One of the most pure scorers in Canada, Bol Kong will take his game to Gonzaga and test his skills against the best amateurs in the world.

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We've transferred quite nicely from Elias Harris fever to Bol Kong fever.  Today we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Jamie Oei.  Oei was Kong's head coach during his one season at Douglas College in British Columbia and he provided us with some outstanding insights into Bol's recruitment and his on-court abilities.  It goes without saying that Kong's time on the court has been limited lately and his path to Gonzaga has been rocky but Oei really brings everything to a whole different light.  We thank Coach Oei for taking the time to talk to us and hope you enjoy the wealth of information he has about Bol.

The Slipper Still Fits:  Bol burst on to the scene with Douglas College when you guys played against some top USA teams (Marquette, Oklahoma, BC). Did you know how talented Bol was before that, and had he received much recruiting attention prior to those performances?

Jamie Oei:  Before he got to Douglas, I knew he was good and had legit potential to be going down to the states to play.  But I wasn't sure because he had taken a year off after high school so none of us could predict the future but I knew he should be playing and developing so I had him play for us at Douglas and he was better than I expected.  I knew he'd be good but I didn't know he'd be that good, that fast.  He's quite the talent to be doing the things he does and he does a lot of different things very well.  I've coached in Europe have seen professional players in Europe and Bol can do mostly all the things those guys can do and even some things those guys will never be able to do.

As far as his recruiting, he got plenty of attention when he was in high school but when you disappear for a year like he did people tend to forget about you.  Recruiting is a tough business and it's hard for schools to go chasing guys when they don't know where they are.  When we talked about his recruiting, we always talked about making good decisions and we met about once a week to talk about those things.  We went over the list of schools that were interested and eliminated some and if new ones popped up we talked about their program, how he would fit in, how their roster broke down etc etc.  We got really in depth about the entire thing because a lot of the Canadian kids jump at a particular school because they dream about going down there and don't look at the situation and they wind up transferring.  That's one of the things we concentrated on with Bol.

TSSF:  Once Bol started to receive recruiting attention from the states, which schools were most actively recruiting him, and how did Gonzaga become involved in the process?

JO:  Gonzaga actually didn't get involved early on.  I actually saw Tommy Lloyd at the Final Four the year I had Bol and I had known Tommy from previous experiences and  so I chatted with him about Bol and then I talked to Coach Few and then Tommy came up to see him up at Douglas and when he saw him he knew he would fit into the system.  They really started to make a hard play for Bol after that.   The thing with Gonzaga is that they are the team we see a lot of and follow them being so close to Vancouver so people tend to see Gonzaga as their own team as well.

continue reading more about Bol in our interview with his most recent head coach...

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We are truly pleased to bring you an exclusive interview with assistant coach Ray Giacoletti.  Coach Giacoletti came to Gonzaga after being head coach at the University of Utah and has really altered the mindset of Gonzaga basketball.  He places a strong emphasis on defense and it really came through last season as the Zags had one of the best defensive field goal percentages in the nation.  We would like to thank Coach Giacoletti for his honesty and openness that he displayed in this interview, and there is no doubt this is something that any Gonzaga fan will love to read.

Slipper Still Fits: In regards to last season, did you agree with the preseason expectations that this could have been a Final 4 team? Did the team meet the expectations that you and the rest of the coaching staff had?

Coach Giacoletti:  I think you always have huge expectations, but to talk about a final four, I think it gets a little bit out of whack but you try and be the best you can be.  We all have big expectations, no one more than Mark Few. You go in and try and be the best you can be, but talking about the Final Four and National Championships can be unrealistic. You just focus on what you can control because so many things in college basketball are not in your control.  You have to get so lucky to be playing your best basketball at that time of the year and not be injured, and not playing the eventual national champions.

 continue reading more of our interview with Coach Giacoletti after the jump...

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At the Slipper Still Fits, we try to provide in-depth coverage of Gonzaga and its recruiting. With reports that the Zags are interested in Aaron Bright, we decided to found out as much about this 2010 prospect as possible. Joel Willits of  The Bellevue Reporter was kind enough to answer some questions regarding Aaron Bright, and this should provide Gonzaga fans with a great background for this elite 2010 recruit. The Slipper Still Fits would like to thank Joel for this terrific interview, and we look forward to checking in with him throughout the season. 

The Slipper Still Fits: At this point what would you consider to be aaron's greatest strengths and weaknesses on the court?

