Last year we brought you a first hand look at Kelly Olynyk
as he returned from redshirt season. He was seen as an enigma, someone who had
extreme talent but up to that point had largely disappointed. Well 2012-13 has
come and gone and Kelly O went on to have a spectacular season leading GU to
many first time achievements such as a #1 ranking and #1 seed in the NCAA
tourney. The impact Kelly made last season took a team with lots of promise to
a team that looked poised to go to the Promised Land.
Rewind back to that gut wrenching loss at the hands of the
Wichita State Shockers and all the pain and heartache. Despite a 26 point 9
rebound performance from KO, the Zags exited the tourney in the 2nd
round…again, for the third straight season. Kelly was obviously the star,
however when we needed him most he shot just 36% from the field. Now fast
forward a few weeks later to the most nerve-wracking announcement of the
offseason thus far and Kelly jumps ship, he’s headed pro. Obviously no one is surprised, Kelly is a
lock as a mid 1st rounder, and will probably be chosen higher than
any Zag since Adam Morrison, but you have to wonder did the sting of that 2nd
round defeat seal the deal? Did the thought of coming back and having another underwhelming
NCAA tourney on the team everyone else thinks is soft come into play? We may
never truly know.
I sit here on a muggy early summer night in the bluegrass
state wondering what could have been for Kelly in his senior season. I’m left
with visions of nets being cut down, and more Harlem shake videos. What could
have been will forever fill my mind. Perhaps we should view Kelly as just
another immensely talented Zag that broke our hearts when we needed them most,
or maybe I’m being too melodramatic. Whatever your opinion of the matter might
be, we can still reach back and remember that incredible 31-2 regular season.
The perfect West Coast Conference slate. That All-American season KO put on for
us. We can think back to what the staff saw when they drove to Kamloops to
watch a shaggy headed, lanky, and somewhat uncoordinated player absolutely
destroying his local competition. I will
always remember this season for its ups and downs, from the botched inbounds
pass at center court in Indianapolis, to the heights of seeing my Zags silence
Matthew Dellavedova and co. in the WCC tourney. Above it all, I will always remember
Kelly.
3 comments:
Nice article Josh! I think that KO paid the price of his success in swallowing his pride and taking that RS season. It helped him take his game to the level it belongs. Will he have a great NBA career? Probably not, but he will live out a dream all ballers have from an early age.
My personal opinion is that he could have stayed and it would have been good for his development, but less good for his Draft stock.....tough choice to weigh for sure.
One thing is for sure...he WAS the X factor and the article, (which was composed by an author on this site and not plagiarized and spun to appear to be his...) was spot on in it's prediction.
To be honest, I think Coleman can make up for the scoring of KO and I know the backcourt of KP, GBJ and KD can score more....so next year will probably be just as much fun but for a different reason....uptempo, push the ball and score score score....
It seems every year there is some kind of gaping hole that needs to be filled and we are always worried about some severe oversight in putting the team together by the coaches(lol), but by the time the season rolls around we end up being fine.
This offseason, my biggest concern is who will provide the D in the paint?
There had better be a "x-factor" for that.
I love KO and I am sad he left, but the NBA puts so much stock into age and being a redshirt junior he was already 21 years old. One more year definitely could have hurt his draft stock.
We always panic in the offseason and think the next year is a rebuilding year. I am just feeling fortunate that rebuilding for Gonzaga still means a successful season and making it to the tournament. If you are in the tournament, you at least have the chance.
Maybe we need to go back to being the underdogs, maybe this year will be the year! Gonzaga has surprised the nation and fans more than once before!
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