While watching games on TV allows any fan to follow the Zags, I'm a huge believer that the best way to evaluate a team is to watch them in person. As a resident of Portland, I was able to head over to the Chiles Center and watch the Zags in person for the first time this season. Although the game wasn't a thing of beauty, there were a few aspects of the game that I really focused on now that I was able to see the team in person. Before I get to the game, I would like to thank the great table of Zag fans I had the pleasure of dining with, who for some reason spend their time reading the thoughts of this site :). Thanks for the kind words guys!!!

What I liked: There were actually many positives I took away from this game. The first, and perhaps the most obvious, was the play of Gary Bell Jr. As a long time admirer of his game, this was my first chance to watch him in person since he was heading into his junior year at Kentridge. Needless to say, I was beyond impressed. GBJ is built like a senior in college and has unbelievable court vision coming off screens. He is just so confident with the ball and makes great decisions. I truly believe this season is just a slight glimpse into his potential, and once he fully grasps the nuances of the offense and his role in it, watch out.

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My apologies for the lack of a game thread tonight. Had a few things come up this evening and wasn't able to get to a computer.

After a subpar first half tonight against the Portland Pilots, Gonzaga put together one of their best twenty minutes of the season as they rallied in the second half to escape with a win. Four Zags were in double figures tonight led by freshman Gary Bell Jr. who had a career high 18 points and continues to improve and play well in the clutch. Bell's freshman counterpart Kevin Pangos also was in double figures tonight as were Elias Harris and Robert Sacre. Harris also came down with ten rebounds tonight for yet another double double. With tonight's 74-62 victory, the Bulldogs moved to 17-3 on the season as a date with BYU sits on the horizon.

For as bad as the first half was from Gonzaga, their play in the second half was about as crisp as I have seen this team since the Xavier game on New Years Eve. Elias Harris in particular just continues to look better and better. Harris finished with his second straight double double and tonight's performance marks his eight straight game in double figures.

Harris' solid play has undoubtedly been bolstered by the play of Gonzaga's freshmen guards. Particularly in the second half, Gary Bell and Kevin Pangos were dialed in when it mattered the most. Bell made a number of plays and his ability to take care of the ball and not turn it over continues to improve. In addition to his 18 points, Bell ended the game with a couple of assists and rebounds and did not turn the ball over. Pangos struggled a bit with turnovers but still made a number of great plays in the second half and both play with the poise of upperclassmen.

Another factor that can't be overlooked is how much better this team meshes when its veterans are playing at a high level. Tonight this was no more evident than the spark Marquise Carter provided in the second half. For the first time in a long time, Marquise Carter was Gonzaga's best option at the small forward tonight. He was 2-2 from the floor with three rebounds and three assists. While the stats don't indicate anything above and beyond tonight for Carter, I thought this was his best game in months. He played great basketball and seemed to calm this team down in the second half and allowed the other guards to make plays for the rest of the team. Robert Sacre also had another solid game. The senior big man was 5-5 from the floor and 6-7 from the stripe.

One last interesting piece of this game was the rotation. A trimmed down eight man rotation is all Mark Few went with tonight. Mike Hart was the most noticeable missing Zag tonight as the staff only elected to bring Sam Dower, David Stockton, and Marquise Carter off the bench. Personally, I loved what the staff did. With Guy Landry Edi starting, Gonzaga is able to kick off the game with some defensive pressure and then guys like Stockton, Carter, and Dower can come in to slow things down on offense. Role guys like Monninghoff and Hart will provide quality minutes down the line but they are best as situational subs.

Prior to shipping off for a three game road swing which includes a date with BYU, Gonzaga welcomed in former assistant coach Bill Grier and the San Diego Toreros. Gonzaga, which had won two straight since getting throttled on the road against Saint Mary's, was still working to back in the groove. Tonight against the Toreros, the Bulldogs showed some signs of improvement as they took down USD by a score of 77-60. It was the frontcourt that did a majority of the damage tonight. Robert Sacre, led the way for the Zags with 18 points and 11 rebounds. It was Rob's first double double since mid-November and is hopefully a sign of things to come as he has had his fair share of ups and downs this season. Elias Harris joined Rob with a solid performance tonight. The German forward finished with 15 points and 13 boards.

While the Zags eventually pulled away in the second half, the first twenty minutes was another frustrating stretch when it was obvious who the better team was, but the Bulldogs simply could not play consistently enough to pull away. In the end the size of Gonzaga was just way too overpowering for the Toreros to match for forty minutes. Harris, Sacre, and Sam Dower dominated the stat sheet in the second half and carried the Zags to the win.

While Rob and Elias' performance tonight was a treat, one of the biggest storylines was Guy Landry Edi's insertion into the starting lineup. The junior college transfer has been seeing inconsistent minutes since missing the first eight games due to suspension. In Gonzaga's previous game against San Francisco, Edi came off the bench to score 15 points and help lead the Zags past the Dons. He was rewarded for that performance tonight and got his first (of hopefully many) starts in a Bulldog uniform. Edi played 26 minutes in total and did a lot of good things. Most importantly, he cut down on some of the mistakes he had been making prior to tonight, specifically turnovers. Not only that, but he had a pretty sweet dunk tonight.

