So much has happened in Gonzaga Athletics in [roughly] the last 48 hours. The Lady Zags’ basketball team avenged a 30 point loss to BYU with a 17 point victory and their eighth straight WCC regular season title; GU’s men had a nail-biter game in San Diego—in which the Bulldogs got the win; the baseball team won four games to capture a 7-0 start to the season; all of which were positives. Yet, the one thing that no Zag was involved in was the most devastating to the school—St. Mary’s beat San Francisco in men’s basketball to earn the outright regular season West Coast Conference title.

It had been 11 straight years of success. The only program with a longer streak in NCAA men’s basketball: UCLA with 13 straight league championships under the legendary coach, John Wooden. We were so close, yet it doesn’t really matter now because as soon as you let go of controlling your own destiny, there is no hand in the outcome, which is likely to be detrimental.

Some may want to blame USF for not pulling through with an upset over the Gaels Saturday night, but the reality is, if Gonzaga had taken care of the ball better and beat the Dons last week, none of it would have mattered. The sudden emotion of the streak ending is challenging to deal with—for as long as I can remember Gonzaga controlled the WCC—now that era is over.

There are two ways to deal with the outcome of the regular season; first is to be completely angry and make excuses for failing to execute when needed during conference play. The second approach is to reflect on having one of the most remarkable runs in college basketball and be grateful to have been a part and a witness to the mark in history Zags Basketball has made. It truly is impressive to see where Gonzaga, the West Coast Conference, and the basketball program have progressed to over the last 12 years all because of that first championship that started a decade of excellence.

It may take a while to move to that second phase, but by the time the post season ends, I have a feeling the devastating state of ending the streak will fade and appreciation will remain for a lifetime. I hope anyway.

Winning is what it means to be a Zag

However, while one run ended, another remained intact. The women have continued the trend of capturing conference titles in Spokane, and did it for the eighth straight time Saturday afternoon. As the Kennel said goodbye to five seniors in their final regular season game, the Zags said goodbye to BYU and their aspirations of taking the crown from the queens of Spokane and the WCC.

Katelan Redmon showed she was going to be the hometown hero in her final home game at the MAC (if the team makes the NCAA tournament she will have a shot a few more, however). Redmon racked up 28 points for the Bulldogs. Fellow senior Kayla Standish tallied 15 points—all of which came in the second half. Standish sat the majority of the first half due to two early fouls; yet she took control of the paint when she started the second.

Underclassmen may not have been glorified, but junior point guard Taelor Karr scored in double digits with 11 points and dished out six assists. Sophomore guard, Jazmine Redmon, who comes off the bench, gave out seven assists and scored five. GU won the game 77-60.

On the men’s side, a fiery San Diego squad hosted the Zags and made it interesting, and nerve wrecking for the Zag fans. No one, except for Guy Landry Edi had a good game. Edi capitalized on great shooting with a perfect 4-4 from the field; six of those points came from behind the arc. He also was 3-5 from the free throw lined to end the night with 13 points and no turnovers.

Unlike Edi, the rest of the team combined for 13 turnovers (unfortunately that is significantly lower than most recent games for this team) and struggled to shoot well. Rob Sacre and Kevin Pangos each grabbed 11 points; seven of those for Sacre were from the line. Pangos had a decent night from the three, netting three of four attempts—yet that is where nine of his points came from—the other two were free throws. The common theme: not much inside from either of them. They also turned the ball over three times each.

Elias Harris, who was by far the most athletic and explosive athlete on the court, only managed seven points; however he did grab 12 boards. He needs to take over games and teams like the Toreros, not allow them to control his play. Gonzaga pulled it out 65-57, despite trailing the majority of the second half.

On the baseball field in little Beaumont, Texas, the Zags played host school Lamar and fellow visitor Illinois in two double headers; one on Friday and the other on Saturday. All four games ended in the Bulldogs’ favor, including the final game of the weekend that stretched to 12 innings. Gonzaga is now 7-0 for the year and is looking like a solid team.

In the first game Friday, GU knocked off Illinois 13-3 with Marco Gonzales tossing eight innings with seven K’s and only giving up one run. Offensively, seniors Eric Lane and Andy Hunter drove in two runs a piece, as did junior transfer Alex Bonczyk.

