Scouting Report: UConn

UConn is guided by Guards A.J. Price and Jerome Dyson who have held it down very well thus far. Forward JEff Adrien and Center Hasheem Thabeet anchor a respectable front line. If anything can be used to describe this team, it is the word Balanced. The Huskies gave Memphis a big run earlier this year, and otherwise have not had a very tough schedule thus far, they almost stumbled with Morgan St. in the first game of their season. In order for this team to be successful they need to get good scoring from the guard positions and a solid 25-30 minutes from Thabeet. Thabeet is the wild card, as he at times has been almost unstoppable(12 points, 12 boards, 9 blocks against FAMU) and at times has looked god awful(3 points, 6 boards at Morgan St.) Either way, with the Zags interior size advantage they need to attack Thabeet early and often, as well as keep Pargo out of foul trouble, without the perimeter depth that UConn is blessed with. My prediction, Gonzaga 77 UConn 70.

Recap: Gonzaga @ St. Josephs

Final Score: 70-65 OT

Tough Win. Not the best way to handle a team like Saint Josephs, but it will do. Pat Calathes stood out as a great player. His 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 blocks showcased his ability well, a do everything, wiry forward who plays fast and hard. It seemed at times he held the Hawks destiny in his hands. On the Zags side of the ball, Matt Bouldin continued his solid play with 16 points, 7 Rebounds and 4 assists. He continues to improve with every passing game, i personally think he happens to be the most well rounded player on the team. Austin Daye excited with 17 points 4 boards and 2 blocks, but he also made 5 costly turnovers; Most of them being traveling violations. At times it seemed he lost his composure as he did with Texas Tech and let his frustrations get the best of him. Daye is a paradox of sorts because he shines so bright, with remarkable ability and gutsy play, but at others he makes boneheaded mistakes and looks almost overwhelmed by the sheer pressure that fills the gym every time the zags play. Hopefully this OT win is a stepping stone that will prepare the Zags for their behemoth opponents that are still to come. There is no rest, for tomorrow we play UConn who is no small task followed by #6 Wazzu Next week and Tennessee and Memphis later this year. Overall i saw many things that i liked, but i am wary that this team is too young and may hurt themselves with costly turnovers and poor decision making. Either way, Lets Go Zags, Lets Go!

Weekly Top 32

This is the new Top 32 in the country after this last weeks action. This is meant to be just the opinion of someone who watches a lot of College Basketball, and like any other poll is subject to change based off of how each team responds to the games they play. So do not read into this that I am predicting an order of finish, but I am stating who I think the top 32 teams in the country are. And with that said, here it is:

1. Memphis
2. UCLA
3. North Carolina
4. Georgetown
5. Kansas
6. Washington St.
7. Texas
8. Texas A&M
9. Duke
10. Pittsburgh

11. Louisville
12. Indiana
13. Marquette
14. Butler
15. Michigan St.
16. Clemson
17. Tennessee
18. Gonzaga
19. Oregon
20. Syracuse

21. USC
22. NC St.
23. Kansas St.
24. Wisconsin
25. Saint Mary’s
26. Xavier
27. BYU
28. Vanderbilt
29. Villanova
30. S. Illinois
31. Syracuse
32. George Mason

Others Receiving Attention:

Virginia, Miami (FL), Arizona, UConn, Arkansas, Stanford, Ohio St., Miami (OH)

Jeremy Pargo

Pargo the Great!

Scouting Report: Saint Josephs

Led By Pat Calathes, the brother of top Florida recruit Nick Calathes. He is a Wiry Big man who can step outside and knock down the 3 Ball. Right now hes averaging 16.3 ppg, and 7.7 rpg. Support comes from Sophomore Darrin Govens a rangy 6-1 combo guard who is averaging about 15 ppg. This team took Syracuse down to the wire about 2 weeks ago, which means they can and will be a team to reckon with. St. Joes poses matchup problems at the guard position due to Gonzaga's lack of depth. However the zags have a huge size advantage down low, if they can stay away from a defensive battle, they can win big over this squad, however with the recent play of the zags, it seems as though they may succumb to playing at Saint Josephs level. Look for Mark Few to run multiple offenses to try to confuse Phil Martellis squad.

Pargo The Great

Not many may know this, but Jeremy Pargo's Brother Jannero Pargo is a Baller too, heres his big 3 that put away the great evil that is the university of Kentucky in 2001:





And here is a few videos of Jeremy Throwing it down:







so as we can see Mr. Pargo is a very talented player and should be considered one of the top point guards in the nation.

Great Alaskan Wipeout

Well folks,

The Great Alaska Shootout has come and gone, and with it has gone the assumption that Gonzaga may have a final four season under their belt come season end. A loss to Texas Tech and a near loss to Western Kentucky did nothing to excite me. Unfortunately we lost out on a nationally televised game as well. Had we made the championship and played against then #22 Butler, we would have ensured a rematch of last seasons preseason NIT championship loss to Butler as well as another tough game to include on our RPI resume. As it stands right now, not that the RPI is that big a deal this time of the year anyways, but Gonzaga sits at #50 in the RPI.
In Recruiting news, At this point i think its safe to say we have 3 Letters of Intent(LOI's) Signed for 2008 in Grant Gibbs(4 Stars), Demetri Goodson(3 Stars) and Andy Poling(3 Stars). We also are one of 5 teams on the inside track with Verdell Jones(3 Stars), who is considered one of Tubby Smiths Most coveted recruits for his upstart program at Minnesota. Hopefully Mark Few has a couple tricks up his sleeve to woo the 6-4 combo guard.
Austin Daye has garnered much attention after having a tremendous start to the season, he is currently considered the number 1 pick in the 2009 Draft, and if declared for the upcoming draft he is considered a fringe top 10 pick.
All in all, i think with the upcoming treacherous Schedule, and the return of Josh Heytvelt in Mid December, we will have a chance to pad our non conference RPI as well as drastically improve our offensive options on the court. Saint Mary's may also greatly help our season out, if they can reach the top 25 with wins over Oregon, Drake, and Southern Illinois, then we can use them later this season to improve our chances at getting a #2 or #3 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Until Next time, Lets Go Zags! Lets Go!