Here's the way I see it. Based on our progress from last year, new additions, losses, and impressions from scrimmages, here is an all-too-early season synopsis.

Starters:

G. Gary Bell Jr.              

G. Marquise Carter

F. Elias Harris

PG. David Stockton

C. Robt. Sacre

Off the bench, in this order:

1. Dower
   
2. Olynyk
3. Landry
   
4. Monninghoff
5. Pangos
   
6. Keita
7. Spangler
8. Hart
9. Drainginis (RS)
   

That's at the beginning of the year...Hopefully, at the end of the year I'd like to see it this way:

Starters:

G. Bell Jr.

PG. Pangos

F. Harris

G. Carter

C. Sacre

 

Off the Bench, in this order:

1. Dower
   
2. Landry
3. Spangler
4. Olynyk
5. Monninghoff
6. Keita
7. Hart
   
8. Stockton

 

Reasoning: In no particular order.....

1.  
   • There are a lot of question marks, specifically considering the new guys, off-season injuries or progress (Olynyk), and potential red shirts. I'll be working with the assumption that everyone is completely healthy and ready to contribute. Unfortunately, we are both green and week at the guard position, having lost Gray and Goodson. Considering that, you've got to start GBJ, as he is really the only guy that can drive, shoot from deep, and facilitate the play of others. He'll certainly have to get up to speed, but considering the weaknesses of the guys behind him, he seems the most logical choice (especially if he is as good a defender as some believe him to be).
     
   • You've got to go with Stockton in the beginning until Pangos is really ready or able to play defense at D-I level; If Stockton's lack of athleticism is exploited, then bring in Keita or Landry as a big guard and work Bell Jr. or Carter at the point also. Since Stockton is the only one that we know can feed the front-court, he's indispensable until someone can do the job as well as he can. Ideally, Pangos will be Stockton's taller, stronger, more athletic and offensively capable replacement (but that's a BIG "if").
     
   • Give Olynyk the ultimatum - rebound, or sit and watch Spangler do it. I think a realist would lean toward the latter option. 
     
   • Monnighoff is another big question.  If he fails to do anything other than shoot the corner 3, then he's an unathletic Bol Kong and should get comfy riding the pine. I know that Few liked to sub him in (or start him) quickly last season, but that is just because we had no deep threats outside Gray for most of the season. I'm assuming that our range will improve slightly with the advent of Carter and GBJ (and possibly Pangos?). Monninghoff also needs to make great strides in his defensive potential as well in order to justify a higher position in the rotation. Until that day comes, he'll be at best the eighth man in.
     
   • Keita also showed flashes last year, but failed to achieve any consistency and find his place on the floor. Call me a pessimist, but I don't think that happens this year either.
   • Dower really proved his worth late in the season and found his offensive rhythm. Seeing as Sacre is rather foul-prone and will be worked hard each game, Dower is the logical first man off the bench, providing that offensive spark that can bury teams on the score board. A long off-season scrimmaging with his teammates can't hurt either.
     
   • Landry......will he be an Ira Brown, or a JP Batista type transfer? I'm not even going to speculate on that question. Let's just assume it could go either way, and this guy could end up starting, or be polishing Rob Sacre's sneakers. 
   • Drainginis is also a tough call, but based on early reports (and they are VERY early reports), I'd bet he red shirts. 
   • Carter had a really spotty season last year. If he wasn't burying the dagger into Baylor, he was sitting behind Goodson and Gray, whose play was mediocre at best. I think he finds a little more consistency in his senior season, and solidifies his role as a starting guard. Again, this is just a gut feeling, but I wouldn't be surprised if he repeats stretches of last season either.

Injuries: Last year they were remarkably healthy.  That's not likely to continue.  Sacre is the one player they really can't afford to lose to a long-term injury.  Harris would be a tough loss as well.  Other than that, perhaps Stockton.

Biggest Leap of Faith: Bell Jr.  Essentially, I'm expecting Steven Gray numbers from this guy (late season Steven).  He's a Freshman, and it's a bit absurd to think he'll not struggle at times.  That's where a big step forward by Carter would be most welcomed.

