Hey all,

I don't know if any of you remember me from a few years back but I used to post on this site pretty regularly. My Zag fandom has not diminished, but I think many will agree that it's been tough sledding for us hardcore fans the past couple seasons. My goal for this team has always been to reach a Final Four, and I won't be satisfied until we do. We had been getting further away from that goal (especially last season). The reason I stopped writing here is I just didn't want to bring you all down with my negativity (even though some of it may have been warranted).

But enough of the depressing past; the reason why I am hear posting today is because I want to tell you why I have had my hope restored these past few weeks, and I think we are back on track to accomplishing the ultimate goal. The reason is simple; we have finally recruited a point guard that has a chance to succeed in this system.

As I've stated before, I think Few is a tremendous recruiter but his weakness as a coach lies in player development. This weakness was exposed most clearly in the tournament loss to North Carolina in the Sweet 16. We played that same NC team two years before and won with a clear talent advantage. Two years later we were blown out because all of a sudden Raymond Felton could shoot 3's. The key was player development; Felton (and others on his team) got MUCH better over the 2 years. Pargo arguably regressed from his sophomore to senior campaign. Why is that? Is Roy Williams that much better of a player developer?

I don't think Roy teaches shooting mechanics any different that Few. I do think that Roy deals with certain player personalities much differently than Few, and in the case of a player like Raymond Felton, Roy is able to get more.

Here's a list of the great guards in Zags history:

• Matt Santangelo
• Richie Frahm
• Blake Stepp
• Dan Dikua
• Matt Bouldin
• Adam Morrison
• Derek Ravio
  

What did these players all have in common? They were heady, self motivated players that all had an intuitive "feel" for the game before they ever arrived on campus. In other words, they were all "gym rats."These are the players Few is able to mold

Pargo and Goodsen, while both highly talented and athletic, never struck me as the type of self motivated "coach on the floor" type player. Our "athletic" guard recruits for whatever reason have not been able to fully develop in the zag system (especially in the shooting department). Even Austin Daye, who was a good shooter coming in, (but not what I would describe as "self motivated") did not improve from year to year.

Pangos strikes me as the next great "gym rat" we can pin our collective hopes on. This is a guy who understands the game as well as any incoming frosh I have seen enter the program. I base this on two things I've observed. First, almost all of his 3's are off the pass (catch and shoot). Shooting off the pass is the most fundamentally sound way to shoot and it gives you the best chance of making the basket. Zag guards have not always followed this rule. I'm pretty sure I never saw Pargo shoot a 3 off a pass.The second thing I am seeing is entry passes into the post to keep and extend leads. At times, zag teams have lost sight of this with a lead and lost because they didn't go to the post enough when they had a comfortable lead. It seems like Stockton and GBJ are taking notes because all three are playing fundamentally sound basketball.

It's been a long time since we have had guards that can truly blossom under Few's coaching style. I can't tell you how happy I am that we are back on track and I hope all of you are as excited about this team as I am! Even with the youth, this group has the potential to go where the others could not.

GO ZAGS!!!!!!!

Only 3 Big East teams remain.  The WCC & Pac 10 have have responded resoundingly after being sold short by the media all year as a recurring Sportscenter theme. They sell us this same tired story year after year. ESPN still refuses to admit or acknowledge how wrong they were. The east coast bias is real. Las Vegas oddsmakers have confirmed it time and time again. As a west coaster living in NYC I can tell you the disdain is real and ever-present. To all you Zags fans living in the Pacific Northwest - THEY DON'T RESPECT OUR SCHOOL, OUR LEAGUE (or any west coast league), OR THE WEST IN GENERAL, IN ANY SPORT.

The time has come to slay the "beast" in the east.

Do this, and the only major challenger we have  between us and a title shot is K state.

GO ZAGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is from the interview with SB nation's FL state counterpart.

"In fact, the Seminoles are the tallest team in the nation according to Ken Pomeroy and have the fourth tallest effective height. The front court stands 7'1, 6'9 and 6'9. Their starting guards are 6'4 and 6'5."

Just to be clear:

Gonzaga has a better effective height # on Ken Pom than Florida State. We are one of the biggest & youngest teams in America. Matchup nightmares? We create 'em. Gonzaga is bigger. Gonzaga is (at the very least) as athletic. Gonzaga is more skilled. They think they can stop us from scoring and win this game. What a joke. The only thing that can stop us is complacency.

