Ok honestly ESPN is starting to piss me off. I can understand someone accidentally glancing at the box score after not watching our game and seeing that we shot 15 3 pointers and writing that we made 15 3 pointers. That i understand. Some guy whose job it is to write headlines screwed up, but then to also have another guy write an insider rumor on Harris' Reemergence also mention that we hit 15 3 pointers...really? These are suppose to be the guys who watched the game and have some sort of inside knowledge. Stupid ESPN hire some one who actually watched the game. here is the link http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/features/rumors

With all of the anger about "Why is Hart playing, or even starting!", or "Mark few knows what he is doing and Hart hustles and is a work horse!" I thought I would pose the Question : " Who is more polarizing Tebow or Hart?" This is not a who is better, but rather who causes more arguments. Disclaimer: I am in no way saying that either Hart, nor Tebow, are good or bad, I am just purely observing the battle. Let the voting begin!

Poll

Who is more polarizing, Tebow or Hart?

67%

Tim Tebow

82 votes

32%

Mike Hart

39 votes

121 votes | Poll has closed

Found this on draftexpress.com

Joseph Treutlein

Very few freshman in the country have had as significant an impact for their teams as Elias Harrishas for Gonzaga thus far this season, which isn’t surprising given the 20-year-old freshman’s profile. With high-level international experience under his belt, the 6’7 combo forward with a very well-built body has come in and started all 6 of his team’s games, playing 29 minutes on average, pretty much exclusively at the power forward position.

From a physical standpoint, Harris certainly looks the part of an NBA small forward or combo forward, having great size and good length with a very strong frame, and possessing very good athleticism to go along with it. He’s an explosive player with very good quickness, exceptional coordination and very strong mobility, while also having very good upper body strength. Harris has spent pretty much all of his time playing as a big man for the Bulldogs, but with each passing game, he shows a little more of his perimeter game.

Harris spent the first two games of the season doing a lot of work with his back to the basket, showing a decent arsenal of hook shots and runners going across the lane, doing a good job of drawing contact and getting to the line, but struggling with his touch at times shooting over bigger opponents in the paint. His post game is certainly effective against college 4’s, but it’s hard to envision Harris having consistent success as a back-to-the-basket power forward in the NBA, as doesn’t have the size or brute power to really make much of a living doing that. 

Harris provides more intrigue with his face-up game, something that was on display in all three games in Maui, where he showed dribble drive moves from all areas of the court, showing off his impressive coordination and footwork. Harris incorporates a lot of advanced moves into his forays to the rim, namely spin moves and hop steps, which he might rely on a bit too heavily at this point. Harris’ left hand appears pretty weak, and pretty much every time he goes left, he only does so to set up a very effective left-to-right spin move, something opposing teams will pick up on over time if he doesn’t make them respect his left hand. Harris’ athletic abilities are on full display when he’s attacking the basket off the dribble, making very rangy plays with the ball and finishing well in the lane with various finesse and power moves.

Harris’ jump shot is still a work in progress, though he has the foundation of good shooting form in place, and he’s had flashes of success in his few games thus far. One thing that stands out with Harris’ shot is how few jumpers he takes in rhythm, as he rarely readies himself for the catch-and-shoot when the ball is coming to him. He often hesitates with the ball for a good second or so before putting the ball up, and he often looks a bit mechanical in his motions. Other than that, he shows occasional problems with not getting full extension on all his releases. That said, he does have a high release point and the rest of his motion is pretty consistent, so this is an area he should improve on if he puts in the work, and will surely be a very important factor in whether or not he’s able to make the conversion to playing on the wing full time.

Another strong point of Harris’ game is his high motor and basketball IQ, as he makes a lot of hustles plays in the game and usually doesn’t settle for many low-percentage shots. Harris makes a big impact attacking the glass on both ends of the court and diving for loose balls. He’s a competitive guy with great toughness who doesn’t back down from anyone, something that has given Gonzaga (a team typically deemed to be a bit on the soft side) a huge boost this season.