Best Case: Sacre has an All-American year, and solves his pass-out-of-the double-team issues, creating great looks for GBJ, Carter, and Pangos, and easy baskets for Harris and Dower.  Perimeter defense is still a weakness, but 3 big bodies help clog the passing lanes, allowing Zag guards to cheat closer to the arc and worry less about being beat of the dribble. Landry is a solid swingman that is a wise pick-up by the coaching staff, and meshes with the team from the first practice. By the end of the season Few finds a solid rotation and consistent guard play that, coupled with a powerful front court, propels the Zags to another conference title and the first elite-eight berth since the Slipper Still Fit.

Worst Case: Sacre still is a turnover machine, Dower and Harris don't gel cohesively, Olynyk pouts, and Pangos needs a year or two to mature.  Spangler becomes a fouling machine, and GBJ doesn't produce points consistently.  Hart and Stockton have to play extensive minutes yet again, and we get beat on the perimeter routinely. The ghost of Jimmer Fredette haunts the Zags as they lose the conference title for the first time in over a decade. Conference supremacy is lost.

 

 

 

Anthony Bennett - #22 - 5 Stars

Does not list Gonzaga in his interests (I'm guessing this is just Rivals lacking in information), though we have documented his interest in perhaps teaming up with Pangos.

Anrio Adams - #63 - 4 Stars

Lists Gonzaga as medium interest, Rivals reports that he has been offered.

Jordan Tebbutt - #68 - 4 Stars

Lists Gonzaga as medium interest, Rivals does not report an offer.

Skylar Spencer - #80 - 4 Stars

Lists no further information, though it has been documented that he has interest in Gonzaga

Demarquise Johnson - #122 - 3 Stars

Lists Gonzaga as medium interst, Rivals reports that he has been offered.

 

Also of Note: Rivals reports that #17 Grant Jerrett was offered by Gonzaga (though he has since committed to Arizona). Please, share your thoughts on who you'd like to see comprise the Class of 2012.

     This evening's Baylor game got me thinking, what made the outcome of this game so much different than any of our previous five losses? Sure, there may have been a host of differences between this game and the last several, most notably of which was our opponent. Baylor may have been a bit overranked, inexperienced against good opponents and away from home, and had one of its worst shooting nights in years. But our opponent alone cannot account for the fact that we beat a ranked and highly-respected team on the road.

     Regardless of all those factors, if you had told me that Harris would foul out with 6 minutes left in the game, and Gray would have missed the second half with an injury, I would have bet the mortgage that Gonzaga would get stomped by an athletic and talented Baylor team (which also happens to be undefeated). Tonight was a serious test for the Zags, who showed a desire to win that I have yet to see from them this year. I approached this game looking for bright spots on the roster--for a reason to keep watching and rekindle hopes of a tournament run. And while I'm not exactly saying the Zags are a lock for the Elite-8, I think they are learning to play as a team and progressing as well as we could hope after a few tough losses.

    Congratulations Zags on this great win and the start of our tournament resume. Our best wishes go out to Steven, as he will be greatly needed in the weeks ahead. Post your opinions on what was the most important factor that contributed to the Zags first big win of the year.

Poll

What factor contributed the greatest in the Zags' win over Baylor?

17%

Improved 3pt Defense

33 votes

37%

Improved Bench Scoring & Productivity

69 votes

21%

Improved Offensive Rhythym & Passing

40 votes

17%

Baylor's Poor Shooting & Overall Performance

33 votes

4%

Other

9 votes

184 votes | Poll has closed

One respect in which I really appreciate having a coach as seasoned as Few is in the realm of scheduling. Back in 2008-2009 when the Zags were a pre-season top-10 and expected to make some noise, Few scheduled several difficult road games in a single stretch (and a tough home game on almost no rest). Most of us are still haunted by what happened in those several games (UCONN, Arizona, Portland St., Utah), and questioned why the team wasn't given more rest or a less-demanding travel schedule. I think it is clear that Few learned from that experience--that even a talented team like that 2008-2009 group could lose games they had no business losing if the conditions weren't right. This year, the early season schedule progresses gradually, with each successive game becoming more challenging (Southern, IUPUI, SDUS, K-State, Duke?). For a team with so many things to work on and many questions to answer, I think Few did an incredible job using the schedule to prepare them gradually for the daunting season ahead. And while we do play a number of top teams, the toughest games are spaced-out in such a way that it isn't likely we will drop more than one or two in a row. Being a head coach is an incredibly tough and demanding job, and I just wanted to recognize the incredible job Few and his staff did in preparing this year's remarkable schedule.

