Today's Droppin' Dimes is with The Slipper Still Fits, a blog dedicated to the Gonzaga Bulldogs. After the jump, get answers about Gonzaga's front line, the state of the WCC, and Bol Kong.
1. During the preseason, we weren't shy about heaping praise on the Zags back court, but it was the front court that really carried the team against Michigan State. Was that a fluke, or is that group really good enough to put the Zags back into the top 25?
I'm happy to say that what happened against Michigan State was no fluke. Gonzaga's back court received most of the praise during the summer months and leading up to the season because that was the only piece of this team we were sure about. We've watched Matt Bouldin for three years, Steven Gray for two years, and Demetri Goodson showed very well for himself his freshman year. With the front court it was completely unknown. Robert Sacre has been hampered by injuries since he arrived at Gonzaga but appears to have healed very well and looks like a completely confident and competent post presence. The first time Gonzaga fans heard about Elias Harris was when the West Coast Conference released a press release about winter signings. There was no recruitment, no star-rating, no Rivals or Scout articles, just a 20 year old freshman with experience playing against men more than five years older than him.
Robert Sacre and Elias Harris form a formidable front court.(photo credit: ESPN)
Obviously, Harris has proven to be one of the best freshmen out of the gate and I don't think Gonzaga fans have any worry about the front court anymore which is rare. The bench is still coming around but 7'5" senior Will Foster has shown great improvements this year and I think Gonzaga fans are finally starting to believe in him a little bit! The upside for the group in the front court is extraordinary which makes this season as exciting as ever. I think some big tests for them are still on the horizon when you think about Wake Forest coming to town in December. Wake is one of the few front courts that can match the size Mark Few has assembled. We'll know a lot more after that game's conclusion.
2. One of the more intriguing story lines over the summer was Gonzaga's recruitment of Sudanese national Bol Kong. Gonzaga went through some trouble getting him enrolled in school, but we've yet to see him show up in a box score. What are you hearing about Kong?
You know, I think the hype machine, and we're as guilty as any one else of this, kind of got out of control when the news of Bol Kong's arrival at Gonzaga became official. We talked to the former head the Canadian development program, Greg Francis, and Bol's former coach at Douglas Community College, Jamie Oei, and they both echoed similar thoughts about Bol: He's a great scorer, could score at the division one level right away, but will take time contributing in other areas. When you play for Mark Few, or any other top-tier coach, you flat out won't play if you struggle to defend or are struggling to understand concepts. That is what we are hearing with Bol. And this really shouldn't be surprising; Bol hasn't played organized basketball in over a year, and he probably has never really been forced to abide by a "team" concept as strong as the one at Gonzaga. Unlike Manny Arop, Elias Harris, and Kelly Olynyk, Bol wasn't able to play for Canadian or German national teams this summer. Unlike Sam Dower and G.J. Vilarino, Bol didn't play a long summer of AAU basketball leading up to Gonzaga. I wouldn't call him a "project" in the most literal sense but I think he is just going to come along a bit slower than everyone else. If he was able to get in to the states at the start of the summer rather than a few weeks after the school year started, I think Bol would already be a valuable contributor.
3. Gonzaga has a reputation of producing excellent collegiate point guards. Demetri Goodson seems to be the next in line. What are your thoughts on the sophomore?
Demetri, or Meech, is still one of the big unknowns about this team. The funny thing is that no one is really concerned about him. I think he made some major headway with Gonzaga fans by hitting that running layup against Western Kentucky to send Gonzaga into the Sweet Sixteen. As far as this year is concerned, Meech is in an interesting position because he is the starting point guard but the offense doesn't really run through him.
Demetri Goodson may be the next great Gonzaga point guard.(photo credit: ESPN)
I realize that is an odd sentence but judging from these first two games it is pretty clear what Meech's orders are from the coaching staff. In fast break situations, Meech is comfortable. He is the fastest guard we've had at Gonzaga (although some say freshman G.J. Vilarino is just as explosive) so he is a great guard for break situations which is crucial because with a front line as athletic as Sacre and Harris, there are plenty of opportunities for fast break points. If the fast break isn't there, it is Meech's main job to get the ball to Steven Gray or Matt Bouldin. The offense goes through those two guys and more often than not in half court sets, the ball is out of Meech's hands by the time he hits the three-point line.
I think his future is bright at Gonzaga. As you said, he's only a sophomore and only has two games as a starter under his belt. I think he'll develop into an outstanding point guard for the Zags. Mark Few has shown the ability to get the most out of his guards because he shows a great deal of trust in them right from the get-go.
4. Nik Raivio or Derek Raivio?
Gotta go with Derek but I think we all wished that Derek had Nik's size. People don't really understand how amazing it was for Derek to be as prolific as he was. It was always funny that Derek was listed at 6'3'' while in Spokane. He was probably closer to 6' but had one of the quickest shots I've ever seen in person. Nik, on the other hand, is more of a pure wing at around 6'5'' and plays a different style but has been great at Portland. I think he also plays a little tougher against Gonzaga because they never really showed a great deal of recruiting interest.
5. Is Gonzaga the favorite to win the WCC? St. Mary's looked good in their beatdown of SDSU and Portland received a lot of attention in the preseason.
You're asking a lot of questions where my bias is really going to show through because I absolutely believe that the West Coast Conference still belongs to Gonzaga. I think one of the most surprising teams in the country, not just on the West Coast, is St. Mary's. Everyone assumed when they lost Patty Mills they would vanish and never be heard from again but Randy Bennett just keeps plucking Australians out of the wood work and they are performing at a high level and showing no signs of intimidation. They put a beating on San Diego State and it appears that the guys that really needed to step up are answering the call. Mickey McConnell is now running the show from the back court and is lighting it up from deep and Ben Allen is filling in for Diamon Simpson and is also playing at a high level. They've been so impressive that it has once again kind of pushed Portland to the back burner but that is where they thrive. They have the best point guard in the conference in T.J. Campbell and Nik Raivio is an All-WCC selection. The key for them is whether or not Eric Reveno can get anymore improvement out of his veterans since they returned 12 men from last year's team. I think Campbell will show great improvement but I wonder if the rest of the team has hit their ceiling. Only time will tell but when you look at what Gonzaga did against Michigan State and how physically imposing their front court has become, I have to say they are still the favorite.
Steven Gray(photo credit: ESPN)
Bonus: True of false - Steven Gray is actually one of the Geico cavemen?
Nothing surprises us anymore with Steven and the hair is just another feature of his personality. You may actually be more right than you know because he is acting now at Gonzaga and recently earned the lead role in a University production. As long as he keeps shooting and attacking the basket, we don't care what he looks like!
No comments:
Post a Comment