The Slipper Still Fits: FanPosts

Show some perspective.

2012-02-08T05:19:36Z

As a TRUE fan of the ZAGS, I'm saddened to see some of the post by by a few knuckleheads out there. You see some guys talking about getting rid of Few, how hopeless this season is, and how ZAGS blow season, history, and pride. First off, some of you are over reacting and are acting like a bunch of clowns. I know everyone is entitled to their opinion, but people need to take a look in the mirror and show some perspective. Whenever the team loses a game or two, people start calling for Few job. First off, take a look at his record. Look at the teams that he schedule's. You don't win that many conference championships in a row and become a bad coach. To keep a team like Gonzaga relevant in the area where there are so many Pac-12 teams. Not many coaches could pull that off. To get rid of a coach, you have to get a coach. You think that there are any good coaches available willing to come here? I know that Gonzaga is a good place, but it's not a coaching hot spot. To say that how hopeless the season is a little near sighted. They only have four losses. Would you like for them to win the league and go out in the 2nd round or not win the league and make it to the elite or final four? There is a lot of season left. Let's get to the end of the season before calling it a failure. After reading the post by SoldierofZagistan, I was taken back. To talk about someone's pride and to say they humiliated you is sad. If you live your life through 18-20 year old guys, you need to find something more to do with your life. How can a team humiliate you? You talk about being a warrior, but then you talk about quitting? I understand being upset after a loss. I have been heart broken and pissed. I have been critical of player before. I also understand this is the place to vent and let it out. What I don't understand is when people take a college team losing personally and lash out. I just think people need to show some perspective. Keep the faith! It's a long season. GO ZAGS!!!!

Is GU Going Dancing? Far From a Shoe-In...

2012-02-05T13:48:27Z

Folks, I'm finding it therapeutic to divert my attention away from the Zags specifically to college hoops in general. Where do we fit into the overall picture?

Just went through all the conference standings and I counted 75 teams that could get in, give or take. Obviously we have to finish the year strong to get in. The balance in the NCAA is a double-edged sword: If we do get in and suddenly get hot, who knows. But there are also a lot of teams out there. Look at the Atlantic 10 and Conference USA. How many get in? The Colonial is trouble, especially with the recent heroics of George Mason and VCU. Do the big boys (Big East, ACC, Big12, and Big10) get in if they finish .500 or above in their leagues? Are we better than Kansas State, who is .500 in the Big12? Other teams to worry about are a couple mid-majors who may end up with comparable resumes as ours: Montana, Ohio, Wagner or LI, and Loyola(Md) or Iona, etc. If we keep sputtering, hello to our friends in the Pac10 and Mountain West. Are we better than New Mexico? (copied this from a post I made last night.)

Any thoughts on GU getting in? Obstacles, besides our poor play to us getting in? Is our national popularity and/or respect for our tradition starting to wane?

I'm really interested in what you think about other leagues. I personally think the biggest factor for the selection committee is what they think about the strength of the various leagues. It also affects SOS and RPI. One cannot talk about a team without referencing the league it plays in. For example, is the WCC on the level of the Pac12, or Mountain West? How does the WCC stack up with the Big Sky?- If they get 1 bid, should the WCC get 3? (Wyoming?)

Living East I look at the Atlantic 10. An entire league of traditional basketball programs. We know how tough St Joe's is. One could argue that they should get just one bid and maybe one could say that they should get 4-5 bids. The dominoes fall. Would we want to play Duquesne in Pittsburgh right now? When one is "on-the-bubble", teams all over the country become intertwined. What affects one, may affect all. Did anyone notice that Iona went to Manhattan and beat them by 22 last night? The second place finisher in the MAAC will have a mighty strong resume! Let er' fly! Have fun! Fore!

ZAGS blow season, history, pride...

