Zags look for answers

With the start of the 2005-06 college basketball season less than two weeks away, the status of Gonzaga University’s Erroll Knight remains uncertain.

According to Bulldogs coach Mark Few, the 6-foot-6 senior “isn’t doing so good” because of an ailing left knee that has kept him from practicing.

Few said Knight, the reigning defensive player of the year in the West Coast Conference, will undergo arthroscopic surgery today in an effort to isolate the cause of his problem.

“We really haven’t got a definitive answer on anything,” Few said Monday afternoon of Knight’s perplexing ailment, which Knight, himself, originally described as a deep bone bruise. “Rest hasn’t helped it, so it looks like we’re going in and scope it (today) to see if we can find a source for all of his pain and discomfort.”

Knight flew to Denver earlier this month to consult with a bone specialist and was given a regimen of muscle strengthening exercises that seemed to help initially. But whenever Knight attempts to practice at full speed, the knee pain returns.

In addition, 6-foot-11 redshirt freshman Josh Heytvelt remains hobbled by pain in his left foot that he describes as “stress reaction.”

“Basically, the bone in my foot is inflamed, and it could fracture,” Heytvelt explained Monday. “Then I’ll be out for who knows how long.”

Heytvelt said he thinks the injury might have occurred trying to compensate for the right ankle sprain he suffered during the summer.

“It’s been tough,” admitted the former Clarkston High standout. “But I think I’m on my way to recovery. It feels a lot better, and I’m doing some workouts. I should be back in the next couple of weeks.”

Few said the absence of Knight and Heytvelt have hindered preparations for the upcoming season and grueling non-conference schedule the Bulldogs face.

“In order to prepare for what’s down the road – working against the tremendous athleticism and speed we’re going to face here as the season starts – is kind of hard to prepare for,” Few said.

“Especially right now, with Josh and Erroll being out. They’re a huge part of our own athletic entity and not having those guys, I think, it setting us back a little – playing with it, and playing against it.”

Zags open at No. 8 in AP poll

There is a tendency among some coaches and players to make light of preseason college basketball polls, but Few seemed genuinely honored to learn his Bulldogs are ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll that was released Monday.

“It’s really neat for all the people associated with our program – both past and present,” Few said. “Those preseason national rankings are built on respect for your program, so that’s quite flattering.”

Duke is ranked No. 1, followed by Connecticut and Michigan State. Villanova, Oklahoma, Louisville, Gonzaga, Kentucky and Arizona round out the top 10.

“That’s quite a select group we’re in,” Few added. “I’m proud of our guys – all of our guys that have been here and put everything into what has allowed people to respect our program so much.

“You just hope this group understands what it takes to keep it at that level, because it’s not easy.”

Freshman friendship

Not surprisingly, the two freshmen of GU’s latest recruiting class have become close friends.

Jeremy Pargo and Larry Gurganious, who both exhibited uncommon poise and an unfreshman-like understanding of the Zags’ intricate offensive system in Saturday’s 83-31 home exhibition rout of Lewis-Clark State College, spend much of their free time together,

“Me and L.G., we room right next to each other,” explained Pargo, a 6-foot-2 point guard from Chicago. “We hang out all the time – go to dinner together. There’s always a bond freshman have when the come in together.”

But important, perhaps, is the fact both seem to understand things won’t always come as easy as they did against L-C State, an NAIA school based in Lewiston.

“We open up against Idaho (on Nov. 18) and play Maryland (in the first round of the Maui Invitational) a couple of days later,” Pargo said. “Being a kid who knows college basketball and who has seen a lot of college basketball before, I know you can’t think that every game is going to be that easy.

“That might be what the fans are thinking, but those fans aren’t out there on the court.”