‘There’s no way I’m not playing’: Gonzaga’s Ben Gregg produces through multiple injuries

SALT LAKE CITY – Ben Gregg isn’t just on Gonzaga’s injury list. He’s a list of injuries all by himself.

Gregg played 32 minutes – when he wasn’t busy using an elastic band to stretch his tender right foot/ankle on the bench or limping off for a short stretch in the second half after a Kansas player fell into his right leg – and played a pivotal role in the Zags’ 89-68 blowout win Saturday in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32.

Plenty of pain and gain for the junior forward, who came into the tournament with an ankle injury suffered against Saint Mary’s in the West Coast Conference Tournament championship game in Las Vegas.

After the impressive win over Kansas, Gregg took inventory of his 6-foot-10 frame from his chair inside a jubilant GU locker room.

“The body is beat up,” a smiling Gregg said. “I am a train wreck right now. I’m hurting bad. I take a wrong step on my foot, it’s hurting. But our training staff, Josh (Therrien) and everybody has done such a great job getting me right and working around the clock to help me out. I can’t thank them enough.”

How did Gregg feel when he woke up Saturday morning? Not great.

“It was like, ‘Oh, it’s going to be a doozy today,’ ” Gregg said.

So he probably wasn’t expecting to make all six of his field-goal attempts, including a pair of momentum-building 3-pointers, and finish with 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one assist.

And an unquantifiable amount of respect from his teammates and coaches.

“How about Ben?” head coach Mark Few marveled. “Ben’s really hurting. His ankle’s bothering him. He’s getting treatment 24/7, late into the evening, early in the morning. Look at his line … I mean, all on just straight hustle and guts. I mean, he’s Mr. Zag. He grew up watching the program and dreamed of playing here, and he plays like it.”

“He’s playing for the badge, that’s what they say in soccer,” senior forward Anton Watson said. “Me and Drew (Timme) watch a lot of soccer and he plays for the team name across the chest, the badge. He plays for Gonzaga.

“He just brings energy. He’s dinged up. He’s got a hurt ankle and he’s still going to give 100%. Everybody loves Benny.”

Gregg might have raced past 100% against the Jayhawks, much like he did earlier in the season against San Diego when he was limping noticeably due to back spasms and still posted his first career double-double (15 points and 10 boards) to go with five assists.

He suggested the best way to play with pain is a healthy frame of mind.

“I guess it kind of takes your mind off basketball if you’re so worried about your injury,” Gregg said. “I think it frees me up mentally, lets me play freely.”

Gonzaga is 16-2 since Gregg moved into the starting lineup Jan. 18 vs. Pepperdine. He’s had double-figure points or rebounds in 13 of those 18 games. He narrowly missed his third double-double in that stretch, coming up one rebound short against the Jayhawks.

The stat sheet doesn’t fully measure Gregg’s impact on games.

“This group really feeds off him,” Few said. “The staff and I have figured that out and that’s why we put him in the starting lineup. We loved his bump when he came in as a sixth man. Putting him in the starting lineup made the rotations generate more minutes for him, which has been huge.”

Gregg cracked that he’s practically been rooming with trainer Therrien since “we’ve been spending a lot of time together.”

Gregg hasn’t practiced much as he rests his injuries. He pointed out that Gonzaga’s next game isn’t until Friday in Detroit, which means an extra 24 hours of healing time after playing Thursday and Saturday in Salt Lake.

Need we ask if he’ll be on the court in the Sweet 16?

“If I can walk, I’m going to play, especially in March Madness. There’s no way I’m not playing,” Gregg said. “We’ll get there. I have plenty of time to get my body right. Everybody has bumps and bruises this time of year.”