdue ready to live up to all this hype? They prevailed over Tennessee in what's arguably the best game of the season to this point. The remainder of their non-conference schedule is fairly smooth sailing leading up to Big 10 play.
Am I allowed to anoint Washington State's Klay Thompson as the "Best Player You're Not Watching"? The sophomore leads an undefeated Cougars team and has scored no less than 20 points in all six of their games. And who says we are victim's of that East Coast bias?

Apologizes to Portland, Florida, Alabama, Cincinnati, Northwestern's John Shurna, and Marquette's Lazar Hayward, but I need to go kick this jetlag.

Preview: Colorado Buffaloes Take On the Gonzaga Bulldogs In the Maui Invitational

irish1611 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:17:49 -0000

3-0, 0-0
NR (AP)
NR (Coaches Poll)

November 23rd, 2009
Who: Colorado Buffaloes vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs
Where: Lahaina Civic Center
1:00 pm MT
TV: ESPN2
Live Stats: ESPN.com
Line: Gonzaga -10.5
Gonzaga Blog: Slipper Still Fits

2-1, 0-0
NR (AP)
NR (Coaches Poll)

The always prestigious preseason tournament, the Maui Invitational, kicks off tomorrow with the Colorado Buffaloes taking on the Gonzaga Bulldogs, a top five program in terms of wins over the past decade. Gonzaga has won 9 consecutive regular-season conference titles and has reached the NCAA tournament in nine consecutive years as well, something only nine schools have done over that time period. Now recruiting with the best of them in college basketball, the Gonzaga Bulldogs are a true perennial power, not just a nice story.

preview after the jump...

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are 2 - 1 in the early season with home wins against Mississippi Valley State and IPFW. The one loss was on the road to the #2 ranked Michigan State Spartans 75 - 71 in a game which they led until three minutes remaining. If you watched the game, you will have noticed three things. The Bulldogs are very talented, are playing a different style of basketball more conducive to the physical style of play they will see at tourney time and you may have needed a roster to see who all of the new players were. Amazingly, Gonzaga stuck with Michigan State after losing five seniors off of last year's team - F Ira Brown, F Austin Daye, G Micah Downs, F Josh Heytvelt, G Jeremy Pargo. Austin Daye was a first round draft pick in the 2009 draft while Downs, Heytvelt and Pargo were starters along with Daye for much of the year and all four were in the top five of the team in scoring. This off a team that went to the sweet sixteen a year ago. Because the Bulldogs were such an experienced team in 2009, Gonzaga has four upperclassmen and twelve underclassmen including nine freshmen. Five freshmen play and make solid contributions for this team. But don't expect much of a drop off from the Bulldogs as you can already tell, they have enough of a talented nucleus to be a contender, just ask Michigan State.

The two top returning players from a year ago is Colorado high school product, G Matt Bouldin and G Steven Gray. Matt Bouldin, a front runner for the West Coast Conference player of the year, leads the team in scoring this year with 17.3 points per game. The biggest difference between last year's team and this year's team is the early front court play from sophomore Robert Sacre (7'0"), freshman Elias Harris (6'7"), freshman Kelly Olynyk (7'0") and senior Will Foster (7'4"). Robert Sacre, hurt last year, has averaged 16.3 ppg and 7.0 rpg. His presence is a big improvement inside from a year ago when even Bulldog fans would admit that players like Heytvelt and Daye became too perimeter oriented. Sacre and Harris have truly solidified the post position on this team. If you are fortunate enough to watch the game tomorrow, you have to check out Elias Harris, a freshman from Germany who sort of flew under the radar in the recruiting circles but has Gonzaga fans salivating. A silky smooth player in the mold of Amare Stoudemire, he has come in and averaged 14.3 points per with seven rebounds.

This team might also have more depth compared to a year ago, especially with Sacre and Harris now available, which is making the Bulldogs more competitive on the defensive end, something Gonzaga fans have always wanted to see more of. If their past performances are indicative of the future, expect the Bulldogs to really get after the young Buffs on the defensive end.

As for the Colorado Buffaloes, this game will be a pretty big challenge for them. Gonzaga, although they have one loss, will probably be ranked when the polls come out tomorrow because of their impressive performance against MSU. Where the Buffs might have the most trouble is in the post where Sacre, Harris, Olynyk and Foster are all bigger and more talented than the Buffs down low. The tallest person on the Buffs top five is Austin Dufault who stands 6'9". True freshman Shane Harris-Tunks goes 6'11" but has only averaged 8.0 minutes a game. It will be interesting to see how the Buffs try and defend the Bulldogs. You will probably see a lot of zone as my guess is the biggest threat from the Zags is their penetration game and less on the perimeter as Steven Gray is their only bona fide perimeter shooter but he has struggled shooting only 40% from the field and 35% from the three point line. The biggest question for the Buffs the past three years has been its rebounding and that has come into question again this year as they were out-rebounded 31 - 23 by Texas Southern, who the next day went up and lost to University of Northern Colorado. The Buffs shot over 60% in that game to win but unless the Buffs hit the boards hard on Monday against the Zags, it could be a long day. Colorado averages 29 rebounds a game with junior college transfer Marcus Relphorde leading the Buffs with just 4.0 rebounds per game.