The next four games are what you could categorize as a "season defining stretch" for this team. Games at Portland, BYU, and Pepperdine before coming home to host Saint Mary's on February 9th should tell us all we need to know about this team. It appears the squad is trending upwards but the thing that will really push this group over the hump in my estimation is solid, reliable play from the small forward position. The past two games have been positive from Guy Landry Edi, but we'll see if he can turn the corner from "offensive spark" to "offensive force". If he can, this team can really hit a whole new level.

2011-2012 Season - Game 19
	vs.
7-11 (2-4 in WCC)		15-3 (5-1 in WCC)
McCarthey Athletic Center - Spokane, WA
January 21st, 2011, 5:00 PM PST
TV: KHQ/ROOT Radio: 1510 KGA
Probable starters:
Christopher Anderson	G	Kevin Pangos
Johnny Dee	G	Gary Bell
Ken Rancifer	F	Michael Hart
Dennis Kramer	F	Elias Harris
Simi Fajemisin	C	Robert Sacre

If you haven't, sign up for a membership to The Slipper Still Fits and get in the discussion in the comments. You know the drill, the comments refresh automatically so it's a great to chat about the game with other fans. Looking forward to hearing from you!

GO ZAGS!!!

Whenever Gonzaga meets up with Billy Grier and the USD Toreros, it reminds me of how fickle the coaching business can be. In his first season in San Diego, Grier delivered immediate success, leading USD to the NCAA Tournament and a huge upset of UConn in the opening round. At that point, it seemed like a sure thing that Grier would turn USD into a consistent contender in the WCC, or perhaps even move on to the Pac-12. However, for a variety of reasons, Grier has never been able to discover the winning formula that his team had that season, with the Toreros consistently lingering at the bottom of the WCC standings ever since.

As the first assistant from the Mark Few coaching tree to get a head-coaching job, I always root for Grier to succeed. There is no doubt that the guy can coach, and for the first time since he took over the program, it seems that USD is headed in the right direction. While the results on the court this season haven't been overly impressive, Grier is relying on some young talent that is working hard and has the potential to develop. With the success that Leon Rice is having at Boise St., it would be great to see Grier get USD headed in the right direction. The more success that former Gonzaga coaches have, the more likely it is for top assistants to come to Spokane when there is an opening on the staff.

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Games like tonight are the reason for the phrase "A win is a win". Gonzaga took down San Francisco this evening in Spokane by a score of 74-63. While they lead by a pretty wide margin for a majority of the game, there wasn't a whole lot to write home about if you are a Bulldog fan. Four Zags were in double figures tonight, led by Guy Landry Edi who scored 15 points off the bench tonight. It was the junior college transfer's best offensive output of his young Gonzaga career. Elias Harris, Rob Sacre, and Kevin Pangos joined Edi in double figures for the Zags.

San Francisco hung with the Zags for most of the first half but a strong end to the half propelled Gonzaga to a 41-32 lead at the break. Gonzaga got off to a very quick start out of the halftime break as Edi, Elias Harris, and a couple of Rob Sacre dunks broke the Dons backs with 15 minutes left in the second half. USF was never able to mount a meaningful run following the first five minutes of the second half.

As I said in the opener, tonight was a fun game to see Guy Landry Edi shine. Gonzaga has had such a weakness all season at the small forward spot so any production out of that role is huge. Many believe Edi is the guy that needs to step up as Mike Hart is really never going to provide consistent offense, Marquise Carter continues to struggle, and Mathis Keita & Monninghoff's minutes are very limited. This puts a ton of pressure on the freshmen backcourt combo of Gary Bell and Kevin Pangos. While the two have handled that pressure admirably, life would be a ton easier if the Zags could rely on production out of the three spot. Edi did a little bit of everything tonight. He knocked down open shots from deep, got to the rim, and made plays. He still really struggles handling the ball and turns it over too much but it is hard to ignore the potential that he has.

To put in plainly, Gonzaga won the game but they are in a bit of a funk that is similar to what we have seen in year's past during WCC play. Not a whole lot of rhythm in their offense, poor against any type of pressure, and just moments where scoring seems to be nearly impossible. I feel like a broken record but the absolute key to this team's success is Elias Harris. Everything runs so much better when he is touching the ball and is allowed to dominate the flow of the game. For whatever reason, the Bulldogs either take a while to realize this or forget throughout the game. Harris' performance this season has been outstanding and his play in the second half was a huge reason why the Zags pulled away.

Feel free to discuss in the comments below. Tonight was just a whole lot of "eh, ok" with some flashes of solid play. The Zags February 2nd date at BYU inches closer and closer. While the Cougars have struggled, a performance like tonight in Provo would absolutely result in another conference loss.

Go Zags!

Over the past six months, it has been clear that one area that the Gonzaga coaching staff is looking to upgrade heading into next season is the combo guard depth. With the Zags often employing a three guard lineup of David Stockton, Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr., the lack of a long and tall guard has been apparent. With that in mind, it should come as surprise that the coaching staff has its eyes on Amedeo Della Valle (Findlay Prep), one of the top uncommitted guards in the nation.

After an excellent performance at the European Championships this past summer, the Italy native made the decision to come over to America and play a year of Prep ball. The goal of playing college basketball outweighed the opportunity to sign a professional contract for the talented guard.

"I made the decision (to come to America) after the European Championships at the end of August," the Findlay Prep guard told Slipper Still Fits. "The main reason was because I really wanted to play college basketball because of the environment. I was supposed to sign a contract before the championship, but then I just changed mind because I came to work out in Chicago and just loved it here."

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