Joel Willits: From my vantage point, Aaron's two greatest strengths are his shooting ability and his confidence. You don't average 16.7 points per game in the KingCo conference without both. Aaron has the ability to create his own shot off the dribble and has the confidence to take almost any shot. Last season there was much ado about his transferring from neighboring Issaquah High School to Bellevue, and in those games, the Issaquah fans packed the house and really gave it to him, worse than I've ever seen fans get on a single player at the high school level. In those three games, Aaron scored 17, 21 and 16 points, all with the fans on his back the whole time.
    As far as weaknesses go, Bellevue's team last year had problems down the stretch and sometimes Aaron would look hesitant at times, not knowing whether or not to take over the game, or defer to his teammates. As a result, he would sometimes look lost, taking shots he shouldn't or making ill-advised passes. That's something that has been worked on in the last year and we'll address that below.
    My only concern at the next level could be height - he's listed at 5'10'', but that's a big stretch. There's a big difference between being guarded at the high school level and at the college level by someone with height and length, but he is only a junior and his body is still growing.

The Slipper Still Fits:  Where have you seen the greatest improvement in Aaron's game over the past year?

Joel Willits:   Aaron has transitioning from a shooting guard to a true point guard this season. Early in the year he told me that it was "all part of growing up" and his goal is to get four or five of his teammates in double figures. With a talented surrounding cast that includes Detlef Schrempf's son Alex, Aaron's made a solid adjustment into his new role, while still averaging 14 points per game. He's making the players around him better, and that's a quality that college coaches love to see.
    He's also building a solid mentality for the next level. Look at how Jeremy Pargo has changed more into a true point guard this season and how Gonzaga has benefitted from it. That's what Aaron is doing this season at Bellevue.

The Slipper Still Fits: What area of his game does Aaron need to improve on the most before he gets to the next level?

Joel Willits: Shot selection. Like I noted above, Aaron has the confidence to take any shot. Sometimes that's a bad thing, depending on the situation. Bellevue got in trouble last year when Aaron's shot went cold but he'd still try to force it. Some of that has been erased this year by his improved passing and trust in his teammates.
    He's shown an improved ability to get to the basket this year, instead of having to rely on outside shots. That will be another skill he'll need to improve to be an impact player at the next level.

The Slipper Still Fits: Where does Aaron rank among the top juniors in the state?

Joel Willits: He's definitely up there at the top and after this season he'll start to get more press. Josh Smith of Kentwood (a 6-9 post player) is probably the top junior in the state.
    I'm actually surprised Aaron hasn't gotten more hype, but those who have seen him play know he has the skills for the next level.

The Slipper Still Fits: At this point, what schools are showing the greatest interest in aaron, and who is he most interested in?

Joel Willits: I've heard the same schools it seems you guys have - Stanford, Arizona, GU, Cal, San Diego.
    From my encounters with him, he's really close to his family and I think that could help Gonzaga as an in-state school. 

The Slipper Still Fits: What degree of interest has Gonzaga shown and do you anticipate them offering soon?

Joel Willits:    I'm not quite sure about how much interest Gonzaga has shown. Aaron's certainly a good prospect and will probably be a nice player at the next level, but I don't see the rush to recruit him as we've seen with other players in the state such as Peyton Siva of Franklin (Louisville), Tony Wroten Jr. of Garfield, and even Josh Smith.
    Gonzaga is in that elite category and can go nation-wide (not to mention internationally) with its scholarships. The question remains: will they take a chance on an in-state kid who (right now) isn't considered the best guard in Washington when they can afford to cherry pick their recruits?
    I will say this: if the Zags take a chance with Aaron, he has the skills to be a perfect fit in that offense (think a shorter Jeremy Pargo with a better shot).
    Bellevue is playing in the Maxpreps Torrey Pines national tournament during the break, so with a big performance there, he'll probably garner some more attention.

The Slipper Still Fits:   What current collegiate or nba player would you compare Aaron to?

Joel Willits: I like the Pargo comparisons, although Aaron doesn't yet get to the rack like Jeremy does. The way he's transitioned this year into a true point guard has really shown another level of maturity from the very soft-spoken kid. He's got a great shot, which makes him one of those guys thats a threat to score from anywhere. If he has a big year this season like he's started off having, he'll start to jump to the top of everybody's lists.

Rounding out our Q&A session with some of the best college basketball writers in the nation is Mr. Gary Parrish who writes for CBS Sports.  Parrish runs an excellent blog at CBS and has become a writer that many basketball fanatics like us read everyday.  Gary was nice enough to join us to answer a few questions about the Zags this season.   In case you missed it, we were also able to carry out similar Q&A's with Luke Winn of SI.com and Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports.  So without further ado...

