Steven Gray, Manny Arop key Gonzaga's win over Santa Clara
by Zach Bell on Jan 28, 2010 11:39 PM PST
55 comments
There are a lot of times during conference play when you have to give yourself a reality check. As Gonzaga went down thirteen points in the second half, I had already begun thinking of a headline for this post. "We aren't invincible in the WCC" was what kept coming to mind and, although I still believe that, Gonzaga's comeback win tonight over Santa Clara really has me wondering. The Bulldogs seemed to be dead in the water at times during this game. They trailed by five at the end of the first half and let that deficit balloon to 10 within the first five minutes of the second. If you look at the play-by-play from the second half, you may be surprised as to how the Bulldogs crawled back into it. The usual suspects, Matt Bouldin and Elias Harris, really didn't have a major impact as Gonzaga made their comeback. Instead, Mark Few relied on some fresh faces and Steven Gray as they downed the Broncos tonight, 71-64.
Before I get into the game breakdown and discussion, I feel like I must point out the three players tonight that flat out would not let Gonzaga lose. Let's start with Steven Gray. Gonzaga's junior shooting guard was simply marvelous, especially when it mattered most. Gray finished the game with 19 points on 8-16 shooting. Looking at the stats, you wouldn't see anything earth-shattering but his play in the second half was sensational. He scored 12 of his points in the second stanza and continued to play with great energy and was always in the right place at the right time. I couldn't be happier with his progression this year.
Secondly, major accolades must be given to Mangisto Arop. Arop had a pretty modest scoring statline (1-2, 4 points) but his two steals and two blocks were enormous late in the game. He hit two really big free throws when Steven went out after getting poked in the eye and continued to play great the rest of the game. I really can't say enough about Manny. He goes for every rebound and if he doesn't get it, he makes it tough for the opponent to. I counted two or three "assisted Gonzaga rebounds" from the freshman.
The last player I want to mention in this opening bit of happiness is Kelly Olynyk. Kelly, like Steven, has been playing great basketball as of late and he started out slow in the first half but was clutch for the Bulldogs in the second half. In my estimation, one of the most crucial points of the game was around the 14 minute mark of the second period. Santa Clara was up 12 points at that point before Olynyk hit a beautiful mid-range jumper. The Broncos proceeded to run down and hit a three but the Zags answered with another Olynyk bucket to keep Gonzaga within 11 points. This was Santa Clara's best chance to pull away from Gonzaga but they didn't account for Kelly hitting two huge shots. His poise after a very rough first half really impressed me.
more thoughts after the jump...
There's no doubt in my mind that the Zags really did escape with a win tonight. Santa Clara put together the most complete performance I've seen against the Bulldogs in the WCC up to this date. They were physical, and I mean very very physical. Matt Bouldin, Steven Gray, and Elias Harris were all gimping around at some point during the game because when Santa Clara fouled or hit the glass, the did it with no regard for Gonzaga's presence on the floor. They were ruthless and actually fantastic. While Gonzaga was really busy trying to be cute in the first half, the Broncos hit big shots and bullied our Zags around. I also thought Kerry Keating called a marvelous game. He knew the Zags wouldn't stick with Meech Goodson long and immediately doubled Matt Bouldin when he played point and caused turnovers and really frustrated our senior leader. Keating had his team ready to pull off the upset.
Thankfully, for Gonzaga, the three players I mentioned in the opener wouldn't let Keating's bunch take home the upset win. It's hard for me to not be happy with this win because I really thought we saw subpar offensive performances from both Matt Bouldin and Elias Harris. Gonzaga's dynamic duo did combine for 35 points in the game but only 11 came in the second half comeback attempt (Sorry Matt, I'm not counting the exclamation layup at the end). They were both really beaten up by the Broncos as it was clear Keating set his sights on the two Bulldog stars. One thing that the Zags could not have won without was Harris' huge night on the boards as he pulled down 15 but I thought SCU did a great job defending the German freshman. Every shot Elias took was met with a double team and he always looked pretty frustrated. Same could be said for Matt. He was visibly frustrated and really emotional tonight and let that take over his offensive game. He forced drives from time to time leading to a few huge Santa Clara blocks and of course, the forced pull up three reared it's ugly head. Up to this point, Matt has really done a great job staying level headed and contributing in other ways but this evening wasn't one of those times. His stats will look great tomorrow and Elias' will as well but I think every Gonzaga fan knew these two were not their usual outstanding selves. Games like these will happen, though, especially as teams adapt to what Mark Few is throwing out there.