Game two on Friday was a 6-1 W over Lamar with junior Billy Moon pitching eight solid innings for GU. He too had seven strikeouts and gave up one earned run. Senior outfielder Royce Bolinger collected three RBI’s, while junior short-stop Steven Halcomb knocked in two runs.

Saturday’s noon game against the Illini was a 7-3 win, as Andy Hunter pitched a complete game for the Bulldogs. Once again, seven strikeouts were recorded and only one earned run was given up. Junior designated hitter Clayton Eslick batted in two teammates, while Gonzales played first and drove in two runs as well.

After a long and condensed weekend of baseball, GU was set to face Lamar again Saturday evening. The Bulldogs gave up an early lead, but fought back to tie the game. After 12 innings of baseball it was Halcomb who brought home the winning run in the 6-5 victory. Tyler Olson started on the mound and through six and a third innings recorded, what do you know, seven K’s. Gonzales brought his offense for the second straight game collecting two more RBI’s for Gonzaga.

It was a weekend of winning for the Bulldogs. It is pretty impressive at how successful the Zags were this weekend all around the nation. Let the victorious attitude prevail in the next week as basketball heads to Vegas for the conference tournament and the baseball team returns to Texas for three games in San Antonio.

It happened. St. Mary’s lost, again. The opponent last Saturday in the Kennel is now the most loved team in America right now by Gonzaga fans—LMU. The Lions pulled off the upset in Moraga to send SMC their second loss in WCC play; tying them with the Zags.

GU is all about LMU tonight

Before the Gaels lost Wednesday night, GU was dependent upon someone else beating their bitter rival in the final stretch of league games, but now the Zags have complete control over their own destiny. It will start  with Thursday’s contest at Santa Clara.

Assuming the Bulldogs win out, as do the Gaels, then the two teams will tie for a regular season crown—it would be Gonzaga’s 12^th straight. Winning another regular season title is what the expectation has always been, but now that SMC and GU are even in WCC losses, it is comforting to know that the outcome is in the hands of the Zags and not someone else.

SCU, USF, USD, and BYU remain on the Gonzaga schedule for conference play. None should be taken lightly. While GU did knock off the Broncos, Dons, and Toreros the first time around, all three have shown they are tough, and all three games are on the road. The Cougars will arrive in Spokane next Tuesday for a rematch; since the Bulldogs dropped the road game in the Marriot Center two weeks ago expect emotions to be high.

Be prepared for some cut-throat competition. It’s on, and the Zags are not gonna let a conference title get taken away if at all possible.

There are seven NCAA Division I schools that have both their men’s and women’s teams ranked in the AP Top 25 poll. Gonzaga is one of them.

After losing to St. Mary’s on January 12^th, the men dropped out of the rankings, but have finally returned this week at No. 24. The Zags have rallied together four straight wins to rank among the elite teams in the nation.

The women continue to climb the polls as they remain tied with BYU at the top of the WCC and earned a spot at No. 20 in the AP standings. BYU sits at 22 in the polls. The two teams face off on February 9^th in Provo for the first time this season to potentially determine the conference leader.

Both the men’s and women’s teams have several similarities in their success this season. Each team has a 17-3 record for the season and one conference loss to St. Mary’s. The talent level on both teams is very broad and there isn’t one superstar that really controls the game like both programs have had in the past.

However, the height and depth in the post position, along with very gifted guards, has enabled both teams to grab victories on the court.

Kayla Standish, Kelly Bowen, and Katelan Redmon are the Big Three for the ladies, as they are all over six feet tall. Freshman Sunny Greinacher stands atop all of them at 6’4” and brings great height off the bench.

The guys have a similar situation, with Elias Harris, Rob Sacre, and Sam Dower bringing size and experience to the post. Ryan Spangler is the freshman coming off the bench and producing good minutes.

The men's basketball team

The Lady Zags

At guard for the women, Haiden Palmer, Taelor Karr, and Jazmine Redmon have contributed in various roles with much success. Two first year Zags (Palmer and Karr both transferred) and a sophomore make up the trio who rotate constantly throughout the game. Both Karr and Palmer are shooting very well from the perimeter.

