Ryan Spangler makes it three in 2011
by Zach Bell on Sep 26, 2010 9:34 PM PDT
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As we reported earlier this evening, Ryan Spangler decided to commit to Gonzaga while he was on his official visit this past weekend. Spangler's commitment is the third in 2011, as guards Kyle Dranginis and Gary Bell Jr. had already given their verbal to Mark Few and Co.
Ryan had recently narrowed his college choices down to Colorado and the Zags after his visit to Boulder but Spokane obviously treated him right and the 6'8'' forward decided to end his recruitment. As we have documented on the site, Ryan is a dual sport athlete as he is currently the star quarterback on Bridge Creek High School. Many had thought Ryan would opt for a collegiate football career but the youngster decided to pursue basketball and the Zags quickly gobbled him up.
From what we have gathered about Ryan, he seems to be made in that "classic Zag" mold. He might not always be the best player on the court but he is rarely outworked by his opposition. Averaging somewhere around 26 points and 18 boards a game, it is obvious that Ryan has a tremendous skill set and we have heard that his athletic ability is seriously underrated. Not only can he hit the mid-range jumper in space, but he can also put it on the deck and get to the rim.
If everything else remains constant, Mark Few has just reached his scholarship limit for the 2011 class. Since many expect Elias Harris to depart for the NBA after this season, the smart money is on the Zags adding one more in this class. Kevin Pangos appears to be the guy the staff wants but and he recently narrowed his list to Gonzaga, Virginia, and Notre Dame. Pangos would give the Zags a very solid 2011 class and one they can definitely build on moving forward.
For more on Ryan Spangler please click here for our interview with Scott Wright of The Oklahoman.
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Wait.
He’s a QB? Seems like he’s better suited to be a TE.
scholarships
First off, glad to hear Ryan enjoyed his weekend up here and am looking forward to getting to see what the kid is really made of. on that note I have a question about the recruiment of Pangos now. So i know that it would take a miracle for Elias to stay around another year, but based on the fact that as of right now he is still here, how can GU offer Pangos any type of scholarship when we don’t have one to give as long as Elias is still part of this team? I know we can tell the kid there will be a spot after Elias leaves, but thats really no gaurentee for a kid who’s getting offers from schools with truely open scholarships waiting for him? Maybe I’m overestimating the worth of knowing for sure that theres spot on the team but i guess it seems to me that we shouldn’t be able to actually offer Pangos a schollie til after this season and does that hurt us at all in the overall process? just a thought i had when i read this article, anybodys take on how itll all play out would be great to know
Maybe we can...
" signing one or two players over the limit is not unusual for elite college basketball programs that have to protect themselves in the event of unexpected pro departures or transfers in the spring, however…excessive oversigning can damage a team’s Academic Progress Rate and/or a coach’s reputation with players and parents"
But it does not sound like a good thing to be fooling around with.
Its gonna be gLoRiOUS!!~
AWESOME!
I’m thrilled with the Zags’ recruiting, this is a great get. Averaging 26 and 18 a game is amazing, and it sounds like he’s a tremendous athlete and hard worker who will do wonders for us down low.
This is shaping up to be a marquee class!
My hope....
is he becomes “Mr Zag”…it is what our team needs…
I agree with Mallonfan…this put Pango’s out of the picture…without the prep school route.
Harris can stay as long as he wants
I would rather have Harris than anyone in the 2011 class that’s still out there. Lets not get in a big hurry here.
I think Pangos may be looking at 2012 if he wants a scholarship at GU.
mjc
mjc
Seriously
Proven star vs. potential people…
Is anyone saying
they want Elias gone?
The Slipper Still Fits - SB Nation's home for the Gonzaga Bulldogs!
My understanding was that we are very fortunate to even have Elias back for this year...
Would love to have two more after this one but…Perhaps there is ZERO chance that he will return for his junior year. And it could well be that the coaches know this. It might be a mutual understanding and basically a certainty.
BAMM~~~~ room for Pangos
Its gonna be gLoRiOUS!!~
Harris is at GU for a reason
or for several reasons.
In essence, he has some things he wants to work on and (probably) to get more exposure.
He will not be playing 4 in the NBA and, lets face it, he may not have the skills to play at 3 — not yet.
If you watched Germany in the FIBA games you start to get a feel for what may be going on here. Harris played a lot of perimeter defense but really didn’t do much scoring. From an NBA standpoint, Harris is still a good get but he is probably a ‘player with potential’ rather than a guy that can come in and contribute right away on the offensive end of the floor.
For some guys its not just about the money. Some guys want to play, want to contribute, and enjoy the college experience. This, for some, is preferable to playing D league ball and collecting a paycheck.
But like I have said before, speculation on what Harris wants is just smoke blowin in the wind. If Harris wants us to know anything, I suspect we will hear all about it. So far, all I have heard is that Harris has conferred with the German national coach, coach Few and his father. Based on that advice he decided to return to Gonzaga and eschew the NBA draft. I suspect he will do something similar after this season.
AFAIK, there is nothing written in granite at this point in time.
mjc
by quidveritas on Sep 27, 2010 11:26 PM PDT up reply actions
Maybe we should all hope that
Elias does not improve as much as his coach, father, and Few think he should this season. That way he may come back to do a lil more fine tuning.
If he only plays 1/2 as well as last season it would still be a big help!!~
Its gonna be gLoRiOUS!!~
Damn
I was really hoping we could get Pangos… It seems to me that we should have waited on Keita, No we have a full Roster. There is still hope I guess.
