Grip on Sports: Tillie’s return is great news for Gonzaga, but not the only good news for area teams

A GRIP ON SPORTS • After a spring spent assessing their ability to make the jump to the next level, nearly a hundred college basketball players had until yesterday to decide their immediate (and probably long-term) future. Stay in the NBA draft process or return to school? That was the only question on this final exam.

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• Many of those who tested the professional waters early had already made up their mind. In this area, everyone knew Brandon Clarke and Rui Hachimura were not returning to Gonzaga. And it became clear long ago neither would Zach Norvell Jr.

That left three other local collegians with decisions. Washington State’s CJ Elleby made up his mind with more than a day left to decide and stated such. He’s going to be back in Pullman next season.

Freshman Filip Petrusev, who everyone seemed to assume had declared to gain experience in the process, also made his announcement with time to spare. Gonzaga sent out a press release early yesterday that he would be returning.

That left Tillie.

The senior-to-be has the ability to be drafted. No one disputed that assessment. But an injury-addled career, including one suffered while showcasing his talents to the Atlanta Hawks recently, made it harder to evaluate just where he should be selected.

It had to be a tough choice for Tillie to make. Yes, another year in the Kennel, refining his game and dominating opponents, would certainly cement his status as a can’t-miss pro. But what if his final year in Spokane was again marred by an injury or two? That wouldn’t help his status, right? In fact, it might submarine it completely.

In the end, the 6-foot-10 Tillie decided to return, announcing a few hours before the deadline.

With his decision, Gonzaga will enter next season with an experienced front-court player. Add in Petrusev and the Zags have two big bodies that have least been through the battles before.

Four incoming freshmen, including Gonzaga Prep’s Anton Watson, also qualify as front-court candidates, but all of them are unknown factors.

With all that uncertainty, though, it is the backcourt that will be the major area in flux.

Of the returning players, only Corey Kispert has seen minutes in crunch time. Mark Few will have to count on either a graduate transfer or two, freshmen or a couple of reserves who saw limited minutes last season.

There is talent available. Meshing it together will be a challenge, but watching it happen will be fun – at least for basketball fans.

• This might be the least surprising story of the day. The NCAA didn’t seem to be clear about the impact of the new draft rules on Division II or Division III athletes and at least one player has been caught in the backwash.

Hopefully, this young man won’t have to pay a penalty for the organization’s lack of clarity.

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WSU: The NBA Finals begin tonight. Once again, Klay Thompson will be part of them. It seems to be a yearly event. Theo Lawson, who grew up a couple traffic jams from Oracle Arena, looks back on Thompson’s five best NBA playoff games. … Former S-R sportswriter Janie McCauley has a story on Thompson’s newest routine. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12, there are basketball players all over the conference who made decisions to return yesterday, from Oregon’s Payton Pritchard to Oregon State’s Ethan Thompson. … Utah’s Donnie Tillman is also coming back. … Arizona State picked up a junior college player’s commitment on the same day. … One of Washington’s top players went the other way with his decision. … Make it three Pac-12 schools looking for a baseball coach. USC fired Dan Hubbs yesterday. … The conference’s baseball awards were handed out Wednesday and the list of players honored illustrates how far Washington State has fallen in the past few years. … Oregon State and UCLA dominated the awards. … The fall football schedules range from ridiculously easy to ridiculously hard. … Washington has one of the former, as does Utah.

Gonzaga: Tillie’s return is a big deal for the Zags. Jim Meehan has it covered. … The decision is part of Larry Weir’s latest Press Box pod. … BYU received some good news yesterday as well, with Yoeli Childs surprisingly headed back to school.

Preps: High school sports are over. It’s time for awards. We have all the local all-league teams. See how many of the athletes you know.

Mariners: The M’s pitching hasn’t been all that great. But the defense doesn’t help either. There are the errors, sure, way too many of them. Even more important, though, are the plays that are not made. In watching for a while yesterday, I saw three plays in one inning any one of which would have killed a Texas rally. … J.P. Crawford’s ankle isn’t as bad as feared. … Gene Warnick has an Out of Right Field recap.

Seahawks: OTAs continued, which means there was a football practice and a celebrity sighting in Seattle. … K.J. Wright might be considered both. … The Hawks have sued former second-round pick Malik McDowell for part of his bonus money.

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• Is it Wednesday, Thursday or Friday? Holiday weeks always seem a little jumbled in my mind. I’m guessing it is Thursday. Hope I’m right. Until later …