On the men’s side, Kevin Pangos, Gary Bell Jr., and David Stockton share the most minutes on the court for the one and two positions. Pangos and Bell are first year players at GU and Stockton is a sophomore. Bell Jr. and Pangos are also incredible three point shooters.

It is interesting to see the parallels between the two squads. They are both very talented teams with a diverse array of players in various positions. Look out for both the men and women to make a run come March.

Bulldogs beat the Wildcats

The Zags took down the Arizona Wildcats in the Battle in Seattle at Key Arena in Seattle, Washington 71-60.

The final score was not nearly a reflection of how the game played out. Gonzaga came out strong; they opened up a huge lead (14-0) and never really looked back in the first half. Elias Harris led all scorers with 25 points; 17 of them came in the first half. His superior play and domination on the court propelled the Bulldogs to the much needed win.

In the second half, it was the tale of two ten minute periods. Gonzaga led by 18 at the half, although it fluctuated a few points at a time, the 18 point margin was still standing at the 10:08 mark in the second half. Then, it was all Wildcats, clawing back into the game. And the Zags let them, just as they did against several other teams this season.

With a 1:20 left in the game, GU was only up by six. It was ridiculous. Another anxiety filled game that should have been a blowout. Surprisingly this game wasn’t a double digit turnover game; it was just a fall apart and make a huge lead disappear game.

For the second straight game, GU was outscored in the second half. No one else really stood out for the Zags. Rob Sacre and Sam Dower contributed 10 points apiece—that’s how seven-footers are supposed to play—but only a combined nine rebounds—not how the big guys are supposed to play.

Kevin Pangos tossed in 11 points, nine of which were from the free throw line. The kid is trustwothy at the charity strip, but seems to have cooled off from beyond the arc (0-5) and even in the key region (1-9). He did, however, notch eight assists, which shows what a great point guard he is. He helps his teammates look good.

The dog fights aren’t over, as Gonzaga hosts mid-major and co-Cinderella story Butler on Tuesday in the Kennel.

Eat some turkey and give thanks for college basketball

On the day we give special thanks to all the blessings in our life, I feel like I should express my gratitude for Gonzaga , the basketball programs, and the opportunity to experience college at one of the most fan-filled cities in the nation.

Five thanks to be had about Zag Basketball.

1. Today the athletic department announced that next year at this time the guys will be tipping off in the Old Spice Classic November 22-25, 2012. That should not only be a lovely way to spend the Thanksgiving holiday, but also some great competition will be in the field. The tournament will consist of the Zags joined by West Virginia, Marist, UTEP, Oklahoma, Clemson, Vanderbilt, and Davidson.
2. The recruiting paid off—or at least thus far. Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr. were some great pick-ups for the Bulldogs. Once Guy Landry Edi is able to join the team after his eight game suspension by the NCAA is lifted in mid-December, he will likely add a great spark to the line-up as well.
3. The Lady Zags are back to continue last year’s dominance. After appearing in the Elite Eight in 2011 and All-American Courtney Vandersloot graduated, it was a question as to how well the Bulldogs would do this year. So far, so good. They were even up on Stanford at halftime last week, before coming out on the short end at Maples Pavilion.
4. Rob Sacre can make free-throws. Okay so last year the seven-footer was pretty good from the charity strip, making over 80%. So far this year, he is picking up where he left off—knocking down 35 of 41 free throws collecting an 85% success rate. That is a great asset to the overall production of the team.
5. St. Mary’s lost to the University of Denver Wednesday night. Seeing as SMC is the bitter conference rival to Gonzaga, and that they fell to a very unlikely opponent, it’s worth a shout out.  While Denver is a D1 program, they are a hockey school—not a basketball power. It’s always nice to see those you aren’t fond of fall to subpar names on the basketball scene.

Embrace the holiday and pile the good stuff on your plate. Come Saturday, the break is over, and it’s time to feast on basketball!