From ESPN Rumor Section:

"Over the course of the past several weeks, a rumor has been lurking in comment boards and Washington fan sites involving recent Kentucky commit Kyle Wiltjer. Specifically, the rumor involved the power forward wanting to decommit from the Kentucky program.

We were going to ignore the rumor but then Tony Wroten Jr. jumped into this rumor feet-first. The guard (and a UW commit) tweeted, "Does kyle wiltjer have a twitter. I needa get him to the dub." Later, Wroten further added, "Did kyle wiltjer really decommitt from UK?"

Wiltjer, for his part, hasn't responded to Wroten's tweets (or at least we can't see them as he might have direct messaged the guard). While nothing is certain, we are pretty sure if the rumors about Wiltjer dcommitting were even 10 percent true, the entire Big Blue Nation would quickly be up in arms."

 

Though I've accepted Wiltjer to be a Kentucky Wildcat, it appears that things might start to get interesting again... I'm not sure how much I trust Wroten as a source, but the rumors are starting to circulate.

Another Calipari Season Expunged?

Considering the "differences" between many followers of the SSF and Kentucky's SBNation Blog, I thought this was an interesting piece that validated the point so many of us made regarding Calipari's track record. It appears that discrepancies have been found in Eric Bledsoe's transcript that may lead to Calipari having yet another of his team's seasons being stricken from the record books. I'm not looking to rekindle the Kentucky-Gonzaga debacle that took place a few weeks ago, I'm just throwing this out there so that we can say "We told you so."

In a dispute with a teammate over whose California high school team had been better, Samhan argued it was his at San Ramon Valley since it won a state title. Bennett had to intervene, "reminding" Samhan his team didn't even reach the state championship game.

Samhan bragged to teammates that his grandfather had won a national championship at Oregon. Ahem. Bennett checked the record books and found that Samhan's grandfather played at Oregon State, but at least he did reach the Final Four.

After working out with the Miami Heat's Jermaine O'Neal, Samhan told teammates he scored 20 points on O'Neal. It was closer to 10 points, if that.

"He's not just a college basketball player," said Eric Musselman, the former Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings coach who has mentored Samhan. "He's almost like a cartoon character."

 

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Gonzaga defeated Saint Mary's Thursday night, thanks in large part to star Elias Harris, who may have played his best game of the year, pouring in 31 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. But these kinds of performances are becoming old hat for Harris, a 20-year-old freshman.

The 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward is averaging 15 points and eight rebounds for the year, but plays just 28 minutes per game. Harris, however, has been turning it up a notch of late, averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds in his last five contests, and has hit seven of his 11 three-point attempts.

His game is sound, and he has athleticism to spare -- we present Exhibit A, your honor.

 

ESPN Scouts Inc.: "Since his arrival at Gonzaga, he's wowed just about everyone. Harris has a motor that doesn't stop and has shown extraordinary toughness and versatility. Like the Mavericks' Shawn Marion, he seems capable of playing both the 3 and the 4 in the pros. While no one would've expected Harris to be a potential lottery pick coming into the season, I think that's where he might end up landing if he declares. No one is moving up draft boards quicker at the moment. We've had him in our top 30 since November and he's crept up to No. 16. By April he could very well be in the top 10."

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UPDATE: According to Andy Poling's mother, Jenny, three or four schools have already contacted the 6-foot-11 big man about transferring.

Nothing new to report, but I thought EDZ and other mods might like to see the mention.  Also, apparently Polling is getting a look from a few schools, which is nice to hear.

 

"He doesn't know where quite yet. There are about 3-4 schools interested," said Poling's mother. According to the Spokesman Review's Sportslink, Portland State -- in Poling's hometown of Portland -- might be the school where he ends up. PSU is a member of the Big Sky conference and the Vikings could definitely use some size; according to Ken Pomeroy, their average height is 6-foot-3 (279th of all DI teams).