Defensively, Harris has great physical tools with his size, length, and good lateral quickness, while also having a pretty good fundamental base in place for perimeter defense, where he shows a good stance and moves his feet well. He doesn’t get to match up against opposing threes at this level, but he appears as if he has the tools to defend that position. He’s done so in the past, notably this past summer in the European championships playing for the German National Team, where he garnered invaluable experience. In the post, he also shows good fundamentals, and holds his position pretty well with his base strength, but his lack of size poses concerns if you’re projecting him to play the power forward in the NBA, and it’s caused some troubles here already. 

Projecting Harris to the next level is not a seamless task at this point, as he’s still getting his feet underneath him in the college game, and some uncertainty about what direction he’ll take his game in. His hustle play and strong foundation of skills definitely bode well for his future, but there are still a lot of question marks about what position he’s best suited to play, and whether or not he’ll be given the opportunity to develop his perimeter game on a team that currently asks him to play the power forward position full time. Either way, Harris’ future looks extremely bright, and in the worst case scenario, he could always take his German passport and cash in on a very lucrative contract in Europe down the road. 

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/huskymensbasketballblog/2010409586_poll_question_b.html?syndication=rss

The Seattle Times posted a poll asking who the best team in washington is, now we all know the answer, and now its time to make sure everyone else does as well. Vote!

Anyway I should have posted this poll earlier, but I think it's still relevant and I'm curious what the results will tally. So let's have a little fun here.

And remember, these polls are snap shots and not projections for the end of the season

I dont think he will be a one and done, or maybe i just hope not, but there is already talk on ESPN.

Scouts have been raving about Illinois' Brandon Paul, Minnesota's Rodney Williams and Gonzaga's Elias Harris. Paul is a superathletic guard who has drawn some comparisons toDwyane Wade. The comparison may be a little much given that Wade is a top-five player in the league, but you can see why some may see the fit. Paul is an undersized guard who makes up for it with long arms and explosive leaping ability. Paul can get to the basket and shoot the 3, but has a rep as a guy who doesn't always go hard.

 

 

Williams is a swingman who has shocked scouts with his early productivity for Minnesota. Teams knew he was an elite athlete, but his aggressiveness and his solid shooting in the early going have taken them aback.

 

 

Harris is another player who has made a name for himself early in the Maui Invitational. He's not putting up huge numbers, but he's been a beast on the boards and has shocked scouts with his ability to play some 3. After seeing him dominate in his home country of Germany, most teams had him penciled in as an uber-athletic, albeit undersized, 4. He's been able to show some perimeter prowess at Gonzaga. If he can make the transition to the 3, his stock goes up tremendously.

Vandersloot and gonzaga get some love on a front page story about her incredible talent.

"She's proven to be the best, I think the best in the class," Graves said of current juniors from Washington. "I love Angie Bjorklund; I love the family. But I wouldn't take her over Courtney Vandersloot. And that's in no way to slight Angie. Courtney's that special player. … You recognized it when you first saw her, [but] I don't think anybody thought she was going to be this good."

Here is the link... http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/columns/story?columnist=hays_graham&id=4687649

Espn's Graham Hays breaks down the tope 6 teams to watch for the 09-10 womens program and who holds onto the top spot? none other than out own Gonzaga Bulldogs. Good coverage by mike that shows he has done more research than just get caught up in the Courtney Vandersloot hype. Look for the girls to make a splash this year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/preview2009/columns/story?columnist=hays_graham&id=4633273 

Gary Parrish, one of CBS's main college basketball columnists has been writing some good pre-season information about the zags. I think he will be a good off the beaten trail place to find solid Zag information. He has Matt listed in his "wing" rankings at 11 http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/12399263 which i feel is probably pretty accurate and we will look to see that number rise. While he lists gonzaga as 4th overall as far as non BCS teams go. With the little information that he has, i am not upset at this, but i also cannot wait to prove him wrong. On his non BCS rankings Matt gets first team honors, Steven gets third team, and he lists Steven as the Non BCS breakthrough player of the year....i hope he is right.  http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/12434939

Send this man some love from the Gonzaga community and i am sure we will get even more out of him!

After receiving 30 votes in the Pre-season AP poll Gonzaga ranks 34th to start off the year. It should be a good season for the lady Zags! With the men getting all the talk it is important to keep up to date with the women too, lets create a dynasty for the mens and womens team. Go coach Kelly!

Here is the link where i found my information.

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/wcbk/poll?poll=AP