August 19, 2015

Gonzaga Set to Host Elite Recruits & Kraziness in the Kennel




The College basketball season officially kicks off October 2, 2015 and the 2015-16 Gonzaga schedule is nearly complete. Gonzaga should have another strong year, leading to the potential of a very long run in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. Coming off a one of the most accomplished seasons in school history, culminating in an appearance in the Elite Eight, the Zags should enjoy great success on the recruiting trail. The exceptional season lead to additions of elite transfers Nigel Williams-Goss and Johnathan Williams II, as well as one of the most highly-ranked high school recruits in school history: Zach Collins.

Kraziness in the Kennel


Kraziness in the Kennel is Gonzaga's annual preseason scrimmage event, giving a first look of the new roster to the fans. It will take place on October 10 at 4:00 pm during Fall Family Weekend. It is free to the general public and doors open at 3:00 pm, but make sure you show up to the McCarthy Athletic Center early because the line will be rather long and seats will be limited. Last year's event featured a dunk contest, 3 point shootout, and the scrimmage.

Zach Collins will visit for Kraziness


Fresh off a long and successful AAU season, 2016 7'0" center Zach Collins and his dad, Mike, have booked a trip to the Kennel for Fall Family Weekend. This is Zach's first trip to Gonzaga since his commitment. Zach's impressive summer included representing the United States for the FIBA U18 3x3 World Championships in Hungary, as well as holding his own against 5-star big men Thon Maker and Edrice "Bam Bam" Adebayo at the prestigious NBPA Top 100 Camp. Despite this, pundits from 247Sports and Scout neglect to give him a fair rating, while Rivals and ESPN have him slotted in the top 40, and have continually praised him in the AAU season, giving us reason to believe he could break into the top 30 soon. Regardless, Zach is expected to have a strong senior year in high school at Bishop Gorman, likely leading the team in points, rebounds, and blocked shots. Early signing period begins in mid November, and GU and eager for this instant-impact big man to officially join.


Brendan Bailey will visit October 9


2016 6'8 top 100 wing Brendan Bailey recently cut his list to 5 schools (Gonzaga, Marquette, Michigan, San Diego State, and Utah) earlier this week. He will visit Gonzaga October 9, during Fall Family Weekend. Zach Collins and his dad could help in the recruitment quite a bit, since they will also be at GU then. Brendan and Zach Collins played AAU together for Dreamvision last year, and they have grown to become good friends. Likewise, Brendan's dad, Thurl, and Zach's dad also seems to have a great relationship. Zach really wants Brendan to join him at GU. Brendan has already used up 3 of his official visits (San Diego State, UConn, and Marquette) but he did previously visit GU for one of Gonzaga Team Camps over the summer. Much like 2015 commit Jesse Wade, Brendan has decided to take an LDS Mission right after the conclusion of high school, so he will not arrive in college as a freshman until 2018. Brendan is one of the best shooters in the country and his lanky frame allows him to defend well and rack up rebounds with ease.


Killian Tillie will visit Gonzaga


2016 6'8" French power forward Killian Tillie has come to the states to visit Georgia Tech, Utah, and Gonzaga, and each of those schools have offered him scholarships. For months, it has believed to be a battle between the Zags and the Utes for his services. He comes from an athletic family and his brother played basketball at Utah for 4 years, but didn't play significant minutes there. Tommy Lloyd's first international recruit to play for GU was none other than a French big man, Ronny Turiaf, who has sustained major success at GU and has been a solid contributor in the NBA when healthy. Tommy brought in a number of international big men to GU over the years other than just Turiaf (J.P. Batista, Robert Sacre, Elias Harris, Kelly Olynyk, Przemek Karnowski, and Domantas Sabonis) and each of those mentioned have had quite the careers at Gonzaga, so hopefully that factors into Killian's decision. Killian is a very good athlete with a high motor. He blocks shots, shares the ball, defends well, and shoot out the the 3 point line. I'd love for Killian to slide into small forward for the Zags, but with added muscle and weight, he could become a very strong threat in the post.
Zach Collins played against Killian in the U18 3x3 World Championships this summer and they were able to chat. Zach wouldn't mind Killian as a teammate:

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