Friday News & Notes: Kelly Olynyk Battling For Time

Two weeks from tomorrow, folks. Two weeks from tomorrow we will be getting amped up for Gonzaga's version of midnight madness, "Kraziness in the Kennel". While the event is never worth having serious discussion about, it is always a blast to see the guys back on the court, especially the new faces. The new everyone will have their eye on (since he can't be missed) is Przemek Karnowski. The 7'1'' Polish center is settling into campus life and from all indications, it seems like he is going to have a major impact right away for the Bulldogs. With that said, Przemek isn't the only post player Zag fans are excited to see. With that said, let's take a look at some of the news and notes for today headlined by one post player that is looking to get more playing time this season...

-- The Province: Olynyk Working Hard To Come Out Of The Shadows

With all of the hype surrounding Karnowski and all the expectations for Sam Dower and Elias Harris, it is easy to gloss over the impact of Kelly Olynyk. KO was a two year contributor for the Zags prior to redshirting last season. It was a wise move for Olynyk who likely would have played sparingly behind Sacre, Dower, and Harris but now the staff has inserted Karnowski who will provide stiff competition for minutes. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Olynyk's more immediate goal is to earn himself a starting position with the Zags, something that got a lot more difficult when the school went out and recruited Poland's Przemek Karnowski, a 7-1 monster with great hands who figures to snap up Sacre's spot in the middle. So while the South Kamloops high school grad's body is in better shape for the year he spent working on it in practice last season, the competition for floor time certainly hasn't become any easier.

In fact, it spawned a lot of stories on the internet speculating on an Olynyk transfer because he wouldn't have had to surrender a year because of his redshirt status last season. But he's decided to stay the course.

"I put on a lot of weight earlier, and most recently I've slimmed down a little so as to have more endurance and be able to be out there running harder for a lot longer," said Olynyk. "Obviously I'd like to play more than I did in my first two seasons, but it's up to me to go out and earn that floor time."

-- Gonzaga: Fifth Winningest Program Since 2001

Everyone here knows how successful the program has been since we entered the year 2000 but it is always fun to see just how impressive they have been in comparison to other programs.

Recruiting Updates...

-- Gonzaga made a visit to 2014 Colorado point guard Josh Perkins. Perkins is a four star guard that is climbing up recruiting boards. He already holds a number of high major offers but the Zags seem to be very interested in boht him and Dom Collier.

-- Former 2013 prospect D.J. Fenner is off the board to Nevada. Solid pickup for the Wolfpack.

-- Haven't been able to get an update on Graham Woodward's visit date yet. Hope to get that today. He did visit Penn State recently, however.

Zags In The NBA...

-- Regardless of what happens with former Zag wing Micah Downs, he got a pretty sweet trip out of it. The Celtics are currently in Turkey. Check out this picture of Downs with the rest of the team...

-- Adam Morrison will get headlines all camp long and he recently said that if he doesn't catch on with Portland, it is likely he will hang it up rather that go back to Europe...

-- The folks over at Detroit Bad Boys say the clock may already be up on Austin Daye's time with the Pistons...