In a new post via his blog on ESPN.com, Jay Bilas has finally got all chummy with the Zags. I do not recall a time when he was so excited about GU's prospects for the upcoming year. Here is what he had to say:
"It seems as if Mark Few's Zags are in this position often. Gonzaga has won in the West Coast Conference like UCLA did in the John Wooden era, yet it has not been able to crack the Elite Eight barrier since 1999. Gonzaga has been good enough but has always seemed to come up against the toughest draws and seeds, not to mention a couple of tough game locations.
This year, I like Few's crew and the Zags' chances to be special. Young guards Kevin Pangos, Gary Bell and David Stockton are gamers, and Pangos and Bell each hit more than 50 3-point field goals last season. Elias Harris is the best player, rebounder and scorer, and he had a really nice performance at the LeBron James Skills Academy in Las Vegas. Lefty Sam Dower has improved every year, and bigs Kelly Olynyk and Przemek Karnowski provide size and skill. Remember, this team pounded West Virginia and played Ohio State tough in the NCAA tournament with a young backcourt last season."I know that analysts opinions have nothing to do with our tournament success, but its always nice to hear positive write ups regarding the upcoming season and it certainly adds to the late summer fever most of us are feeling as we wait on pins and needles for the upcoming year. It doesnt hurt that Jay is well respected for his impartial analysis of most teams (except maybe the Dookies). When hes not posting insightful college basketball wisdom hes usually entertaining his followers on twitter by reciting lines from songs by rappers like "Young Jeezy", you should definitely follow the man who follows no one on Twitter. As always, GO ZAGS!
3 comments:
I love hearing analysis like this, just so I can show my friends that I am not the only one who thinks highly of the Zags.
PS. Haha, nice pic you choose!
I appreciate the love from Jay but what will really make this team special will be the addition of Kyle D. and the growth of Dower and KO. Forget the notion that KD is not D1 ready. He has excellent fundamentals, great length, an awesome range out to 25ft and he is a much better defender than KP or DS. Sam will have a coming out party and KO will show he huge improvement in his "back to the basket" game. (I saw this recently and he has got a sick and I mean SICK, hard dribble roll baseline step over baby hook....did I say sick?...) Not to mention, Landry is healed up and knows the system. My point is Harris, and the duo of KP and GBJ are the obvious threats but this team will be able to hurt you all over the court and they are deep, deep deep. IMO get ready for the next three years cause this group has the tools and talent to be VERY special.
I agree Matt, definitely excited to see this team gel this year
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