GO ZAGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From Kenpom (Baylor is #1 overall):

                                     Avg Hgt      Eff Hgt      C Hgt        PF Hgt       SF Hgt       SG Hgt       PG Hgt     Experience     Bench
Baylor[3] (B12)                    78.0 ( 21)  82.39 (  1)   +2.3 ( 12)   +3.9 (  1)   +1.3 ( 41)   -0.9 (233)   -0.6 (229)   1.73 (170)   23.6 (315)
Wake Forest[9] (ACC)               77.9 ( 24)  82.24 (  2)   +3.0 (  3)   +2.9 (  4)   +1.1 ( 49)   +0.5 (122)   +0.4 (154)   1.85 (126)   25.1 (300)
St. Mary's[10] (WCC)               78.0 ( 19)  81.99 (  3)   +2.5 (  8)   +2.9 (  3)   +1.1 ( 50)   -0.9 (232)   +0.4 (158)   1.49 (245)   20.7 (333)
North Carolina (ACC)               78.7 (  4)  81.95 (  4)   +2.0 ( 18)   +3.3 (  2)   +1.5 ( 33)   +1.6 ( 46)   +2.4 ( 25)   1.36 (286)   37.3 ( 48)
Illinois (B10)                     78.5 ( 10)  81.93 (  5)   +2.3 (  9)   +2.9 (  6)   +1.9 ( 22)   +1.1 ( 83)   +1.4 ( 56)   1.48 (250)   25.5 (294)
Wyoming (MWC)                      78.6 (  8)  81.82 (  6)   +2.1 ( 15)   +2.9 (  5)   +2.6 ( 13)   +3.1 (  3)   -1.5 (265)   1.08 (322)   40.1 ( 17)
Utah (MWC)                         78.6 (  6)  81.72 (  7)   +4.3 (  1)   +0.5 (104)   +1.0 ( 71)   +2.1 ( 21)   +2.5 ( 16)   1.41 (275)   36.4 ( 64)
Duke[1] (ACC)                      79.0 (  2)  81.72 (  8)   +2.6 (  7)   +2.2 (  9)   +2.2 ( 14)   +2.1 ( 18)   +2.4 ( 26)   2.00 ( 78)   24.4 (309)
Connecticut (BE)                   78.4 ( 13)  81.44 (  9)   +1.4 ( 34)   +2.9 (  7)   +3.0 (  4)   +1.3 ( 52)   +1.4 ( 71)   1.84 (130)   19.6 (340)
Gonzaga[8] (WCC)                   77.9 ( 23)  81.44 ( 10)   +3.6 (  2)   +0.7 ( 96)   +1.0 ( 67)   +3.1 (  7)   +0.4 (179)   1.24 (307)   27.3 (264)
Florida St.[9] (ACC)               79.4 (  1)  81.41 ( 11)   +2.3 ( 11)   +1.9 ( 12)   +1.7 ( 27)   +3.1 (  7)   +4.4 (  1)   1.30 (299)   33.0 (121)

-bumped from fanposts.  Great piece - Zach B

According to Gary Parrish (and history) you need at least three.

Here is my ranked breakdown of our current NBA Potential:

1. Harris - Our only lock as a future NBA 1st rounder. Needs to add 20-25 pounds. If he learns to shoot like Paul Pierce he will be a perenial all star.

2. Bouldin - Like Pargo last year, his play down the stretch will determine where he gets picked up, if at all. He probably has to take us to a final 4 to get drafted in the 1st round. The good news is, if he does take us to the promised land he will be in for a big payday.

3. Sacre - The hype on Sacre should build next season if he is able to play facing the basket, extend his consistent range a bit and put on 20-30 pounds. The sky is the limit here as Rob does have the size and athletic potential to be a 1st rounder.

4. Olynk - He hasn't done anything yet, but he is 6-11 and one ESPN announcer has already stated he thinks Olynk will play in the NBA. Pretty good compliment in limited minutes.

5. Manny (Manville than Anvil) Arop - I love this kid. He is the best player off our bench without a doubt. He is E. Harris lite out there snatching rebounds and playing huge for his size. Shooting is what it takes for a guard his size to get noticed by scouts. He seems to have the touch and the form to be a good shooter. If he wants to play in the NBA he will have to shoot really well and develop his guard skills (like a James Harden).

6. Steven Gray - I have him lower than Manny because he has less time. He needs to play like Ben Gordon from here on out. Unless he runs the point next year it will be almost impossible to make as a 6'4 shooting guard. You must be dominant to make up for a percieved lack of size at that position (think JJ Redick ect).

7. Meech - Nate Robinson is the model here. Nate Robinson could really shoot, drive and dish. Especially his mid-range jumper off the drive.

keep reading for a list of past NCAA Champions and their pro players...

