I had the chance to catch Canada's semifinal game vs the USA South team in the Nike Global Challenge.  Here is what I thought of the two Zag recruits:

1) Wiltjer - Although I didn't see his best game I still walked away impressed with Kyle.  The USA team with far superior athletes threw a zone against the Canadians and it absolutely took Canada out of its comfort zone.  The Canadian coach ran a similar zone offense as the 5th grade girls who scrimmaged at halftime.  This zone really clogged Witljer's pick and pop game that he executes, as well as his individual post up game that is one of his strengths.  He really reminds me of Daye minus the attitude issues .  That's the best comparison I can make.  Their shots are smooth (Wiltjer has more range now than Daye did in at GU) and they are going to out "skill" someone to score, not out jump or out run someone.  But what the semifinals game showed me more than anything else is Wiltjer is a system player.  If he can be an important piece of a traditional system, he will thrive.  His game is not suited for the dribble drive motion offense (which is why the Kentucky recruitment has never made sense to me), but he will thrive if he has guards that can distribute and hit the 3 to leave him some post room.  As far as expected contribution goes, I would guess he would have the chance at GU to play some serious minutes off the bench his freshman year (think Daye his freshman year).  He is not a player who is going to go to a school and make them an immediate final four threat (like Carmelo, Durant, etc).   Kyle doesn't appear to be a one (or two) and done type player to me, nor does he seem like he wants to be.  Also to be fair, it's the end of a tireless summer of basketball for him so what I saw could have been a result of some tired legs.  But from a fan who has seen upwards of 100+ GU games in person, Kyle would be a great Zag.

keep reading after the break for impressions of Kevin Pangos....

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It comes as no surprise, but Harrison Barnes officially chose UNC this afternoon.  I know he wasn't anywhere near GU's radar but it seems like UNC is in that mode were a national title will come every 3 or 4 years.  Don't be surprised if he is a top 5 NBA pick in the 2011 draft along with Josh Smith from UCLA.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/mens/news/story?id=4651146

I have always been critical of Coach Few during his tenure as head coach for Gonzaga.  Whether it be with scheduling, basketball strategy, playing time, or March results I have always been critical of him.  However, I think it's important to note that during the 2009 Summer of Scandal for NCAA coaches, his name was probably the furthest thing from an ESPN bottom line story.  He was probably too busy fishing or running camps to take money from a shoe runner or stay after hours at a local restaurant.  Honestly, this summer has been tough to deal with as an avid fan of college basketball and different programs around the country.

Summer of Scandal:

Let's start from the beginning.  Tim Floyd.  Coach Floyd took a USC program that was overshadowed by its counterpart football program and turned it into a recruiting machine that made several NCAA runs.  Even stopping the unstoppable Kevin Durant in the round of 32 back in 2007 (played in Spokane).  He ran into a scandal with recruiting OJ Mayo and subsequently lost his job because of it.

Scandal #2: Rick Pitino.  Granted this "indiscretion" happened  years ago, but it surfaced in the summer of scandal.  The Pitino situation is like a dumpster fire.  It keeps getting worse and worse as more details come out.  Nothing per-say to do with basketball, but another example of an ethically challenged coach.

Scandal#3: Memphis.  Already detailed by BZ, but another "successful" program with baggage.

My point is this.  During the Few area, Gonzaga might never make it to a Final Four.  I can honestly say I would rather have a clean program make the tournament every year rather than be a powerhouse with baggage make it all the way.  I am beginning to appreciate what a solid coach Gonzaga actually does have.

bumped up from the fanposts section...

Let's spice up the fan posts with some midseason projections....what do you guys realistically think?

Here are mine....

-1st place in WCC Regular Season (Record 13-1)

I really think we roll through the WCC this year with the one exception being the revenge game at St. Mary's.  After we totally steamroll Randy Bennett's squad at home, they will be out for blood when we play in their pathetic excuse for a basement...whoops I meant gym.

