The frontcourt may not be
a concern and the backcourt
ultimately might not be, but
beginning the year with three
new starters on the perimeter will
require a transition period. Gone
are Pangos, Bell, and Byron Wesley.
In is some combination of last
year’s sixth man Kyle Dranginis,
former Vanderbilt transfer
Eric McClellan, 2014 top-100
recruit Josh Perkins, and athletic
sophomore Silas Melson.
Dranginis is one of the best
“glue guys” in the country, willing
to do the dirty work while not
needing the ball to be effective.
Perkins is the most likely to take up
the mantle of next great Gonzaga
lead guard. He was contributing
during the first five games of 201415 before breaking his jaw and
deciding to redshirt. McClellan
and Melson are both athletic wings
more than capable of generating
offense and playing solid defense.
to his subpar athleticism, his size
functions as a deterrent. On offense,
Karnowski is often doubled, but
he has the smarts and savviness
to catch the ball high in the post,
back his way down, and throw up a
hook shot or kick it out to an open
teammate.
Off the bench, Domantas
Sabonis, the son of Hall of Famer
Arvydas Sabonis, came over
from Lithuania and made an
immediate impact on the Zags.
Sabonis averaged 9.7 points and
7.1 rebounds per game on 66.8
percent from the field, but will need
to utilize his strength better to get
position in the halfcourt. Sabonis
doesn’t have great athletic ability,
but has a great feel for the game that,
combined with his size, has him on
the radar of NBA teams.
“The Bulldogs
will turn
to the best
frontcourt
they’ve
ever
had...”
Gonzaga has gone from midmajor powerhouse to national
contender over the course of the
last two decades. Their body of
work speaks for itself with 17
consecutive NCAA Tournament
appearances, 18 consecutive seasons
with at least 23 wins, and a West
Coast Conference regular season or
tournament title in 20 of the last 22
seasons.
The only thing left for Mark
Few and his crew to do is to finally
make an impression on the final
weekend of the Big Dance.
Getting there will mean
unearthing a new lead guard
and leaning on their three
talented frontcourt players to
bring March Madness glory to
Spokane.
Photo: Bob Donnan - USA TODAY Sports
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