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Gonzaga Bulldog Basketball Commits
2011 Commits
Gary Bell Jr.
Position: PG
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Ht: 6'2"
Wt: 185 lbs
AAU: Seattle Rotary Select
High School: Kentridge HS (WA)
Kyle Dranginis
Position: CG
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Ht: 6'4''
Wt: 180
AAU: Boise Flite White
High School: Skyview HS (ID)
BYU to join West Coast Conference
by Zach Bell on Aug 31, 2010 4:06 PM PDT
77 comments
Rumors have been swirling for some time now that BYU was looking to make a big move with their athletic program and the fall out is apparenlty upon us as the Cougars will be joining the West Coast Conference.
The move will take place next year and the West Coast Conference has scheduled a press conferenece on Wednesday at 11 AM pacific to announce the move.
The Cougars move is driven by their desire to be independent in football and dictate their own schedule (and maximize $$$). Once they began to explore this option, it was clear that the Mountain West was not about to let them move out their football program but keep everything else in the conference so the Cougars had to find a new home. Initially, the most sensible move was to the WAC but after the Mountain West swept up Fresno and Nevada-Reno, that option began to lose appeal.
The WCC came into play once this happened but that is when news began to die down and everyone just assumed BYU would remain in the Mountain West and swallow their hopes of independence for the time being. The West Coast Conference has been very receptive to BYU all along and now it appears a deal has been struck and the Cougars will be the ninth member of the conference.
We are very, very excited about this move and will have much more on it later. We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below and welcome to our new BYU friends!
MWC Connection: BYU leaning to the WCC?
I know you guys love talking about this, but it looks like the WCC is on the verge of getting a little bigger.
Edit by ZB: Great find, opooos. It looks like BYU to the WCC could be more realistic than I originally thought. We already know the WCC is interested.
Spangler has received scholarship offers from and has set up official visits with Colorado, Tulsa, Gonzaga and TCU.
"I will be at Gonzaga on Sept. 25. I am definitely ready for that one. They are always good, every year. They are never bad. I know it is far from home, but I would be able to handle that.
Ryan Spangler has recently popped up on Gonzaga's recruiting radar and it is obvious the staff likes him a lot. Considering his list of schools, you have to think the Zags have a leg up as the best basketball program. If the distance isn't too much to deal with, I would be surprised if Few and co. didn't lock Spangler up as a member of the 2011 class.
2010 FIBA World Championships....Zags style
by Max Mandel on Aug 29, 2010 1:34 PM PDT
42 comments
While much of the focus on this site has been on a certain decision made last night, three current members of the Gonzaga team have been gaining invaluable experience playing against the best talent in the world. Both Kelly Olynyk and Rob Sacre are representing Team Canada in the FIBA World Championships, while Elias Harris is with the German National team.
Unfortunately, neither Kelly Olynyk or Rob Sacre have been able to any real impact for Canada, who is off to an 0-2 start and appears a longshot to advance out of group play. It's still a huge success for both of these guys to even be playing at this high level of basketball, especially with Kelly not even being a consistent member of the Gonzaga rotation last year. However, I don't expect to see either getting a ton of minutes, as the game is just too fast and too physical at this level for both guys. Of the two, Sacre has seen a little more action, playing 15 minutes combined in the first two games.
With neither Kelly or Rob making much of an impact, much of my attention has been on seeing how Elias has developed over the summer. While it won't be something that jumps out in the stat line when you look at the box score, Harris has been one of the key contributors to a German team that has been one of the big surprises of this entire tournament.
Wiltjer expected to go Kentucky; Zags move to plan B
by Zach Bell on Aug 28, 2010 11:49 AM PDT
97 comments
Sources tell The Slipper Still Fits that prized 2011 power forward Kyle Wiltjer has made his decision and he will take his game to Lexington and play for John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats.
That was tough to write.
Wiltjer, along with Gary Bell, was Gonzaga's #1 target for the class and is someone Mark Few and co. invested a lot of time in. For the past few months, we have thought that the leaders from Kyle were Gonzaga, Cal, and Kansas. This all changed when Kentucky got seriously involved and they recently had come through with an offer that was too much for Wiltjer to resist.
Whether you agree or disagree with Kyle's choice, we wish him nothing but the best with Kentucky. It's a tremendous opportunity for him.
As for Gonzaga, this is not the end of the world. Already in the fold are Gary Bell and Kyle Dranginis and there are a number of other prospects on the radar including Ryan Spangler, Antwan Space, and Carlos Emory. All three are good looking prospects that obviously don't have the allure of a Wiltjer but would be excellent additions.
The thread is yours to discuss the decision by Wiltjer but, please, remember we're dealing with a high school kid. Keep things classy.