Mike Hart attempts to defend his opponent

Mike Hart is a redshirt junior who walked on to Gonzaga’s  basketball team. He saw 29 minutes of game time Friday in GU’s home opener against Eastern Washington. He did not come of the court the entire second half either.

The question that looms in nearly every Zag fans’ mind is: “Why did Mike Hart play so much?” The guy only averaged five minutes per game last season and even less time the year before—so how did he nearly earn six times the amount of PT Friday?

Well, here goes the break down.

Guy Landry is serving an eight game suspension for some confusing international-professional violation imposed by the NCAA. The small forward is already one of our least deep positions, so with Landry not able to suit up, the three spot is even more open.

In comes Mike Hart. He is an ideal candidate for the small forward slot; but as a backup, not a starter. However, when suspensions and injuries become factors, the guys that should be on the bench, end up on the court during tip-off.

Okay, so give the guy the start over the freshman Gary Bell Jr. that is reasonable. But let him play over half the game, including the entire second half—that may be a stretch.

So, why did this happen again? Because Gonzaga can’t defend the three and Hart has the reputation as being the best GU defender.  Eastern was 13-29 from the three, proving they could hit the long shot, and that the trey was their biggest weapon.

Matchup our strength with their strength to try and counter—that was the theory I’m sure the coaching staff used when placing Hart in the starting lineup. It was also the same thought process that kept him in the whole second half.

While the concept of playing Hart in the role he was placed in Friday is reasonable, the problem was that his defense proved to be ineffective for the sharp-shooting Eagles. Even more of an issue was that he scored four points—two baskets—on ten shots. Thus, the coaches should have adjusted their plan.

When his defending didn’t do much, and there was basically no offensive contribution, the staff should have realized it was time to change the game plan and give the guy a rest.

Mike Hart will continue to develop and contribute for the Zags, but he is not a starter. Nor is he the player on the team that should see 20 straight minutes of game time. Most of all though, he needs to gain some confidence, make free throws and layups, and maintain his work-ethic, which clearly demonstrates his heart for the game.

They both won. That is what counts initially—a 1-0 start to the season, the best way to begin. However, the Lady Zags accomplished their 101-88 win against Hofstra in a very different fashion than the men’s 77-69 victory over Eastern Washington University Friday at Gonzaga.

New Faces, Same Result

For the women, the key to their success is depth and plenty of talent. Obviously they can score, seeing as they broke the 100 point barrier in their first game of the year. The number of players that saw considerable time on the court also is proof of their depth.

Eight players saw double digit minutes in the contest; seven had over 20 minutes of court time, a sign of a strong rotation designed by Coach Kelly Graves. Four of the eight ladies are first year players for the Zags: Haiden Palmer, Taelor Karr, Sunny Greinacher, and Keani Albanez—two freshmen and two transfers.

Four ladies also notched double digit points; with Katelan Redmon accomplishing a double-double. Redmon had 15 points and 13 boards. Kayla Standish scored a team high of 22 points, with Kelly Bowen adding 17, and Palmer chipping in 14.

The talent on this roster is wide-spread and will definitely be put to the test as they face the perennial power of the west—Stanford—at The Farm on Sunday at 2pm.

A Narrow Escape

On the men’s side of things, Easter Washington came to play, and well, Gonzaga didn’t. The Zags snuck out the win at home against EWU, but that was only because the Eagles played their hearts out it caught up to them in the final minutes.

Eastern used up four time outs in the first half, and was out of team time outs before the first media timeout of the second half. That was a major factor in their loss Friday night. The other critical component to not pulling of the huge upset was five guys fouling out of the game.

If it weren’t for the timeout and foul situation, there is no doubt in my mind that the Eagles would have come away from the MAC with one of the biggest upsets in either schools’ history. Eastern played with a tremendous amount of heart, and had the mindset of winning the game, despite the majority of the spectators, and definitely all of Gonzaga presuming the matchup would be a blowout in favor of the Zags.

While the Eagles were busy trying to win the game, the Bulldogs were doing everything they possibly could to not lose it—although at times it seemed as if they were attempting to hand their regional competition the upset of the year in the first game of the season.

