What 2 Watch 4:

Tonight GU opens with the University of Alberta Bears. Alberta is coached by Greg Francis, a former player for the Canadian National Team. He is also the former head coach of the Canadian Junior Men's National Team, of which current Zags, Manny Arop and Kelly Olynyk were members.

Alberta has already begun its season and has a 4-4 record. The Bears roster shows that they have decent size with big guys listed at 6'10", 6'9" and three more coming in at 6'7". Most are expecting this to be another Zags blowout, but honestly nothing would surprise me tonight.

Alberta Bears Site

Here are my 4 Things to Watch For:

• Despite Alberta's size, Gonzaga should have the talent advantage in the paint. Will Sacre, Poling, Foster, Olynyk and Dower establish a true low-post game and a go-to move?
• Will the Zags run or walk? A lot has been made about the speed and athleticism of this group; will the Zags look to push the tempo against the Bears?
• Everyone knows about Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray and their ability to fill it up from three-point land. Gonzaga needs another shooter; watch for Grant Gibbs or Manny Arop to be the other deep threat the Zags need off the bench. Also, watch for the development of a jump-shot out of Demetri Goodson. Last year Meech was a drive only point guard, this year he needs to be a threat from outside to keep the Zags competitive.
• Will the Zags defend the three? The Achilles heel for most Mark Few teams is the inability to guard the three-point line. Will the Zags sag back and over-help in their standard 2-3 zone and get burned by the Bears deep threats or will this new breed of Bulldog play man-to-man defense and shut the Bears down from outside?

Bouldin looked really good and is ready to step into his role as team leader. He did everything well during the scrimmage and he is definitely the go-to guy for GU this year.

Meech is likely going to become one of our all time favorite GU players this year. He is clearly the starting point guard and I think that we finally are going to get the "fast break" style offense that we have wanted for a few years. Every time Meech got the ball during the scrimmage he went full speed up the court. Every time. On multiple occasions he went all the way to the rim easily. Also, it looks like he has been working hard on his shot as he hit some nice pullup threes. Meech and Bouldin are clearly the leaders and stars of this team at this point.

Sacre looks strong and healthy, but he had a very hard time scoring against Foster inside. Sacre's offensive game at this point is getting the ball and trying to make a power move to the rim. He will get dunks, put backs, and free throws this year and provide a strong inside defensive presence. But he is no where close to having a Batista like (or even Ronny like) offensive game at this point.

Elias Harris (from Germany) is good. Really good. Bouldin threw him 2 alley oops during the game, and on both occasion Harris' head seemed to be above the rim. He also hit the boards HARD, his jumper looked good, and he displayed the ability to score off of the dribble. Harris could be a Blake Griffin like player as he gets even bigger and improves his post moves.

Gray has a huge fro and beard and he will clearly be the "hair" guy this year for GU. However, while Bouldin clearly played like a returning star, Gray really did not stand out. Few has been saying he wants Gray to take over and become a team leader, so hopefully Gray will get the message soon. With that said, there is no doubt that Gray is a talented scorer, and with Meech and Bouldin at guard, Gray is going to get a lot of good looks.

The Rest:

Grant Gibbs and Mangisto Arop are in a battle for the first guard/wing off the bench (Bol Kong could be in this battle as well, but did not play in the scrimmage). Grant Gibbs played like your classic GU player. He played hard, made some nice passes, hit 3's, and is just an all around smart player. Arop is super athletic and plays hard D. He had a nice steal and big reverse dunk. He also has a nice looking jumper and can get into the lane and score. He will be a role player this year, and by the end of the year and next year he could be one of GUs main go to guys.

GJ Vilarino is very similar to Meech as far as his speed, toughness, size, and athletic ability. At one point GJ went up for a pass and fell hard on his back but he popped right to his feet like only Pargo, Meech... and now GJ can do. The fact that Meech and GJ will be guarding each other in practice will be very good for both of them. GJ attacks the lane really fast and jumps really high on his jumper which was off during the scrimmage. GJ will fit into the same role that Meech was in last year, and probably end up getting more minutes as the season goes on.

Foster looks stronger and played pretty good defensive. Sacre could not score against him and Foster had some big blocks on guards driving to the hoop. Foster may actually get some minutes this year and be surprisingly effective.

Andy Poling looked pretty good, and will be a very capable backup to Sacre. He plays smart, has a nice touch around the basket, is big, and has a nice looking jumper. You probably lose a little atheticism and defense when you sub Sacre for Poling, but Poling will bring you more offense. As the season goes on, Poling could become a pretty good scoring option for GU.

Sam Dower has a nice ability to score and has a good looking jumper. I think he will end up having a very good post game as he gains experience. He has a big frame, but is still fairly skinny. There are rumors that he may redshirt this year, but he could end up contributing if he does not redshirt. Olynyk looked very skilled offensively, but appeared to be a long way from contributing. There is a good chance that he will redshirt.

Stockton looked REALLY small, got a lot of minutes, missed a lot of shots, but handled the ball well and did not appear to be intimidated at all by the bigger and stronger GU guards. In a few years Stockton will be bigger and don't be surprised if he gets minutes. At this point, however, he will be a great guy to simulate the typical hard working WCC point guards in practice.

I just wanted to kick things off by sharing a little bit about this site, our intentions and what you can expect from us. We are a group of Gonzaga alumni who still have a great deal to do with the University. Lawyers and businessmen who have never given up on our rabid fandom and need to follow the team all over the country.

We hope to provide a unique perspective on a team that captured America's heart ten years ago, and so badly wants to keep that excitement going forever. Here's a video of Pargo's dunk in the tournament last year which I took in Portland. Plenty more to come.