Breaking News: Robert Sacre a Laker!

Well folks, 59 picks went by no Robert Sacre. But on the final pick of the 2012 NBA Draft the Los Angeles Lakers selected Big Rob. While im sure many of us are disappointed that he fell to the end of the draft, Rob will now know where his summer league will take place, and he has a chance to find a spot backing up one of the better centers in the NBA in Andrew Bynum. Like former bulldogs before him (Adam Morrison, Ronny Turiaf), Robert will have a chance to hone his skills on the pine at the Staples Center. Congratulations Rob, Good Luck on your professional basketball career!

News and Notes for Thursday

Robert Sacre is currently rumored to be going no further than #46 to the New Orleans Hornets. He is in Louisiana watching the draft with his parents. Rob was born in Baton Rouge and both his parents went to LSU. His father is currently the Athletic Director at Southern University. Lots of ties to Louisiana. We will notify you when the pick is in.

Here is a new Jadon Cohee mixtape:



In Scheduling news, Kansas St. has announced they will play Gonzaga on December 15th in Seattle. Should be a great Battle in Seattle!

Steven Gray Update

As requested, we have thrown together a Steven Gray update to keep everyone in the loop. After leaving Spokane, Steven signed with the Latvian club BK Ventspils. His season was largely successful. In 58 games playing 22.2 minutes per game Steven averaged 10.6 points, 2.3 assists, 2.1 boards, 0.9 Steals, and shot 41% from three point range. Steven had several big scoring games of 22, 26, 27, and 26 respectively. His minutes fluctuated quite a bit though.

WINNER OF KENNEL CLUB T-SHIRT IS: Gerry Young

Congratulations Jerry,

That was a pretty convincing argument in favor of Steven Gray.

You must email your shipping address to me at {sirfurry@hotmail.com}. I will pay for the shipping of your prize to the address provided. You MUST respond within 5 days from today or an alternate winner will be selected {in order of next winning choice}.

Many more giveaways are in the plans at Zagaholic, so stay tuned!!~ Gaz

Recruit Profile: Casey Benson

According to Josh Gershon of Scout.com, 2014 PG Casey Benson will be visiting Gonzaga this weekend. He has already received an offer from the Zags and is likely to be coming to Spokane to experience Hoopfest as well. Casey has also received offers from Boston College, Arizona St., Boise St., USC, Colorado, and Saint Mary's. At 6-3, and blessed with a knack for finding his teammates, most consider him to be not only the best point guard, but the best overall prospect out of Arizona for the class of 2014.

Redo - Gaz Weighs in on Which Zag Had the Best/Coolest/Worst/ Hair

Ok,

I get that this is kind of silly, but it's the off-season and Gonzaga has been known across the nation, and in the media, for players with CrAzY hair. So, I thought it would be fun to throw up a couple of pictures, and let you know who my pick would be. It's OK for you to have a favorite too.

I decided to add in a couple of Zags left out the last time I ran this. This time Kelly Olynyk made the list as well as Dan Dickau, who recently opened a barbershop in North Spokane near the Division Street Y.


Let's look at a few of the Zags with notorious hair:

1. Chris Sarbaugh:



2. Steven Gray:

3. Ronny Turiaf:         

4. Matt Bouldin:

                                                                               
Adam Morrison:

Dan Dickau:

Kelly Olynyk:

1. Sarbaugh looks like he just don't care what's going on up top.

2. Steven Gray sported corn rows and the crammed back headband style.

3. Ronny Turiaf alternated between braids and a huge fro.

4. Matt Bouldin, well, he may not have combed his hair the entire time he was at Gonzaga.

5. Adam Morrison. He had the short doo in the beginning. He also grew it out long.

6. Dan Dickau was too busy hitting bombs from the parking lot to care about his hair, but, anyone who opens a barbershop has got to be looked at as a serious contender.

7. Kelly Olynyk had the longest hair. It came with loosely fitting accessories (headbands) that oft times found their way to the court floor. And what was up with licking his fingers, then combing it with?

So, which player is the all-time winner? My pick is Ammo. He had the hair no one else had. It was long, it was short but...he had THE STACHE to add to the "hair" repertoire. In my opinion, the famed mustache puts him over the top. Remember, "you can't stop the stache."