2012-02-03T07:10:04Z

I don't know what else to say other than they blew tonight. This team is by FAR the most talented team in the WCC and yet, they don't seem to care about what is on the line. We are content for the first time in my lifetime, to let SMC and the rest of the WCC trash us. We 'tip-toe into a bar fight' time and time again. Everyone is gunning for us, and we give them the bullets. The effort and discipline is PATHETIC of late. I think Few had the right game plan, but it won't work when Sacre decides to be a sissy, and the rest of the team decides to play PC by giving the other team the ball at every turn, missing open looks, and bricking bunnies. They preferred to not offend anyone, let alone defend anyone. This season this team looked to be my favorite, maybe, ever (regardless of wins), because they seemed to be tough and never quit.

Well....they quit.

They keep quitting. Now, I feel like quitting. It wasn't the loss. It was they way we lost. 3-19 from 3, 19 turnovers. We sucked. There wasn't a turn around.

As a warrior, I am humiliated by our effort tonight. We smelled blood and it was our own. Seems to be the only thing they are hungry for. We can only hope for LMU to save us now. Seems hopeless.

It's cannibalism time.

Poll

Rest of the season is...

Are We Havin Fun Yet?

2012-01-30T21:07:59Z

Some time ago I mentioned why SMC was going to be good this year. I was thoroughly bashed and ridiculed. I was respectful, and mindful this is a Gonzaga blog. I still read all of the articles, and rec some from time to time. I thought that now with the season really getting heated up I would try once again to say a few things, all in good sportsmanship though.

1. Like I said before, we have been built to beat Gonzaga. Our team, and recruiting has been molded by recruiting players that can help us finally win the WCC, by beating you!

2. Our 3 point shooters can light it up. We know you are vulnerable to this, although Few has finally decided to address it and it becomes less of an advantage for us.

3. We have brought in and developed some beef to help us with your interior bigs, that are indeed a handful. But, we smoked em in Moraga and Waldo made his grand appearance to your chagrin.

4. We finally have depth that can match yours. No longer an issue or an advantage for you.

5. One of the reasons I was scoffed at was because you thought we would suffer from losing McConnell, and I disagreed. Looks like I was er, on point? Delle has done everything he did, and more. He will win WCC POY, you just watch!

This is an exciting time of year. SMC has one HELL of a team and it is YOU who are chasing us for once. Well, there was last year but I like to forget that.

Please, know your enemie. Take a look at our schedule, who we have played, beaten, and by how much. Look at our record. You must be getting a little nervous? Some of you were hanging on the hope we would falter during what you considered the tough part of our schedule. Didn't happen. If anything, we are getting even better. Waldo has emerged as a force, he is no longer an unknown freshman. Our defense is the best we have ever had. Our team stats tell a story too. Take a peek. How do you match up with us?

I think it is good for the WCC to have competition like this, and the added dimension of BYU is also a good thing. I wish you guys luck on the rest of the season but I think you are in a bit of trouble. You are looking at quite a lot of away games and you have BYU twice, us once, LMU coming in and a Bay Area road trip looming. Can you do it? It looks like an uphill climb for you from here on out, while we are rolling down hill. Our schedule gets real cosy. Sure, you might be able to get one back on us at your place but, will it be enough? I doubt it.

Good luck! Here's to an exciting finish. May the BEST team win!

*I am a zag fan too. But they are second on my list

BYU vs. St. Mary's

2012-01-29T02:39:21Z

I've been waiting all week for this game, and a chance to get to watch BYU for the first time this season. So far, one thing is very apparent, Gonzaga's bigs are gonna have to bring their A-game. BYU's ability to rebound, finish at the rim, and hit the 10-15' jumper has been pretty impressive. Even though their outside shooting has been ice cold, they're still hanging in there with second chance opportunities.

I don't even want to get into St. Mary's... Still sore from that loss.

Stop Bounce Passing to the Big's

2012-01-28T14:59:19Z

If you want to see more scoring from the bigs, especially Sacre, don't bounce pass to them. It's too low, and it puts the ball in the place that favors the defense. Pass high, sacre is taller than anyone, and then he can continue up and complete the shot.

