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:

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

June 15, 2015

Zach Collins to Play in NBPA Top 100 Camp, Eventful Summer



Zach Collins is one of the skilled basketball players who have been invited to the prestigious NBPA Top 100 Camp, which will be held June 16-20 on the campus of the University of Virginia. The NBPA Top 100 Camp is an event hosted by the NBPA (National Basketball Players Association), where current and former NBA players coach and guide prospective basketball stars. Another 2016 prospect, 6'8" wing Brendan Bailey, has also been invited to the camp.

This has been a huge year for Zach Collins, who rose to #37 in Rivals' class of 2016 rankings after a strong junior year high school campaign. A couple weeks later, Rivals recruiting analyst thought Zach still looked a bit under-ranked. The 6'11" power forward/center from Las Vegas, NV accumulated more than 30 offers before narrowing his final college list to Cal, Gonzaga, New Mexico, San Diego State, and Utah, before he ultimately chose Gonzaga the day after the Zags were awarded a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, on their way to the Elite 8.

Collins has been been a part of three Nevada State Championships at Bishop Gorman High School. For years, Zach has been coming off the bench as one of the best 6th men in the country, patiently waiting and battling alongside two of the best big men in the country, 5-star 2015 prospects Chase Jeter (Duke commit) and Stephen Zimmerman (UNLV commit). Despite coming off the bench, Collins averaged 9 points and 7 rebounds in his 2014-15 high school season.
Zach has been gaining a lot of notoriety in the Spring and Summer AAU basketball circuits. He teamed up with former 2016 Zag recruit Payton Pritchard to form a dominant inside-outside combination for the 17U Team Fast squad in the Adidas Uprising this Spring. Collins was one of the top rebounders and shot-blockers at those Adidas events. Here are some highlights from his strong showing at one of the Adidas evtns in April:


Collins then followed that up with an impressive performance alongside Jalek Felton, P.J. Washington, and Payton Pritchard in the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championships, where his team was tops among all other American squads and represented the USA in Hungary, where they only lost in overtime twice before falling to France in the Elite 8.

Most recently, Zach played in a tournament last weekend, where he dominated with an average of 21 points and 15 rebounds on his way to being named first team all-tournament. It's not too shabby that he had a high over 29 points in the tournament and in his low game, he still managed to drop 15 points.

There is still much more to come for Collins this summer. At the end of the month, Zach will participate in another high school tournament. From July 8-11, he will fly over to Atlanta, GA for the Adidas Uprising Gauntlet Finale for a 32-team bracketed tournament. He will then make his way to New York for the Adidas Uprising All-American Camp from July 15-17. Zach will then get a chance to play in his hometown (Las Vegas) for the Adidas Uprising Summer Championship from July 22-26. After that, Zach will make a trip over to Long Beach, CA for the Adidas Global Nations event from July 31-August 3.

Zach Collins is certainly having a very busy summer, but he has bit more in store before his expected arrival at Gonzaga in Fall 2016. After summer is over, Zach will gear up for his senior year at Bishop Gorman and will leave everything on the court to lead his school to a fifth straight state title. This time around, however, he will show off his skills in a starting role. Mid November will see another Gonzaga basketball season begin, and that is also when Zach Collins will have an opportunity to sign a letter of intent to play at Gonzaga.

Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels: , , , , ,

April 25, 2015

Money Talks, a Little Too Much

Mark Cuban called college hoops horrible and ugly for not adequately preparing players for the NBA.  Before you tear into him, let's take a look at his experience with basketball.  Maybe he played in high school?  Maybe he studied the game, and has an understanding of fundamental play, a basis upon which to form a critique?

