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Gonzaga Kicks Off Their 2014 Class With Silas Melson

2013-06-19T03:39:32Z

For the past few months, it has become very apparent how important the 2014 recruiting class is to the Gonzaga staff. With several glaring holes coming up following the conclusion of next season, Mark Few needs to land a 'home run' type of class in 2014 full of guys that can come in and contribute right away. Their efforts produced great results tonight as they secured a big commitment from Portland area guard prospect Silas Melson. Melson, who visited Spokane this past weekend, solidified himself as a top prospect with his lights out shooting and his skill set has only grown from there.

Melson's commitment makes sense and is important for a number of reasons. First of all, his style of play and skill set fits Mark Few's system very well. His long-range shooting is what made him a big name on the west coast but he has made a long of strides diversifying his game and he is now a big threat to get to the rim and hit the mid-range jumper. As many know, Gonzaga's backcourt works best with multi-talented guards. Melson will likely be able to run some point as well as being a primary off-guard. Silas is also the first member of the group that will ultimately take the reins from Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell. The talented backcourt duo will be seniors when Melson arrives as a freshman so it will be a perfect opportunity for him to learn from Pangos and Bell.

Playing on the loaded ICP Elite team based out of Portland this summer, Melson is rated in the Top 150 by Rivals. He was received offers and interest from a number of big time colleges and it was noted that his top two were the Zags and Washington.

We hope to secure an interview with the newest Zag commit shortly. For now, enjoy some highlights below:

Malik Pope Looks To Return From Injury: 2014 Recruit Remains High Priority

2013-06-18T19:00:05Z

As the Gonzaga coaching staff continues to focus on building out a strong 2014 recruiting class, the one name that seems to always intrigue fans is Malik Pope. The 5* SF has been on the Gonzaga radar for a long time and has a skill set that is unique for a player his size.

Pope hasn't been able to make his mark on the AAU scene, as he is continuing to recover from an injury suffered during his junior season. According to his AAU Coach, LeRohn Dodson, Pope is getting closer to returning to action.

"He is rehabbing three times a week," Dodson explained. "His rehab is going well and he said that his leg is feeling stronger and better. We don't have a time-table, but right now we are hoping for him to be fully done with his rehab by the end of June."

While it's been frustrating that Pope hasn't been able to take the court, Dodson thinks the injury may prove to be a blessing.

"This injury has really humbled him and made him realize that everything can be taken away," said the Team Superstar coach. "He definitely feels blessed that he will get another chance to play. I hear a lot of maturity in his voice when we talk. I think the injury is going to put things into perspective and he will take advantage of opportunities."

As he gets ready to return to the court, Dodson already knows what parts of his game they will be working on.

"I think the biggest thing that I'd like to see him work on his post game," revealed Dodson. "Even with his size, he is a straight 3. Last summer he was 6'7 and now he is 6'9 and the doctors think he could still grow. I'd like to see him take advantage of his height and be able to post-up on smaller wings."

Even with his injury, recruiting has continued to stay strong for Pope. With that said, there are a few schools that are coming after him the hardest.

"In general I would say SDSU, Gonzaga, Kansas, Cal, Arizona, Louisville, Oregon, USC and Washington are coming the hardest. There are other schools that have offered like Miami, Texas, Georgetown and UCLA, but the other ones are coming the hardest."

Gonzaga has really been a steady presence in Malik's recruitment, with Donny Daniels continuing to take the lead.

"Coach Daniels has done a great job of recruiting Malik," Dodson explained. "He has done as good of a job as any coach and has established a relationship, which is reason why they are in there. He has stayed in contact and really developed that relationship. He has position Gonzaga to where they have a legitimate shot."

With a focus on academics, Pope is still awhile away from starting to take his official visits.

"He and I will sit and talk with his mom, but he definitely won't take any visits until the fall since he is currently in summer school," revealed Pope's AAU Coach. "Once school comes back in the Fall, he will set up some visits and come up with a list of schools."

Trio Of 2015 Guards Have Interest From Gonzaga

2013-05-29T19:07:17Z

While much of the 2015 recruiting attention has been focused on Kendall Small, it turns out the Gonzaga coaching staff has its eyes on two of the top wings on the West Coast as well. Conveniently for the staff, they also happen to be AAU teammates of Small.

As we recently reported, Small received an offer from Gonzaga during the April Evaluation period. He isn't the only member of the Superior Athletes AAU team to have a Gonzaga offer, as Mark Few officially offered Stephen Thompson Jr the same day he offered Small.

"Stevie is a deceptive guard," explained Don Small. "What Stevie has really worked on is getting to the lane and his mid-range shot. He has a deadly floater in his game."

Thompson has been on the Gonzaga radar since the start of his sophomore season, with the staff making a handful of visits out to watch him.

"He likes Gonzaga," Small said. "I have talked to him about Gonzaga and his father (the head coach at CSU LA) is intrigued by the school. They started looking at him during the high school season. Donny and Coach Lloyd went out and watched him like two or three times."