Continue reading this post »

Player trying to keep rolling: Mark Few has built Gonzaga into a consistently relevant program by enrolling talented prospects and turning them into professionals over the course of three or four years. But Elias Harris is different, and he's looking more and more like the Zags' first one-and-done star. The freshman from Germany finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds Thursday in the Zags' win at St. Mary's. He's now averaging 15.2 points and 7.9 rebounds. Similar numbers should ensure a win Saturday at San Diego.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/12792313/friday-look-ahead-big-weekend-in-another-big-season-for-big-east

Seth Davis at the half: "Fabulous Freshman"

Seth Davis (a commentator for CBS) included Elias Harris at the forward position as one of the 5 best freshman in the country. It's great for the program in terms of recruiting to get on little lists like this. The only other name I caught was Kentucky's John Wall. If anybody saw the 1st half of Kentucky @ Indiana... Yeah, he's good. Makes me wonder if meech could match him in terms of speed.

After a (recently removed) post on theslipperstillfits was extremely critical of Robert Sacre and his effort against Cinci, I feel compelled to defend my favorite big man since JP was roaming the low block. I believe that Sacre's play so far this season has been nothing short of sensational. While everyone agrees Bouldin is "The Guy" this season, I think Sacre is by far the most important player when it comes to our chances of going deep in March. IPFW's coach said it best last week: "skilled bigs are hard to come by."  A low post banger like Sacre is extremely rare for a mid major and I think Gonzaga's ability to recruit size is what separates them from all other non-bcs teams. With Sacre, we have more skilled size than almost any perennial bcs power as well (don't you think UCLA might want him right now?). To suggest that Sacre would not start for Washington State (as suggested in the removed post) is quite simply delusional. Sacre is the one guy that can win the defense and offense battle against top 5 talent as he proved in the MSU game and Texas scrimmage. 
I expect he will prove the doubters wrong again and again over the course of this season and the remainder of his time in blue. Enjoy him while he's still here GU nation, as I predict he will be a NBA 1st rounder when the dust settles. Below is a great Sacre article I dug up written back in ‘06. 

"Not since Steve Nash 15 years ago has a graduating high school player from B.C. carried as much potential to play in the NBA as the ultra-athletic and well-centered Sacre, who carries his seven-foot frame with rare grace and beauty."

Continue reading this post »

Foul counts tend to even out over the course of a game according to a new basketball study, even if playing styles are extremely different. We saw it yesterday where I personally thought the Buffs got very physical with our bigs early and were not penalized in the 1st half. Look for it again tonight against Wisconsin. The solution? our guys should push and shove as much as they can because the refs won't consistently call it.

"Results like this were the norm across all the games the professors studied from that season -- from the Big East to the ACC to the Big Ten and all 63 NCAA tournament games. The take-home message for coaches: The more aggressive your teams the better because, in the end, the foul count is going to be about even no matter what.

It helps explain, the professors say, why college basketball has gotten increasingly physical over the past 25 years.

"Part of the reason for the study came from something my coach used to tell me," said study co-author Kyle Anderson, a visiting professor at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, who played at Division III Knox College. "He said a team can come in and push and shove and grab and hold, and by the end of the game, or end of the half, they've only got one or two more fouls because officials kind of get tired of calling it."

Full Story Here:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4682821

According to the simulation (EA Sports NCAA 2010), we are going to beat Maryland in the final 79-74. I personally don't think any of these teams can match our size... we should win all these games by double digits. (Note: the current Vegas spread favors the zags by 11 against Colorado)

Full Story Here 

NCAA Basketball 10 simulation of 2009 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational:

Quarterfinals

Maryland 86 – Chaminade 68
Cincinnati 68 – Vanderbilt 73
Colorado 71 – Gonzaga 79
Arizona 55 – Wisconsin 59

Semifinals

Maryland 75 – Vanderbilt 71
Gonzaga 68 – Wisc 59

Consolation Final

Wisconsin 65 – Vanderbilt 74

Championship Game

Gonzaga 79 – Maryland 74

Interesting comment by announcer Craig Elo during the game last night about Steven Gray's shotting form. He said something to the effect of "When Steven misses shots, it is because he is not setting his feet properly. After watching him in the MSU game, it seems his feet were too close together and the result is a often a hurried and missed shot." I had the same observation. When Steven does set his feet with the proper width (like last night, except for one) he shoots lights out. I hope the coaching staff is aware of this small change that could dramatically effect his 3pt shooting %