History 1010 - Mark Cuban and Basketball

Cuban is class of '81 at Indiana.  By all accounts (Wikipedia), he was creating and leveraging opportunities to make money as early as grade school, being a natural entrepreneur.  Again, by all accounts (google), he was a fan of Hoosiers hoops, going so far as to launch a web company catalyzed by the idea of broadcasting IU games online.  But that's about where it ends.  In fact, it seems he was more a fan of rugby sevens, or more precisely, the parties resulting from rugby sevens, than he was of Hoosiers basketball.  We might be inclined to delve into some armchair psychology, discussing his peculiar fascination with nudity, and male and female genitals.  But the point is this; entrepreneurialism, money, fandom, and rugby sevens don't translate into an understanding of basketball that would warrant commentary on the national stage.  So maybe his comments themselves will offer us insight into his understanding of the game.  After all, he's the one who preaches:

"[k]now your business and industry better than anyone else in the world."


So in basketball, he argues for a larger protected area, wider key at the baseline, and refing out contact at the rim all to unclog the key.  The logic is to reduce physical play and promote more plays at the rim.  Yea, that might work, but it's a crutch, a training-wheel, a Band-Aid, a short-circuiting of basketball fundamentals.  What inherently promotes more play at the rim, and unclogging the key?  Better perimeter play in the form of surgical passing and lethal shooting.  It stretches the defense in its need to prevent the easy mid-range jumpshot, or worse, the three pointer.

Think Frank Kaminsky making the immortal, hyphenated, Kentucky frontline of Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein look bewildered when he would step out for a three.  Man or zone, the guards weren't tall enough to get a meaningful hand in his face, Kentucky's bigs were too uncomfortable defending that far out, and too slow to get around a high pick even if they decided to step out of their comfort zones.  Kaminsky forced Kentucky's post men out, which freed up Nigel Hayes and Sam Dekker to work inside.   Classic good offense to stretch the defense.  No larger protected area or ticky-tack reffing required.  This is a concept Cuban should be very familiar with.  Dirk Nowitski has built a Hall of Fame career out of drawing bigs out with precision shooting.  He left guys like Shaquille O'Neal baffled in no man's land 15' out.  Too high to protect the rim, but too low to break up a three.  Has Cuban not been watching his own games?  Or maybe he didn't understand the game well enough to be entertained by it?

History 1050 - The Key and the Three-Point Line

Truly understanding what unclogs the key and promotes better play at the rim calls for a quick history lesson:

1. the key - the key and it's sister 3-second rule were introduced in 1936 for the sole purpose of preventing players from camping around the hoop.  It's called the key because it acutally looked like a key hole.  And here we thought it was merely a pretty place to paint team colors and put the conference logo.


The problem was that taller players would cheat the key by simply straddling it with one foot on either end.  So the NBA widened it to 12 feet.  FIBA took the baseline to 20 feet to keep the area around the hoop even more clear, but that just proves European ballers are a bunch of wimps who can't post up against a back-to-the-basket center.  Twelve feet was enough to keep Wilt Chamblain out.

... and stay out...

Now the key is unclogged, right?

2. the three-point line -  Let's give the 3 point line some historical context.  There's still no shot clock, you're up by 10, there's 00:53 left in regulation, you have the ball 25' feet away from the rim, and there's a hand in your face.  What do you do?  Pass it?  Dribble out the clock?  If you're Pistol Pete Maravich, you shoot.  The Pistol started heaving 25-footers worth the same points as a lay-up (2), and sinking them.  If you're anyone else though, you dribble out the clock while the defense packs around the hoop.  The the jump shot forced the defense to step out and contest the good shooters, and the three point line made defending the jump shot that much more urgent.

The point is this: good basketball doesn't need wider keys to unclog the lane and run offense.  It needs better play.

Mid Major Programs Play Well, are Entertaining

If entertainment in college is what you're looking for, look no further than your very own Zags.  Watch as Przemek Karnowski feeds Domantis Sabonis with a no-look pass to neutralize a bewildered double-team.  And finishing wasn't luck; the pair did it again 10 minutes later.

Here's the best part.  You'd think a pass like that might catch Sabonis off guard, that he might bumble the ball a bit having it appear on the right side of a double-team.  But watch carefully, and you'll notice that on both occasions, Sabonis was showing palms.  He knew the ball was coming and he was ready to catch and finish.  It wasn't a case of a veteran guard feeding a freshman big with more heat than the big was ready for.  The Zags have practiced and played together enough to know where their teammates' heads are.

