Zags host Sutton-coached Dons
Gonzaga men’s basketball coach Mark Few can’t say his job hasn’t been interesting the last week.
Few’s Bulldogs dismantled Pepperdine last Monday. Three days later, Waves coach Vance Walberg resigned. On Saturday, Few matched Xs and Os with close friend and ex-Gonzaga assistant Bill Grier with the Bulldogs holding off San Diego 80-70.
Tonight, San Francisco invades McCarthey Athletic Center under interim coach Eddie Sutton. The Hall of Fame coach, fresh from his 799th career win Saturday, will be attempting to become the fifth coach in NCAA Division I history to reach 800.
Gonzaga (14-4, 3-0 WCC) would prefer staying atop the West Coast Conference standings rather than becoming a footnote on Sutton’s resume. Saint Mary’s (15-2, 2-0) is the only other unbeaten team in WCC play.
“His impact is beginning to show,” Few said of Sutton, who has coached at five schools in his 37-year career. “He’s one of the greatest coaches of all time. It’s about toughness on defense, rebounding and taking care of the ball on offense and their scores have reflected that.”
The Dons (5-12, 1-1) are 1-4 under the 71-year-old Sutton, who took over in late December. In 12 games with Jessie Evans at the helm, the team averaged 71.7 points and allowed 76.6. In five games with Sutton, the Dons are averaging 55.8 points and yielding 61.4.
“They’ve been playing grind ball a little lately, not typical San Francisco ball,” Gonzaga junior point guard Jeremy Pargo said.
San Francisco edged Portland 60-59 on Saturday with Dior Lowhorn (19 points, seven rebounds), Manny Quezada (17 points) and Myron Strong (13 points) leading the way. Quezada, a junior guard, scored USF’s last six points. Lowhorn, a sophomore forward who started 10 games at Texas Tech in 2005-06, chipped in three blocked shots and Strong, a freshman guard, had six rebounds and five assists.
“Lowhorn is a handful, Quezada is a really good guard and it’s kind of another ‘1’ and ‘4-5’ combination we have to deal with,” Few said. Several WCC teams, including San Diego, Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara, have a strong point guard/interior presence.
The Zags have made strides while winning five straight games, despite being turnover-prone (17.2 during the streak, 13.3 in their first 13 games). The last three victories have been by double digits, with the Bulldogs shooting at least 55 percent from the field. GU has had at least four double-figures scorers in its last four games, including five against San Diego.
Gonzaga hasn’t allowed an opponent to shoot above 43.4 percent since Tennessee made 46.3 percent six games ago. The Bulldogs have averaged 12.6 steals and seven blocked shots in three WCC contests.
“It’s coming together really well,” Pargo said. “Josh (Heytvelt) is playing great and everybody is contributing in their own way. We’re going to be great down at the end.”