Fun Season

by 1AndDone on Feb 12, 2011 9:01 PM PST

This hasn't been the typical Zag season where we cruise through the season and sleepwalk through the WCC. There have been many ups and downs. But on the other hand its fun knowing that each game is going to be a little bit more interesting and not an obvious blowout. We've also witnessed the emergence of 3 players, (Stockton Dower and Carter) who are developing right in front of our guys. It's taken a little while to develop cohesion but I think we're improving and playing our best basketball at the end of the season. I love the intensity that we've been playing with on defense. I think we went 12 minutes without allowing a field goal to memphis, and we held Pepperdine to 27 percent shooting. Also encouraging is that Elias was playing with a ferocity and aggression. I think Carter and Goodson (also Stockton) are going to make things difficult on Dellevadova and McConnell. With our team becoming healthy and peaking late in the season I think we should take care of St Mary's in the WCC tournament and head back to the NCAA's.

This post does not reflect the views of the blog authors or SB Nation.

Tweet Comment 14 comments | 2 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I agree.

Coasting through league play and the WCC tournament always seems to put this team to sleep come NCAA tourney time. At least if they get there this go round, they’ll be ready to fight tooth and nail (I can only hope).

by wesolint on Feb 12, 2011 9:27 PM PST reply actions

I see it differently

Thanks for providing your optimism to our off-season. I don’t think that the WCC hurts us as far as momentum going into the NCAA tournament is concerned. Since basketball was invented there are countless examples of teams that excelled in the tournaments from weak leagues. Even John Wooden’s UCLA teams played in a weak PAC 10. Every now and then USC was fairly good. The weak WCC “forces” Mark Few to play a sometimes outrageous early season schedule. I have repeatedly blogged that maybe we are not going about this in the right way. Even when we come up with epic wins we experience incredible travel fatigue and early losses leave us with shaken psyches. We have created a framework in which Gonzaga needs to peak between Thanksgiving and Christmas and other top programs gear their seasons to peak now- Feb and March. What we do is unnatural. Then we enter the league schedule with too many unnecessary question marks, injuries, and fatigue. Then the quirkiness of the WCC adds to the “soup”.
I think one symptom of the scenario I have painted is that our rotation is still somewhat in flux. With my high school team I have drastically shortened the rotation to 6 players. Few needs to do the same. It needs to be the 6 or 7 that he can go the deepest with. I like Dower off the bench. Where’s Arop, he’s a superior athlete? Can we beat North Carolina or Syracuse with David Stockton? What does Olynik give us? When we decide the rotation we’re going to war with, consider the competition. Judge it from the games we’ve played against tournament teams.

by MdZagFan on Feb 13, 2011 6:51 AM PST reply actions

Very well said!

Few’s scheduling is rediculous, so his substition patterns!
we will never beat top notch programs with DS at the helm! Flat out too little and not athletic enough! He has a couple of decent WCC games and everyone gets excited about this guy?

This all stems back to Mark Few! We haven’t landed a good recruit in over 4 years. And Mark Few has some glaring weaknesses as a basketball coach. I’m not sure his staff is any better either? I see way too many fundamental breakdowns! On my Kindergarten basketball team, I have kids that have better D fundamentals than Marquise Carter! Something that should have been seen during the recruiting process or coached out of him by now!!!!!!!

by montanazag on Feb 13, 2011 8:48 AM PST reply actions

huh?

Marquise played great defense last night. I don’t really understand the knock on Marquise anymore, I think it’s obvious that he’s earned his minutes, (37 last night). (8 points 7 assists, 5 rebounds 4 steals) pretty impressive stuff.
Obviously I’m not saying we’re going to win a national title this year, but I think Mark Few is finally starting to understand who can be trusted in the rotation. Manny Arop, I really wouldn’t consider him a superior athlete. He’s had many chances, but is just a small upgrade from Bol Kong. He suffers moving laterally on defense, as does Keita, which is why we play our best defense with Carter on the floor.
I think we have our starting 5 etched in stone now, with Stockton Dower first off bench, and a little bit of Kelly mixed in. I think Mike Hart is about on par with the Hoff, Keita, Arop. So those 4 will probably split minutes if Steven Gray is sick or in foul trouble.

I think Mark Few will be the first to admit that he overdid it this year, but it was a good opportunity for many young players to get their feet wet. We’ve all scratched our heads this year at some of the substitutions Mark Few has made, but like I said before, I think we’re playing our best basketball now, and he is finally figuring the pattern out.

by 1AndDone on Feb 13, 2011 10:59 AM PST up reply actions

mc good defense???

come on dude. watch the game over!

by montanazag on Feb 13, 2011 12:42 PM PST up reply actions

Carter on D

Did you not see him repeatedly get beat off the drive on the perimeter? It was ridiculous.

He is improving, I’ll give you that. I would still like to see Keita get more minutes over Carter, but I trust in Few and co.

by CLT_ZagsFan on Feb 13, 2011 12:58 PM PST up reply actions

A little work

He needs to improve on getting on top of screens, but he is much quicker moving side to side than keita, and does just about everything else better than keita. Better dribbler better passer better shooter better defender

by 1AndDone on Feb 13, 2011 1:19 PM PST via mobile up reply actions

Really?

From what I’ve seen Keita seems to be a much better defender and better around the basket/in the lane.

by CLT_ZagsFan on Feb 13, 2011 1:25 PM PST up reply actions

I think Keita gets the hook WAY too early

At least we seem to be letting Sam play more..

by mattzag72 on Feb 13, 2011 4:52 PM PST up reply actions

agreed

sam still doesnt play the mins that his offense deserves and with the exception of him playing with his hands straight up in the air at all times which gives the opposing player a look at where to avoid when shooting, he has gotten a lot better at our end of the court. id also like to see keita get more mins bc he is really good defensively and gets up and down the floor well. needs to work on the 15footer and beyond. the little i have seen of it, is a little suspect

by LongIsland Zag on Feb 13, 2011 9:08 PM PST up reply actions