Via Matt Bouldin's Twitter status, slipperstillfits.com wrote yesterday that Andy Poling is leaving Gonzaga, presumably to track down more minutes at another school.

Poling could end up just about anywhere, though it's likely he heads to a smaller school where he's a bigger fish and assured a regular role in the rotation. But what's this mean for the Zags?

It gives them another scholarship for 2010, but while the Bulldogs have just one commit for 2010 and 2011 combined, they also have nine players on their current roster that are freshman or redshirt freshman.

Perhaps Few looks to use a scholarship or two on a JC transfer instead, in order to avoid adding even more inexperience to the program.

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This comes via ESPN insider Rumor Central... It appears that Gordon and Gonzaga will not be crossing paths.

Since announcing he was transferring from UCLA, big man Drew Gordon has been all over the continental United States; Gordon has taken visits to New Mexico, UNLV, Notre Dame and will be making his final visit to San Diego State on Tuesday.

Three Mountain West schools are competing for Gordon's services so it seems safe to say that the sophomore will be getting his second home on the west coast. While San Diego State doesn't play as fast as UNLV, SDSU does have a slight advantage over other suitors in that Gordon's father, Ed, played for the Aztecs.

In order to be eligible for the second semester of 2010-11 season, Gordon will be making his decision "... in the first part of January." Although San Diego State has the family connection, we still feel that UNLV would be the best fit for Gordon's game.

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• Portland: Even with a loss to No. 8 West Virginia in the title game, the Pilots were the story at the 76 Classic in Anaheim. The 27-point domination of UCLA was not a fluke, especially when Portland took out a deep, talented Minnesota team that doesn't have a single scrub. The Gophers and Bruins have oodles more talent than the Pilots, but that doesn't mean T.J. Campbell can't play with any of them. Portland shoots from all over the perimeter, can board with the best and never loses its poise. The Pilots should be a good watch throughout the season.

• Gonzaga: The Zags were the West Coast preseason favorite and probably should have been in the Top 25. There is no doubt now after a run to the Maui Invitational title. Gonzaga beat back Wisconsin and then Cincinnati in the title game, as Elias Harris, Robert Sacre and Steven Gray are proving to be more than complementary players to Matt Bouldin. Once again the Zags look like a team that could make a deep March run.

 

My take on these snippets:

1. UCLA is neither deep nor talented. I have watched every one of their televised games this season, and they will be at the bottom of a historically bad Pac-10. They have absolutely no offense and no inside game whatsoever. They are really hard to watch.
2. T.J Campbell is overextending himself within the Portland offense. He needs to be more of a point guard and less of a black hole. Portland has alot of tools, and it makes no sense that he would try to do everything himself.
3. I watched the Portland - Minnesota game, and Minnesota came out flat-footed and looked pretty bad. I give all the credit to Portland for dismantling them, but they certainly did not look like a top-25 team.
   
4. Elias Harris is getting alot of attention. It's not that he doesn't deserve it, but I just hope that it doesn't get to his head and change his role within the team dynamic and get him thinking about the NBA before it is right for him to do so.

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According to Rivals 2010 top 150 Prospects, the number one prospect, Josh Smith from Kentworth, Wa, lists Gonzaga as one of his schools of interest. I don't know how serious that team ranking is, but would it not be awesome to get a one-and-done like this guy? I know Gonzaga's typically not a school that courts high-end guys like this, but it seems like each year we're getting onto the radar of four and five star prospects.

Gonzaga's Heytvelt leads All-Star team to win

By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer
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DETROIT — Gonzaga's Josh Heytvelt hit the winning 3-pointer in the final minute, scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Reese's All-Stars to a 105-100 win over Hershey's All-Stars in a college senior All-Star game on Friday night.

Tyrese Rice scored 24 points and Marcus Landry had 14 for the winners in a game of college seniors played on the same court as the Final Four.

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Former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson led Josh Carter and the Hershey's team, and Bruce Weber of Illinois coached Rice and the Reese's All Stars.

Jermaine Taylor had 23 points for Hershey's.