Tomorrow's game does have the potential for some great matchups, though. The best in my eyes is Gonzaga star Matt Bouldin against the Buffs' star Cory Higgins. Higgins is once again proving he is one of the best players in the Big 12, averaging 23.3 ppg and shooting an amazing 70%. Bouldin is a very physical guard who uses his strength to create shots. It will be a good battle of strength vs. speed. Another matchup that will be exciting is Buffs' freshman G Alec Burks against G Steven Gray. Gray is the Zags best perimeter threat. Alec Burks is averaging a strong 18.0 points per, a great number for a guy playing for the first time at the collegiate level. If the Buffs can out play the two perimeter players in Bouldin and Gray, they might be able to make things interesting tomorrow. I am very excited to see how Burks plays tomorrow in his first look at strong competition.

I am very worried about the matchups elsewhere on the court. Colorado G Nate Tomlinson will face a very tough and quick guard in sophomore Meech Goodson, who likes to push the pace and play tough defense on the perimeter. Look for more Dwight Thorne, Cory Higgins and Alec Burks to play the point tomorrow as well. One of the reasons the signing of Marcus Relphorde got Buffs' fans excited was his athleticism at 6'8" and his self acclaimed ability to guard four positions on defense. He might have to do that tomorrow and do it very well for the Buffs to have a chance when freshman Elias Harris is in the game. This will be a good barometer for Relphorde and I hope the coaching staff puts Relphorde on him as soon as he steps on the floor and tells him it is his job to make the freshman's life miserable.

As for the post position, your guess is as good as mine as to what the Buffs will plan to do but you can bet Gonzaga goes to the post often tomorrow. If Colorado can get Harris and Sacre in foul trouble, which is what Michigan State did to beat the Zags, CU will have a much better chance tomorrow, that and if they make it a goal to crash the boards.

It should be a fun watch and a great gauge for the young Buffs' team.

Thursday Zags Around the Web - Of course leading off with Gary Bell Jr.

Zach B — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:00:52 -0000

More photos » by Al Goldis - AP

Michigan State's Raymar Morgan, being introduced at the Spartans midnight madness, will once again have injury concerns as this season kicks off. He'll sit in MSU's opener, but expect him against Gonzaga. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

Browse more photos »

Even though the season is a few short days away, it is hard for EDZ and me to not focus on the future of recruiting. We began the blog to cover the future of Gonzaga basketball so when recruting tidbits come along, we have to jump. Without further ado...here is the news for Thursday...

-- Pre-Season All-Area Teams " Puget Sound Prep Hoops

It's been a while since we've had some recruiting nuggets but this fantastic piece by Puget Sound Prep Hoops outlines the upcoming season of Seattle-area basketball. With such a wealth of talent in the area, I was initially surprised to see Gonzaga prospect Gary Bell Jr. listed as their MVP but with Tony Wroten out for the year, Gary Bell could really steal the show. Here is a blurb below but the whole article is worth a read.

MVP: Gary Bell, Kentridge
...
Yes, Gary Bell is our preseason MVP. With respect to Josh Smith, there is no smarter, tougher player in the state than Gary Bell. Bell is a lone soldier this year with the Chargers, but he did help lead them to the final four last year when many were considering whether the Chargers could even make the playoffs. Look for Bell to have a HUGE year and also look for the Chargers to have a better year than people think.
...
BEST SHOOTER: Tie - Brett Kingma and Gary Bell. Both are absolute flame throwers from deep.

-- College Sports | Zags have a lot of new players, but same old goal: NCAA tournament | Seattle Times Newspaper

But Withers, the leading and potentially only Gonzaga supporter in the Seattle Times newsroom, checks in with his season preview. A well written piece with some good quotes but, like most previews when the season is so close, it doesn't offer much of anything truly newsworthy to Zag diehards but it is a fun piece.

-- College Sports | 5 keys to Gonzaga's season | Seattle Times Newspaper

Kind of an appendix to Bud's preview article. These are his five keys for Gonzaga this year: Dumb it down, feed the post, hit the glass, give it to Gray, and keep the faith.

-- Preseason Musings: Expectations - The Only Colors

Our SB Nation partners that cover Michigan State have some lofty expectation for their Spartys this season. They play a ridiculous nonconference slate for a big time program which is great to see. That Michigan State/Texas game could be one for the ages. Here's what they had to say about their nonconference aspirations:

A 12-1 nonnconference record. That means beating two good, but clearly less talented, teams (Gonzaga/Florida) in home/neutral settings and then knocking off one of two equally-talented teams (North Carolina/Texas) in more hostile settings. I'll say we beat a very young UNC team on their home court but lose to Texas in Austin.