- 1st place in WCC Tourney

A neutral court changes everything.  We play USD in the semi's and even though Coach Bill knows how to tear our team up, one of our players steps up and has a Stepp, Dickau, or Morrison performance in this game and carries us.  For prediction's sake, I would say it's Pargo.

In the battle or the overweight centers, St Mary's gets worn down by Santa Clara in the other semi.

The championship game starts slow because a) Mills and Pargo are trying to outduel each other for the NBA scouts that are present b) 50% of the players experienced Vegas the previous night in a variety of ways c) Few and Bennett try to out scheme each other and end up hindering their teams at the beginning.  Zags pull out a close one once they wake up and defend.

- 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, Location: Portland (the committee owes Few after last year) "Side prediction: We fit 30+ people in my apartment that weekend"

Respectable seed considering Black December 2008.  

- First Round: Win 

The Zags beat a small conference champion in the first round by pounding it inside.  

- Second Round : Win

Run into a 5 seed (thinking like a Notre Dame or Memphis type team).  Historically this would be trouble for the Zags, but the home court advantage and tournament experience of Pargo pulls us through.

Sweet Sixteen: Lose in a heartbreaker to a #1 seed

I can see us running into a stacked #1 seed that is playing great basketball and that that will be the end of it.  We play hard but one of their stars out duels one of our stars.

NBA Draft: Pargo

Europe: Downs, Heytvelt

Coming Back: Daye, Bouldin, Gray

As I was thinking of ideas of how to fire the squad up, I thought of how a small change to the starting line up might help.  Here's my idea and rationale...

PG - Pargo

SG- Gray

SF- Downs

PF- Daye

C-Heytvelt

By starting Bouldin on the bench it helps us in two ways.  It starts our best scoring lineup to help get on the board early and it makes Bouldin realize he needs to play better.  He has played worse each year yet his minutes keep rising.  Also, I realize Few doesn't have complete confidence in Meech yet so this allows us to bring in Bouldin at the 1 if Pargo starts out poorly.  Bouldin won't blow by any guys, but he could be a serviceable PG that doesn't try and do too much while getting the ball to our 4 most offensively talented players (Downs, Gray, Daye, Heytvelt). 

Also, just for future reference I really like this lineup when Big Rob gets back....

PG-Pargo

SG-Gray

SF-Austin

PF- Heytvelt

C- Sacre

This would be agaisnt bigger teams obviously, then we could have a legit 2nd unit too with Meech, Bouldin, Downs, Brown, Sacre or Heytvelt at center.

Just thoughts, tell me what you think...

Fellas,

If you remember back to your guy's freshman year...that team was full of intensity.  You had Mr. Intensity in A Mo but he also had guys like Knight backing him up and even Mallon would get fired up from time to time.  I realize the fatigue played a factor in yesterday's game but our most recent great team which I believe was A Mo's junior season never would have lost that game.  The fire I saw vs. Wazzu wasn't there yesterday and that's what worries me about that is when we play those scary conference road games.  I know the intensity will be there for the big ones against UConn, UT, and especially Memphis, but those road conference games against middle of the pack WCC teams may end up killing our seed in March.  Realistically to make a deep run in March we need to lock up the one or two seed which would give us Portland in Rounds 1 and 2 and Arizona for the West Regional.  If we drop a couple of the road games (you have to think at St. Mary's will be tough no matter what) that's going to bump us down in the 4 to 7 range.  That would send us East playing as a favorite in someone else's backyard.  We know too well what happens then.

I look at it like this, the teams that make runs year after year do most of their work before tourney time.  Look at UCLA for instance, they have taken care of business in the PAC 10 each of the last 3 years to set themselves up with great positioning in the tournament.  It's alot easier to win 4 games in a row (what it takes to make the Final 4) when your first game is against a 15 or 16 seed and the next game is against at best a 7 seed and at worst a 10 seed.  Then you get a week off to prepare for a top 16 team in the nation.

Back to the intensity factor, who is going to bring it when we are down 5 with 4 to play at San Diego?