Gonzaga picked up their seventh win in a row last night, defeating a bad, but competitive Pepperdine team, 91-84 in Spokane.  The Bulldogs now sit alone in first place in the West Coast Conference, a league that will have to work amazingly hard to get more than one bid into the NCAA tournament.

What we have discovered so far is that Elias Harris is the most important player on this team, sorry Matt.  Harris has developed into both a scoring and rebounding machine and is driving the Zags to victory after victory, you could say Bouldin is the fuel in the car.  Harris is currently averaging over 15 points and over 8 rebounds per game.  His talent better be appreciated by Gonzaga fans because at the rate he is going, it would be no surprise if Harris becomes a high NBA draft pick this season.

The next topic that has to be discussed is the Gonzaga defense.  The Zags have continued to allow a single player from a team that is not very good to stay in games and be close enough to pull off an upset.  Last night we saw Keion Bell go for 37, against Portland, underwhelming Robin Smeulders went off for 24, and against Illinois Dominique Keller went for 22 OFF THE BENCH.  Historically, the Zags, under Mark Few, have allowed an opposing team to get hot, hit some threes, and stay in games that have no business being close.  The Gonzaga defense needs to get its head on straight if it wants to win games in March.  Duke exposed the Zags, and they must improve on the defensive end for this season to end successfully, which leads me to my next point...

Why is Demetri Goodson robbing Gonzaga fans and teammates?  His minutes should go to Manny Arop.  Goodson is averaging 26 minutes per game and it can't be because of his defense, 1 steal per game on average this season; it can't be because he takes care of the ball and gets his teammates involved, 35 turnovers and 33 assists this season...yes our point guard has a sub-1 assist to turnover ratio...it can't be for his clutch free throw shooting, 54% this year, and it certainly isn't because he's a lights out long range threat, 11%...yes you read that right, ELEVEN percent from three. Stats Here I'd love for someone to make a good logical argument for why Goodson is getting minutes...

Our next major problem is what is happening to Robert Sacre.  After starting the season like gangbusters and having every Gonzaga fanboy dreaming of three years of J.P. Batista part deux, Sacre has dropped both his rebound and point figures dramatically over the last six weeks.  As of today he is averaging 10 points and 5 rebounds per game.  Last night against Pepperdine, as the best center on the floor Sacre had ZERO points and 4 rebounds. He wasn't even in foul trouble, so that excuse goes out the window.  Gonzaga needs to find ways to get Sacre to contribute on the offensive end and get him more involved in the rebounding game because Matt, Steven, and Elias aren't always going to be able to provide 79% of the teams points like they did against a bad Pepperdine team.  Mark Few needs to find ways to get Sacre involved and make him effective for this team to continue to improve.

FINALLY...in a shocking and sad moment in the history of Gonzaga athletics, former Head Coach and Athletic Director Dan Fitzgerald passed away suddenly on Wednesday evening.  Fitz, as he was known, is the reason that most people know about Gonzaga, and is the reason that I became a Zag and fell in love with the school and the basketball program.  In 1995 my AAU team had a tournament on Gonzaga's campus.  My precocious mother approached Fitz and informed him that her uncle happened to be Fitz's insurance agent.  One thing led to another and before too long Fitz had myself, my younger brother, and one of my AAU teammates on the floor of the Kennel to watch the Zags practice and then into the locker room to talk to the players and get autographs.  Keep in mind that all of this was taking place the week before Gonzaga was about to play in the school's first ever NCAA tournament.  Moments and stories like that are the reason why people, who have been on the Gonzaga bandwagon before they were the hot topic, are so saddened by the loss of Fitz.  Despite being practically blackballed by the Gonzaga Administration for keeping a "slush fund", of which he personally never kept any money, and that literally keep Gonzaga Athletics alive through the late 1980's and early 1990's; he will be fondly remembered in many circles.  His stories, wit, wisdom and love of basketball, his family and friends will be a touching memory for all of those he came into contact with.  Peace be with you Fitz.

Go Zags

Comments (2)

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written by tom117, January 26, 2010

I will not disagree with your assesment of Goodson's playing time. He makes some very bad mental errors. I think it was against Pepperdine that he went into the post and wrestled a rebound away from Sacre, throwing elbows as if he thought he was fighting the other team. Sometimes he drives into the defense like elf blowling. Drives me crazy. It's like he is wearing blinders on his eyes.

The other side of him is his hustle. You've got to admit he motors on top end the whole game, then on some occasions on fast breaks he grabs a whole new gear. It's like another overdrive. Jaw-dropping acceleration.

If he can learn to harness that speed with some better BB IQ, then he will be hard to handle. But right now? I, too would like to see more of Manny.

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written by Fan in Kitsap, January 30, 2010

Excellent synopsis of Goodson and Sacre. Bolden is not a point guard and Goodson's performance has done nothing but add a burden on Matt's performance. Sacre can't jump and doesn't seem to be able to handle the basketball. I wonder if either one can be rehabilitated before the season is over. Ultimately, I see Manny Arop and Kelly Olynik as the heirs apparent. As it stands now, the team seems to be playing with one hand tied behind their backs.

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