-- Michigan State men begin basketball season with patchwork lineup | MSU Spartans - - MLive.com

Like we said in the fanpost about the banged up Spartans, they are going through some injury issues. Four Spartans have been injured, three will play in their opener but Raymar Morgan will be out.

-- Sideline Chatter | Q&A with new Seattle U. basketball coach Cameron Dollar | Seattle Times Newspaper

After the whole Josh Heytvelt recruiting scandal, the relationship between Mark Few and former UW assistant Cameron Dollar has been icy at best. Dollar is now the head coach at Seattle who is making the push into division one basketball. Here's what Dollar had to say when asked if there was a chance for a future GU/Seattle series. Much more positive than I expected

Q: Would SU consider a series against Gonzaga?

Dollar: I have had talks with Gonzaga ever since I got the job about starting a series with them. In the future, we will definitely play.

That's all for today! We'll have our open thread in the late morning/early afternoon and run in through the night so make sure to stop by and share your thoughts!!!

Zags Around the Web - Gonzaga to scrimmage Texas on Saturday

Zach B — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:17:57 -0000

Remember this guy? Former Zag Larry Gurganious is now enrolled at UC-Riverside and excelling on the court.

View full size photo »

Preseason scrimmages have become a huge trend recently in college basketball. Mostly every division one program schedules a practice game with another school to see where they are without having to put anything in the win-loss column. A season ago, Gonzaga scrimmaged Texas in Colorado and this year the two schools will be matching up again tomorrow. The game will take place on one of the practice courts inside the Pepsi Center in Denver. Media and fans are not allowed into the venue for the game which is a bummer for us since it would be great to see how the young Bulldogs take on Texas, who is a favorite to make a very deep run in the NCAA Tournament. The Longhorns have a fantastic returning core of players led by Damion James and arguably the best freshman in the nation, Avery Bradley. It will be a major test for Gonzaga and it should give them an idea where they are at before the season starts on the 14th with Mississippi Valley State. Here is the rest of the news/links for the day...

Gonzaga transfer Gurganious scores 15 to aid UCR win | Sports | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California

Good to see the former Gonzaga Bulldog playing well after he transferred due to personal issues. LG was a great on ball defender and a very electric offensive threat that was really missed last season at GU.

Austin Daye runs with chance | detnews.com | The Detroit News

A very nice article about Austin Daye and his adjustment process in the NBA. He hasn't gotten a whole lot of playing time but he has made a nice contribution to the Pistons.

Ultimate Rankings Countdown: Top 50 - Mid-Major Madness

34. Gonzaga: Josh Heytvelt, Jeremy Pargo and Austin Daye carried Gonzaga to another WCC title and a Sweet 16 berth, the fourth trip to a regional semifinal under Few. Without those three, Gonzaga likely will be unranked in the preseason AP poll for only the second time since 2002-03. Few will learn much about his team in the early months, with games against Michigan State, Washington State, Wake Forest, Duke, Oklahoma and Illinois, plus the Maui Invitational. Gonzaga's record on Jan. 2 might not be pretty, but the Bulldogs almost certainly still will be the favorites for the conference title.

Wizards go with Withers in Round 1 - NBA D-League Draft

Former Gonzaga Bulldog Ira Brown was drafted in the fourth round of the NBA D-League draft by the Austin Toros. Best of luck to Ira who was always a fan favorite thanks to his ability to jump out of the gym. Hopefully he can have a nice career and maybe even work his way up to the NBA.

The Bulletin - Take note: Kennel etiquette

A Gonzaga student writer lays out some of the ground rules for cheering in the Kennel. The students this year will get a rare treat when Wake Forest comes to the Kennel. Hopefully everyone in the stadium abides by rule #1 on that day.

Player Previews: This is Matt Bouldin's Team

Zach B — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:29:21 -0000

Matt Bouldin has definitely developed into a fan favorite at Gonzaga but does he have what it takes to become "great"?

View full size photo »

Ahhh...it feels good to be back on a computer! I'd like to apologize to our readers for the past week's activity (or lack there of). I have literally just gotten home from Dallas after a week of traveling around the vast state of Texas and EDZ just kicked off his new job so it made for the perfect storm for all of you! This is the first time since last Tuesday that I've sat in front of a computer and now that I'm back, I might as well blog about something. The good news is that it was a pretty quiet week as far as Gonzaga basketball is concerned. That will all change quickly here as practice begins on Friday...that's right folks, college basketball is right around the corner. With that being said, let's get right to it...

