Gonzaga-San Francisco key matchup: Khalil Shabazz commanding more attention as Dons’ top scorer

SAN FRANCISCO – There’s good and bad that comes with preparing for a matchup with San Francisco’s Khalil Shabazz.

The good? After eight matchups with Gonzaga, Shabazz is unlikely to do anything the Bulldogs haven’t seen.

The bad? That hasn’t necessarily given Mark Few’s group an advantage when it’s come to limiting the sixth-year guard’s production.

GU’s eighth run-in with Shabazz was a prime example. With all-conference forward Yauhen Massalski sidelined with an injury, and top scorer Jamaree Bouyea commanding much of the defensive attention, Shabazz got loose for 27 points and made five 3-pointers in the West Coast Conference Tournament semifinal.

The Seattle native and former Central Washington player is operating without Bouyea in the same backcourt for the first time in his career and therefore slides up to No. 1 on Gonzaga’s scouting report ahead of Thursday’s matchup in the Bay Area.

Without Bouyea, a 17 points-per-game scorer last season who’s now with the Miami Heat’s G League affiliate, Shabazz has become the focal point of USF’s offense in the first year under coach Chris Gerlufsen.

Shabazz is drawing tougher defensive assignments and the occasional double team, but the extra attention hasn’t slowed down the Rainier Beach High product, who has elevated scoring, assist, rebound and steal numbers from last year.

While playing an additional 4.9 minutes per game, Shabazz bumped his scoring average from 13.7 to 15.1. He’s hitting 41.9% of his field goals as opposed to 38.3% last season; grabbing 5.8 rebounds after managing 3.2 last season; dishing out 3.5 assists as opposed to 2.1 in 2021-22; and becoming more of a defensive presence with 2.2 steals, up from 1.7 a year ago.

While assessing this version of USF last Saturday, All-American Gonzaga forward Drew Timme said, “Shabazz is back. He’s a helluva player. I mean, he’s caused us problems his whole career, at least how long I’ve been here.”

Shabazz has averaged 15.2 points in eight career games against Gonzaga, but the Bulldogs seldom make it easy on the 6-foot guard. Over the past four seasons, Shabazz has made 39% of his shots from the field and 34% from the 3-point line. In the meetings with GU, he has been held to 32% from the field and 26% on 3-pointers.

There’s some familiarity between USF’s top scorer and the Gonzaga player who could be assigned to guard him . Shabazz is five years older than Bulldogs point guard Nolan Hickman, but the two occasionally worked out and played together while growing up in Seattle. USF’s veteran guard referred to Hickman as “little bro” during WCC Media Day in September.

Rasir Bolton and reserve guards Malachi Smith and Hunter Sallis could all be defensive options on Shabazz, who was mostly guarded by Andrew Nembhard last year in the conference tournament.