Weekly Zag Briefing

Quiet week in the news, which is not too surprising considering the season is five days old and Gonzaga has been tuning up against Tigers and Bison. Here’s what we got this week:

• This week in Rui Hachimura draft hype, The Ringer lists the Japanese sophomore as 1 of 12 draft-bound players to watch in college basketball this season. Seems a little presumptuous if you ask me.
• Last weekend Garth Brooks teamed up with Gonzaga men’s basketball to host a youth basketball clinic for the Spokane Boys and Girls Club.
• Matt Norlander over at CBS Sports posted his 34 predictions for the season. His Gonzaga-related predictions include the Zags not reaching the Elite 8 this year (Norlander doesn’t think any of last year’s Final Four teams will reach the Elite 8) and finishing at the top of the WCC again despite Saint Mary’s being the preseason favorite.
• Now in his second year with Zalgiris Kaunas, Kevin Pangos has made a big jump in his game and it’s not going unnoticed. The former Gonzaga point is averaging 12.7ppg and is leading the team in minutes played.
• The Zags are using last year’s success to set the standard for the current roster.