David Stockton does this a lot. It works in high school....not so much in the NCAA. This explains why Sacre is not scoring 20+ points a night.

Not ready to go!

2012-01-27T05:10:15Z

Appears no one affilliated with Gonzaga basketball was prepared for Portland, including us. Kids sure aren't ready. Loss to Portland, combined with St Mary's beating LMU pretty much makes us have to run the table to have any chance at winning the conference. Pathetic first half. What have they been doing all week? They are playing with no focus, no fire. Just about the time I think I can get a feel for this team they do something like this. Better see a much more focused and aggressive team in the 2nd half or I'm going to be concerned about this road trip, let alone the rest of the season. Come on Zags!!!!!!

Vanquish The Foe ( BYU )

2012-01-26T07:23:40Z

If you get a chance go visit BYU's version of The Slipper Still Fits. It is called Vanquish the foe. They have really good writers that post something new every day about the WCC. I really like the the posts from the road when BYU plays WCC teams on the road. They are there and tell fans about the other fans and gyms. I like the fact that they did not much care for some of the places they had to visit in the MWC. And maybe some day we will have a link to their page since they are in the WCC now. IMO it is one of the best sites in the NCAA. You dont have to wait 6 days for the next post.

WCC scheduling

2012-01-23T20:39:49Z

1/26 SMC @ LMU

1/28 SMC @ BYU

2/2 GU @ BYU

Would these three games have as much or perhaps more importance to the regular season championship and subsequent seeding for the WCC Tournament as the 2/9 match up of Saint Mary’s @ Gonzaga.

I can see SMC losing one or both of these two. The LMU game could be a trap for SMC, similar to the unexpected gift Bill Grier’s Toreros gave us last year. LMU has won some decent games and were uncomfortably close to a win over GU recently.

BYU has their back against the wall as far as making a statement in their first year in the WCC, and will want one back against the Gaels badly. This hunger will also be a factor in our game there four days later, but I think that GU will be better able to handle the atmosphere at the Marriott Center given Saint Mary's lack of tough road wins.

I think SMC splits their two and Zags win in Provo which will make the game in the Kennel on the 9th essentially a winner take all.

Thoughts?

Gonzaga v. USD

2012-01-21T19:12:13Z

Tonight the Zags are taking on the Toreros at home. This is not a clash of titans but is an important opportunity for Gonzaga to get its swag back after being thumped by St. Mary's. For the past couple games, the Zags have been terribly inconsistent if not downright lethargic. Based on team stats the Zags should have this game as they have the absolute advantage in rebounding, scoring and shooting percentage not to mention talent. Most likely tonight will not present a problem for the Zags, but sleepy play could give USD the opportunity to make this a game.

As far as USD strategy goes, they have the numbers to spread out fouls on the big men to slow the game down. Unlike years past, USD has more people with size to help them match up against the zags. USD should target Harris as he is not even an average free throw shooter. Having him miss at the line will frustrate him, but unfortunately for USD, it will not slow him down on the boards. We can expect to see the Toreros playing Sacre hard but not looking to foul him as allowing him to get to the line allows him to build confidence and become more a force on the court. If the bigs are hitting and playing solid defense, then it will be a long night for USD. As for guard play there is nothing really to write home about other than the Toreros are led by a freshman guard in scoring. The Zags will have to focus on guarding the three as the Torero offensive strategy will most likely involve pick and rolls and inside out play to make space for the three.

Individually some Zag players are finding a bit of a rhythm. Sacre had a better game against USF by limiting his fouls but is still lacking the energy level he had at the beginning of the season. Pangos is going to be heavily pressured for the rest of the season, and this should provide more experience for the young PG. If he can't handle the pressure expect to see Stockton while Pangos calms down on the bench. It would be nice if Pangos could find his shot from the 3, but one thing at a time. Bell did not have the greatest of games against USF and seem frustrated which may have been in part because fouls and a below average shooting night. He will be looking to limit his fouls and creating a shot. Dower struggled last game- turnovers. We should see a bit more of him this game to help keep Sacre fresh. At the three spot do not be surprised if Edi comes of the bench quickly as this is an opportunity for the coaching staff to help him develop on both sides of the court.