Gonzaga was 19 for 51 from the free throw line. That is terrible. That stat alone shows how horribly they played tonight. Free throw equals free points! If nothing else changed besides making all those freebies the Zags would have won by 40 points. However, they missed, causing a less than peaceful emotional roller coaster for everyone packed in the Kennel.

A surprising starting five took the court for the Bulldogs, and maybe that is what caused the inconsistency and poor play for Gonzaga. As predicted Rob Sacre, Elias Harris, Marquise Carter, and David Stockton were starters, but the fifth man—Mike Hart—was an absolute surprise to most of GU’s supporters (and probably Eastern’s team and fan base too).

What may have been even more of a shock than Hart getting the start was that he did not come of the court the entire second half! After only nine minutes in the first half, the walk-on, redshirt junior didn’t leave the floor in the final 20 minutes of the game.

Another interesting second half adjustment by GU was that while Stockton started at the point, Kevin Pangos finished the second half with 16 minutes, compared to David’s five. The freshman filled the role in crunch time, so it is only a question as to if he will continue to be the go to guy to run the offense, or of Stockton will remain the starter—especially with zero points and two assists in 19 minutes.

Rob Sacre tallied a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Elias Harris was the dominate player on the court showing tremendous power on offense and defense with 16 points and two blocks. Carter added 17 points for the Bulldogs, while Pangos kicked in 11—shooting a perfect six of six from the free throw line.

Just like the ladies, the men will be tested with a PAC-12 school, as they host Washington State Monday night at 9pm. That game will be featured on ESPN as part of the Midnight Madness Marathon.

Don't miss a game! Start planning now for the 2011-2012 season!

The anticipation is over! Gonzaga’s men’s basketball schedule has been finalized and it is all right here!

Check out the link at gozags.com to see the official publication.

http://www.gozags.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=26400&SPID=90846&SPSID=627529

The first exhibition game is October 28^th against Carroll College!

Let the countdown begin: 58 Days ‘til tip off!

Block out your vacation time kids, because you should be spending a lot of time at school durning winter break.

As the end of summer draws near for Gonzaga students prepare for the new school year, the anticipation for many is not the start of a new academic year, but basketball season that arrives only a few months after students.

The final schedule has not been released yet, but individual games have been publicized by the school’s athletic department, and the West Coast Conference released the compiled game list for the 2011-2012 season for the entire conference this week—allowing fans to piece together what will likely be the majority of the Zags’ season.

Many elite teams will be facing the Bulldogs this year, the majority at The Kennel nonetheless. Thanks to slipperstillfits.com, some GU faithful have already put together a list of the games set for the Zags. Here is what has been accumulated with times (PST & TV networks).

Nov 11th – vs. Eastern Washington University TBA

Nov 14th – vs. Washington State University TBA

Nov 26th – vs. Western Michigan University (at Spokane Arena) 1:00 pm

Nov 30th – vs. University of Notre Dame 8:15 pm, tentatively on ESPN2

Dec 3rd – @ University of Illinois 3:15 pm, tentatively on ESPN2

Dec 10th – vs. Michigan State University 6:00 pm, tentatively on ESPN2

Dec 17th – vs. Arizona (at Key Arena, Seattle) TBA, CBS

Dec 20th – vs. Butler 6:00 pm, tentatively on ESPN2

Dec 28th – vs. Portland, TBA

Dec 31st – @ Xavier 5:00 pm, tentatively on ESPN2

Jan 5th – vs. Pepperdine TBA

Jan 7th – vs. Santa Clara TBA

Jan 12th – @ Saint Mary’s TBA

Jan 14th – @ Loyola Marymount TBA

Jan 19th – vs. San Francisco TBA

Jan 21st – vs. San Diego TBA

Jan 26th – @ Portland TBA

Feb 2nd – @ BYU TBA

Feb 4th – @ Pepperdine TBA

Feb 9th – vs. Saint Mary’s TBA

Feb 11th – vs. Loyola Marymount TBA

Feb 16th – @ Santa Clara TBA

Feb 18th – @ San Francisco TBA

Feb 23rd – vs. BYU TBA

Feb 25th – @ San Diego TBA

Alright so by taking a quick look, the Zags seem to be loading up on some tough competition against high level programs before WCC play starts. While there is plenty to commentate about the matchups against the likes of Notre Dame, Michigan State, Arizona, Butler and of course the hated WSU, I will save those rants for later dates when basketball season really gets going.