                                                                                                                            

                                                   





Recruit Profile: Jordan Bell

According to Josh Paunil of National Recruiting Spotlight, forward Jordan Bell has picked up an offer from the Zags.

Rivals.com ranks the Long Beach, CA native as the 78th best player in the Class of 2013. Jordan has received several offers since his time at the Nike EYBL tourney. Jordan, at 6-7 and growing, is a natural post player and projects well to the 4 at the next level, Scout.com had this to say:

Recruit Profile: Drew Urquhart

2014 is shaping up to be a crucial recruiting class for the Zags. With many prospects listing interest from Gonzaga, it appears the staff is willing to search far and wide in hopes of bringing in another stellar class of players. Once again we turn our attention north of the border, to British Columbia, where the Zags have begun to show interest in 2014 forward Drew Urquhart. Recently we caught up with Drew who stated Tommy Lloyd has been in contact with his people. Drew  has garnered attention from other D1 schools as well (Washington, Boston College, NMSU to name a few).

Sacre Stock Rising?

Sources have advised that Robert Sacre is now being projected as high as late 1st round and early 2nd round in the upcoming NBA Draft. Most of his recent workouts were with teams in the 26-37 pick range of the draft. Sacre himself mentioned to Tariq Sibiet of Northpolehoops.com that he thinks he will go in that range.

While news changes quickly regarding the draft, signs are all pointing to a very good day for Robert. We will keep you posted as we learn more.

Breaking News: Zach LaVine a Bruin

Not that this comes as a surprise but Jeff Borzello at CBSsports.com has reported that Zach LaVine will be heading to Westwood. I really dont think Zach was ever truly considering anyone but UCLA, so this is not a shocker. He very well could end up a top 25 recruit in the nation by the time this class settles out. Good luck Zach, hope UCLA is everything you imagined...

This man will lead us to the Promised land...

The Architect from Travis Knight on Vimeo.


Nothing but hard work, and dedication. Kevin Pangos is truly amazing to watch.

Gaz Goes One on One With Mathis Keita

At the conclusion of the interview I asked Mathis if there was anything he wanted his fans to know and he said, ” Go Zags.” He added more to that, but this is what sticks with me. This was indicative of how he really feels. He loved his time at Gonzaga, his fellow students, players, and the coaches.  

He had no complaints, really. It simply came down to the feeling that he would not be earning enough playing time. He was unhappy with where he was at this point in his career. There was, in his mind, still time to get back to doing what he wanted the most…and that was playing in live games. 

Could he have done better? He thought so.  He certainly hoped so. Was he simply not good enough? He considered this possibility too.  

Was any of this on the coaches? Maybe, but even to the extent that a small percentage might be, he ultimately felt it was up to himself to do better and impress the staff enough to earn playing time. He felt like he was patient, kept a good attitude, got along with everyone, played hard, and practiced the same. But, there was still that elusive playing time…

Win a FREE ZAG Kennel Club Fan T-Shirt!

We have had some players with very interesting hair styles come to Gonzaga. Please, tell us which Men's basketball player in your opinion had the best/coolest/worst hair, and why you think so.

Was it Dan Dicau, Adam Morrison, Ronny Turiaf, Matt Bouldin, Kelly Olynyk, Chris Sarbaugh, or is it someone else?

Josh and I will determine the winner, based upon your comments left in the section below.

How to win: Sign up, so you can comment on Zagaholic. It is simple to do. Many of you have signed up on GU boards, or TSSFs, so we know you can do it. There is a tutorial on how to sign up over on the middle right side of this page to help you with the process as well.

The prize: One official Zag 6th Man Kennel Club T-shirt, size large, new with tags. Shipped to you free of charge.

* This contest will run for 7 days. At that time we will announce the winner. You’ll have 5 days from the end of the contest to respond with your mailing address. No response will forfeit prize to our second place selection. Good luck to everyone. If you do not win this time, no worries... there will be many more future contests. GO ZAGS!!~

Mark Few interviewed in Brazil

Coach Few goes on to talk about why he went to Brazil, JP Batista, Adam Morrison and More:

Zags showing interest in Drew Urquhart

According to Tariq Sbiet of Northpolehoops.com, The Zags are now showing interest in 2014 forward, Drew Urquhart.