For the past few years, many players have come through the Gonzaga basketball program and have made tremendous impacts. This is particularly true when you think about last season's graduating class. Jeremy Pargo, Micah Downs, and Josh Heytvelt all have their own individual legacy that will live on in Spokane, Washington. While those players were all excellent in their own way, there is one player that now has the opportunity to benefit from their departure and build his own personal legacy and can perhaps have the word "great" attached to his name when it is all said and done. That player is senior guard Matt Bouldin. Bouldin, who has been an instrumental component of this Gonzaga program since his arrival in 2006, will have to deal with the pressure of being the go-to man this season and while he has been looked upon as a leader the past few years, he has never had to be THE guy.

While I think most Gonzaga fans would agree that Bouldin can fill that role, there is no doubt that he must avoid and grow out of some of the pitfalls that have plagued him for the past three years. With that being said, he's on the Wooden Player of the Year watch list for a reason and he is going to be a player that the whole nation has their eyes on this season.

Like we've been saying all summer, leadership is going to be huge this season. Not that it hasn't been important the past few seasons, but it is particularly important this year because their is a wealth of youth on this team and only two seniors. While both seniors have been at Gonzaga for all four years, it is pretty safe to say that a majority of the on-court leadership will have to come from Matt Bouldin. Will Foster has been a nice role guy for Gonzaga but has struggled to get on the court. Bouldin on the other hand, has played about 32 minutes per game the last two years and has always been reliable to eat up quality minutes. He has rarely been dinged up and typically plays with a high level of energy. It will be very interesting to watch the way Matt handles leading this team. The past three years, we have seen him take on a more laid back on-court demeanor but he has always been a calming force under pressure. I think that kind of attitude will really go a long way with this young team. There is no doubt that guys like Manny Arop, Bol Kong, Elias Harris, and the rest of the class have tons of talent but they can't understand the pressure that comes with playing in East Lansing against a very good Michigan State team. That is where Matt will come in and he'll be able to put this team on his back emotionally, the question is if he can do it with his play on the court.

There are a number of games that you know Matt is going to play well in. He has historically been fantastic during the West Coast Conference slate. He is obviously going to play well against the cupcakes on the schedule as well. The key for Matt, and it has been something we have stressed for a long time, is that he must be more consistent in the big games for the Bulldogs. As good as he has been the past three years, Matt has caused Gonzaga fans plenty of frustration during that time. The main reason for this frustration is because of his inconsistent play during those five or six important games on the nonconference schedule. This did improve a bit last season as Matt put Gonzaga on his back in both Tennessee games, and played well against Oklahoma St., Arizona, and Indiana but there were those few games where he completely disappeared. His play against Memphis has never been good. The last two seasons against Memphis, Matt has had identical stat lines: 2-9 from the floor with six points. Whether it is the freakishly athletic ability of Memphis or just their talent in the past, it has always been a tough match up. But last season he was also bad against Maryland, Connecticut, and Utah to the point where many Gonzaga fans thought Steven Gray and Micah Downs should be starting over Matt. This inconsistent play has always been a point of contention with fans of Matt and the program and it really raise a lot of question marks about what to expect from him now that the pressure is on.

His abilities as a basketball player really can't be questioned and he has been a favorite of many Gonzaga fans since he came to Spokane as a freshman. One of the best performances I have ever seen from a Gonzaga freshman was Matt's against a top-10 University of Washington team. He scored 21 points that night against the Huskies and ended the year playing about 28 minutes a game which is huge for a freshman in Mark Few's program. Now that we are nearly four years removed from that game, Matt's role in his final season as a Bulldog is to be a consistent force every game. He doesn't have to be Adam Morrison and score 30 points and shoot the ball 20 times but he does have to linger around the 15 point mark all season or else it might become a long season. The key for him to be consistent is for the offense to run though him early in the game. If he can hit a few backdoor screens for easy buckets and rattle in some mid-range jumpers, Matt can score 20-plus points. If he doesn't get out of the gate fast, especially in big games, he tends to struggle mightily. The good thing as far as this team is concerned is that the offense kind of has to run through him as a majority of last season's offense graduated in May. Mark Few has to find ways to get him going early and I think that he will realize that pretty quickly. Steven Gray and Demetri Goodson will provide him some help in the backcourt but make no mistake, Matt's going to take this team as far as his play can.

Player Previews: The Time is Now for Steven Gray

Zach B — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:02:43 -0000

Steven Gray will be relied on greatly in 2009-10. While he came to Gonzaga as a sharpshooter, his skills now may be better fit for a more complete role.

View full size photo »

When we talk about the strengths and weaknesses of this year's Gonzaga team, there is no doubt that the experience lies in the backcourt. Specifically, two players in that backcourt will be looked upon to be leaders of this very young team. Matt Bouldin is obviously the face of this team but there is one more player that must step up this season for the Zags this season and that is Steven Gray. Gray, a junior shooting guard came to Spokane from the Seattle area with plenty of hype as he was part of that vaunted 2007 recruiting class. Now, as he is about to begin his third year at Gonzaga, Steven's role will certainly be increased a great deal. The question I think that most Gonzaga fans have now is how will he react to the pressure that will come with this season. While it is impossible to question the talent that Gray has, last year was a difficult one for him. He struggled throughout the season to find a consistent rhythm and battled a nagging hand injury that really affected his abilities as the sharpshooter that we all saw his freshman year.