On a more critical note, Robert Sacre and Demetri Goodson are still pedestrian starters. Each contributed little this evening and the stats are just brutal for such few minutes. Meech had two turnovers and two missed free throws. Rob had five points and three rebounds. Both could make even the toughest Gonzaga fan grimace. The sad thing is I don't see a whole lot of confidence in either. This can be said for Sacre especially. I'm really praying he can regather himself and find that offensive game he flaunted at Michigan State. He looked like a true freshman again tonight as he struggled catching the ball, holding on to it, and doing anything with it when he got it. After the first few games of the year, we assumed Rob and Elias would make Gonzaga an inside-out team and while Harris has lived up to that, Sacre has really fallen short. There is not a doubt in my mind that Gonzaga can't get past the Sweet 16 if these two continue this subpar play. I can't imagine a back court of Matt, Steven, and Manny stacking up against overly athletic defenders as none are really above average ball handlers. I also can't see this team thriving when all teams have to focus on is Elias in the paint. Each one of these sophomores must step up and do it soon.
The bottom line is that the Zags are now 17-3 and continue their climb to another regular season WCC championship. Next up is a Saturday date with Rex Walters and the San Francisco Dons on the road.
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Opinions!
It’s always interesting reading others views on what they saw or expected. Did I miss something or did ZB just ream 2 of the stars of the game? “Sub par offensive performances” from Bouldin and Harris? 16 pts. 14 rebounds? Sub par? Matt and “E” again were double teamed all night. Matt again played 40 minutes and scored 19 and as always was solid from the Line. Subpar? Can you please provide us with your basis? Are you really trying to say that any player and I mean any player should be able to overcome 2 defenders in traps all night and score and have……..what kind of stat line that meets your standards? Please expound on that, I dying to understand what I’ve missed these past 50 years.
Your lead in should’ve been, " E, Steven and Matt lead GU to a good comeback win with great play off the bench by Manny and KO." GU did not play great but they overcame a very well coached game by Santa Clara with a great overall scheme to stop Matt and E. Finally I would give credit to a very energetic hard working Santa Clara team that left everything on the floor. this was there NCAA Tourney! Like you, just an opinion.
I mentioned everything you just said in the post
They were double teamed and they were defended beautifully by Santa Clara, especially Elias. He was hounded from all sides and I believe I also said “every shot Elias took was met with a double team” or something of that sort. I expect a lot from these two players, especially Matt. He’s the best player in the conference and possibly on the West Coast, and as I watched the game, I felt as though tonight’s performance was less than par. He turned the ball over and was out of control quite a bit tonight. A lot of that can be attributed to the pressure SCU was applying but when I see aimless drives to the hoop that wind up in easy swats for opponents and pull up threes when the rest of the team hasn’t gotten down the court yet to rebound, I tend to get frustrated with Matt because these are four-year things. He got rattled during the contest and that is what I was pointing out. Don’t preach at me like I have no basis or missed the entire game. They are, as you say, opinions!
This is not me calling out or bashing these two because, without them, Gonzaga wouldn’t sniff the top 50 in the nation. I try and stay objective to what I see on the court.
I also mentioned Kerry Keating coaching a hell of a game and gave tons of credit to Santa Clara so thanks for agreeing with me.
Lastly, I’m not going to change my lead in. Steven and Manny were huge down the stretch for this team and sealed a victory in a hostile environment.
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If these numbers are subpar in your book I do NOT want to play golf with you
16 Points, 14 Rebounds
19 points, 6 Assists, 4 Steals
Combined 14/16 FTs
You may not be overjoyed about the way that they put up these numbers but an claims that they put up subpar performances are unfounded.
by ZagsFanatic on Jan 29, 2010 12:39 AM PST up reply actions
I agree
it looked bad because they were tough points and tough rebounds, not because they were performing poorly. bottom line, Matt was 3 to 1 assist to turnover and Elias had a big double double. pretty good performance due to the pressure they faced. if they can do this against that kind of physical play, plus be a bit off, i’ll take it every time.
the problem is Meech. teams will continue to run hard double teams on our wings and post players until Meech learns to take two dribbles and shoot a mid-range jumper with confidence. the best thing for him right now is to be benched for at least a game. this would make a statement while he works on that aspect of his game. replace his minutes with with the 6 points, 6 boards, 2 assists, and 2 blocks you’ll get with Manny and give him around 10-15 minutes off the bench. maybe bench Sacre for a little bit too.
however, this can only be temporary. without Meech in the lineup, this team can only make it to the sweet 16 if they’re lucky and win some shootouts. if Meech starts giving a line of 8 points 3 assists and Sacre gets at least 8 points 7 boards and some blocks, this team could really make some noise. but something drastic has to be done as these two just aren’t progressing right now.
by trufflshuffl on Jan 29, 2010 1:27 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
You hit on the key to the game
in the first half – turnovers and subsequent SCU points off those turnovers. 12 turnovers in the first half. Then there were only four, I think, in the second half. Zags took care of the ball in the second half and played MONSTER defense. That’s how we won the game. Well, that and the fact that we made most of our free throws down the stretch.
