Balanced Zags tip scales in their favor during WCC Tournament semifinals | Dave Boling
Let’s consider this a Quad 1 win for Gonzaga.
Not because the vanquished Oregon State (17-16) was highly regarded by those who rank such things.
The Quad in question belonged to Jalen Warley, who returned to action Monday night after missing the last two games with a quadriceps contusion, and being limited by it for an unknown number of previous games.
And with Warley back in action, Gonzaga is clearly a more complete and cohesive team, even though second-high scorer Braden Huff remains out for an indefinite period.
In a positive sign, Huff was seen walking without assistive devices before the game as his teammates warmed up.
The Zags had no trouble with the Beavers, with the 65-56 final feeling closer than the game really seemed. The Beavers never seemed to threaten due mostly to the Zags’ sticky, stifling defense (No. 10 in the nation according to the KenPom rankings).
Warley always contributes heavily on that side. And everywhere else, for that matter.
Post Graham Ike and guard Adam Miller cited the impact of Warley in so many ways.
“He leads in ways you guys don’t even see,” Miller said. Ike specifically noticed how badly Warley’s absence diminished their energy and leadership.
The win pushed the Zags to their 29th straight conference tournament title appearance – an NCAA record.
Coach Mark Few shared a lengthy hug with OSU coach Wayne Tinkle (a Ferris High product), who had been fired before the tournament. The Beavers had done a nice job getting to the semifinals, with a win over San Francisco on Sunday.
Tinkle’s lame-duck status seemed like a setup for a replay of Dan Monson’s emotional surge into the NCAA Tournament two years ago after being fired by Long Beach State.
But the Zags obviously were not coming into this one without ample motivation.
Few said his Zags played one of their best defensive games of the season based on the “massive respect” they had for Tinkle’s team.
Other known elements of this team that were reinforced by the win, which brought the Zags to 29-3, and on the threshold of their ninth 30-win season.
Such as:
• Ike, having been added to the late-season Player of the Year candidate lists, continues to play at an All-American level. He finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds. He drew seven fouls with his moves under the basket.
Seemingly still improving, his mid-range jumper and fall-away game has become so impressive, his delicate touch allows the ball to simply fall into the net as if that’s where it wants to go.
It’s a beautiful thing to watch.
• The fact that Ike was the only Zag in double figures in scoring symbolizes the strength of this team: Everybody knows their roles and have mastered them. Nothing seems forced. So rarely does a shot seem unwise.
Miller added seven points with a team-high four assists; Mario Saint-Supery had four steals, including a fierce wrestling move on the floor to regain possession of a loose ball. Emmanuel Innocenti came up with six rebounds and 27 minutes of high-pressure defense. Point guard Braeden Smith added seven points.
And with Warley back in action, it all fit together perfectly.
If there had been any surprises arise since the start of this season, it most probably would be that freshman Davis Fogle is not only playing almost 20 minutes in the conference tournament semifinal game, but that he was the second-leading scorer (nine points) as well as adding six rebounds.
He’s so long and athletic, he adds perfect pressure as the point man on the three-quarter-court press.
“His best attribute is he’s got great confidence,” Few said of Fogle. “He’s not afraid at any moment. We’ve been really challenging him on the defensive end and on the glass … he’s really done a nice job of dialing those up a little bit. He’s a talent. He’s going to be a player for us.”
Fogle is so conspicuously skilled and fearless, he grabs fans’ attention every time he touches the ball.
It forced me to check the internet to see if he has any great players in his lineage.
Without exhaustive search, the only thing I could come up with was Fogell, the character in the movie “Superbad,” who assumed the pseudonym “McLovin.”
The youthful, shaggy-haired Zag definitely is, at times, Superbad on the floor.
And fans might be just fine with the nickname “McLovin.”