While injuries are never a good thing, especially ones that have such a direct effect on a player's strength, Steven's hand injury seemed to force him to attack the rim more and use his size and speed to create his own shot. A great example of this and one that we often point to was the game against Connecticut in the Battle in Seattle. His best game in a Gonzaga uniform, Gray was the one consistent force all day long and put the team on his back as Austin Daye and Josh Heytvelt were in foul trouble and guards Matt Bouldin and Micah Downs were largely ineffective. Steven attempted 16 field goals that day and connected on ten of them. He finished with 23 points and only one of those made buckets was from three-point range. He had no trouble getting to the rim and used great body control to make shots. After that game, Steven seemed to have turned a corner and started playing good basketball but the hot streak didn't last and his contributions as well as his time on the court really started to deteriorate. As we look towards this season and what this team needs Steven to be, I hope that he is able to watch that film of the UConn game and realize that if he can do that against Connecticut which at the time had Hasheem Thabeet, Jeff Adrien and many other skilled big men, he can do it against anyone.

Looking back on last season's production for Steven Gray, it is pretty safe to say that he came into the season with huge expectations after a very stellar freshman campaign. Although he didn't play the first ten games of that season, he immediately became an integral part of the offense upon his return. He filled his role well and finished his first year at Gonzaga with a three-point shooting percentage of 46%. His performance in Gonzaga's first round match up against Davidson made Zag fans salivate at the thought of his potential. He connected on seven threes and finished with 21 points and looked to be the only Bulldog guard interested in playing that day.

Steven played in every game his sophomore season but he only averaged .4 minutes more per game than his freshman year. He was constantly battling Micah Downs for time on the court and the two typically wound up splitting the time pretty equally. This seemed to greatly affect Gray's consistency throughout the season. For example, after the Connecticut game, he went on a nice little run where he scored in double figures six of the next nine games but after that, quality offensive games were few and far between. In fact, he was only able to get in to double figures four of the next 15 games. The cause of this poor production is difficult to decipher because it wasn't like he was out there casting up three-point shots. There were some games where he would shoot five or six a game and connect only on one but, overall, most of the time he only attempted two or three and would soon disappear from the flow of the game. We've talked about his slump but it is worth noting that all of his percentages went down pretty drastically from his freshman to sophomore year. His three-point and free-throw percentage both dropped more than ten percent from '07 to '08.

One of the main things that has always been a point of contention when people discuss Steven is his attitude on the court. Gonzaga has always been a school that has produced emotional players. Whether it was because they played with that mid-major chip on their shoulder or they were just a little off mentally, people that leave the Gonzaga basketball program tend to have no issue letting emotions fly. This is a big reason why the program has been so effective in the past. When you have emotional players, they have no reservations about making impulse plays and taking over when the need arises. When we look at Steven Gray's overall demeanor on the court, it is obvious that he is very reserved. He has a very laid back persona that I think is fine when you are a freshman or sophomore on a team full of veterans. But now that he is a junior on a team where he is now one of the elder statesmen, that mentality is no longer acceptable.

I honestly believe that Steven's production will be a direct link to the type of attitude he brings on the floor. If we see his three-point attempts increase from last year's total of 142, I think he'll be in for another difficult year. The key for him, like I said in the opening, is to avoid becoming one-dimensional and merely relying on the three-point basket. For this to happen, I think there has to be an understanding among the coaches about the kind of player Steven is. When he was recruited during high school, his best assets were his ability to move without the ball and come off screens and nail the mid-range or deep jumper. Often times last season he became a spot up shooter and he never seemed to get into the rhythm of coming off a screen like we saw in his freshman season. His mid-range game will be great to this team when you consider that guys like Matt Bouldin, Manny Arop, Grant Gibbs, Meech, and GJ all feel more comfortable getting to the rim. Steven also has the ability to get to the rim and I feel like that will best be utilized when he is moving without the ball and creating mismatch opportunities due to his size. Another avenue which he can take when creating his own shot is by using the pump fake. When coaches (especially in the early season) game plan for Gonzaga, they will have to account for Gray's ability to knock down the jumper and I think that opposing teams will be so dedicated to getting a hand in his face that he will be able to throw in a pump fake and get himself into the lane.

Besides Matt Bouldin, I don't think their are any greater expectations on an individual player's shoulders than there are on Steven Gray. If you asked most die-hard fans of the program, they would not see it as unreasonable to expect him to be in the running for leading scorer on this team. His shooting stroke, size, and deceptive quickness should make him one of the toughest match ups in the conference and hopefully by the end of the year, he will be one of the toughest in the nation.

Player Previews: Can Robert Sacre Carry the Load Inside?