Sabonis finishes a dunk off a baseline pass from Karnowski
in the Zags' Sweet 16 win for its second Elite 8 berth ever.

That's chemistry that leads to good passing, good passing spreads the defense, a spread defense opens the key, and an open key is good basketball.  No amount of repainting lines and refs swallowing their whistles will ever make Karnowski drop no-look dimes to an open Sabonis.

Commercializing Athletics

This is the difference between basketball as entertainment, and basketball as a study in sport.  The difference between the WWE and World Cup wrestling.  The difference between a Chevrolet Corvette and a Lancia Stratos.  One is entertaining, fun to watch, popular.  The other is heady, fundamental, strategic. The main stream might not appreciate Sean Miller's Xs and Os coaching, but Sean Miller isn't out there calling James Harden's double-teamed, cross-over fade-aways with a guy open at the rim, "horrible" and "ugly."  The truth is, save for the likes of the Spurs, Hawks, and a few others, NBA basketball is actually really bad basketball.  Cuban may not understand college ball well enough to stay awake, but then, he was never invited.

Cuban attending one of his famously entertaining games.

Cuban famously lecturing another eager pupil.

This is the difference between Cuban's "entertaining" NBA champion mavericks team who won against a Heat team still finding its chemistry with the formation of Miami's threesome, and the "boring Spurs that have put together a string of 5 titles in one of the most consistent franchises in history.  So no, it appears Cuban has no understanding of the Xs and Os.  As a result, he's simply suggesting we short-circuit the fundamentals.  His success on the financial stage doesn't substantiate a blanket license to comment on everything.  College basketball is about so much more than entertainment.  It thrives on a mix of loyalty to an amateur athletic program, and an appreciation for Xs and Os.
Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

April 23, 2015

Vladimir Brodziansky Visits Campus gets Offered by Gonzaga


So, 247Sport's Jerry Meyer reported that we had a visitor this past weekend on GU's campus named Vladimir Brodziansky.  

Apparently, the coaching staff liked him so much they offered him a scholarship. If he accepts, he could play ball for the Bulldogs for three seasons, as he would be a Junior College transfer. He played for the top Basketball Academy in Europe, Canarias Basketball Academy, and Pratt Community College in the National Junior College Athletic Association.

At Pratt, Vladimir played as a Power Forward. He averaged approx. 15 pgg and 9 rebounds. He is anywhere from 6'9 to 6'11 depending on where you read about him. He's on the thin side, tipping in at about 205 pounds. A red-shirt year spent working with Travis Knight on technique, hitting the weights, getting stronger, and bulking up, would certainly be beneficial. 

With several open scholarships, along with losses the Zags will be facing next year that include current Bigs, Kyle Witljer and Przemek Karnowski, we will be somewhat short handed. He could forge himself a nice place on the team. 





We will keep you updated. Go Zags!




Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

April 16, 2015

2015 Wing Dominic Green is on Gonzaga's Radar




Dominic Green emerged as a high major prospect last summer, and just about as quickly as his big offers began to emerge, he made the decision to commit to Arizona State. Fast forward 8 months later, and now, one of the west coast's top shooters is available once again.

Dominic Green is a 6'7 small forward who is graduating from Hazen high school (Renton, WA) in 2015. Gonzaga, Washington, Washington State, and USC are among the first schools to reach out to Green. In the 2015 class, Scout rated him as a 4-star and the #77 overall prospect. Rivals, 24/7 Sports, and ESPN each rated him as a 3-star, but Rivals ranked him #144 and 24/7 ranked him #176.
Before his commitment to Arizona State, he also reportedly acquired offers from Washington State, UTEP, Portland, Montana, and Portland State, with Marquette, Washington, Gonzaga, Oregon, Indiana, USC, Nevada, San Jose State, Boise State, and Idaho showing strong interest.