This post is to share something else, something that involves planning. Christmas break. Like I said at the beginning, summer break is almost over and students have basketball season and future vacations to look ahead to, not really new books and classes. So what better way to spend the final days of summer than planning the next few vacations?

Obviously since basketball is a winter sport games are always played during the winter holiday break from school, which lasts four weeks for Gonzaga this year. However, in the past the Zags play one or two big games during the vacation month and then several less “primetime” caliber games throughout the end of December and beginning of January.

This year, appears a little different. First of all, WCC play begins December 28^th, nearly two weeks before classes begin again at Gonzaga. GU not only has five WCC games before students return from break, but three of them are home games. As a devoted fan and student, I really don’t want to miss out on three conference games, and I surely hope my fellow Kennel Club goers feel the same.

Students at this point, might as well plan on spending half their break at school. With the Butler game taking place at the beginning of winter break, and three conference games at the MAC in the last two weeks of vacation, it only seems appropriate that any devoted Zag has at least some inkling to spend a chunk of time in Spokane to cheer on the boys.

It still is several months away, but I encourage students to contemplate attending some of these games in the dark winter days, in hopes of providing that extra support for the Zags.

With a rough nonconference schedule, and an always testing WCC calendar, not to mention the addition of BYU to the league, it probably wouldn’t hurt the team to have a full student section for the games that take place while classes are out.

Take a vacation back to school!

Dozens of questions emerge as a Ponzi scheme in Texas may be connected to college basketball

With dozens of recent NCAA infractions and violations floating around the college athletic scene, a college student can only hope their beloved school can evade the turmoil.

Gonzaga, for over a decade has been a prominent basketball program and popularity (especially in recent months) tends to lead to questions of legitimacy.

As of Sunday evening, the Gonzaga men’s basketball program was blemished. The true damage will not be known for a while, but the initial scare has set in.

On July 17,2011, David Salinas was pronounced dead—later confirmed as suicide. Salinas was an investor who ran Select Asset Management and , a financial company based in Houston. As it turns out, the whole business is suspected of being a Ponzi scheme, and is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

So how is a Houston based scam connected to Spokane hoops you may ask, well it is rather extensive. First off, head coach Mark Few and assistant coach Ray Giacoletti are both supposed investors in Salinas’ scheme. SWX News out of Spokane reported Few allegedly put in $353,000, while Giacoletti had invested upwards of $1.2 million into the financial farce.

Alright, so the coaches were unfortunate victims of this Ponzi scheme, but that isn’t the end of the world, is probably what you’re thinking right now. No they didn’t use school funds (or at least there are no reports of this), but the story gets uglier for the program now.

David Salinas was the operator for an elite Houston area AAU basketball team. Bottom line, this creates a huge conflict of interest. As an NCAA coach there is no good reason to invest money with a financial guru that happens to operate a youth basketball club. Thus the conclusion is drawn that any coach (several prominent basketball and football coaches have been listed) that pushed money into Salinas’ business was in turn receiving athletes from his AAU program.

Sports Illustrated has reported that at this point the NCAA will not be investigating the matter, as it appears to be an SEC and FBI issue with the Ponzi scheme. There is no direct evidence that Salinas was pushing players to attend and play at the schools he had contacts with through his money management business.

The fact that the NCAA is not investigating, at least not yet, is a slight sigh of relief. However, I am not comfortable with the situation at all. Whether nothing comes of the situation, or a full blown disaster emerges Gonzaga Men’s Basketball has made the list of possible infraction committers.

I hope that the school can uphold its reputation as an institution of integrity, and that in the worst of the situation some coaches lost some money.  As more details are unveiled everything will become a lot more understandable. But for now, Zag fans can hope that nothing really comes from the situation and all will remain well in The Kennel.

*Here is a preliminary list of prominent coaches that invested with Salinas and athletes who played for the AAU team he operated that attended the schools.