There's been lots of chatter on the sports front as to who will fill the scoring holes around Matt Bouldin this season: Will Demetri Goodson turn into a threat from the perimeter to go along with his Flash-like quickness slashing to the cup? Can Robert Sacre stay healthy and provide the big body inside Gonzaga needs to keep opponents out of the lane and off the boards?
I don't know any better than you do. Instead, I'll tell you what I do know: who won't be contributing to the stat sheet with Austin Daye, Jeremy Pargo, Ira Brown and Josh Heytvelt departed.
1. David Stockton: Okay, he has the pedigree for being a star at GU -- but so what? With dad John and grandfather Houston in the cushy seats at McCarthey Athletic Center, you can bet they'll want to see the little guy get some time on the floor. Problem is, he doesn't have the attributes to help the team out. Clearly undersized for the Division I and even Western Athletic Conference game at 5-10 and a gaunt 150, his physical attributes won't allow him to bang around on the floor with larger, more athletic opponents (Read: Call up Karl Malone at Lousiana Tech and hit the weights). Additionally, he's buried in the pecking order behind G.J. Vilarino and Grant Gibbs, so he won't see the hardwood much this year.
2. Chris Pontarolo-Maag: After playing second fiddle to last year's most notable walk-on suiting up for the Zags, Andrew Sorenson (19 games played, 3.9 minutes per game), Pontarolo-Maag steps into the high-profile role of the Zags best practice player/cheerleader/garbage time hotshot. In seven games of action last year, he went 1-4 from the field and missed his only three-pointer he attempted. This is good news for Pontarolo-Maag, who should be on pace to shatter those standards from last year and move a few rungs up the Zags all-time scoring list this year when he gets some time off the pine.
3. Mike Hart: Another of the walk-on breed in the vein of Pontarolo-Maag and Sorenson. Although he has the size (6-5) of a D-I prospect, I assume the skill set isn't as filled out as Coach Few would like to see, which explains his 3 minutes of time he logged in the exhibition game against Alberta. Hart does have a record of success from Jesuit High School in Portland, where his team made the state tournament annually and he played against the likes of Kyle Singler and Kevin Love during his prep basketball career.
Showing posts with label Gonzaga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gonzaga. Show all posts
Friday, November 6, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Prelim picks for the Dance on Thursday
So I'm in a hurry today, and since I don't have much time to post on the blog anymore as it is, here's some quick reads:
Upset city, baby:
No. 10 USC over No. 7 BC -- I didn't really like the Trojans for most of the season, but they looked good and were hot in the Pac-10 tournament. Taj Gibson will need to continue to be a stalwart on defense and DeMar DeRozan needs to produce in the frontcourt.
No. 11 Utah State over No. 6 Marquette -- Utah State boasts some threatening outside shooters in Jared Quayle and Tyler Newbold. Have the WAC player of the year in redheaded Gary Wilkinson. Marquette hasn't been the same without floor general Dominic James.
Cinderellas:
No. 7 Clemson -- I have loved this team every time I see them play on TV. Trevor Booker is a double-double threat, and I have no problem saying he can bang inside in a potential second round matchup with Oklahoma's Blake Griffin. K.C. Rivers and Terrence Oglesby form a competent and veteran backcourt. This team usually underachieves in the tourney, but look out this year.
No. 5 Florida State -- Nobody scores in double figures except for 21-point per game guy Toney Douglas, but this team has all the tools to go deep in the tourney: go-to-player, good balance on offense (68+ ppg) and solid depth in the front court. Plus, they have one of the best athlete graduation rates of teams in the tourney.
The faves:
North Carolina -- experienced team, and with reigning POY Tyler Hansbrough -- who has been somewhat under the radar, always in contention. Ty Lawson's injury looms large.
Louisville -- I think Terrence Williams (from Seattle) is the next big thing at the next level. But they don't have a dominant player inside (Samardo Samuels, Earl Clark are more role players) and they can't consistently put points on the board. I still like them for a Final Four pick.
Dark horses:
Wake Forest -- have some freaks offensively (James Johnson, Al-Farouq Aminu), and sophomore point guard Jeff Teague can make the big plays leading his team.
Gonzaga -- yeah, yeah, a cop out/hometown pick -- but I like the experience Josh Heytvelt, Jeremy Pargo and Matt Bouldin have leading this team. If they can get to the second weekend against potential opponent North Carolina, watch out.
The verdict:
All Big East final -- Connecticut snips down the nets over Pittsburgh in the final -- too much depth for the Huskies, and Hasheem Thabeet must stay out of foul trouble and patrol the lane -- but I'll go with 82-73 to end it for the team from Storrs.