Zach B — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:00:26 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

Browse more photos »

The last time we saw Robert Sacre in a Gonzaga uniform was way back on December 10th, or, as we know it, the last good game Gonzaga played in December. That night, Gonzaga demolished in-state rival Washington State on their home floor. In that game, Robert Sacre connected on his only field goal attempt and pulled down two rebounds in ten minutes of action. His minutes were a result of the fractured foot that he was trying to return from. He would only play five games in 2008-09 as he re-injured the very same fractured foot as the team was preparing for Arizona. After his injury, the Zags dropped 4 of their next five games. During that stretch, the Bulldogs were assaulted on the glass, only outrebounding Texas Southern and Arizona. Connecticut, Portland St., and Utah all dominated the glass in victories over Gonzaga. Rob only played nine minutes a game during his short stint last season but he was able to grab three rebounds a game during that time.

As we look towards this season and examine what this team truly needs, it is hard to point to a player that is more vital to Gonzaga's success than Robert Sacre. While it's hard to ask a kid that has barely seen the court in two years at Gonzaga to carry the load in the paint, there's no doubt that this team will be relying heavily on the abilities of Robert. The good thing is that I don't believe that he will be asked to do anything outside of his current skill set. When you look up and down the roster, you'll see an excess of scorers and shooters and guys that can get to the rack. The one major question mark on the roster has to be the interior play and who is going to control the paint. Gonzaga fans have kind of forgotten what physical interior play meant during Josh Heytvelt's time at Gonzaga. With Robert Sacre, there seems to be little question about the physicality being restored, but other questions still do linger.

Whenever a great player comes to a school and leaves a lasting mark on that program not only as a player but as a person, it is often difficult to find a replacement that everyone can rally around. When JP Batista graduated from Gonzaga in 2006, he left as one of the most prolific post players to ever play at GU. As a pure back to the basket center, JP scored nearly 20 points a game and pulled down ten rebounds per contest. Since he left, Gonzaga has had some very good bigs with guys like Abdullhai Kuso and Josh Heytvelt but that void of the "true big" has never really been filled. Kuso was a role guy, Heytvelt had a very interrupted college career with the suspension and injury problems and was just flat out more comfortable facing the basket.

When Robert Sacre committed to Gonzaga as a part of that vaunted 2007 recruiting class, he was slated to be the heir apparent to JP Batista. In fact, I think that Gonzaga fans viewed his lack of a good outside shot to be a positive because it meant he would live in the paint. With that being said, we have seen some pretty glaring inefficiencies in Rob's post game during his time here. The first thing that I think that everyone remembers are his stonehands from his freshman year. Rob really struggled with catching and holding the ball in traffic and it caused a number of turnovers and I feel like it caused his teammates on the perimeter to lose faith in his offensive abilities. This problem isn't out of the ordinary for freshman as it is typical for young post players to struggle because they aren't used to playing against post players that can match and exceed their size and they aren't used to guards/forwards that are quick enough to swipe the ball in the interior. I expect this problem to be taken care of this season. There were also some issues with Rob's quickness in the paint and that translated into some failed post moves and traveling violations. Obviously, I think we can chalk a lot of this up in the "freshman mistakes" category but, for next year, there is no room for error.

There are a couple things that really set up nicely for Rob Sacre this season. Internally, I have confidence that Gonzaga now has a very solid understanding of the type of player Rob is and will use him accordingly. The place where you will see a majority of Rob's points come from his on second chance opportunities and transition dunks. As a strong and athletic seven footer, you won't see many big men more physically imposing that Rob. He also plays with a great motor and that translated into a solid amount of rebounds in limited action that past two seasons. Expect a majority of Rob's points to come directly off rebounds; whether that means on the offensive end when he grabs a board and tips-in a missed shot or as a trailer after getting a rebound on defense. Both these should provide Rob with a solid 8-10 point scoring base. The thing that will vault Rob to that next level will be his post moves and ability to create action on set plays. This won't be a Gonzaga team of old where they sit outside and cast up outside shots all game. Guys like Demetri Goodson, Matt Bouldin, Manny Arop, GJ Vilarino, Grant Gibbs, and Bol Kong are all guys that like to create their own shots. With all this slashing to the hoop, Rob will have to be able to handle quick passes and have the ability to either go up, or kick it out. This is something that I would be terrified about a season ago but with two years under his belt and a clean bill of health, I feel like Rob has the experience necessary to handle this task.

On an external basis and looking more at the schedule, I like the way Rob sets up against Gonzaga's opponents. Perusing the schedule, I see three frontcourts that really stand out. First, there is Wake Forest that has an extremely deep and big front court. Al-Farouq Aminu will be a lottery NBA pick, and the Deacons have three seven-footers with experience in Chas McFarland, Ty Walker, and Tony Woods. Secondly, he'll have to take on Illinois who has one of the most skilled big men in Mike Davis. He averaged 11 points and eight boards a game as a sophomore last season and is poised for a big junior effort. Lastly, we have to give some credit to St. Mary's and Omar Samhan who has plenty of experience. Omar, who Gonzaga fans love to hate, nearly averaged a double double last season with 14 and nine a game. He's always a tough matchup. With that being said, when you look at that entire schedule and can only see three teams that match up physically with Rob, you have to come away pretty happy as a Zag fan.

