Weekly Zag Briefing

I’m not sure how you all processed the aftermath of Monday night’s game, but I needed to let it breathe for a little bit yesterday. While I needed the time to think about the season, there were some great articles written about this Gonzaga team that provide the perspective needed. Here they are:

• Luke Winn wrote an exceptional capstone for Gonzaga’s season for Sports Illustrated. I can’t do it justice in one sentence, so I highly recommend reading it in its entirety.
• Rodger Sherman over at The Ringer also added to the Gonzaga think-pieces floating around this week, and he concluded that if the worst thing you can say about Gonzaga is that it hasn’t won a national championship, than the Zags are probably doing alright.
• There’s no getting around the crushing pain of losing in the championship game, but this is just a temporary crushing blow.
• Will Maupin wrote this season proved that Gonzaga completed its ascent to becoming a national elite.
• The Russian Roulette nature of college basketball officiating puts the players in a tough position, writes Sam Vecenie.
• With the public outrage about the officiating during the game swirling around them, the Gonzaga players and coaches never took the bait and showed their true character in a difficult moment. Despite the loss, the Zags were their best selves after the game.
• In ESPN’s way-too-early Top 25 Rankings for next season, the Zags come in at #10. Much will hinge on the decisions of Nigel Williams-Goss and Zach Collins to stay or leave for the NBA.
• Speaking of Collins, ESPN’s Chad Ford mocks him at #11 to the Detroit Pistons in his most recent NBA Mock Draft (insider only) released the day after the National Championship.
• Jeff Borzello takes a look at what next year’s Gonzaga team could look like, and the perimeter group will be strong.
• Even without a National Championship on his resume, Mark Few has established he’s a Hall of Fame coach.