Kyle Wiltjer to announce college decision on Saturday
by Zach Bell on Aug 27, 2010 7:16 PM PDT
28 comments
This tweet just came across in the past hour:
Kyle Wiltjer will make his college announcement tomorrow night on ESPNU during the live telecast of the Boost Mobile Elite 24 game.
Gonzaga's most prized 2011 prospect is without a doubt Mr. Wiltjer but this tweet from Alex Kline (@TheRecruitScoop) comes as a huge surprise. I'm not sure of young Mr. Kline's credentials but he writes for Rivals, ZagsBlog, and The Kentucky Sports Radio. It has since been confirmed by a few other sources so it sounds legit that Kyle will commit tomorrow night.
Initial thought. Who the hell knows but this is huge news as Mark Few looks to continue his hot recruiting streak with the 2011 class. Wiltjer, a five star power forward from Oregon, will decide from a who's who of schools including Gonzaga, Cal, Kansas, Kentucky, GA Tech, Wake, and Texas...and yes those are the order I think those schools will wind up!
Regardless of classification, position, or anything else, Wiltjer has blown up more than any other recruit in the country this summer. He's flashed unreal versatility and has dramatically improved his post play. He'd be a remarkable get for the Zags.
Thoughts?
Learning more about Antwan Space: Q&A with Blue Zertuche of TexasHoops.com
by Zach Bell on Aug 27, 2010 6:01 AM PDT
2 comments
The 2011 recruiting class has obvioulsy been a hot button issue here for quite some time. With Gonzaga after a number of very talented players (and with two locked up), there is no doubt that Mark Few and Co. are aiming high for the class. One name that popped up over the summer was Antwan Space. Space, who plays for the DFW Elite AAU team, was one of the biggest surprises of the summer and saw his stock improve greatly. His outstanding performances all summer long have netted him a number of high major offers including one from Gonzaga, which happens to be in his final five.
Recently, we were able to catch up with someone who has been following Space's game for quite some time. Blue Zertuche is a writer for TexasHoops.com, a Rivals.com affiliate focusing on Texas Prep Basketball. Blue broke the news of Antwan trimming his list to five and has a tremendous understanding of the AAU game and is a wealth of knowledge. We've had some fantastic interviews in the past but Blue's knowledge of Antwan's game will undoubtedly give you a top-notch understanding of this Gonzaga prospect. Enjoy!
Slipper Still Fits: How would you describe Antwan's game? What are his greatest strengths on the court, and what area of his game needs the most work at this point?
Blue Zertuche: He is a power forward with the ability to be a two-guard. He has great range, he has good handles on the perimeter, and he is long and runs the floor well. He also has the ability to put his back against the basket and score in the paint. With his long frame, he is able to go up and grab a lot of rebounds and keep the ball alive.
His weakness would probably be his strength. If he were to get inside a little bit more, his ability to back a guy down with his body is probably a little bit of a weakness, although he will be playing primarily on the perimeter or with his face up game.
Slipper Still Fits: What position does his game best translate to? It sounds like he is PF size, but has a game more suited to be on the perimeter.
Blue Zertuche: I think it really depends what kind of system he ends up in. He has got that body, with the length and the skill, so he is going to stretch out the defense. His ability inside to rebound and his height will allow you to play him at the "four" and get a lot of mismatches. He can play the pick-and-pop role, he can spot up on the outside, and he is really good at draining three's.
I don't see him as a "two" guard, because I think you have to wonder, is he going to be able to guard the "two"? So with that, I see him at that "four" position, where he can play in the high-post area. He can drain 15 footers, pick-and-pop, and come off the swing and knock down the jumper. He can be your safety net as a PF, because he can get the reversal on an inbounds play, and bring the ball up and get the offense initiated.
continue reading after the jump for more on Blue's assessment of Antwan's game and recruitment...
My Problem with the WCC
by opooos on Aug 24, 2010 4:40 PM PDT
22 comments
--bumped from the FanPosts - ZB
I admittedly have been a bit obsessed with the conference expansion and conference switching. This whole process has sort of fascinated me (plus it helps that it is the middle of summer I suppose) because there is a real chance that this time around it could affect GU. However I read something today that made me mad (Andy Katz's blog):
"Utah State hasn't reached out to the WCC or the Big West. The WCC has made it clear it is not going to take public colleges or universities because its membership is made up only of church-based private schools. The Big West, according to a source with direct knowledge, has heard only from Hawaii and not the other remaining five WAC schools (Utah State, New Mexico State, Idaho, San Jose State or Louisiana Tech)."
Why are the higher ups purposely limiting the WCC so much? The purpose of these athletic conferences should be to develop student athletes not to keep conference membership the same. What good does it serve the WCC to keep out teams like Utah State and New Mexico State (both teams went to the tournament last year)? Its not like the WCC was founded as a religious conference. Nevada-Reno, UNLV, and SJSU all used to be members of the WCC.
read on for more...
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