From an NBA perspective, Gonzaga has never been more on the radar than the last 5 or so years. From success stories like Ronny Turiaf to the struggles of Adam Morrison, NBA scouts and writers always have an eye on GU.

On Saturday, Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus took some time to not only watch Gonzaga closely, but he put together a solid scouting report for our young Gonzaga team. He talks specifically about Harris, Sacre and Goodson. Here's some of what he had to say:

On Elias Harris who is currently projected as a first round pick in the 2011 NBA draft:

Against Davidson, Harris could do pretty much whatever he wanted, and he had plenty of options. Inside, Harris drew fouls at a prolific rate. While it got out of hand when he was ejected for throwing an elbow against Wake Forest, his physical play has been a strength thus far, and Harris is certainly not afraid of contact.

On Robert Sacre who is currently projected as a late second round pick in the 2011 NBA draft:

The Wildcats, who play skinny 6'10" centers, had no prayer of stopping Sacre, and it was no coincidence Davidson's best stretch of basketball came after he picked up two fouls midway through the first half and was forced to the bench. In his 25 minutes of action, Sacre ended up with an inconceivable 18 free throw attempts.

On Demetri Goodson:

That certainly had much to do with facing a Davidson team that simply had no athletes able to keep with him on the perimeter, but I also think Goodson responded to having the ball in his hands with Bouldin sitting out. Placed in the role of creator, Goodson made a lot of things happen with the speed he memorably showed off in going coast-to-cast to beat Western Kentucky in last year's NCAA Tournament.

It's nice to get a perspective on our Zags from an "next level" stand-point. In my opinion, a guy who is on the NBA radar is someone who is more likely to improve throughout the year, especially for underclassmen. Harris probably has the most potential but I like Gonzaga's starting five to continue to improve thoughout the season.

Keep an eye on Kevin Pelton's blog, he does great work for both college basketball and the NBA.

Basketball Prospectus

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