A Grip on Sports: No one is celebrating, but Petrusev’s departure from Gonzaga is no reason to pout either

A GRIP ON SPORTS • There are occasionally news stories that can be expected but still surprise you at the same time. Such a thing happened yesterday.

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• We knew when Filip Petrusev made an announcement concerning his future, there was a good chance it would no longer include playing basketball for Gonzaga University. Especially as the rebounding coronavirus numbers in Spokane and elsewhere threatened to undermine the upcoming season.

Besides, what could the West Coast Conference’s MVP and All-American do his junior year that would top his sophomore one? Not in the team sense, because we all knew Petrusev could help the Zags in their quest to win that elusive national title, but personally. You know, what really matters.

The answer to that question is not much. Oh sure, Petrusev could have showcased extended shooting range, becoming one of those nearly 7-foot players who can knock down 3-point shots with regularity, but thinking that skill would magically appear after this convoluted offseason is akin to thinking the virus is going to up and disappear one day. Neither was, or is, probable.

Maybe that was what Petrusev was referring to when he told ESPN “(In Serbia) I should be able to showcase some skills I wasn’t able to at Gonzaga and improve my draft stock.”

Otherwise, it is hard to come up with “skills” Petrusev has that he couldn’t showcase as well in the college game as he could in a second-tier European league, but maybe that’s just me.

Anyhow, we expected one day in the near future Petrusev to announce he wasn’t returning. But when it happened, the way it happened, that wasn’t among our guesses. And from what we can tell, it wasn’t among the guesses of those folks connected to Gonzaga’s basketball program.

Yesterday, news leaked Petrusev had signed to play with Serbian team Mega Bemax – no, that’s not a gigantic version of Big Hero Six – and would return to his home country to start his professional career. And, yes, the news leaked out before Petrusev informed the GU staff, though I was told he did reach out but failed to make connections.

And now he’s gone.

How does that leave the Zags? Surprisingly, for a team losing its leading scorer, not all that depressed. It’s not as if the roster is bereft of talent, especially inside talent.

Sure, Petrusev was the most reliable offensive option the Bulldogs had last season, a big man who could overpower a majority of the players guarding him at the college level. And he was a strong rebounder, which is always a skill to be cherished.

But the Zags have a strong inside core returning, highlighted by two sophomores, 6-10 Drew Timme and 6-8 Anton Watson. In fact, as Steven Karr points out here, GU was at its best offensively last season when those two played together. Sadly, Watson’s freshman year was cut short with a shoulder injury (since repaired) and the Zags were forced to play two inside-oriented bigs more often than Mark Few probably wanted.

But what about Petrusev’s size and strength? Oumar Ballo, the big man in street clothes at the end of the bench last season, will fill that role to some degree in the upcoming one.

The 6-10, 260-pound freshman redshirted last season and was only able to throw his considerable strength around in practice. Now he should get the opportunity to do the same in Moraga and Provo and the like.

And if Pavel Zakharov added some muscle to his lithe 6-11 frame in the offseason, the Zags should be more than fine in the inside depth department.

• It is looking increasingly unlikely high school sports, the 2020-21 edition, will look much like previous years. Throughout the nation, states are trying to put together some sort of schedule that will survive the coronavirus’ unmatched disruption abilities.

Yesterday, California announced it is moving everything back, basically into 2021, with two segments instead of the usual three. The plan would force more overlap among sports and eliminate the three-sport athlete. Florida, on the other hand, decided to press forward with its usual schedule, but acknowledged much of the state would not be able to play fall sports.

In the region, Idaho basically went the Florida route last week (or is it the other-way-round?), moving forward but saying it was obvious there would be disruption for some districts.

Wednesday the WIAA is scheduled to meet and make a decision on what’s ahead in Washington. The start of fall practices have already been moved back and it is highly anticipated some major changes are in the works. Whether that includes as radical a step as California took this week, no one knows. But no matter what is decided in July, the number of infections, hospitalizations and deaths will determine the likelihood of high school sports – and school overall – come September.

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WSU: Jahad Wood was second in the Pac-12 in tackles last season, in case you didn’t notice. Now the linebacker is reaping the rewards for those numbers in the way of national recognition. Theo Lawson recognizes another defensive award’s watch list, this time from the Butkus Award folks. The award is given to the nation’s best linebacker. … Theo spent some time talking with a WSU professor – no, Theo is not pursuing a master’s degree – concerning the prof’s website, which gives coronavirus grades to college football communities. The idea is to let folks know how likely it should be for football to be played. … Former WSU player Aron Baynes isn’t with the Suns in the NBA bubble and no one is allowed to explain why. … Around the Pac-12 and college sports, more and more people are either saying it’s time to move football to the spring or cancel the season altogether. … Woods has been joined on the Butkus list by players from Colorado, Oregon State and Oregon. … The changing of the California high school sports calendar may change some player’s plans. … A former Utah running back is headed to another Utah school, his third. … Arizona’s recruiting has been going just fine recently. … Some schools, like Oregon State, release COVID-19 numbers for athletes. Others, like Oregon, are not. The Ducks’ reasons not to seem to change on a weekly basis. … In basketball news, former Gonzaga Prep star Oti Gildon has returned to Oregon in a supporting role.

Gonzaga: Yes, Jim Meehan has more on Petrusev’s leaving Gonzaga. It’s not to be missed.

Idaho: When I arrived in the Inland Northwest nearly 40 years ago, the University of Idaho had arguably the region’s most effective athletic department. A big reason for that was the guidance of athletic director Bill Belknap, then in the midst of a 10-year stint in that position. Belknap hired and supported many of the most important coaching names in Vandal history, from Dennis Erickson to Don Monson, from Tim Floyd to Keith Gilbertson. The 81-year-old Belknap died Friday. Jim Meehan has his obituary. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Northern Arizona is dealing with some COVID-19 cases. … A couple incoming Weber State transfers have been granted waivers to play this season.

EWU: The Eagles picked up a commitment from an Oregon offensive lineman.

Mariners: Dylan Moore hopes to fill the utility role once again. … Dan Altavilla hopes to fill a big need in the bullpen. … The Blue Jays are still looking for a home. Even their second one, Seattle, can’t have them. … Julio Rodriguez isn’t playing, so he’s having fun playing other roles as intrasquad games roll on.

Seahawks: Though the NFL says to move forward, the Hawks have to go a little slower due to local concerns. … The training camp roster includes 90 names. Here are 15 of the lowest ranked ones. … Antonio Brown isn’t one of the names.

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• The only thing that every seems to get me through the summer days is the knowledge that when it starts to cool down and the leaves begin to fall, football will be there to fill my sports needs. But what happens if … heck, I don’t even want to think about it. Talk to me in August. Until later …