Can’t take anything away from Matt and Steve, though. Super performances against a very physical team. The refs allowed SCU to play rough, and Zags not so much.
Tom117
Opinions Are Opinions
Thank you for defending your stance. Seems like someone disagrees with you no matter what.
Now’s here my stance about the things I saw tonight.
I saw the exact same game you did, Zach. Yeah, it’s awesome about the stat line for Elias and Matt, but most of it, as you pointed out was in the first half when they were trying to catch up, not when they did.
Rob needs to sit down as does Meech. The team looked better when Grant was on the floor and Manny and KO were out there. Kelly has frustrated me, because he looks like he’d be another Austin Daye (whiny brat), however, he’s much, much tougher than I expected and I know I yell when he messes up, but he’s 19 and still learning.
Meech had 0 pts, 0 assts, and 2 TO’s. That’s unacceptable. I do think that we need a PG in there though, because Matt does get frustrated with the ball. He’s played 3 years without it ( like Pargo did), then he’s expected to take it. Matt runs off the ball with screens and drops threes/jumpers. He shouldn’t be the PG. Grant should.
Steven was huge tonight, but I’m sick of his sloppy ball handling. Bol can do it (be sloppy), because he’s a frosh and doesn’t see the time that Steven does, but Steven is a JUNIOR. He shouldn’t be handing them the ball every other time down the court.
Yes, SC was dirty. All night. Plus they got way more fouls called on GU with the arms in the air/body contact that shouldn’t have been called. The last two or three years (pretty much since I’ve come to GU), it seems like the refs want to make the games interesting by calling BS fouls.
However, they’d make it more interesting if they called the other team for fouls… you know… SINCE WE BARELY MAKE THEM.
I don’t want to end up like Memphis two years ago.
We should have won by 15 to 20, not 7. Surprisingly, we’re still 8th in the country. Only God knows why we are there, but we are and I’m looking forward to a 4 seed here in Spokane.
To sum up the entire night in Inland Northwest sports language… Santa Clara COUG’D IT.
Just to add on to what Zach said
The stats were nice, but this was not a great performance from Matt. A couple of stupid fouls…turnovers down the stretch…just a little sloppy. Matt has been tremendous in WCC play, so he will be held to a higher standard, and he just didn’t play great against Santa Clara.
Final 4 or bust
Agree with mike
Bouldin was doubled and hammered all nite long. He had a fantastic game, not a sub par game.
by cjm720 on Jan 29, 2010 8:55 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
I'm with sequim
Matt and Elias were sensational considering the fact that apparently the Broncos spent the summer training in MMA. These two (+Gray) were getting hacked, punched, elbowed and kicked ALL NIGHT LONG. I was waiting for someone to bite a chunk out of Bouldin’s ear… they almost poked out Gray’s eye. And yet, all three players came up with pretty spectacular lines. The outlying issue with the team tonight was TOs, 12 in the first half is unacceptable and indicative of sloppy play which is not what we are used to seeing.
Don’t get me wrong, I thought Olynyk and Manny showed flashes of brilliance tonight and very well may have made the difference but our big 3 were the driving force in this game. At this point I would take either Manny or KO over Rob in the starting 5 depending on the other team’s length. You can count on them to score when the opportunity arises and you can be sure that either of them would work harder than Bobby on the boards.
I’m not ready to praise SC tonight, I think they played dirtier than should be allowed. There were a lot of plays where it was obvious that they were looking for opportunities to take cheap shots and that is just uncalled for. Elias, Matt and Steven all walked away from potential injuries because of these cheap shots.
Gray
I love the lead in! I know I’m biased, but the player who catches my eye more than anyone else is Gray. I’ve noticed a difference in him since the St. Mary’s game. Even though I had my ups and downs (mostly downs) during this game, when the camera shots were on Gray I felt confident that the Zags would win. (Even during the first half when SCU was on fire and Gonzaga kept giving them assists.)
I thought Manny & Kelly were really good tonight. For everything they did, I was really impressed when Manny stepped in and made those FTs!
I really liked Bouldin’s last lay up. Before he made that shot, I think Santa Clara thought they still had a chance to win, or at least tie. That bucket ended their hope.
Cheap shots and bad refs are apart of basketball, I was more upset with Gonzaga’s turnovers.
Big Three stat lines
were against a 9-14/1-5 Santa Clara, I believe that is why the dissapointment in the numbers. Aginst a Mich St. or Duke understandable a Wisc or Oklahoma even but Santa Clara. All though this does point out the fact that the WCC is superior to the Pac-10 this year and its not even close.
