Saturday, November 12, 2011

Gonzaga Bulldog's Men's Basketball 2011-2012 Season Outlook



By Korz206



Last Season:

The Bulldogs finished last season at 24-10. Once again the Zags played a pretty tough none conference schedule and suffered most losses to rank teams. They were able to win a few as well. However, the problem with the Bulldogs came from losing more in conference games than usual. The WCC was a much improve conference and looks to get better with the addition of BYU(who eliminated the Zags last season) this upcoming season.

Key Losses:

The Zags biggest lost is Steven Gray, the multi threat drive to the hoop or kill you with his 3 in the corner. He had a good season as the Bulldogs leading scorer but couldn’t lead them as far as some thought he could have, injuries might have had something to do with it. But still he just didn’t get it done. They also lose starting point guard Demetri Goodson who decided to transfer to focus on playing football. That might not be that big of a loss as Goodson was often out of control and never really did a good job running the team. Look for Stockton to take the reins of the team now the Goodson is gone.

Key Returners:

The Bulldogs return a lot of talent, some of which is considered NBA level talent. Robert Scare is a 7’0” Senior who averaged 12.5 ppg and 6 rebounds. He has a legit post game with the ability to face up as well and fade away. You don’t see many big men with his talent. He just has to be more aggressive. Ellias Harris had a breakout freshmen year. At 6’7” his ability to score inside and out had NBA scouts saying lottery pick. He chose to come back for his sophomore season and didn’t have the kind of season many expected. Harris has the talent but does he have the will it seems. I expect him to have a much better season for the Bulldogs. Marquise Carter was a junior that nobody knew at the beginning of the season but towards the end he slowly became the Zags best and most consistent player. The 6’4” senior guard should really have a breakout season. The Zags also return former walk on at point guard David Stockton. The son of Gonzaga legend John Stockton is not explosive or exciting but he’s very solid on the court, being the general of the zags attack. He really knows how to run a team.

New Players:

The Zags have another solid recruiting class adding some quality at every position but their biggest recruit is a 6’2” combo guard name Gary Bell. Bell is an explosive score that can play the one but is better playing off the ball. His strongest attribute is his ability to catch and shoot. He also has very high court awareness.

Outlook:

Gonzaga will have another season like the ones of the previous ten or so. They will play a tough none conference schedule and win a few while also losing a few. They will rack up conference wins and win the conference championship again. The question is when do the Zags break through and go to the final four? I don't think this is the year. However, I do see a sweet 16 team and you never know maybe sneak into the later rounds of the NCAA Tourney. Maybe at the end of the season, us Zags fans can say, "The slipper still fits".

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