With Gonzaga losing the WCC championship to upstart San Diego the other day, I came to realize that the Gonzaga Cinderella run is officially over. They will never be the powerhouse mid major they were hoping for. Gonzaga has prided itself on winning the right way; through great recruiting of good character kids that slipped past the major colleges and then flying under the radar into the NCAA tournament. That is no longer the case. Here are my reasons why Gonzaga is no longer that team.
1. Recruiting
2. Domination
3. Expectations
4. Aspirations
Lets take a closer look:
Recruiting
Gonzaga made its run recruiting good character kids who slipped under the radar. These players were talented but did not choose to go Division I. Look back and you will see what I mean. From Matt Santangelo to Richie Frohm to Casey Calvary to Blake Steppe to Cory Violette, these players made Gonzaga into an institution you could not look past. They were quality people who only made the headlines for things they did on the court. Not saying all these players were angels but I am saying that they worked hard and for the most part stayed out of trouble. These players put Gonzaga on the map by doing things the right way. Now, with greater expectations for getting the "Big Time" recruit, Gonzaga has compromised its tradition. They went after questionable character kids who were more talented then most:
Example A: Micha Downs - Seven different high schools and 2 different colleges in five years.
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/zags/archive.asp?postID=971
Example B: Josh Heytfelt
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2772547
Example C: Theo Davis - See above
When you put your future in the hands of questionable kids you are bound to be burned and Gonzaga is feeling the burn this year.
Gonzaga has also missed the boat by getting away from the formula for its success: Underrated Guards + Good Shooters + a Power forward
Take a look at teams of the past and their stats:
1999-2000
Richie Frahm and Matt Santangelo combined for 157 three pointers and over 30 points a game
Casey Cavalry gave them the force inside scoring by scoring 13 points and 6.5 rebounds a game
2001-2002
Dan Dickou made 117 three pointers and average over 21 points a game
Cory Violette was the second leading scorer with 13 points and 8 rebounds
Zach Gourde added 6 rebounds and more muscle in the middle
2002-2003
Blake Steppe made over 98 three pointers and averaged 19 points a game
Rony Turiaf averaged over 6 points a game and was a force down low
Cory Violette averaged 8 rebounds that year
Compare that to 2007:
Matt Bouldin and Jeremy Pargo (the leading scorers) have a combined 66 three pointers and only 24 points a game
Nobody on the team has more than 4.9 rebounds a game
Domination
No longer does Gonzaga dominate their conference. Teams are catching up. Gonzaga loses the WCC conference tournament which it has dominated for so long. No longer is Gonzaga the powerhouse, teams have caught up.
Expectations
With so much success in the past, Gonzaga has new expectations put on them.They must win their tournament, and make at least the sweet sixteen. These kids from Spokane have never had those expectations before. With high expectations comes pressure and Gonzaga is feeling the pressure and this is causing them to do things they normally wouldn't do. The coaches are feeling the pressure to recruit nationally known players and have had to change the system to fit these kids (see recruiting). Gonzaga is cracking under this pressure and expectations.
Aspirations
With success comes aspirations. Mark Few has contemplated making a move to a more prestigious college, http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cbasketball/263993_miller23.html. This talk puts doubt in the player's heads..."is he going to leave?", "does he really care about us?", "why is he leaving?". This doubt is not good for a program on the decline..ie UCLA football.
As Gonzaga moves into the tournament and loses in the first or second round watch the fireworks....you will see Gonzaga slip and become just another mid major college basketball team.
What do you think? Answer the poll question.
3 comments:
This all is very true. I agree with just about everypoint made.
Exceptions:
1. They still recruit localy, under the radar kids. ie David Pendegraft, Steven Gray and Rober Sacre. All kids not recruited by BCS conferences. Also, who wouldn't pass on Austin Daye (He recruited Gonzaga)
2. Mark Few has benched (not started) his best athletes (Josh Heytvelt, Micah Downs) because they aren't "team players"
3. Everyteam in the country changes it's still, thats called good coaching. For example this year Duke is a drive and kick rather than post and kick(no Laettner or McRoberts inside)
Conclusion: They are very much on the verge of not being the cinderella. The best point you make is their dominance of their conference. They used to win by 30 everynight. Now their games are close and they have to find a way to win. Mark Few, I hope, realizes all of this. They will rebound to their dominance, but more important they will return to winning the "right" way. The Gonzaga way.
Josh Knowles
P.S. I hate Josh Heytvelt and Micah Downs
This is horse patooey. Few has done more with less for a longer time than anyone. Hatin' on the 'Kane does no one any good except the inbreds in Pullman. You go Zags!!!
Dawg4ever
What other school has won their conference or conference tournement for the last decade? If your argument is that they are no longer a cinderella--read, aw isn't it cute that little school won a game or two--then yes the slipper is gone.
Next, your point on recruiting and character issues focuses around two players and those players have made ammends as best they can. Do you hear Micah Downs complaining about his playing time? Does he display a lack of effort? No and no; his decision-making may not always be strong on the court but it seems he is trying to be part of a team. Josh Heytvelt made a bad decision--a selfish and stupid decison. Do you see him complaining? Now he has also been hampered with an injury that has taken away his major tool: his athleticism. This contributes to his limited minutes and production.
You also argue that the guard play has been less than stellar and I would agree; this is not because their guards are not good. Matt Bouldin is a sophomore and Steven Gray is a freshman; most guards in Gonzaga's system "payed their dues" in some respect. Pass judgement on these guards in the next two years.
I cannnot argue that this has been a great year, but they won close games which I think is more helpful than blowing teams out of the water by 30. If dominate means winning by 30 then no, but if it is winning games in league, the answer is yes.
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