The Slipper Still Fits:  What has been the most impressive aspect of Gonzaga's rise to national prominence?

Gary Parrish:  Just the consistency of it, and how the school didn't merely settle for being best in the WCC. Instead, Gonzaga invested in its program in terms of facilities, money, everything. And that's how this happened, and it's why you see schools like Tulsa and Saint Joseph's and (just watch) Davidson come and go from the national scene. Those schools ride their wave and enjoy it, but fail to capitalize on the moment. You have to spend the money to sustain success, and that's what Gonzaga has done. It spent money and kept the right coach, and this is the reward.

TSSF:  The early season play of Josh Heytvelt has been one of the great stories for this team. How close do you think Josh is to returning to his pre-suspension form? When healthy, do you think he is one of the elite bigs in the country?

GP:  I don't think he'll ever be the same player, if only because his body is so different. He can be effective still, no question. But the idea that he'll ever be the player we saw at Madison Square Garden two years ago is incorrect. He's heavier, less bouncy, so on and so forth. And though I'm not sure where he ranks among big men (certainly behind Blake Griffin, Hasheem Thabeet, Samardo Samuels, Tyler Hansbrough and a few others), there's no question he's been very good so far this season, and it's been fun to watch. He's doing well, and I hope he continues it.

TSSF:  As you wrote about in a previous column, Jeremy Pargo has really transformed himself into a true PG for this team? Where would you rank Jeremy among the top PG's in the country, and do you think his game will translate well at the NBA level?

GP:  Jeremy will play in the NBA; I believe that strongly. Why? Because he listened to what the scouts told him, that it's more important to run a team than to score, more important to make others better than to get your own shot. He's become really good at picking his spots, knowing when to push it, pull it, pass it and whatever. So his game will translate to the NBA, and he'll be a nice rotation player for many, many years.

continue reading more of our interview with Gary Parrish after the jump...

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One of the biggest positives of running this blog is being able to get a national viewpoint on our beloved Gonzaga Bulldogs.  Another great thing about it is that it gives us an excuse to try and contact some of our favorite national bloggers.  One of the best bloggers in the business is Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.  Mr. Goodman runs one of the most thorough college basketball blogs in the nation.  We were lucky enough to get him to answer a few questions about the Zags...

The Slipper Still Fits:  We're always trying to get a nationwide opinion of Gonzaga.  What do you think is the perception of Gonzaga as a program on nation level?  Do people still view them as a mid-major team or have they officially arrived as a major competitor year in, year out?

JG:  I think it varies. Some still consider and refer to them as a mid-major program, but that's because of the conference and not the program. They are a team that most people in the industry now view as a legitimate high-major club - and rightfully so.

TSSF:  What did you think of Gonzaga's performance at the Old Spice Classic?

JG:  Gonzaga was clearly the most impressive team down there in Orlando. I feel that, other than North Carolina, the ‘Zags are the most complete team in college basketball right now. No glaring weakness, terrific balance and a nice mix of veterans and young players.

3)  Jeremy Pargo is the unquestionable leader for Gonzaga.  Do you see him as a top point guard in the nation, where would you rank him?

JG:  I would rank him somewhere among the Top 10 point guards in the country. It's tough because his numbers don't blow anyone away - but the reason for that is because he's committed himself to making himself a floor leader rather than focusing on scoring the ball. He needs to pick his spots - and he's done a nice job of working through that so far this season.

TSSF:  What is your perception of Josh Heytvelt this season?  Have you seen growth in his personality and game and how good do you think he can be?

JG:  Heytvelt is far more comfortable in his skin these days. He not only looks like a man physically, but he's playing far close to what he was two years ago. The other aspect with Heytvelt is that he doesn't have to do too much right now with all the pieces he has around him. The team needs him for a low-post presence - but he doesn't need to put up 20 & 10.

TSSF:  Gonzaga is notorious for playing a ridiculous out of conference schedule. Upcoming games include Washington State, Arizona, Connecticut, Tennessee (again), and Memphis.  What are realistic expectations for their nonconference record when it's all said and done?

JG:  Let's be honest. This team isn't running through this non-conference slate without a blemish. I'd be shocked. There's just too much parity in college basketball these days. I can't wait to watch the game against UConn - and Tennessee- and Memphis. They are all going to be among the most highly anticipated games of the season.

continue reading more of our interview with Jeff Goodman after the jump...

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