Broncos roughed us up tonight; this is supposed to be Sacre’s domain, muscling up-getting dirty, pounding the opponent & the boards so as that others may score more readily.
One stat I noticed that espn2 showed was SC had approx 6 fouls the Zags had 1, (that is not always a good thing to me it meant we were playing a little soft).
Manny was the key as was Gray, the Broncos were focusing on Matt & Elias. They needed tp wprk a little harder for their offensive game/ team tonight, they were clutch when needed as was Grey, whose 3 was huge. Sacre came up with a big bucket late as he has the last 3/4 games. He needs to that for 30 minutes a game even if it means coming off the bench.
Meech, I think would accept coming off the bench well for a game or two, he seems to be a big supporter of the team when on the bench, jumping up&down appropriately.
Against SF on the road might be the right opportunity for Few to make some adjustments to start the game.
Elias, Steven, & Matt are the reason we are 17-3, but if not for the bench Mangisto & Kelly primarily in the second half we get upset tonight against the second to last best team in the WCC. That and the team hit their free throws, if not for the 5-7 consecutive FT, [18 for 24- 75%!!!] started by Manny’s sub for Steve, Matt’s consistency, Elias’ 2 clutch, and Sacre hitting the 1st of two w/ Arop making a key scrap for the offensive board off the missed 2nd to get us another bucket by Gray (I believe) was the key to the comeback.
Manny is earning starter minutes and I know I am speaking for many when I state that it would be a nice experiment to see the spark, Manny would give the Zags to start a game.
Fouls
the difference in fouls was not because the team was playing soft. The defense actually really stepped up during the second half minus the first five minutes. The reason for the fouls was because every time a zag went down low they were fouled. considering how hard SC was fouling, i am impressed the zags still kept attacking the basket.
Sacre...man...
His defense has been terrible of late and he hasn’t been crashing the boards at all. It’s been pathetic.
I don’t blame him as much for the lack of scoring, because Few hardly ever runs plays for him anymore. This is probably due to the fact that teams figured out if you double him he panics (though as we saw tonight…all our guys do). Still I feel like we really should feed Sacre the ball more at the beginning of the game. He seems to be one of those players (like Meech) who if they don’t get a few hoops early totally shut down and don’t provide much at all.
Sacre...
While I’m not saying Sacre is playing fantastic defense, I don’t think he deserves as much hate on defensive game as people are giving him. A guy like Trasolini is clearly a true perimeter-post type player. With SCU’s motion offense it is tough for 7’0, 250lb Sacre to work around all those screens, go corner to corner and still be expected to be able to contest a 3. This is simply not Sacre’s game. I think Few needed to recognize this earlier and either go to a zone much earlier than he did or put in a smaller lineup with Kelly, Bol, or Harris guarding trasolini (to Few’s credit, in the second half Kelly and Harris were working on Trasolini). This is also a reason Sacre isn’t able to board up as much because he is out of position.
I’m certainly not gonna try to defend Rob’s offensive game b/c the dude clearly needs to get some confidence back.
The thing is...if he's really not playing much better on either end (especally on D) than Will right now.
And he’s far too talented for that to be the reality of the situation.
So let's see...the team has had 2 huge comeback victories now (t'nite & Wazzu).
Who was the key guy who checked into the game when things looked lost, and the team suddenly tightened down on D and got things rolling on O?
Manny.
This is not a coincidence.
Love it
It was a small thing but it was awesome seeing Coach Few select Manny to take those free throws after Gray just hurt. He knocked both free throws down with great confidence and I think that really powered him through the rest of the game. His tip in after that was huge as well.
Manny’s future is very, very bright at Gonzaga. I’ve said this before but I just love him because he’s a different breed than what we are used to. He hits the boards and just has a nose for the ball. He could be insanely important come tourney time because every team will play the way Santa Clara did last night.
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Not to be argumentative, just clarifying a technicality
We can thank Coach Keating for selecting Manny to shoot the FTs when Gray went down. The rule changed this year so the opposing coach gets to choose the shooter from the remaining four players on the floor when a fouled player is unable to take the shots due to injury. Few would never have selected Manny (9/16, 56% on the season before those 2) over Bouldin (85%). I loved seeing Manny make the shots, he is obviously a better shooter than his stats showed but I think Coach Keating was hoping to capitalize on his inexperience.
No reason to argue that the rule exists, I am 100% sure about this, but I would be interested to hear what other people think about this rule as it has been somewhat controversial. In case of technical and intentional fouls the rule does not take effect and the shooting team’s coach still chooses the shooter. I understand trying to take away a potential loophole which teams had been using to fake injuries to have better shooters take the shots late in games but obviously that was not the case with Steven last night.
hmmmm
This is the first I have heard of this rule change, but if true, and I’m not going to argue with you, but if this is true than I can understand the reasoning of implementing it due to teams faking player injuries…but at the same time it seems unfair. Your team hurt our player, so we should be able to choose who replaces him. I mean now its like “we hurt your player, it wasn’t intentional, so we are choosing who replaces him, which really benefits us and rewards us for fouling and hurting your player”….
