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Florida St. Seminoles
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Gonzaga Bulldogs
Friday, Mar 19, 2010, 4:10 PM PDT
NCAA Tournament - West Region - First Round - HSBC Arena - Buffalo, NY
Gonzaga Bulldog Basketball Prospects
2011 Prospects
Kyle Wiltjer
Position: PF
Rivals Profile
Scout Profile
ESPN Profile
Ht: 6'9"
Wt: 200 lbs
AAU: Drew Gooden Soldiers
High School: Jesuit HS (OR)
Gary Bell Jr.
Position: PG
Scout Profile
Rivals Profile
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Ht: 6'1"
Wt: 175 lbs
AAU: Seattle Rotary Select
High School: Kentridge (WA)
Nick Johnson
Position: PG
Scout Profile
Rivals Profile
ESPN Profile
Ht: 6'3"
Wt: 185 lbs
AAU: Drew Gooden Soldiers
High School: Findlay Prep (NV)
Brett Kingma
Position: PG
Highlight Reel
Ht: 6'2''
Wt: 160 lbs
AAU: Emerald City Basketball Academy
High School: Jackson HS (WA)
2012 Prospects
Jordan Tebbutt
Position: SG
Rivals Profile
Scout Profile
ESPN Profile
Ht: 6'5''
Wt: 190 lbs
High School: Horizon Christian HS (OR)
Landen Lucas
Position: PF
Rivals Profile
Scout Profile
ESPN Profile
Ht: 6'8''
Wt: 200 lbs
AAU: Northwestern Panthers
High School: Sunset HS (OR)
Anrio Adams
Position: PG
Scout Profile
ESPN Profile
Ht: 6'2''
Wt: 175 lbs
High School: Franklin HS (WA)
Darien Nelson-Henry
Position: C
ESPN Profile
Ht: 6'10''
High School: Lake Washington HS (WA)
Learning more about the Seminoles: A few good questions with Tomahawk Nation
by Zach Bell on Mar 17, 2010 10:07 PM PDT
1 comment
For the past few days, we've sort of been going through statistical and information overload trying to figure out just what it is that makes the Florida State Seminoles tick. Sometimes all the stats, numbers, and analysis can get overwhelming and the best thing to do is just to go straight to the source. With that being said, we were lucky enough to set up correspondence with the fine folks from Tomahawk Nation, SB Nation's Florida State community. If you haven't been over to TN since the brackets were released, you absolutely must stop by. SB Nation has a number of outstanding sites but there are few that cover a program with as much depth as they do. We would like to express our since thanks to TrueCubbie from Tomahawk Nation for helping us to learn more about what Gonzaga will be going up against come Friday. We hope you enjoy his outstanding insight into the Seminoles program. To return the favor, we answered a few of TN's burning questions about Gonzaga which you can check out here.
The Slipper Still Fits: Our perception of Florida State is an extremely athletic and tough team. At the same time, it's not a stretch to say that we also see them as very raw on the offensive side of the basketball. To someone that has watched them many, many times; is this an accurate description of the Noles or are we selling them short in some regards?
Tomahawk Nation: Florida State is a big, athletic team that plays outstanding defense. Unfortunately, there is a big discrepancy between the defensive skill and the efficiency on the offensive end. One could argue that Florida State is a young team that lacks a leader at the offensive end of the court. The lack of offensive leadership is the key. There are plenty of young teams in the tourney this year, including the likes of Gonzaga and Kentucky, who are able to consistently put points on the board. The Noles' offense leaves much to be desired and this has been the pattern for a few years. Fortunately, Florida State had Toney Douglas last year who could was able to put up significant points. This year, as we will discuss later, there isn't a reliable scorer. Leonard Hamilton is a defensive minded coach and gets his players to buy into 100% effort on the defensive end of the court. The offense is stagnant despite the athletic ability available, which many argue results from poor player management and schemes. The other thing to note about the Noles is that their bench is deep and they will are able to create match-up nightmares on a regular basis. One of the first players off the bench is Xavier Gibson, a very underrated player, who is 6'11. The Noles also bring Luke Loucks and Deividas Dulkys off the bench two big guards at the college level. To summarize, your assessment is 'spot on.'
continue reading after the jump for more with Tomahawk Nation...
1 comment | 0 recs |
Gonzaga Roundtable
We were fortunate enough to participate in another Gonzaga Roundtable on 1510 KGA. Listen to Richard Fox, Jim Meehan, and the Slipper Still Fits talk about Gonzaga hoops.
Show us your brackets!!!!!!
by Max Mandel on Mar 16, 2010 11:58 AM PDT
10 comments
We would like to officially welcome everyone to the Slipper Still Fits bracket challenge. We just created an open group for Gonzaga fans with ESPN Tournament Challenge and would like all of our readers (invite your friends as well) to compete for the title of Bracket Champion. In the spirit of this site, I have selected Gonzaga to make the Final 4, but there are no requirements for how far you must pick the Zags to go. We do encourage people to be a little risky and pick the occasional upset, but if you want to choose all the #1 seeds in the Final 4, that is totally fine.