Drew is out of St. Georges in Vancouver, BC. He is 6-7 and about 185, definitely wiry. We will have more on Drew soon from our Canadian Correspondent.

Nice Piece on Drew Barham

Jason Smith over at the Memphis Commercial Appeal has a nice article on former Memphis Tiger and incoming Gonzaga Bulldog Drew Barham.

According to the article, Josh Pastner had this to say about Drew:

"(Gonzaga) coach (Mark) Few is a friend of mine, and when we talked early on I told him what type of young man Drew is, and that he's a really good player, too, Coach Few is getting a good one."

The article goes on to say that Drew just participated in the Athletes in Action travel team where some D1 players went to Poland and Germany to tour and play some local club teams. Drew added:

 "I flew out there for a visit (Tuesday) and fell in love with the place, It's (Spokane, Wash.) a great city and a great program, and I really thought they could utilize the skills I have."

Drew was also considering Saint Mary's and Northern Arizona, so at the end of the day anytime we can beat out Randy Bennett for a player of Drew's standing, its a good day. We will keep you posted as we learn more. As always, GO ZAGS!

Darin Johnson Update

Back on May 16th, we highlighted a young man named Darin Johnson out of Sacramento. As we reported at that time, he would take a visit to Spokane around June 15-17. According to Garrett Tucker of future150.com, that visit occurred on the 15th as planned, and he is now in Pullman visiting Washington State. Darin picked up an offer from USC a couple weeks ago during a visit and they appear to be the frontrunners in his recruitment. Garrett had this to say about Darin:

Drew Barham Transfers to Gonzaga

According to Jim Meehan of the Spokesman Review, former Memphis Tiger Drew Barham will transfer to Gonzaga. He will be a 4th year Junior and be eligible to play immediately.

Drew did not play last season, and when used the two seasons prior he was used sparingly averaging only about 6 minutes per game for his career. So do we expect Drew to be a starter? No, but he is definitely a guy who can come in and help out in short bursts. Drew is 6-7, wiry, but has a good shooting stroke. Some have already compared him to Mathis Monninghoff and think he may be able to provide some of what Mathis brought to the table, yet feel comfortable with his role on the bench. We will keep you posted as learn more about Drew's commitment.

Here are some highlights of Drew:

Mathis Monninghoff to go Pro

According to Jim Meehan of the Spokesman Review, Mathis Monninghoff will not return to the Zags next season and instead sign a professional contract to play in his native Germany.

Its likely that his recent play during the U20 tourney helped him receive some offers. Ultimately he was not destined to get many minutes over the latter half of his career at GU and he made a good decision for himself and his family. Best of luck to the Hoff, its too bad we never got to see your full potential.

How this dogfight got ugly: the Gonzaga-Washington series

One of the craziest rumors while I was at Gonzaga involved Brandon Roy and Erroll Knight during their time together at the University of Washington. According to the story, Knight went to a party with Roy and some of the other players. Words were exchanged, and ultimately Knight decided to urinate in Brandon Roy’s shoes. I don’t believe Roy was wearing the shoes at the time, which is ultimately less important than the hilarity factor this story had during my college years (Admittedly, I’m chuckling right now reminiscing about it). Today, this story is a reminder that UW (Played by Roy) is pompous, old fashioned, and walking around with an unearned sense of entitlement. Whereas Gonzaga (Played by Knight) is scrappy, relatively unproven, and has a rather large chip on its shoulder. You could say that Knight peeing on Roy's shoes was a premonition of sorts... or you could say that it's a metaphor for the relationship between the two schools. Either way, over the course of the UW-Gonzaga series, we won 8 of 10 games on the way to establishing Gonzaga as a household name in the world of College Basketball.

Campus Correspondent

Hey Everybody, yet another contributor has been brought on to Zagaholic. She will be our Campus correspondent and Media maven in Spokane. Please welcome aboard,

Brenna Greene!

She is a current student at GU and a member of our beloved Kennel Club! Look for her video blog posts this fall.

Question of the Day

Which team would you most like to see the Zags start a series with? It can be any team out there. Please explain in the comments section, Selfish reasons or otherwise...

Cant wait to read your responses!

