Bol Kong becomes Gonzaga's latest departure
by Zach Bell on Jul 16, 2010 2:45 PM PDT
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PrintRumors have been circulating for the past week or so that Bol Kong would not be returning to Gonzaga for his redshirt junior season and we have confirmed that this is the case. Kong, who averaged 4.5 points a game last year in his first season in Spokane, arrived at Gonzaga after a very lenghtly citizenship issue that was solved in the 11th hour in his favor. The hype for Kong before the season started had been building for years before he even put on a uniform. Rumors were that he could start right away for the Zags and he had a definite NBA future. As of today, that road to a life in professional basketball has gotten a little bit rockier.
Kong's departure marks the fourth transfer in the past twelve months. Andy Poling's move feels like a lifetime ago and then we obviously had Grant Gibbs followed by G.J. Vilarino walk out the door. Speaking bluntly, I wasn't affected too much by the first three but I still had hope for Kong. Anyone that watched Kong early on in the season saw his natural ability. Although he always seemed to be a step slow, he had some offensive explosions that really did help the Zags a year ago. His best games were probably Wake Forest (12 points) and Oklahoma (14). He improved little by little on defense as the year went on as well and my hope was that a summer in Spokane would take his conditioning to that next level where he would be able to seriously contribute game in, game out.
There's no reason to get into details of why or how this came about because no one really knows what Bol's situation has been like. If further details come out, we will address it. For now, however, it is another player out the door. The only selfish positive I can see from this is that we have freed up another scholarship to use in 2011 or beyond. With Germany's Mathis Monninghoff seemingly on board (can't wait for him), we need all the scholly's we can get for a very promising 2011 class.
We wish Bol the best of luck wherever he winds up next.
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Ouch.
I was looking forward to seeing him develop. So … is there anyone left on this team?
is this normal?
it comes as a shock to me to see so many players leaving the team to go play somewhere else. i haven’t really followed off season stuff before but is it normal for this many guys to transfer out in one year? it just seems like a lot to me, maybe its cuz we had so many underclassmen this last year that there aren’t those normal vacant spots left by seniors for underclassmen to look forward to filling. I don’t know how it usually works so I was just hoping I could get a gauge on how extreme four players transfering out is?
Damn...
Personally, I loved watching Bol play. The guy always looked so smooth on the court. I really feel like he had the potential to be a great player, he just wasn’t quite aggressive enough last year. I hate seeing all these guys leave, even though it may mean we are making room for better players. Good luck to Bol wherever he ends up.
This one hurts
Like Zach, I wasn’t overly concerned with Gibbs. I was a bit worried about GJ, and I hoped he would show his talent and overtake Meech. But this one really worries me. Bol was a guy that the team loved and was the ONE of these four transfers who really showed legitimate promise for the next two years.
I’m worried that we’re not going to recognize this team at Kraziness in the Kennel this fall. Elias is going to be the go-to guy and Steven is going to need to step up, but I’m now VERY concerned that our depth will be built be guys who we either A) have never seen or B) have not really proved themselves.
Am I alone here? Bol’s departure has made this a reality for me…
"Gonzaga knows how to party...Jesu-WHAT!"
by Greg Talbott on Jul 16, 2010 8:46 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Didn't see this one coming
First of all, I have known Bol through classes and understand him to be a genuine person however he did have some pre-season issues last year that caused him to sit out some pre-season activites. Nonetheless he was taking summer classes just this past summer on campus and so this must be something really recent. His talent works well with Gonzaga’s style of play and he could have definitely developed within our program. We loved seeing that he could shoot from behind the arc and had great size on him. I saw great potential in GJ who could create plays that we need from a guard. Who’s going to step up now that Gonzaga’s basketball team is going to look so different? We shouldn’t be focusing on the particulars but rather how to move forward from here. We have some great players coming in, Sam Dower presents an interesting new key role.
Yes, This came as a shock to many to hear that Bol is no longer going to be playing but again even the coaching staff has made new changes on the bench. we’ll see how it goes. I still believe in Coach Few’s decisions regardless of hearing from some of the players of how they are not very close to coach few but rather are closer to several assistant coaches. We just need to hope for the best for Bol and root for the fresh new talent that will develop on the floor of the MAC. Is it not the underdawg status that Gonzaga feeds of afterall?
Let's keep the off-court rumors off the site
I understand there are many out there probably about all sorts of players but until something is proven or published, let’s just talk about losing Bol on the court.
I’m sure no one feels worse than him as this just can’t be the way he wanted this process to end. I really do hope he continues playing the game somewhere and shows up again. I’m bummed. It was a great story…it’s just sad it had to end so abruptly
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I'm with you Zach
With a year under his belt and a summer of work I was looking forward to good things from Bol this year. We had so many uncertainties going into last season with so many new players and now we find ourselves right back in the same situation. Who knows what we got? Not me.
It was a great story… maybe there’s gonna be more to it. I wish Bol the best…
Tough rotation position lost by losing Bol!
I like his game and believe he will be a tough void to fill this year. Next year, 2011 won’t look so bad but losing a player like Bol is a tough fill. Whether you like him or not, it’s a big loss. Stay safe Bol!
The Bench
So with Bol gone, our bench definitely thins out a little bit. This puts even more pressure on Manny to have a quick recovery from his injury, any news on his rehab?
A little more thought and concern!
Thinking a little longer about this, I’m a little concerned that 30% of your scholarship players transfer from spring to summer? Typically that spells problems at a University but there doesn’t appear to be any at GU. Attrition is one thing but this is just a tad bit more. ZB, I hope your Deective work can help with the concerns. Can’t remember one like this in the past, especially from a family oriented GU program. Oh well, just grumbl’n I guess but I hope the exodus stops!
Plain and simple
Players who come to Gonzaga want to play. And now that Gonzaga can recruit top players it is harder to get playing time. And when you see other big time recruits coming in you may want to try your luck somewhere else. Poling was not going to see any playing time period. GJ saw the recruits coming and bailed. GG was the same way. Kong on the other hand, was about grades. I am going to miss Kong but i did think he was going to get lost on the bench this year. With Kong gone this will free up room for Kyle Wiltjer and Kevin Pangos. And IMO i think Sacre will be NBA bound when his career at Gonzaga is over. I think the trio of Harris,Gray and Sacre will be our best trio of players on the court at the same time we have ever had. The best duo was Adam and JP.
Wow, a challange?
How about Cory, Dan and Casey?
To be honest
I haven’t seen a thing from Rob thus far to say that he will be involved in any “best trio ever” at Gonzaga. Sure, he’s had glimpes, but glimpses make you a decent player…not someone that will have a legacy here.
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2010-2011 season
Is what i am talking about. None of us know how these guys will play. But i did say IMO Sacre will play in the NBA and i think these 3 players will be better than what you think. Each player can avg. 16+ pts. And i agree Casey, Dan and Cory were great but i think these 3 can be better. ( Casey is one of my all time favorites )
I'd give him about 12 points a game
A few 20+ performances here and there and a few games where he racks up three fouls in the first five minutes and rides the pine the whole game.
Two important things for Rob: Quit the dumb foul and get tougher on the glass. He can score all he wants, but Gonzaga will fail miserably next season if Rob rebounds the way he did last year. Having Sam will help, but a lot of it is sheer mentality.
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