Gonzaga currently has 4 scholarships to fill for the 2015 season, and one of the most immediate needs is at small forward. 6'4 2015 wing Tyson Jolly was supposed to visit this weekend, but he commit to Cal a day after visiting. Dominic Green has a strong scoring touch just like Jolly. With Kevin Pangos, Gary Bell, and Byron Wesley gone, Gonzaga could use a big guard who can really strong it from deep. Green would fill that void.
Scouting report:
Strengths: Green is a lean wing-type with long arms and a frame that should fill out nicely at the next level. He is a prolific shooter off the catch and his release is smooth. He gets good lift on his shot and his release is quick. He knows how to come off a pin-down screen and slip the screen in a pick-and-pop. He gets out in the lanes in transition and has the ability to finish in traffic due to his length and knack to score. He shows a nice feel for the game due to his tendency to look for good shots and not force the issue. In addition, he has a nice demeanor for the game and never appears to get rattled. 
Weaknesses: Green is still raw in certain areas of the game. He needs to improve his ball skills, especially when being pressured. Physical defenders can give him issues and he needs to become a better ball handler while attacking pressure. In addition, showing a greater urgency at the defensive end--utilizing his length--will help his development. 
Bottom Line: Green is an exceptional shooter with size and a frame that should fill out nicely at the next level.

Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

April 15, 2015

Gonzaga 2015 Recruiting Watch




Gonzaga has put itself in a precarious position. With the departures of Kevin Pangos, Gary Bell, and Byron Wesley due to exhausted eligibility, as well as Angel Nunez to transfer, Gonzaga has 4 scholarships to fill for the 2015-16 season, and that isn't even counting the possibility of Kyle Wiltjer and/or Przemek Karnowski leaving early. Normally, this wouldn't be such a big deal, but it's now mid April and late signing period is now upon us. It wasn't as much of an issue that the Zags didn't sign a new player back in the early signing period in November, but now it's so late in the year and most of the top 2015 freshmen are off the board or have used up their five allotted official visits, but there are a couple for us to monitor. Luckily, at this time of the year, transfers are a plenty, and we know some of them who have Gonzaga on their shortlist.

Damion Lee, 6'6" SF, Senior in 2015-16

PlayerGMPFGFGAFG%2P2PA2P%3P3PA3P%FTFTAFT%TRBASTSTLBLKTOVPFPTS
Damion Lee2738.16.314.4.4383.98.1.4792.46.3.3856.47.2.8876.12.31.50.31.92.221.4
Damion Lee is transferring out of Drexel and is eligible immediately for one remaining season. He was one of the top scorers last season and shot the ball at a high clip. He has narrowed his list to Gonzaga, Arizona, Louisville, Maryland, and Marquette. He has already scheduled visits to Arizona (April 17-19) and Louisville (April 19-21), and Gonzaga plans to make a trip out to see him on April 22. Gonzaga lost its whole starting backcourt and needs a high-level scorer to fill an immediate void.

Johnathan Williams III, 6'9" PF, Junior in 2016-17

PlayerGMPFGFGAFG%2P2PA2P%3P3PA3P%FTFTAFT%TRBASTSTLBLKTOVPFPTS
Johnathan Williams3229.44.09.7.4123.37.7.4290.72.0.3443.25.2.6177.10.80.30.62.62.711.9
Johnathan Williams III was the top scorer and rebounder on a very poor Missouri squad. His percentages are quite poor across the board, but I'm impressed with what he was able to do while battling through a torn meniscus the whole season. He plans to visit Gonzaga (May 1-3), and Michigan State has also been mentioned as a possible destination. He plans to improve his ball skills, get stronger, and allow his knee to heal while sitting out the 2015-16 season. Gonzaga will lose Wiltjer and Karnowski to exhausted eligibility after the 2015-16 season (if they hopefully don't leave before then) and with Sabonis's high draft stock, he could leave early, too, so an experienced frontcourt presence could be needed in 2016-17.

