GU notes: Bulldogs battle during spirited Monday practices
The Seattle Seahawks have “Competition Wednesdays,” when the first-team offense tangles with the first-team defense.
Gonzaga doesn’t have a catchy nickname for its Monday practices but the premise is similar.
“Instead of what you normally see this time of year with your top eight or nine guys going against the Red Squad (walk-ons, redshirts, etc.), we’ve been going with our top 10 just 5 on 5, mixing it up evenly and just having battles,” said coach Mark Few, mentioning Seahawks coach Pete Carroll’s approach.
It’s one of the benefits of the third-ranked Zags possessing a deep, talented roster. Gonzaga can get quality work against high-level competition without leaving its gym.
The staff typically mixes up the teams so each has at least two starters. Coaches have long considered freshman forward Domantas Sabonis a starter because he plays nearly 22 minutes a game, just 2.5 minutes less than starting center Przemek Karnowski.
“It gets the competitive side out of everybody,” senior guard Gary Bell Jr. said “Coming from the West Side (of Washington) that’s all we did and I’m glad we’re doing it here. It’s definitely making us better. We need to work on finishing games but coming out we’re usually getting a big lead on teams. It’s helping us out a lot.”
Competition is a recurring theme stressed by Carroll, who has noted Wednesdays “are not necessarily on the opponent … it’s a lot of 1-on-1s, offense versus defense right off the bat, to get the tempo and speed we want. We keep score and somebody is going to win and somebody is going to lose.”
Few has implemented a similar approach on Mondays with an eye on the present and the postseason.
“It’s been really good, really heated and really competitive. You have Eric (McClellan) vs. Kevin (Pangos) or Shem having to go against Domas or (Kyle) Wiltjer,” Few said. “There are high-level guys we’re going to go against down the road but it also gives us a nice feisty, competitive, emotional practice. It kind of lets the guys play and just compete at a high level.”
Gonzaga skipped competition Monday this week because four players were bothered by a 24-hour bug. The scouting report is usually installed Tuesday.
“It gets a little hectic out there (on Mondays),” Bell said. “Whoever loses you’re kind of like, ‘Dang, I lost to him.’ Sometimes (the losing team) has a set of lines or a down or back. You don’t want that.”
Few’s coaching tree
It has been a rollercoaster season for three former Few assistants now directing their own programs. All three have rebounded of late.
Leon Rice has Boise State (17-6, 7-3) in contention for a Mountain West title and an NCAA tournament berth. The Broncos, who lost standout Anthony Drmic to a season-ending ankle injury after just seven games, dropped their first three MWC games but responded with seven straight wins. Rice is 94-60 in five seasons.
“Leon’s done a great job,” Few said. “He lost arguably his second-best player or maybe his most valuable player.”
Billy Grier’s San Diego Toreros (13-12, 6-7) have won four of five, including a 72-50 pasting of Pepperdine on Saturday, to climb up to fifth place in the WCC.
Drake, under second-year coach Ray Giacoletti, dropped five straight to open Missouri Valley Conference play. The Bulldogs (7-17, 4-8) had a three-game winning streak snapped by No. 13 Northern Iowa on Saturday.
“The tree was not doing well about a month ago,” Few said. “I was getting some pretty bleak calls or I wasn’t hearing from them at all. In fact Leon brought it to my attention, but the stock is trending up as of today.”
Just a number
Gonzaga went 2-0 on last week’s trip to the Bay Area, but slipped one spot in the AP poll to No. 3.
“We played like we were literally the 100th best team in the country, our defense was like that,” Few said. “Just because they assign you that (ranking) it doesn’t mean you are that number unless you continue to play great basketball. We were just OK last week.”