The Gonzaga Guner

We are very pleased to announce the addition of another contributor to our site. He is a Gonzaga Graduate, and a current Ph.D student at The University of Utah. We feel he brings great incite to Zagaholic. With no further ado, we are very pleased to welcome aboard,

Kurt Guner!

Expect to see Kurts first post soon!

Recruit Profile: Jordan McLaughlin

According to Joey Natale of Coast2Coasthoops.com, 2014 guard Jordan McLaughlin of Etiwanda, CA is listing Gonzaga. Natale goes on to say that Jordan is listing "the whole PAC-12, Gonzaga, UNLV, San Diego State, Syracuse and UConn." Rivals.com has him listed as their #33 player in the class of 2014. Jordan is smallish at around 5-11, but he brings with him excellent athleticism and an adept ability at creating his own shot. He seems like he will be able to score very well at the next level. His recruitment is obviously in its early stages, but so far we like what we see.

One week has passed and the contest is now officially over. It is time to announce the 3 winners of the "Name the Best Zag Team ever Contest."

Gaz & Josh have concluded that the 3 winners are:
1. Woohoo- First prize. The Zag Hoody
2. Trufflshuffl- 2nd prize- Zag T-shirt (I have in 2 sizes, choose Large or Xtra large)
3. Brianna Brooks-3rd prize Zag socks
There were some really fine arguments for several teams, great job! Those of you who just missed the cut, we will be having several more contests. Keep up the good work, your time is coming. The next contest will be something easy that will not require so much writing. :o)
You must email me your shipping address{sirfurry@hotmail.com}. I will pay for the shipping of your prize to the address provided. You MUST respond within 5 days from today or an alternate winner will be selected {in order of next winning choice}.
                                                                                                 

Gerard Coleman will transfer to Gonzaga

According to Jim Meehan, Gerard Coleman has transferred to Gonzaga. Here is his tweet:

And just a few minutes ago via Gerard's facebook account:

Gerard will be an amazing addition to the Zags, and while he is not eligible this season, he will be a tremendous asset in the future. With Karnowski, and now Coleman what was looking like a light year for recruiting has suddenly become much, much better. We cant wait to see the three headed monster of Pangos, Bell and Coleman in 2013.
We will have a more informative piece on Gerard soon. To whet your appetite, here are a few clips of him in action:

Tomorrow is Your Last Chance to win the Free Zag Gear!

Just a reminder: It's not too late to win free Zag gear. Our latest contest ends tomorrow {Monday} night. Get your favorite Zag team of all time choice in now!

click here: CONTEST                         

Pangos Rates Higher than Bell?

Mid-Major Madness says last season's top 100 rated freshmen were very good on the defensive side of their game. This was not the case offensively speaking. According to these stats, Gonzaga's Gary Bell did not fare as well offensively. Supposedly, Bell was outpaced by Kevin Pangos and did not live up to expectations.

Coach Few Assisted USA U-18 National Team Schedule is Out

The US team opens play with US Virgin Islands, followed by Mexico and then Brazil. Three games in three consecutive days. June 16, 17,  and 18. If they were to make it to the gold medal game, it would be five games in five days. The semi-final being on June 19, and the Final June 20.

Read all about it : RIGHT HERE

Final Roster now complete: HERE

Video of Coach Few regarding the process: HERE

Update on FIBA U-18 Team (coach Few is an assistant)

The USA Basketball Under-18 national team will go big with the team they take to Brazil for the FIBAs Americas Championships.

Nice to have Gonzaga's coach Mark Few as an assistant coach. This can only help with recruiting going forward.

Let's get the gold!!~

Recruit Profile: Karviar Shepherd

According to premierball.com, Gonzaga has offered class of 2013, Karviar Shepherd. Karviar is a 6-10 Forward/center out of Grace Prep in Arlington, TX. Rivals.com has him listed as the 44th best player in 2013. His recruitment includes most of the Big 12, SMU, Georgetown, Florida State, Louisville, Marquette, UCLA, USC and of course now the Zags. His recent showing at the Pangos All-American Camp has helped him become one of the most hotly pursued recruits in the nation. He has already taken an unofficial visits to UCLA, SMU, and LSU and has plans to head to Louisville and Kansas in the near future.