Here is how you join:
1) Go to ESPN Tournament Challenge (Click here for direct link)
2) Create an ESPN account (They are free. If you already have an ESPN account, skip this step)
3) Fill out your bracket
4) Click on Join group
5) Search: Slipper Still Fits (Key Note: The group for this blog is: "Slipper Still Fits, not "The Slipper Still Fits)
6) Join Slipper Still Fits
7) Sit back and enjoy this terrific competition.
If you have any questions or something isn't working, please feel free to email us, and we will do everything we can to help out.
10 comments | 0 recs |
Who are the Seminoles? Breakdown of Florida St.
by Max Mandel on Mar 15, 2010 11:06 PM PDT
16 comments
Over the past two months we have spent endless amounts of time debating and discussing the same seven opponents. One of the refreshing aspects of the start of the NCAA Tournament is that there is a fresh opponent for us to preview and attempt to dissect. While last year gave the Zags mid-major opponents in the first two round, this NCAA Tournament run will begin against the Florida St. Seminoles from the ACC.
The first thing that jumps out when you look at Florida St. is the incredible amount of athleticism that Leonard Hamilton has at his disposal. Normally, Memphis presents the most difficult match up in terms of athleticism and length for the Zags, but this season that distinction will belong to the Seminoles. In Solomon Alabi, the 'Noles have a future lottery pick who is a legitimate 7'1 and can absolutely dominate the game with his defensive play. Alabi averages 2.4 blocks per game, and there is little doubt that he will be the most difficult match up that Robert Sacre has gone up against during his time at Gonzaga.
However, like the rest of his teammates, Alabi is not a huge threat on the offensive end, with most of his scoring coming on second-chance opportunities and open dunks. Alabi averages only 11.6 points per game and is also an ineffective rebounder for a guy his size, pulling down 6.2 boards per game. If Sacre and Foster can box out and use their size and strength to keep Alabi off the glass, his impact could be nullified.
With Alabi dominating the paint, Chris Singleton has the ability to guard and dominate defensively on both the perimeter and in the paint. Singleton is the engine that makes this Seminoles team run, and he offers a very rare blend of size and quickness. The 6'9 forward was recently named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and it will be interesting to see if he starts the game using his length to try and eliminate the effectiveness of Matt Bouldin on the perimeter, or if he matches up with Elias Harris. With so much length in both a basic man-to-man defense, as well as in a potential 3-2 zone (which SIngleton often plays at the top of), Gonzaga will need to make sure they take care of the ball and make smart passes in both transition and in the half court offense.
While there is a pretty good indication of the type of performance that Gonzaga fans should expect to see from Alabi and Singleton, I believe that Deividas Dulkys and Michael Snaer will be the difference in this game. With Florida St. being the top defensive team in the country (they the lead the country in field goal percentage defense), the ability of Dulkys and Snaer to score and provide a threat on the offensive end will be imperative watch. Dulkys is an excellent shooter, who hits nearly 40% of his shots from beyond the arc, but he is incredibly streaky on the offensive end. It's vital that either Matt Bouldin or Steven Gray is always aware of where Dulkys is on the court, as making sure that he doesn't get hot from the field should be one of the main priorities for the Zags.
Snaer is an explosive freshman scorer, who is one of the most highly-touted recruits to play in Tallahassee. Snaer recently moved into the starting lineup, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Steven Gray match up with Snaer when Gonzaga is in their man-to-man defense (it wouldn't surprise me to see Gonzaga in their zone defense for the majority of the game. Making FSU score from the perimeter might be the best approach). By not allowing Snaer and Dulkys to get in the offensive flow of the game, Gonzaga should have enough skill and scoring ability on the offensive end to pull out a gruleing and tough victory.
16 comments | 0 recs |
Every Second Counts in March: Demetri Goodson sinks Western Kentucky
by Zach Bell on Mar 15, 2010 6:22 PM PDT
5 comments
With the NCAA Tournament right around the corner, this seems like a great time to continue our "positive vibes" movement here and reminisce about some of the great postseason moments for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The past decade and some have been remarkable for this once nationally unknown program. Many players in the past ten years have gone down as legends and everyone has their favorite Gonzaga moment. For me, there is really no reason to go too far back into the past as one of the all-time best moments happened just a season ago. Playing in Portland, Gonzaga entered the 2009 NCAA Tournament as a four seed after absolutely dominating the West Coast Conference tournament. After getting a stiff test from Akron in the opening round, the Zags narrowly advanced to the second round where they met Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers were a popular sleeper pick a season ago and had dominated five seed Illinois in their opening round match up. The game would be hotly contested throughout but, on arguably Gonzaga's most talented and veteran-laden team, it was their youngest contributor that stepped up when it mattered most.
continue reading after the jump to reminisce about Gonzaga-WKU...
