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Around SBN: SB Nation interviews Jerome Bettis

No big news here, pretty much an affirmation of what we already know. A couple of interesting points are Few's high expectations of Sam Dower and neither Mathis gets a mention.

"It's a remarkable thing to say about a program in the West Coast Conference, but the Zags don't rebuild anymore, they just reload. Aside from Matt Bouldin, they will return every major contributor from last year's 27-7 team that reached the second round of the NCAA tournament, and they will boast arguably the strongest and deepest front line Few has had in his 13 years as head coach.
That frontcourt will again have an international flavor. Kelly Olynyk and Robert Sacre will both play for Canada this summer at the World Championships, and 6-8 sophomore Elias Harris will suit up for his native Germany. Few was concerned that playing in international competition might hinder his guys' physical development because they can't build up their bodies the way most college players do in the summertime, but there is an obvious upside to playing against older professionals in a high-pressure environment. Thanks largely to the bird dog work of his assistant Tommy Lloyd, Few has really thrived in recruiting international players and has every intention on continuing that practice.
"We're just trying to get the best players out there, whether they're from California and Oregon or Germany and France," he told me. "Plus the recruiting process is a lot simpler over there. Usually there's a player and his parents and that's it. It's not as convoluted as it is over here."
Few also has high hopes for 6-10 forward Sam Dower, a lefty from Minneapolis who redshirted last season. "He could have helped us last year, but it was just a numbers thing," Few said. Another newcomer and foreign player, 6-4 French native Marquise Carter, a junior college transfer, will be featured in the backcourt alongside 5-11 junior Demetri Goodson. And keep an eye out for redshirt freshman David Stockton -- yes, the son of that patron saint of Gonzaga basketball, John Stockton -- to further bolster the Bulldogs' perimeter. This team will need all hands on deck in the early going because Few has once again assembled a brutal nonconference schedule that includes Illinois, Xavier, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Wake Forest and a spot in the CBE Classic in Kansas City, where the field will also include Kansas State, Duke and Marquette."

about 1 month ago Tiny ZagsFanatic 0 comments 0 recs  | 

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