Pathetic and Embarrassing: Zags Lose to Portland St.

by Max Mandel on Dec 23, 2008 11:45 PM PST

How on earth did this just happen? How can one of hte most talented teams in the country, which is led by one of the best coaches in the nation lose to Portland St.? To be honest, I don't have the answer to these questions. As I sit and write this, all I feel is utter disappointment and disgust with this basketball team. I apologize for not having a traditional post-game breakdown, but I feel that this rant will be just as effective and appealing.

I want to start this "breakdown" with a set of quotes from Coach Few and the team, which I think really sum up how I feel.

"We got what we deserve," coach Mark Few said. "They outhustled us, outrebounded us and outplayed us."

Thanks for the wonderful insight Coach Few. How about this coaching staff starts doing their job. Gonzaga doesn't play again until December 31st, and this staff can't fire up this team for one more game before the break. Pathetic job by the coaching staff for this game. I really hope that Coach Few realizes that Gonzaga is no longer a cute mid-major. This is a nationally recognized program, and its time that he realizes that. It's not acceptable to occasionally make the Sweet 16. This team has Final 4 talent, and it's time that this coaching staff starts to help this team recognize its potential. I can assure that Roy Williams, Ben Howland, and Jim Calhoun would not have allowed their teams to lose this game.

"The guys didn't take it seriously enough," Few said. "And our confidence got knocked back a bit after the UConn game."

Isn't it the job of the coaching staff to get the team focused for every game? I'm disgusted that Coach Few didn't take responsibility for this performance. It is your job to build confidence after a tough loss, and to make sure that the guys take every game seriously.

It's about time that this team loses the cockiness they have. What good teams have the Zags beat this season? Tennessee appears to be pretty average, WSU is average, and Maryland is average. People need to realize that this "difficult" non-conference schedule is difficult only by name. UConn is the only team that Gonzaga has played that is a guarantee to end up in the NCAA Tournament. This team has proven nothing on a national scale, and it's time for them to realize that they still have a lot to prove.

I can't get over how much disgust and embarrassment I feel. The one thing that is keeping me sane is the fact that we are still in December. This team can't win or lose its shot at te Final 4 in December. It must use these last couple of losses as motivation and to reaffirm the goals that it set at the beginning of the season. The potential and talent is still there, but it is up to this coaching staff and this team to achieve all that is possible.

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Comments

great job explaining how i feel, and how a lot of people feel. few did not get his team ready for a good basketball team. i am beginning to wonder if few is the mastermind i thought he was. it is about time the bulldogs perform at the level they should. i hate to admit it but you are 100% right everydayzag. if gonzaga were a stock i would downgrade them to underperform. when was the last time gonzaga had played better than people expected. 1999??

by zagagolf on Dec 24, 2008 12:03 AM PST reply actions

I think JP Batista said it best.

For those able to watch the game tonight, Ehlo and Heister interviewed JP during the opening minutes of the second half. They discussed the one-two punch of Morrison and Batista in 2006, and then asked JP if Gonzaga had a one-two punch this year. JP said he thought Austin was the guy to go to when we needed a tough basket or a big play, but other than that, really couldn’t answer the question. This, among other things, is a major problem. If Gonzaga is to win in March we need players to step up, not just be around. Right now, Gonzaga has a deep roster filled with players who can make shots, but they do not have a player who steps up and takes control of the game when they need it. Many felt Pargo was going to be this player, but I would agree with zagagolf in an earlier comment that players seem to be playing for the scouts and not for the team. Pargo means well I’m sure, but he needs to be aggressive. How many times did we see him post up the 5’6 Dominquez?

Here are problems I feel need addressed immediately if we are to make a run in March:

Inside game…without a tough inside player (similar to Batista) our shooters will never shoot the percentage they could and should. It’s not about size, it’s not about post moves (to an extent), it’s about intensity and tenaciousness, no one on our team has displayed that yet.

Defense – we may be the best defensive team Gonzaga has had in a while, but is that impressive? We still struggle to make the one or two big stops we need

Rebounding – 27 to 2 second chance points…with our length…pathetic is right…stop trying to block every shot, and block someone out instead

Freethrows win basketball games.

by Jumpman_23 on Dec 24, 2008 1:39 AM PST reply actions

amen

our rebounding has been pathetic. what was our rebounding line against tennessee? 27-52 or something around there? by looking at that stat alone, you would have though UT killed us, but we hit a basket on nearly every possession. now we see what happens when we let a team out rebound us and struggle shooting.

by James Buchanan on Dec 24, 2008 8:50 PM PST up reply actions

awesome job Few

As my buddies and I were watching from the best seat in the house at Battle, a friend of mine made a very interesting comment. This guy is a mega fan who served on the Kennel Board and knows what he is talking about when it comes to GU Basketball. He said “The players have changed over the years, but the results haven’t…this one goes on Few” I began to think about what he was talking about and he is absolutely correct. Players and teams change every year, but the same result happens in big games. We can play with anyone in the country (besides maybe UNC) BUT we fall into one of two traps in every big game against good teams. One is getting a lead and not being able to sustain it (UCLA 06, Davidson 08, UConn 08) and the other is just not being mentally prepared from the start of the game (Texas Tech 05, Indiana 07, Arizona 08, PSU 08).

In my mind, it’s the coaches job to fix these. The best way to secure a lead is to run sets that take 10 to 15 seconds off the clock and end with a layup. If a team does that, the opposing team will mentally break and try to force things on the offensive end. Did you see a set play ran against UConn when we were up about 5 with 5 to play…of course not. I am pretty sure Few said lets play hot potato until someone makes a mistake.

Secondly, mentally preparation should be the players own responsibility, but if it’s not there tonight the coaches must jump on them and make them focus. Do you think Roy Williams has to jump on any of his players before the game because they look like they are in a confused haze? NO…good teams don’t come out flat game after game. I am disappointed in the great senior leadership i thought we were going to have this year.

by DKZagBlazer on Dec 24, 2008 9:36 AM PST reply actions