Kinda seems worse than players faking injuries to have a better shooter.
You're right
guess it’s not that much of a great story. Thanks for correcting me.
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One way that this rule might be improved
Make a stipulation that the injured player has to sit out for a period of time (30 seconds or 1 minute of game time) or a certain number of possessions. It seems like this would cut down on trying to fake an injury in crunchtime to gain an unfair advantage.
by ZagsFanatic on Jan 29, 2010 10:25 AM PST up reply actions
Hard fought
They need to cut down on the turnovers. Goodson needs to stay on the bench. Till he learns to play point guard position, he needs to sit. He is killing the Zags on offense. It’s 4 on 5 on the offensive end when he is on the floor. They gave up fifteen points on turnovers in the first half alone. Next up, San Francisco. Dior Lowhorn is beast. They still should pull out a win!
My thoughts
OK, we won….we can’t forget that is the point of each game. What is that, 22 straight WCC wins?
I agree that Meech and Robb need to step up. Early in the season Meech looked like a freshman Pargo, wild and out of control. Meech is a sophomore and should be over that. He isn’t. Other than bringing the ball up court fast, he doesn’t add any kind of threat — no jumper, no assists, no in-control shalshing drives. Just turnovers. Sit him down.
Again I agree with the earlier assessment of Sacre. When he showed up on the court earier this season and displayed his sweet touch shots both facing the hoop and with his back to the hoop, I thought — cool, we have an inside guy (JP came to mind). Then those skills went away somewhere. Now he’s dropping the ball and whining again. Get over it and play post!
I cans till see the Zags sweeping the conference again. I’m real concerned about how we’ll look on national TV against Memphis. We know the tourney committee will be watching to see if we’re due a 4 seed in Spokane. It would be kind of shitty if we had to go away to play the first rounds.
enough said
BullDad
He's back!
good to hear from you, BullDad
We are in a very peculiar situation with Demetri and Rob because I still believe that they are very important to this teams success. This is scary considering how they’ve played and how they’ve been handled by the coaching staff recently. They are both in need of some sort of confidence boosting game especially before Memphis. Obviously I’ve taken some flack in this thread for not falling head over heals with Matt Bouldin last night but I think we all know his track record against Memphis has been dismal. You can bet they will also play very physical and trap the hell out of him. If he struggles, we are going to need Demetri to step up and handle the pressure. I know his offensive game and drives to the hoop have been dismal all year but he’s the only guy I trust bringing the ball up the court in the face of pressure. If Gonzaga plays like they did last night against this kind of physical defense, Memphis is going to be another disappointment.
I really don’t know what to think about Robert. He’s really only had two decent games since the middle of December and I can’t place when or why he lost his confidence. I’m not sure if the coaching staff has just gone away from him in favor of Matt, Steven, and Elias or if he’s just working himself out of the mix. From my chair, he is not really looking for his shot the way he did earlier in the season and when he gets the ball, teams are doing a nice job flexing down a guard to swipe at the ball. We played Meech’s offensive issues for Rob’s rough play for a while but the same thing is happening when Meech is off the court. I guess he is still a work in progress and we need to grow with him in our expectations but it sure is tough to after his start this season. It’s very possible that he is just so consumed with not getting in early foul trouble that his offense play is lacking a sense of physicality. Especially against a versatile player like Marc Trasolini who can hit the outside shot, Rob just never got comfortable out there.
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A late night with the Zags....
Since I’m in Oklahoma and on CST, the game against Santa Clara didn’t get over until after midnight for me. Watching this game was painful to say the least, as Santa Clara played an excellent game and really took it to our Zags. They seemed to make big shot after big shot and their defense was scrappy and intense. When we got down about 12 points in the 2nd half, I thought we had lost it and I started talking to the TV…….you start doing that a lot as you get older……and saying to the guys that we need to show some heart and make the game close even if we lose. Well, although I was tired and frustrated, I’m really glad I stayed up since the last 10-12 minutes of this game was sensational and I couldn’t be prouder of this team!