It may be a quieter game tonight, but the Zags will need it to focus before heading off on a three away game trip which includes BYU.

Is Home Court in College Hoops a Bigger Factor Than Ever?

2012-01-21T18:38:26Z

Watching college hoops across the country this season, I have started using home court advantage as my reference point for everything that is happening. In close match-ups, I would argue that home teams have been overwhelmingly dominant. In fact, some games this year that traditionally have been close finishes have actually resulted in blowouts: UNC at Fla St, GU at St. Mary's, etc. Therefore, I put even more importance on strong road performances. By this standard, I think Cincinnati is playing some of the best basketball in the nation right now: they have beaten Gtown and UConn at their places, with another road test at WVU today.

Following this theme, I think GU's signature win this year is Xavier. (I think they were still in a post-fight funk, but we went over there and got it done.) IMO, that's pretty much it, although if we can avoid road hiccups to the second tier WCC competitors, that will be significant. Obviously the next big date is Feb 2 at BYU. I think we will enter that game tied for first and we will get our 2nd big road win that night. BYU has Virginia Tech away next week before their meeting with St. Mary's next Sat at home. I think BYU will hold serve at home versus SMU, but will be drained win or lose for another critical game with us the following week. St. Mary's has 4 of their next 5 games on the road, including the Feb 9 date with GU. There are a couple trap games in there for them besides BYU and us.

I think the schedule is set up for us, as it has been all year. Obvious pluses to this: best record ever at this point and a serious opportunity to still get the top seed in our tournament. Negatives: are we being challenged to play great basketball?, are we going to peak at the right time?

What do you think about these possible trends? My theory for the reason why is that college hoops gets more and more balanced every year and road teams are not good enough to overcome the home court momentum.

Gonzaga, BYU and Saint Mary's 3 way tie for title?

2012-01-18T12:16:18Z

Now that i have had a chance to watch all the WCC teams this year, i am not too worried about 4-9 in the WCC. I dont see BYU or Saint Mary's losing to these teams. BYU will host Saint Mary's for round two before the Zags will get their 1st shot at BYU. Zags better hope BYU beats Saint Mary's. I see the Zags losing in Provo and beating BYU and Saint Mary's in Spokane. This could make it a 3 way tie for 1st with a 14-2 record. I am not sure what the tie breakers are in the WCC but it would suck to have a 3 way tie and get a 3 seed in Vegas.

Wed 8 vs 9

Thurs 5 vs 8/9
6 vs 7

Fri. 3 vs 6/7

4 vs 5/8/9

Sat. 1 vs 4/5/8/9

2 vs 3/6/7

Mon. Championship

The 3 seed not only has to win 3 games but gets the rested 2 seed the next day. As it stands now Gonzaga has the control of their fate but if they lose to BYU in Provo and Saint Mary's beats BYU for a 2nd time, I don't think San Diego is going to bail us out this year.

If anyone know the tie breakers will you post them?

And if one of the WCC schools was to pull an upset this year over Gonzaga, BYU or Saint Mary's, who do you think it will be?

Get that rebound !!

2012-01-16T16:14:11Z

As I was anxiously watching LMU’s last free throw bounce off the rim, I was shocked to see the horrible job of boxing out by Rob and Sam. If you recorded the game, go back and watch this play a few times, as I did. We had four rebounders vs their two, so it should have been an easy grab. However, Rob and Sam both stood straight up while their men muscled their way in front of them and nearly got to the ball. Rob’s effort (or lack there of) was especially noteworthy. Not only did Rob fail to box out, but once he was beat he threw his man to the floor and was lucky not to get called for a foul. The only Zag to box out on that play was our 5th player – Pangos. He started from the top of the key, hustled into the paint, stuck his but into an LMU player, created a little space and then grabbed the rebound as his four teammates stood and watched.