Jeremy Hemsley is the third talented prospect on the Superior Athletes team that also has the attention of the Gonzaga staff. With all three recruits on the Gonzaga radar, we wondered if there was a chance they might end of at the same college.

"I think it is very interesting as it could play out that way," Don said with a laugh. "I know Stevie, Kendall and Jeremy really like Gonzaga. UConn, UNLV and Boston College are hard after Hemsley. The interest is really starting to grow."

Big Offer For Small: Gonzaga Offers 2015 PG Kendall Small

2013-05-29T00:25:31Z

With David Stockton and Kevin Pangos both upperclassmen, Gonzaga must continue to plan for the point guard position in the future. While Josh Perkins has emerged as the priority recruit in the 2014 class, the GU coaching staff has long had its eye on 2015 point guard Kendall Small.

Small has kicked off the AAU season in impressive fashion, with his performances being raved about by numerous scouts. Even his father/coach has come away impressed so far.

"So far, it's going pretty good," said Don Small. "This is our first year with a new program and a new name, and we are 13-4 so far. He (Kendall) has played even better than I expected. There are some things you can't do at the high school level because of the people you are playing with. In AAU, you are surrounded by so much talent and you can see who is really good."

The past six months have seen Kendall really grow his game offensively, especially as a shooter.

"He is really getting his shooting touch back," Don emphasized. "He didn't shoot much in high school because he was taking everything to the rim, which is why he shot so well from the field. What we have seen in the club season is that his shot is really on from mid-range. He is also using his athletic ability to finish at the rim."

His impressive play during the first evaluation period caught the attention of Coach Few and earned him an offer from Gonzaga.

"Coach Few watched us play a team from Washington and I think it was the first time he saw us play this year. Kendall had a pretty good game and was probably the best guy on the floor. Coach Few talked to Stevie's dad (Stevie Thompson), who is a college coach, and told him that Kendall and Stevie had offers."

This was an extra special moment for Kendall, as he grew up watching Gonzaga closely.

"It was one of the moments where you think this is what we have been working for," Don said with a laugh. "He was very excited. I told him that Coach Few liked his game and what he did on the floor and that he had an offer."

With an offer in hand, the Small family is in the process of figuring out when to make an official visit up to Spokane.

"We have talked with them (the Gonzaga coaches) a bit," Don said of setting up an official visit. "We are going to try to do something mid-season in January. We want to be able to do it when it can be an official visit."

"He doesn't really have a favorite yet. He likes a lot of schools right now. What I have been saying is that Gonzaga, Arizona and Oregon have been recruiting him strong. He has mentioned San Diego St. and possibly UNLV as other schools he likes. We are going to wait it out and make the best decision possible."

Trey Kell Emerges As 2014 Target: Zags Eyeing 2014 Wing

2013-05-21T20:10:22Z

This also will be an important recruiting year for Gonzaga, with Olynyk gone a bit ahead of schedule and with starting guards Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell about to begin their junior seasons.

"We’ve got to pick up some guys and keep the thing rolling," Few said.

As hard as it is to believe, the backcourt tandem of Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr. only has two years of eligibility left. For this reason, the 2014 class has a strong focus on the backcourt, with Trey Kell of San Diego All-Stars Pump N'Run emerging as one of the top options for Gonzaga on the wing.

Kell is one of the best stories of the AAU season, as he used the first evaluation period to emerge as one of the top recruits on the West Coast.

"The thing about Trey is he is humble and hard working," explained his AAU coach Marshawn Cherry. " When he was a freshman, he was on our B team as a bench guy and was just a quiet kid. Going into last year, he had made it to our top team and cracked the starting lineup. We could see he was going to be a good player, but recently it went to a whole new level. He got confident and realized how good he could be."

The recent success stems from a strong work ethic, which Cherry says has helped Kell improve dramatically in the past year.

"I would say his explosiveness," Cherry said of the biggest improvement. " He has worked really hard on his first step and his ball-handling. He has always been a good three-point shooter but he has worked hard on his mid-range shot. He is a gym rat."

Despite an expanding recruitment, the SDA head coach insists that the talented guard is just starting to tap his potential.

"I'd say his body still needs developing. He has gained 10 pounds of muscle in the past two months. What you see now is his natural body, but he is going to continue to grow. His dad is 6'3 and his uncle is 6'7, so he is going to continue to get taller and fill out."

Right after the evaluation period, Kell received numerous offers, including one from Gonzaga.

"He has 16 offers on the table right now," Cherry said. "Gonzaga, San Diego St., Utah St, Pepperdine, USD, Oregon St., Nevada, UC Davis, UC Irvine and I'm forgetting some others. He recently started getting interest from Arizona St., UCLA, USC, Boston College and some others."

Since extending the offer, Donny Daniels has taken a lead in building a relationship with the talented wing.

"Gonzaga has been really good," explained Cherry. "Coach Donny is a great guy. He is exciting, funny and very lively. He seems like a really good guy and he is a straight shooter. Trey really likes talking to him and how exciting he is. They have done a good job talking to him so far."