I really thought the turning point of the game was when Matt got hammered going to the basket for a lay-up and was laid out on the court for a few seconds. I think when your senior leader and star gets "dissed" like that the whole team takes it personally. The defensive intensity really went to another level after that! As for the stars of the game, well you have to start with Steven "Silk" Gray. The guy was sensational all game and in "attack mode" especially in the second half. Silk was super and I couldn’t be prouder of his efforts! Kelly Olynyk also had a wonderful game coming off the bench. The guy is so versatile and does so many good things out on the court. He impresses me more and more with every game he plays. BTW, since the start of the season, you can see that Kelly has put on 10-15 lbs and people can’t push him around like they did earlier in the season. This kid is going to get better and better, and it’s going to be a real pleasure watching him become a star at Gonzaga! Lastly, I thought Manny Arop had his "coming out party" last night. That young man hit the big free throws, had that sensational tip-in basket, and was a demon on defense! He can jump out of the gym and always seems to be where the ball is! Congratulations on a great game, Manny, and congratulations to the team for a great victory!
Matt got hammered
Zagman’s post regarding a turning point being when Matt got hammered and laid on the floor for few seconds was good, but to me the turning point was after that when Matt got the ball on a back door cut and jammed it. The emotion he showed said to me he wasn’t going to let SCU beat them. Did he play frustrated? Yes , but so would any of us if we were getting roughed up every time we touched the ball. Same for Harris.
I believe Matt and Elias contributed in a way that no stat sheet can point out. All year Elias has brought an intensity that was missing last year and last night Matt showed some of the same intensity. I believe the others are picking that attitude up and going with it.
No doubt that Manny and Steven were key to the win, but the will to win was brought from Harris and Bouldin. JMO!
Sacre
After contributing my very first post yesterday, I felt kinda stupid. I touched on Sacre developing a jump-hook. After Sac hit that late hoop (+3) I didn’t feel so stupid.
Foster
Obviously the other points brought up so far are valid opinions of how various GU players performed. I, like most on here, thought Manny brought it tonight.
One unsung player from tonight’s game was Foster. He played big minutes in the first half and, I thought, helped us from allowing a much larger lead. If it weren’t for that unfortunate third foul before the half (ran into a SCU player at mid-court) I think we would have seen much more of him. To me, he could play as big a role in a deep tourney run as Manny and Bol.
KO fits the GU mold and attitude. Love watching him develop but Bardo had it right last night… 6’11" and an open lane you had better DUNK IT!
by GU.AmericasTeam on Jan 29, 2010 9:27 AM PST reply actions
HAS NOBODY MENTIONED THIS?
We hit 75% of our free throws! This is an incredible development considering our typical average of just below 60% (I believe that was quoted during the game). While I’m not saying our troubles are over in that department, it was integral to attaining this win and will be of great importance come tournament time.
On a side note, I would really like to see Sacre get a few set plays drawn up for him at the beginning of every game so that we may establish (or bluff) the presence of our post game. I don’t care if he takes an offensive foul on the play, I just want to see him get the ball and immediately (and without hesitation) take it to his man and into the rim. Depending on how the first few attempts turn out, we can tinker with our game approach from there. Also, Manny is the Man.
Zagnificent - GU Class of 2011
SO HAPPY
I saw that and it made my day!!!! 75% is outstanding, especially compared to our usual.
Was it just me . . .
Or was the officiating particularly bad in that game? Seemed like they swallowed the whistles in the first half in particular.
mjc
hats off to the Broncos
the broncos , for 30 miniuts, out played, out muscled, out hustled,out rebounded and pretty much pushed the Zags around. I also thought the headlines would read ZAGS UPSET BY SC, but alas…they came back and won. every time the ball goes into Sacre I hold my breath. come on rob its time to play with abandon! Go Zags!
Gibbs
Might seem strange and I’ll probably get onioned for this, but did anyone else notice Grant Gibbs on the bench in street clothes early in the game last night? Admittedly it could have been the overabundance of Kokanees in my living room, but the glimpse I got was coincidental with me wondering why Few had not inserted him to get that spark he usually generates to ignite a comeback. Just wondering if they were holding him out for some reason and then sent him to the locker room later because they were looking for a solution.
I think you might have seen Stockton
Gibbs was on the bench with the team….and was just wearing a Gonzaga shirt instead of a shooting shirt
Final 4 or bust
yes that is what I saw as well
Gibbs just looked like he had a GU sweatshirt of some kind over his jersey.
Bol Kong
Where was kong tonight? He didnt make much of an impact in this game at all. He seems to be trying too hard and not just letting the game come to him.
Just hitting a bit of a wall I think
he blew us all out of the water with the way he started the season and he’s just coming back to Earth a bit. Combine that with teams making adjustments to his game and shadowing him all over the court. He needs to get a tad more confident off the dribble and with the ball in his hands. He’ll get there.
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Just start Arop already
This guy clearly makes us better and with him and bouldin we are big, tough, and smart. He deserves it. Will Foster also is turning out to be better than advertised and should get more time as Sacre seems to be non-existent at times and almost invisible on the boards—— Elias needs to whip this man into shape and get some hunger into this guy. But hey what a comeback and great finish— bottom line is this year we are finishing!!! Never say die will go along way in the future.