Upset city, baby:
No. 10 USC over No. 7 BC -- I didn't really like the Trojans for most of the season, but they looked good and were hot in the Pac-10 tournament. Taj Gibson will need to continue to be a stalwart on defense and DeMar DeRozan needs to produce in the frontcourt.
No. 11 Utah State over No. 6 Marquette -- Utah State boasts some threatening outside shooters in Jared Quayle and Tyler Newbold. Have the WAC player of the year in redheaded Gary Wilkinson. Marquette hasn't been the same without floor general Dominic James.
Cinderellas:
No. 7 Clemson -- I have loved this team every time I see them play on TV. Trevor Booker is a double-double threat, and I have no problem saying he can bang inside in a potential second round matchup with Oklahoma's Blake Griffin. K.C. Rivers and Terrence Oglesby form a competent and veteran backcourt. This team usually underachieves in the tourney, but look out this year.
No. 5 Florida State -- Nobody scores in double figures except for 21-point per game guy Toney Douglas, but this team has all the tools to go deep in the tourney: go-to-player, good balance on offense (68+ ppg) and solid depth in the front court. Plus, they have one of the best athlete graduation rates of teams in the tourney.
The faves:
North Carolina -- experienced team, and with reigning POY Tyler Hansbrough -- who has been somewhat under the radar, always in contention. Ty Lawson's injury looms large.
Louisville -- I think Terrence Williams (from Seattle) is the next big thing at the next level. But they don't have a dominant player inside (Samardo Samuels, Earl Clark are more role players) and they can't consistently put points on the board. I still like them for a Final Four pick.
Dark horses:
Wake Forest -- have some freaks offensively (James Johnson, Al-Farouq Aminu), and sophomore point guard Jeff Teague can make the big plays leading his team.
Gonzaga -- yeah, yeah, a cop out/hometown pick -- but I like the experience Josh Heytvelt, Jeremy Pargo and Matt Bouldin have leading this team. If they can get to the second weekend against potential opponent North Carolina, watch out.
The verdict:
All Big East final -- Connecticut snips down the nets over Pittsburgh in the final -- too much depth for the Huskies, and Hasheem Thabeet must stay out of foul trouble and patrol the lane -- but I'll go with 82-73 to end it for the team from Storrs.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
ESPN + Spokane = Gonzaga bedlam
In case anyone is still harboring hopes of getting on television for their fleeting 5 seconds behind Digger Phelps' ubiquitous highlighter, here's some hope for you: ESPN's College GameDay will be coming to Spokane this Saturday as the 18th-ranked Zags host the 14th-ranked University of Memphis Tigers.
Look for Jeremy Pargo (who's a friendly guy, FYI) and Mike Goodson to press Tyreke Evans. I haven't been impressed with Evans the few times that I've seen him this year, and I think this is definitely a winnable game for the Zags if they can force Evans into bad decisions and turnovers. The Zags will have to be strong inside against Shawn Taggart, Robert Dozier and Pierre Niles-Henderson to keep them off the offensive glass to win as well. As a team, Memphis holds a +4 turnover margin and nearly a +5 rebound margin.
As a side note on a team Gonzaga has dispatched of twice this season, what happened to Tennessee? Talk about unmotivated and unfocused -- a total of five losses in the past two months. Games against Gonzaga and Memphis ended with losses to quality teams. But Kentucky, LSU and Kansas aren't the best resume builders. Tennessee should dominate the second half of their schedule against a weak Southeastern Conference this season. It will be imperative for them to find a go-to-guy (Wayne Chism?) if they are to be successful down the stretch. Also, here's Bruce Pearl's bare chest.
Look for Jeremy Pargo (who's a friendly guy, FYI) and Mike Goodson to press Tyreke Evans. I haven't been impressed with Evans the few times that I've seen him this year, and I think this is definitely a winnable game for the Zags if they can force Evans into bad decisions and turnovers. The Zags will have to be strong inside against Shawn Taggart, Robert Dozier and Pierre Niles-Henderson to keep them off the offensive glass to win as well. As a team, Memphis holds a +4 turnover margin and nearly a +5 rebound margin.
As a side note on a team Gonzaga has dispatched of twice this season, what happened to Tennessee? Talk about unmotivated and unfocused -- a total of five losses in the past two months. Games against Gonzaga and Memphis ended with losses to quality teams. But Kentucky, LSU and Kansas aren't the best resume builders. Tennessee should dominate the second half of their schedule against a weak Southeastern Conference this season. It will be imperative for them to find a go-to-guy (Wayne Chism?) if they are to be successful down the stretch. Also, here's Bruce Pearl's bare chest.
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