We'll face some guys that will be more skilled than Rob when Duke's Kyle Singler and Michigan State's Raymar Morgan and Delvon Roe come calling but when you think about his physicality and energy that he bringnon the court, I think this could be a very successful year for Robert Sacre.

Jeremy Pargo Signs with Israeli Pro Team

Zach B — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:08:44 -0000

It has come across the wire that former Gonzaga point guard Jeremy Pargo has signed on with Gilboa Galil, an Israeli professional team. Jeremy had worked played his summer ball for the Magic and Pistons and was quite impressive with the Pistons but he has decided to take his game overseas. Gilboa has struggled in recent years but hopefully the addition of Jeremy can boost the team.

Pargo joins fellow former Zag Micah Downs overseas. Micah recently signed with a Croatian professional team. Josh Heytvelt is the only remaining unsigned player from the 2009 senior class. Many thought that Downs, Heytvelt, and Pargo could all find a home on an NBA team but a few years overseas could prep them for what hopefully ends up as successful careers in the NBA.

Wednesday Buffs Bites: Bzdelik's Future, Gonzaga Looms On Horizon

irish1611 — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 02:05:51 -0000

Andy Katz's Daily Word: Cancer-free Dave Rose: 'I feel great' - ESPN

It sounds like the Jeff Bzdelik rumor to the Minnesota Timberwolves isn't necessarily dead. It has been a while since we have heard anything about it but Andy Katz of ESPN says if the job is offered, Bzdelik is gone.

Colorado coach Jeff Bzdelik still hasn't heard from Minnesota about being the top assistant for the Timberwolves' next coach. If he does get the call, according to multiple sources, then he's likely gone and assistant Steve McClain would be the top choice to replace him.

Bzdelik's Buffs open Maui Invitational vs. Gonzaga - Boulder Daily Camera
The Colorado Buffaloes basketball team will play the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the first game of the Maui Invitational this November in what should be a real good look at how strong the 2009 team is. Gonzaga will be replacing a ton of talent off of last year's team including Jeremy Pargo, Austin Daye, Josh Heytvelt and Micah Downs. Still, this will be a very difficult matchup for the Buffs. Gonzaga has recruited well enough to be able to reload and although they will be young, like the Buffs, they have the talent in the wings to once again be a top 25 team. These sorts of matchups get me excited for basketball, it might be a winless tournament but it will be good exposure and a good non-conference test, something that was not there in 2008.

The Buffs will play Gonzaga in the first game of the prestigious tournament Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. MT (ESPN2). The Bulldogs won the West Coast Conference tournament last season to earn their 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.

Orlando Sentinel - Phil Steele's Teams of the Decade (Part 2) by Phil Steele
This is a fun read from Phil Steele. Although it has been a tough run the past few years, the Buffs are still in range to have the best record in the North this decade:

Nebraska has the clear lead in winning % out of the North teams but if Colorado was to finish a couple of games ahead of them in the North standings they would have a shot at being the Big 12 North team of the decade as they would have more conference and division titles this decade so that one is up in the air.

Dave Plati of the CU Sports Information Department has a nice 2009 Colorado Football Outlook

Road Trips I'd Like to See: Washington, Colorado, Maryland - Roll 'Bama Roll
Roll 'Bama Roll, the SBNation Alabama Crimson Tide blog, is doing a cool piece on places they would like to road trip to and watch a game. Boulder comes up #7 on their list:

07: Colorado Buffaloes: Though the two teams have only met three times, the two recent contests have been rather exciting. The 1991 Blockbuster Bowl saw the Tide defeat the defending national champions 30-25 in a bizarre contest that found CU leading 12-10 at the half (with the longest scoring drive for either team being a whopping three yards.) The 2007 Independence Bowl saw the Tide win 30-24 in a game that should never have been close after going up 27-0 five minutes into the second quarter. We've never played them in the regular season though and it seems like it could be a fun match up, though one we should win at this point in both program's development. Anyway, the reason I'd like to see a road trip is the outdoor activities: hiking, mountain biking, climbing, etc. It's an outdoor lover's dream to combine with a weekend of football. Not only that, but it's a mere 28 miles from Denver according to Mapquest. You could make a pretty sweet week long vacation out of that one. Spend half in the city, half in Boulder and see a game. Not too shabby.

High-And-Mighty ESPN Should Take It Down A Notch : NPR
Great look at the control that ESPN exhibits over our North American sports universe.

Birdman drives a semi truck - Denver Stiffs
Head over to SBNation's Denver Nuggets blog and check out the ridiculously awesome vehicle that Birdman is sporting these days.