5 comments | 0 recs |
Cool video from Nike for the NCAA Tournament
2 days ago
Max Mandel
7 comments
0 recs
JUICIEST MATCHUP: Gonzaga vs. Florida State
Boeheim wasn't pleased to have this as his 8-9 game; as he said on Sunday, "I have [Gonzaga] 15 in my poll this week. I don't see how they're not a 5 or 6 seed." He's right on the Zags being underseeded; they're more dangerous than your average No. 8, and are only in that position because they sleepwalked though a West Coast Conference title game loss to St. Mary's. The team they're paired with, Florida State, is no slouch, either: The 'Noles rank No. 1 in the nation in defensive efficiency, using 7-1 center Solomon Alabi to shut down all action in the paint. The game will hinge on whether Zags guards Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray (and to a lesser degree, small forward Elias Harris) can knock down threes.
2 days ago
Max Mandel
5 comments
0 recs
Gonzaga to take on Florida State in opening round of NCAA Tournament
by Zach Bell on Mar 14, 2010 9:22 PM PDT
23 comments
Selection Sunday is always full of surprises. After the first three brackets were released, Greg Gumbel said "tensions are building around here" and that is seemingly the way this day always goes. Lots of head shaking, even more finger pointing, and plenty of heartbreak. You can't classify Gonzaga's fortune today as heartbreak but you can say it was disappointing. The 8-9 game is what many look to avoid as you are typically taking two strong teams that were inconsistent and pitting them against eachother. This is why you have match ups like Texas-Wake, Cal-Louisville, and Gonzaga-FSU all residing on the 8-9 line. The second obvious caveat to being involved in this game is the fact that your next contest (if you are lucky enough to survive and advance) will be against a #1 seed. Gonzaga has this difficult, and exciting opportunity as they look to make a deep run in this season's NCAA Tournament.
I'm sure Max will come along tomorrow with a more detailed look at Florida State because, to be quite honest, I never see much of them. I know about Solomon Alabi, Michael Snaer, and a few other touted Seminoles. I know that their reputation is a strong, athletic, and defensive minded team. They're one of the best in the country defensively and really frustrate opposing teams into taking bad shots. But, like every other team not in the top 6-8, they are incredibly inconsistent. They've swept Wake Forest and Georgia Tech but then they've lost games they had no business losing. Overall, it's exactly the type of team I expected the Zags to play in the opening round, even though I didn't think they'd slide to an eight.
There's really no point anymore in looking back and complaining about the committee or how this team finished the season. I know it makes for good discussion and is a good way to grind an ax but the second season is almost upon us and I'm damn excited to get it going. The facts now indicate that Gonzaga will play Florida State on Friday. The Seminoles, while strong and very dangerous, are also very beatable. It's going to take all the same efforts we have seen in flashes through the year. There's no next year for Matt Bouldin to have his tournament success. There is really no more grace period for Demetri Goodson to have the "just a sophomore" excuse. There's also no reason why this bench should be looked upon as a guessing game regarding who is going to play well today.
Many things have to come together for this tournament to be viewed as a success. I can't harp on how much Elias Harris should be priority #1 in the gameplan. Against an outstanding defensive team like Florida State, you have such a small window to come out with fire before they can just wear you down. The good thing is that we all know that this team is capable of doing some very good things against anyone. They can also do awful things against anyone but...I'm one of those fans that happens to think the best version of Gonzaga is going to come to play every game no matter what and I expect nothing less in Buffalo.
Go Zags.
23 comments | 0 recs |
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Bulldogs Basketball Schedule
Next 5 Games
|
Florida St.
|
Fri 03/19 | 4:10 PM PDT |
Last 5 Games
| St. Mary's, Calif. | Mon 03/08 | L 62 - 81 |
| St. Mary's, Calif. | Mon 03/08 | L 62 - 81 |
| Loyola Marymount | Sun 03/07 | W 77 - 62 |
| Loyola Marymount | Sun 03/07 | W 77 - 62 |
| Cal State Bakersfield | Tue 03/02 | W 78 - 59 |
West Coast Conference Standings
(updated 3.17.2010 at 9:47 PM PDT)
| Conf | Overall | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
|
Gonzaga Bulldogs
|
12 | 2 | 26 | 6 |
| St. Mary's, Calif. Gaels | 11 | 3 | 26 | 5 |
| Portland Pilots | 10 | 4 | 21 | 11 |
| Loyola Marymount Lions | 7 | 7 | 18 | 15 |
| San Francisco Dons | 7 | 7 | 12 | 18 |
| Santa Clara Broncos | 3 | 11 | 11 | 21 |
| San Diego Toreros | 3 | 11 | 11 | 21 |
| Pepperdine Waves | 3 | 11 | 7 | 24 |
Gus and Us
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