Pangos is still an option
With everything that went down this summer, it is pretty obvious to me that if that the staff wants someone, they’ll make it work. Monninghoff and Keita were not last minute options for the staff. Lloyd had made numerous trips to Europe specifically for those two. They weren’t knee-jerk reactions to transfers.
Pangos has been offered and he is obviously still being pursued or he wouldn’t have put GU in his top three along with Notre Dame and Virginia.
Pangos is still in play…we’ll just see how the staff deals with this if he does choose Gonzaga. I predict he lands at Virginia but we shall see.
The Slipper Still Fits - SB Nation's home for the Gonzaga Bulldogs!
by Zach Bell on Sep 27, 2010 12:52 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Just read in the S-R that Spangler is also a pitcher...
And has a low-90s fastball. Sounds like an absolute freak athlete. He really seems like a great find, can’t wait to see him next year.
Kind of a tangent...
but who was the Zag that played a few years ago who played minor league baseball?
way overrated
ira was great athlete, not a d1 bb player skills-wise
Don't we have a couple of scholarships left for THIS SEASON to give out?? One year deals?
Its gonna be gLoRiOUS!!~
Football Mentality is what we Need
We need a smart physical player in the program. Sounds like a potential cross between Pendo and Turiaf. Small town background and plays with heart.
Looking forward to seeing him as a Zag
Class of 2011 has 4
Actually the entering group of players hss 4 at this point, since Chris Sarbaugh of G-Prep committed a few days ago.
Did Chris get a scholarship?
I too heard he committed to GU but the story I saw didn’t say if he had been offered or accepted a scholarship.
mjc
His dad was a well respected professor at GU and his tuition is covered
He is essentially a walk-on and won’t have any effect on the scholarship situation.
The coaches know - or have the best information
I think that all of us need to trust the coaches on the number of scholarships that are available. They probably have had conversations with Elias and what his goals and thought processes are in his decision for the following year. Also who would have thought that Poling, Gibbs, Villarino and Kong would have left this year. They get paid the “BIG BUCKS” to try and plan for the unexpected. Getting Pangos and having him redshirt one year would be great for us. That way he knows our system, played with all of his teammates, worked on creating a good chemistry, and has practiced against D1 players for a complete year. That way the following year, when the time comes we are not throwing him to the wolves.
First things first....this is a fantastic get for GU
I did some reading on Spangler and found this is the first time he has played serious AAU basketball during the summer. We are talking about a 3 sport kid who puts up great numbers and hasn’t yet focused purely on b-ball. The lost recruit who shall not be named only has and only could play b-ball. Don’t forget this. I am not being bitter, but just pure facts. The coaches snagged a kid with a ton of potential to really make a difference here at GU. Give him some time focusing on the post game with Donny D and I wouldn’t be surprised 4 years from now looking back at what a wonderful get Spangler is.
The scholarship layout. The last few years have taught us that scholarships are truly only 1 year contracts with the team and if you don’t perform or don’t like your minutes they are easily given to someone else. Think for a second of all the players who have lasted 2 years or less in the past 5 or 6 seasons. Off the top of my head (McCloud, Diallo, P-MAC, Davis, Burgess, Gibbs, Poling, Vilarino, Kong, etc.) There WILL be room for Pangos if he decides he wants to be a Zag, there is no reason to treat the scholarship chart like a puzzle and say there is no room. Transfers, NBA entry, and “other” items happen every year to most basketball teams that play at the D1 level. Let’s not make a big deal out of a non issue imho.
Reputation First
Sorry but I cannot agree with your Byzantine analysis — that and you need to get your facts straight. Kong in particular left for academic reasons — who knows about the others?
Coach Few has been criticized for his loyalty time and again by this crowd. If he would just cut his losses and move to what seems like a better player, solution, distribution of minutes the team would be so much better — or so I’ve heard.
From a player’s stand point (and a recruiting stand point) kept promises mean a great deal. IMO reputation long term is much more valuable than expedient short cuts.
Some of you despise Calipari for his MO and then wish we could be more like him. What’s with that?
There is no guarantee we will see Pangos. BUT if GU fails to honor its promises it is guaranteed we will suffer short term and long term.
Who would want to play for a program that eats its young? Unless you are a one year wonder and don’t really care because you won’t be here next year anyway.
mjc
by quidveritas on Sep 28, 2010 11:41 PM PDT up reply actions
Unfortunately your facts are not straight...
Kong didn’t leave for academic reasons. This much is true.
I also didn’t mean to sound Byzantinian, Prussian, Saxian, or any other ancient culture you want to throw out there. I just wanted to
bring to light the fact that these scholies are essentially one year deals. Just as in your job, if you fail to meet expectations set out for you then changes can and will be made. Especially in the highly competitive industry of Division 1 basketball.
by DKZagBlazer on Sep 29, 2010 11:34 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Once again...The two scholies
According to the updated chart we have two left for this year. They are good only for this season. Am I correct that we have two left?
Are they of any use to us at this point? Do we leave them on the table or give them to a walk on like Hart? What could we possibly use them for?
Its gonna be gLoRiOUS!!~
We have two left
and I no clue how they will be used.
The Slipper Still Fits - SB Nation's home for the Gonzaga Bulldogs!
I vote for open tryouts
Get the sneaks out of mothballs…another FREE year of College Ed and a chance to show this team how to fix everything we complain about. And do it on the court.
*Must be a Slipperstillfits member. ;-)
Its gonna be gLoRiOUS!!~
Ryan Spangler comparison
Looking at his physique, sorta reminds me of Brock Osweiler. The kid was from a smaller school but a real motor!
Yeah I can see that,
and to me (physique wise) a little like Cory…..just hope he has the hops too.
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