 Nigel Williams-Goss, 6'3" PG, Junior in 2016-17

PlayerGMPFGFGAFG%2P2PA2P%3P3PA3P%FTFTAFT%TRBASTSTLBLKTOVPFPTS
Nigel Williams-Goss3036.86.214.0.4425.511.2.4900.72.9.2562.53.2.7634.75.91.10.22.81.915.6
Nigel Williams-Goss led Washington in scoring and assists for the past 2 seasons. He plans to visit UNLV (April 18), Providence (April 25), Texas (May 1), and Georgetown (May 8).He will also have in-home visits with Georgetown (this week), Texas (April 20), and Providence (April 21). Michigan State, Gonzaga, LSU, and Ohio State are in contention for visits, as well. Gonzaga could use an experienced playmaker in 2016-17 as Dranginis and McClellan will exhaust their eligibility after next season.

Marcus Foster, 6'3" SG, Junior in 2016-17

PlayerGMPFGFGAFG%2P2PA2P%3P3PA3P%FTFTAFT%TRBASTSTLBLKTOVPFPTS
Marcus Foster2927.84.010.3.3882.04.4.4422.05.9.3472.43.5.7032.31.90.60.12.11.912.5
Marcus Foster led Kansas State in scoring the past 2 seasons, but he had a dip in production after a spectacular freshman season, and has had some personal issues which led to his removal from the starting lineup during conference play, a 3-game suspension, as well as a dismissal from the team. He plans to visit Crieghton (April 17-19), and other teams which have been mentioned in contention for his services are LSU, Gonzaga, and Cincinnati.

Federico Mussini, 6'1" PG, Freshman in 2015-16

PlayerGMPFGFGAFG%2P2PA2P%3P3PA3P%FTFTAFT%TRBASTSTLBLKTOVPFPTS
Federico Mussini932.168146.4664183.4942763.4294047.8514.02.11.40.02.41.322.6

Federico Mussini is currently playing professional basketball for Italian squad Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia, but he is contemplating playing college ball. Reggio Emilia offered him a 5-year contract and Mussini plans to decide whether he will play in college or stay in Europe by the end of April. He took a visit to St. John's on April 12 after coming the states and playing in the Nike Hoop Summit. The other colleges in contention for him are Gonzaga, Davidson, and Virginia. He fits the mold of successful undersized Zags like Dan Dickau, Derek Raivio, and Kevin Pangos with a strong outside touch, scorer's mentality, and shares the ball quite well. The stats above are from his dominant performance in the 2014 U18 Fiba World Championships from last summer.

Jordan Murphy, 6'8" SF, Freshman in 2015-16

Jordan Murphy was committed to VCU before a coaching change led him to reopen his recruitment. Gonzaga, UCLA, Miami, Oregon, Indiana, Minnesota, Rutgers, LSU, San Diego, and Bradley have been among the schools interested in his services, but Murphy only has 3 official visits left after using 2 on VCU and UNLV before his commitment. He has been ranked #113 by Rivals and #213 by 24/7 Sports. He averaged 23.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists in his last high school season and is currently playing in the Adidas Gauntlet AAU circuit. Gonzaga is in need of a wing for the 2015-16 season. Scouting report:
Strengths: Murphy is a long and athletic forward that excels in transition where he is capable of rebounding and taking the ball coast to coast and finish above the rim or with either hand. He is also a good straight line slasher and his rim dribble jumpers and threes off the catch with needed time and space. Murphy can score and is a pretty good rebounder as well. Defensively Murphy is a capable of defending both wing positions and even some smaller power forwards.

Weaknesses: Murphy will need to continue to add strength and work on his ball handling when under intense pressure and to make his jumper a more consistent weapon behind the arc. We think he could be a more of a factor on the glass as well given his athletic ability. Overall consistency should be improved as well.

Bottom Line: Murphy is a mid major plus forward with great upside. He is an athletic and smooth scorer that is a multiple position defender as well that is loaded with potential.

Posted by at 3 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)