Recruit Profile: Elliott Pitts

According to former San Francisco coach, Philippe Doherty, 2013 guard Elliott Pitts has received an offer from the Zags. He had a good showing at the Pangos All-American camp. Elliott is a 6-5 wing out of Concord, CA. Rivals.com lists most of the PAC 12, WCC, and Big West on his list. However even Georgetown and Boston College have shown interest. ESPN.com has Pitts as the 72nd best player in 2013.

Recruit Profile: Robert Hubbs

Yesterday morning, Drew Laing from gatorcountry.com reported that 2013 guard, Robert Hubbs has received and offer from the Zags. He is a 6-5 wing out of Newbern, TN. According to Rivals.com Robert is the 24th best player in the nation for the class of 2013. His recruitment currently includes most of the SEC, Memphis and Duke. His recruitment by Gonzaga might strike some as being odd considering his regional locale, however with recent news that Ramello Carter of Georgia has received interest from the staff it appears they are trying to develop a pipeline in the southeast.

News and Notes for Tuesday

According to his facebook account, Gerard Coleman will visit Xavier tomorrow:

Also Christophe Ney of EuropeanProspects.com thinks that Mam Jaiteh will be going pro rather than attend GU or UW:

Jeff Goodman of CBS thinks the Zags will be top in the WCC next season...According to Jeff:

 " Zags class of league: No one would have guessed that Elias Harris would stick around Spokane for four years, but that's exactly what happened -- and he'll be a senior this coming season. He'll also have a pair of talented guards who now have a year under their belt in Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell. Mark Few's team will be the heavy favorite to win the league -- again."

  Germany played Poland today in a U20 Men's Friendly. This matchup featured both Przemek Karnowski and Mathis Mönninghoff. Mathis finished with 9 points on 3 three pointers and Przemek finished with 13 Points and 3 Boards. They will play again tomorrow.

GO ZAGS!

Gaz’s Free Giveaway Contest #2

Which Zag team was the BEST of all time? 

After returning from a relaxing condo vacation on top of Mt. Sweitzer I was feeling a wee bit benevolent. As such, it put me in the mood to throw up another prize giveaway contest. 

The prize will be: a brand new with tags, X-tra Large Men’s Gonzaga Hoodie {see pic}. It will be shipped to the winner free of charge. Editor's note: There will now be 3 prizes given away. 3 winners. Second prize will be a Zag T-shirt (Large). Third prize will be a pair of Zag socks. All prizes are brand new with tags. Keep em for yourself, maybe give em away as gifts.

How to win: Sign up, so you can comment on Zagaholic. It is simple to do. Most of you have signed up on GU boards, or TSSFs, so we know you can do it. Everybody is invited to tell us in comments which Gonzaga Men’s basketball team was the best of all time. There are no right or wrong answers. I happen to have a couple that are my personal favorites, but this is your forum. Let us know why your choice should be considered the best Zag team of all time. Please try to limit your comments to a paragraph or two. Convince Josh and I why your choice should be #1. The winner will be based primarily on how persuasive your argument is. 

This contest will run for 7 days. At that time we will announce the winner. You’ll have 5 days from the end of the contest to respond with your mailing address. No response will forfeit prize to our second place selection. Good luck to everyone. If you do not win this time, no worries... there will be many more future contests. GO ZAGS!!~



                         

Recruit Profile: Tramaine Isabell

According to Kevin Cacabelos of sbnation, Tramaine Isabell has received interest from the Gonzaga coaching staff:

"Lakeside's Tramaine Isabell (2014) is a 6'1" point guard with a scorer's mentality. Isabell said he will be specifically working to improve his vertical, his strength and his on-the-court demeanor this summer. He labeled his three-point shooting, quickness and overall athleticism as his strengths. Isabell will continue to workout with local NBA stars Will Conroy, Jamal Crawford and Brandon Roy throughout the summer. Several Pac-12 schools have shown preliminary interest; he's talked to coaches from UC Irvine, Gonzaga, Seattle University and Washington."

Gerard Coleman hints at possible move

Gerard Coleman has hinted at his possible move via facebook:

It appears likely he will be making his decision soon as he went on to say:

Obviously we are all hopeful to add a player with the talent level of Gerard to this team, just remember he will have to sit next season and redshirt due to NCAA transfer rules, so he will not be eligable to play until 2013 when he will be a RS Jr. We will keep you posted as we learn more. As always, GO ZAGS!