As I observed this I had flash-backs to my high school days as our coach ran endless rebounding drills – accompanied by his colorful verbal “encouragement” as we struggled to live up to his standards. His philosophy was that it was not my job to get the rebound. He said that it was my job to make %@$!* sure that my man did not get it. I can still hear him : “FIND YOUR MAN, PUT YOUR BUTT ON HIM, SEAL HIM, THEN GET THE BALL!!” He said that if each person does this, then our team will get almost every rebound. This guy was just an average high school coach, but he hammered these fundamental skills into us because he believed that games were won and lost by how well each player performed these simple tasks. I think guys like Rob and Sam (and probably others) could benefit greatly with this kind of instruction because it seems to me that they lack some basic fundamental skills that keep them (and the team) from reaching their fullest potential.

Relax ladies and gents. It's all good!

2012-01-15T14:51:38Z

Your going to have this when you have freshmen at point. While Pangos and Bell have been great, they also have stretches where they play like freshmen. Overall GU is a very young team in key positions. While Bells D is awesome and may be the best on the team(Hart). He has mental lapse. He looks off the post and has to works on cutting down on his turnovers. Pangos is a stud and made a huge pass tonight to help seal the game, but times struggles to get them in their sets. A guy a like Sacre depends on the guards to get him the ball where he needs it to be effective. All post players for the most part depend on guards to get them the ball. Guard play is where it's at in college basketball. Just look at last two seasons when GU had Goodson at point. Once these young guys get some more experience, you will see less peaks and valleys. So relax and enjoy the ride! These guys are good and they're only getting better.

This is your team, Rob Sacre

2012-01-14T08:08:43Z

Will the real Rob Sacre please stand up?

No, not the guy who was transparent against St. Mary's last night or the one who languished for two points and six rebounds against Butler....We're looking for the dynamic center who pulled down 10 rebounds, blocked three shots and sprang for 15 points against Washington State or the determined pivot who had 16 points and seven boards in 34 ambitious minutes versus Michigan State.

It's difficult to imagine great Zags' posts like Casey Calvary, Ronny Turiaf, Cory Violette or J.P. Batista going into Moraga against the hated Gaels and emerging with a line that looks like a typo...one-of-seven from the field, four points, three rebounds and one block in 18 minutes. Rob has been around the program long enough to understand that the game at St. Mary's requires tournament-level intensity....instead he brought the kind of blase effort you expect in an exhibition game against Missoula Tech.

Since the thumb injury against Air Force, Rob's numbers have dropped to 7.8 points and 6. 4 rebounds in 20.8 minutes. You also have to wonder if the offensive output by Sam Dower has the senior glancing at the sidelines to see if he is headed for an early substitution.

The comments from Coach Few after the embarrassment at St. Mary's told the story...."They thoroughly outplayed us" and "We didn't keep them out of the lane once in the second half." Rob was part of this, but not the only one to blame. The point is that Rob -- the focused, enthusiastic and skilled Rob that we've known and appreciated for so many years -- must set the tone in the post (and overall) for a team that is still looking for an emotional catalyst.

St. Mary's is good, but they should never beat a Zags team that is playing at its full potential, whether in Moraga or Spokane. Elias Harris showed up last night. Kevin Pangos was there in stretches, but we need Dower, Carter, Bell Jr., Sacre, Stockton and company to play with the sort of Matt Santangelo energy that wins league championships and forges the way for a healthy run at tournament time.

"Be quick, but don't hurry," UCLA Coach John Wooden once said. When the Zags got down against the Gaels and Rob Jones picked up his third foul, they began to hurry. The result? No field goals in the final 4:34 of the first half and the worst WCC loss in Coach Few's tenure.

The good news is that this team has the ability to accomplish great things. Now it will take an courageous effort by a senior center to get us moving in the right direction.