Last Day of the NBA Summer League Raises Question Marks for Former Zags

Zach B — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:46:53 -0000

Micah Downs is just one former Zag hoping to find a place on an NBA roster next season.

View full size photo »

Today is the last day of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and for many former college stars, it is probably their last time playing basketball in the United States. For those who were drafted, they obviously have a good shot to make their respective team but a good amount of the players in Las Vegas are vying to fill a very limited amount of spots on NBA rosters. Their journey from that point will probably be long and arduous and could possibly land them in the D-League. Four former Zags from the 2008-09 season took part in the summer league this year. One proved his vast amount of doubters wrong with his consistently excellent play, two were up and down but made some good impressions, and one has barely gotten off the bench long enough to do anything.

continue reading this post after the poll...

For Austin Daye, the summer league experience couldn't have gone any better. Not only was Daye one of the best performers at the summer league, but he had his moment where he could tell all of his doubters to shut up. Daye played 34 minutes a game, shot a solid 47% from the field, and averaged about nine rebounds and 17 points again. Everyone that was in attendance in Las Vegas came away very impressed with Daye, commenting that he could not only withstand contact but often times he initiated it and it never really bothered him. His one major struggle was in the turnover department where he struggled from time to time but that it is too be expected and was probably a result of nerves combined with the different style of game. The most exciting part for Daye is that he is on a team that should be a power in the future. Along with him, DaJuan Summers and Jonas Jerebko are both rookies that impressed in the summer league. It's safe to say that Daye will have more of an immediate impact in the NBA than most people initially thought.

The fun part about the Detroit Pistons summer league team was that Austin Daye was joined by Jeremy Pargo. Pargo played for the Orlando Magic in the Orlando summer league a few weeks ago but joined the Pistons in Vegas. Jeremy did a lot to improve his position in Las Vegas. The former Gonzaga court general averaged 10 points a game in only 18 minutes per game. He shot 50% from the field and really impressed the Pistons fans and it isn't completely crazy to think that Jeremy could find a spot on their roster. The Pistons were auditioning guards for a third-string spot on the roster and many think it became a battle between Jeremy and former Virginia Cavalier Sean Singletary. They both had very similar stat lines for Detroit and I feel like Jeremy has more NBA ready size. You have to wonder if Detroit passes on Jeremy because they have a player kind of similar to him in Will Bynum.

Micah Downs also made some waves in the summer league and did a lot of things right the past few days to give himself a fighting chance. What we grew to love about Micah Downs at Gonzaga was his versatility and his strong desire to do whatever it takes to get a win. Here is something from the wonderful Twitterworld that I found about Micah from an ESPN.com "Tweeter".

Thabeet just got beat by Downs on a rebound under PHX hoop. Micah freaking Downs...Micah Downs is on my all Make Good team for Summer League. PHX has a lot of multi-taskers out there.

Micah had a game to remember a few days ago against the D-League Select team where he shot 8-11 and finished with 19 points. Micah still has one more game this evening before his summer league is over but thus far he has filled up the stat sheet. He's averaged a little over seven points a game, about three rebounds, and has had a few steals. He hasn't made a whole lot of mistakes either, with only four turnovers in four games. Downs, like Pargo, has the chance to make a roster with his performance but we will have to wait and see. The Suns have some options for him with their roster and if they pass, he could catch one elsewhere. Micah has his last game tonight against the Clippers at 7:30 PST.

The most perplexing summer league belonged to Josh Heytvelt. Josh was a guy that was labeled as a draft day snub but signed on with the Washington Wizards summer league team. Josh seemingly had the inside track to being signed to a roster when this was all said and done. He possesses great NBA size and versatility but his summer league tenure has been odd to say the least. Josh has only played seven minutes a game, attempted nine shots, and made three of them. His average stat line in four games has been 1.5 PPG and 2.0 RPG. He hasn't made a lot of mistakes defensively and actually was impressive against Blake Griffin when they matched up with the Clippers. I posted a FanPost over on the Wizards SB Nation site Bullets Forever asking about Josh and they seemed pretty iffy about him at this point as well. The Washington roster is kind of loaded with young, mediocre post men in Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee so it is hard to tell if Josh will stick. I really can't imagine him not finding a place on someones roster but in a league with a lot of good young players, it is pretty easy for players to get lost. Hopefully Josh gets more minutes in the Wizards final summer league game today against the New York Knicks at 1 PM PST.

Let us know what you think, who you are rooting for and what former Zags you think have the best shot at making a roster in the comments below!

Poll

Now that the summer league is nearly complete, which former Zag do you think has the best shot to make an NBA roster?

Jeremy Pargo (10 PPG, 3 APG)

111 votes

Micah Downs (7 PPG, 50% from 3 point range)

124 votes

Josh Heytvelt (7 MPG, 1.5 PPG, 2 RPG)

27 votes

262 votes | Poll has closed