Not surprisingly, Gonzaga is working to get Trey on campus for an official visit in the future.

"I'm not 100% sure when, but they said they wanted to get him on campus and give him the Gonzaga experience," the SDA coach said. "They want him to see the campus and meet the team and everything. They want to get him up there."

With another evaluation period in July, fans shouldn't expect a decision in the near future. However, it's likely Gonzaga will be one of the schools considered throughout the process.

"I would say Gonzaga is up there on the list," Cherry revealed. "He likes the school and the system. As far as his timeline, they (the Kell family) want to look at it at the end of the summer. They want the right fit both on and off the court. His family is high on academics as well. They are going to ultimately make the choice that is the best fit for him."

A Few Links: Memphis, Gonzaga Set To Resume Series

2013-05-21T15:28:08Z

Gonzaga fans are collectively waiting (not so patiently) for a bit of good news. While most offseasons have been filled with news of various departures and additions, this one has been largely underwhelming. Several big time transfers linked to the Zags have elected to spend their time elsewhere and anxiety is growing for what the roster, more specifically in the low post, will look like. We all know the returning cast consists of Przemek Karnowski and Sam Dower so common sense would tell you that depth must be added. Thus far, we have seen nothing in the way of help for those two but the staff continues to explore all options.

-- One option that has recently popped up is Dominic Woodson. The top-100 center recently decommitted from Baylor and several reports have linked the Zags to the monster post prospect:

According to Dominic Woodson's mentor Kevin Robinson, the list for Woodson is Memphis, Cincy, URI, SCarolina & Gonzaga. Marshall not on it.
— MemphisRoar (@MemphisRoar) May 21, 2013

While we are not getting excited until Woodson decides where he will be taking his visits, he is definitely and interesting prospect and it would be great to land a four-year prospect that the staff can work with. One year guys like Mike Moser and Josh Davis would have been great as they are easy to plug in and run but grabbing a skilled top-100 incoming freshman would be huge for the pipeline. A good comparison point for Woodson would be JP Batista. Very skilled, soft touch from around the hoop but needs to work on his physicality and positioning. I've read many reports saying they have never seen a 250 lb. guy like Woodson so light on his feet. He would be a big get for the Zags.

-- One of Gonzaga's biggest competitors for Woodson will be Josh Pastner and the Memphis Tigers. Having recently lost Tarik Black to transfer, Memphis is sure to make a big push as they also lack low post depth. In addition to competing for Woodson, it sounds like the two programs will compete on the floor soon per Andy Katz:

2. Memphis is putting together another stellar nonconference schedule with a home-and-home series with Oklahoma State, starting in Stillwater, a home-and-home series with Gonzaga, starting in Memphis, playing Florida in the Jimmy V Classic in New York City as well as being in the Old Spice Classic.

Even though from a competitive standpoint this hasn't been the best series for the Zags, I've always enjoyed playing Memphis. These two programs have historically been two of the top non-BCS programs and it has been a nice showcase game.

Josh Davis Spurns Gonzaga, Transfers To San Diego State

2013-05-15T20:09:19Z

Call in a whiff, call it a swing-and-a-miss, call it whatever you want, but talented transfer forward Josh Davis is off the board and he won't be playing his senior season of basketball in Spokane, Washington.

Davis, the double-double machine who became the hottest transfer in the country, committed today to Steve Fisher and San Diego State. Davis' commitment is a major get for Fisher as the Aztecs lost their top two performers from a season ago and were in dire need of immediate help. In the end, Davis' first visit was all he needed as he elected to end his recruitment early.

Davis was scheduled to visit Gonzaga next on his tour which has had me thinking "what if Gonzaga would have been the first visit" all day long. In all honesty, Davis committing to San Diego State is hardly a surprise. The Aztecs offer a very solid program in a solid conference and Davis can come in and be the star right away. Also...playing your senior season in San Diego isn't bad at all.

On the heels of Moser's decision to transfer to Oregon, this is really hard news to swallow. From everything we had heard, the staff felt they were in a good spot to land Davis as Few had met with him a little while ago in New Orleans. In the end, San Diego State got the first visit and you had to think they were going to do whatever it took to not let him leave without a decision. The Bulldogs will now scour the transfer lists and the remaining 2013 prospects in hopes of just finding some depth to help Sam Dower and Przemek Karnowski.

At the end of the day, Davis' commitment to San Diego State means that the pressure is now on the Gonzaga guards to carry the load. Whereas last year's team was frontcourt-centric, next season's team will revolve around the perimeter and guys like Gary Bell, Kyle Dranginis, and Gerard Coleman will have to step up in a big way.

Mike Moser Commits To Oregon

2013-05-07T22:50:07Z

Talented UNLV transfer Mike Moser has committed to Oregon, per his AAU coach Kumbeno Memory.

We'll have more later but for now, this is really unfortunate news. I can't envision a scenario where the staff doesn't bring in someone to shore up the low post and Moser was one of the top options in the nation.