2008 Gonzaga Bulldogs Hoops Preview

Gonzaga coach Mark Few insists that he was hoping all along that Jeremy Pargo would get a chance to live his NBA dream during the offseason. As it turned out, he didn’t. After declaring for the NBA Draft — but not hiring an agent — GU’s talented point guard learned during the process that he was not going to be a first-round pick, so he pulled his name from consideration and returned to school for his senior year.

“I wanted whatever Jeremy wanted,” Few says. “We were all rooting for him to play himself into the first round, and if he would have, we’d have all been happy for him. But the way it worked out, we’ve got a four-year guy back at the point, who is also one of the best in the country, and that’s always going to be a plus.”

Pargo’s return means the Zags are loaded once again, with an experienced player — several, in some cases — at every position. Bottom line: Gonzaga is primed to continue its dominance of the West Coast Conference. “We have a good group of players coming back,” Few says. “But we lost two senior guys (David Pendergraft and Abdullahi Kuso) … and trying to replace the toughness they both brought is a real concern.”

Frontcourt

The Zags lost more than just toughness when Pendergraft and Kuso departed. Those two combined to average 8.4 rebounds and were Few’s top two low-post defenders. In their absence, more will be asked of senior forward Josh Heytvelt, sophomore center Robert Sacre and sophomore forward Austin Daye.

The 6'11" Heytvelt is coming off an injury-plagued junior season that saw his scoring average dip by more than five points per game — from 15.5 to 10.3. If he comes back healthy from offseason foot surgery, look for him to bounce back from last year’s disappointing performance and re-emerge as the best big man in the WCC.

“You would certainly hope that for the team, and for Josh in his last go-around here, that he gets through a healthy year so he can show what he can do,” Few says.

Daye, at 6'10", possesses a silky shooting stroke and is, perhaps, the best NBA prospect in the WCC.  Daye injured his knee over the summer but elected not to have surgery to repair a partially torn ACL. The plan is to rest his knee for a few months and see how it holds up once practice starts.

Sacre, a 7-footer, started 10 games as a rookie but averaged less than 10 minutes per outing and remains a work in progress. The same goes for Will Foster, a 7'4" junior with great shot-blocking ability.

The Zags also have another consummate frontline role player in senior Ira Brown, a second-year junior college transfer who brings maturity (he is 26) and athleticism whenever he steps on the floor.

Backcourt

With Pargo, who averaged 12.1 points and a conference-best 6.03 assists last season, back onboard, the Bulldogs again have one of the deepest and most talented backcourts in the country.

Matt Bouldin, a two-year starter, led the team in scoring last season with an average of 12.6 points per game. At 6'5", he can get to the boards and post up smaller defenders as well.  Bouldin is also an excellent passer; his average of 2.91 assists per game ranked second on the team.

Sophomore Steven Gray, another combo guard, started 19 games as a freshman and proved to be one of the Zags’ most consistent perimeter shooters, making 37-of-80 3-point attempts.

And Micah Downs, a 6’8” senior and former McDonald’s All-American who transferred from Kansas following the first semester of his freshman year, is another versatile wing with a nice outside shot.

“We do have a lot of experience and a lot of different parts coming back,” Few says. “And, hopefully, we can get them all working together and kind of pick up where we left off last year.”

Final Analysis

Another torturous non-conference schedule awaits, but this year’s team — because of its experience and remarkable depth — seems better prepared to deal with it than last year’s, which lost five regular-season games against non-conference foes.

Saint Mary’s is loaded and there are several other strong teams in the league, but the Zags still boast the most talented roster in the WCC. A 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance is a given; a very deep run once they get there is a very real possibility.