I don't mind who starts
Arop finished the game and he deserved to. Coach Few has done a great job (I think) of working with the lineup late in games to find the best five that fit. People will bash him for starting Meech but the guy played 16 minutes. His impact wasn’t huge and to put the onus of Gonzaga’s poor play on his shoulders is ridiculous. He’ll continue to start and based on matchups and what Coach Few thinks, he’ll either play 28 minutes or 15 minutes. I give Few a lot of credit last night for finding the five that worked. He could have forced Meech into action in a game where he didn’t work. He pulled him and kept him there and we won.
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i agree
Few had managed the late games well as our records indicates with the number of close games we have won—- i just believe Arop is showing that he will not be on the bench for long
i double agree
But i would like to see a mix-up just for a game or two of the starting 5. I would like to see Manny get the start vs. San Fran.
Steven Gray
Particularly being at the game, Steven Gray really was impressive — not only his play, but his attitude. It seemed as if he couldn’t wipe that confident grin off his face all game long – even when he left the floor after getting hit in the eye. I think many would agree that his 3-pt shooting isn’t quite what we expected it to be a year or two ago, but he’s turned out to be a great multi-dimensional player on both ends of the floor and I think his confidence is at an all-time high.
Bouldin vs Gray stat line...and other thoughts...
M. Bouldin, G
M FG 3FG FT OR TR A TO STL BLK PF PTS
40 5-10 1-2 8-9 0 2 6 2 4 1 3 19
Full 40 minutes / 50% from 2 & 3 nearly perfect from the line / 6 assists vs 2 TO + 4 steals to off-set the to’s / 19 pts..this against a team that was more interested in fouling him hard then playing basketball.
S. Gray, G
M FG 3FG FT OR TR A TO STL BLK PF PTS
39 8-16 2-6 1-1 1 3 3 3 1 0 1 19
39 minutes / 50% from 2 & 33% from 3/ One free throw?? / 3 assists vs 3 TO + 1 steal / 19 pts…
All this is to say the argument that Gray carried them or won this game while Bouldin did not..presented in the original article..makes no sense to me. Zero.
Also I want to say to those of you who fit this mold…that just because you watch basketball does not mean you understand it. My guess is a majority of the ppl who post here do not even know BY WATCHING a game what offense the zags run…..anyway
Other thoughts:
Manny’s play the last 5 games or so warrants more PT.
In the limited comments I post I try to stick to what players need to do as I think it silly to attmept to second guess Coach as many of the ppl on this post do. The reality is, these guys have had coaches most of their lives..pounding the same fundamentals into them…these are things they know better but fail to execute.
Sacre is an easy fix. He needs to believe he is better then the guy guarding him. He needs to make decisive post moves that he knows he has, and he needs to play for position when the shot is in the air as he is not a great leaper. His defense is VERY sound though Elias leaves him out to dry sometimes and Rob does poorly at trying to deny the entry pass.
Bol Kong is easy fix as well, he needs to utilize his smooth quick step to go north-south not east-west. When he does this he get the defender to turn and creates seperation which, if you have ever played basketball at any level, you know this is what you want to create as an offesive player…he then can elevate and stroke a sweet shot. Really is a very simple fix.
Meech is not easy as he has a better opinion of his ability then he should. Meech can solve his offensive woes with defense. Again if you have played BB for anytime you find that working your arse off on defense pulls you into the game and raises your focus level. Meech should look to use his speed to force defenders to stay honest, then use the same speed to penetrate and dish. His shots will come to him when defenders fail to collapse on his penetration.
Lastly, the double team…I am certain the coaching staff and the coaches these players have had in the past have instructed them to attack the double team before it comes..shoot the gap…secondly, I am certain that nearly all the coaching in their life has told them that when a team mate is doubled..MOVE TO THE OPEN SPOT! Zags almost NEVER do this. It is a simple fix….in both cases you need to move..
that is all…carry on ;)
I concur with your "fix" comments and I would like to expand on the Meech fix...
I think sometimes fans on this board overvalue his speed. I think even he might overvalue his own speed. In my opinion, running as fast as you can down the floor (mildly out of control) every single possession is detrimental to the team. I know Coach Few likes to push the ball, but sprinting down the floor and then turning around at the 3 point line takes the flow out of the secondary break. We allow the defense more time to set up when he backs the ball back out, which is entirely contradictory to the reason why a team would push the ball down the court to begin with.
I would encourage Meech to use his speed more deceptively. If he could go 75% of his full speed a majority of the time to set up the secondary break a lot more opportunities would be open for the bigs down low for the quick entry. However, on certain plays he could go all out and beat the defense down the court for an easy bucket. My point is this: Meech must expand his game or he will continue to struggle.
by DKZagBlazer on Jan 29, 2010 2:09 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
My Gray love is strong right now
and when I watch basketball games (I’ll let you decide if I understand I guess), I like to see how players react in certain situations. In last night’s comeback effort, Steven Gray led the way with 12 second half points. He had one turnover officially and I just felt like he was the best player on the court during this time. I said in my post that I thought Matt forced his offense at certain times and still stand behind that. This is not to be construed as Matt bashing or anything of the sort, it’s just my opinion. I felt as though Gray’s three pointer to bring the deficit back down to one point was the true breakthrough moment of the game and his backdoor layup off the Elias dish was the exclamation. I think he really answered the call as it was clear Santa Clara’s defense was set to try and lock down Matt and Elias as much as they could. I also believe that this will continue to be the trend as we close out the year so Steven’s role is going to be huge and this is just another game where we see his confidence grow.
As a side note, and this is definitely not just to you but the idea behind this blog is for fan interaction. I don’t really care if you’ve been a Gonzaga fan for 50 years or 50 minutes. I don’t care if you are new to basketball or if you are in fact John Wooden here posting under an alias. Everyone has an opinion and we intend to foster that here and in the past few games I’ve seen more and more comments that imply some members are less basketball savvy than others. It is my opinion that no one here would be posting here if they were a perfect basketball mind and that is the assumption I go with.
But if someone here is John Wooden, we’d love to chat with you about Zags basketball.
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Ironic
I find it ironic that your breakthrough moment of the game three by Gray came off a pull up by Matt that everyone thought was going to be a jumper, but instead was a dump off to Gray for his three.
No bashing intended.
That was a great dish
and a very smart choice by Matt which is what has made him one of my favorite players in a Gonzaga uniform for such a long time. He’s had plenty of games where he has struggled shooting the ball and has done many other things to help his team in other ways. In fact, the games I love most is when he gets 6+ assists, 6+ rebounds, and just comes through with big buckets when our backs are against the wall. Those are the games, in my estimation, when Matt really sets himself out as one of the best to ever roll through Spokane.
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I understand your point
I understand where you are coming from and I can appreciate your intent. My hope is that Nationwide, Gonzaga would be respected..I can say that as a kid when I would go to the Zag games that was the last thing on my mind…as I have grown older and watch this program grow, I have a desire that grows with this…to have an educated savvy fan base. For example…the Knicks fans…they know basketball. They are well educated..vs say Seattle Seahawk fans who seem to lack any real understanding of the game itself.
The point is, I am a fan of basketball. The game. Being a fan of the Zags does not make you a fan of the game. Not anymore then working for a good company makes you a good employee…
John Wooden was not a great basketball mind you could ask him yourself and he would tell you he wasn’t. John Wooden was in the business of making men and his tool was basketball.
A great basketball mind…Dean Smith..understood how to win games. Understood adjustments needed within the game to do so. He out coached his competition because he loved the GAME.
Great fans are ppl who love the game at a fundamental level. That is my opinon and I know, as you stated, you will and can respect that. I did not mean to show your opinion disrespect, rather show that there is something greater here to love then just the players…it is the game itself…the fundamentals executed coupled with individual skill and effort…that is what makes a great player…..that is what made Bouldin great again last night.
Lastly…and I realize this is a total bunny trail…but am I the only one that is sick of all the ppl who now occupy the seats at the MAC and just sit there all game??? That place is full of ppl who have money and could buy their seats….not fans! Makes me sick! ok so I will get off my high horse now….
by mattydog73 on Jan 29, 2010 2:52 PM PST reply actions 2 recs
Mattydog
Great analysis! Fact based and spot on. Actually, quite refreshing. Thanks for the great read.
Can't disagree with anything you say
I really hope you stick around and continue to check us out. Your obviously a good judge of basketball as you have demonstrated in this thread.
No doubt i agree with your last paragraph as well!
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Bulldog Fans at the MAC
Mattydog, I completely agree with your post!! Great read, I also want to say I am a season-ticket holder to the men’s games and have been since 1996. I 100% agree with you about the people sitting on their seats during the games. I stand up and cheer for a big portion of the games and try to get other people in my section to do the same. My case in point is the WSU game, we were down by like 15 or so in the 2nd half and everyone was sulking in their seats!! Very frustrating, but when we started our comeback finally everyone got up and cheered. Do we need to be down by big margins every game to get fans to get in the game when we are making comebacks??? Why can’t we be a little more like the Kennel and enjoy every second of the game and cheer our team on as fans with a lead or if we are down? OK, I rambled my 2 cents worth…… Thanks Mattydog for bringing it up. As a longtime FAN, I love Gonzaga Basketball and cherish every second I get to watch our team!!
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