Gonzaga-Kennesaw State notes: Adversity hit hard for both Zags, Owls on Jan. 15

PORTLAND – Gonzaga was still coming to grips with the fact it wouldn’t have Braden Huff for at least four weeks when it traveled to Washington State on Jan. 15, less than 24 hours after the forward sustained a left knee injury during practice back home in Spokane.

The only team in the country that might have been able to relate to what the Zags were experiencing during the same 48-hour window is the one they’re squaring off with Thursday night (7 p.m., TBS) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

More than 2,300 miles southeast of Gonzaga’s campus, Kennesaw State had just picked up its third straight victory, beating Florida International 89-86 on Jan. 14. Preseason Conference USA Player of the Year Simeon Cottle scored 21 points and totaled three steals.

Less than 24 hours later, the Owls’ leading scorer was facing an indefinite suspension after his name was listed – along with three other active college basketball players – as part of an alleged point-shaving scheme that quickly gained national coverage.

Cottle’s situation was unique in relation to Huff’s, but both teams were still forced to adjust and move forward without a top contributor.

Kennesaw State had a decidedly more difficult route to Thursday’s NCAA Tournament opener than a Gonzaga team that was projected to make the 68-team field without Huff – likely as a top-three seed.

“It was adversity for sure this season and when we went through that situation (with Cottle), we had two options,” Kennesaw State coach Antoine Pettway said. “We could splinter or we could come together even closer. We got together as a team and decided we’re going to dig in even more, we’re going to ask more of each other, everyone’s going to do a little bit more and have their brother’s back.

“Our mantra all year has been love and serve your brother and that’s kind of been our rallying cry all year. That’s what these dudes do. Every situation these guys get challenged, they answer the bell.”

The Owls faced more adversity in their first stretch without Cottle, dropping five of seven games and losing two more before the Conference USA Tournament. They came together to win three games in 72 hours at the league tournament, punching just their second NCAA Tournament ticket since becoming a Division I program.

Kennesaw State turned to guard RJ Johnson to make up for the scoring it lost without Cottle, who’d been averaging 20.2 points per game. Johnson, an Alabama commit who flipped to Kennesaw State when Pettway was hired, strapped the Owls onto his back and scored 63 points in the first two games Cottle missed.

“Of course, initially I was thinking I’d have to score more,” Johnson said. “Once I looked at my guys, I realized I don’t have to do nothing alone. I just went out there playing to win. … I was just losing myself in the game and losing myself in playing for my brothers.”

The Zags managed without Huff, going 13-2 in the games he missed while taking big strides on the defensive end of the floor.

“It’s been fun to watch, I think the way they’re switching everything on the perimeter and kind of getting up into guys to make them uncomfortable,” Huff said. “Just the way they’ve dealt with the adversity has been pretty commendable. It’s been fun to see some of these guys step into roles that have been enhanced.”

Christmas in March

Four years ago, Chet Holmgren was on the court with Gonzaga at the Moda Center, turning away shots, draining 3s and helping a top-seeded Zags team win first- and second-round NCAA Tournament games against Georgia State and Memphis.

Holmgren was back at the Moda Center on Wednesday. In spirit, at least.

The former five-star recruit, All-American and No. 2 overall NBA draft pick sent a shipment of his custom Nike KD (Kevin Durant) 18 shoes to Portland, gifting one pair to every Gonzaga player.

“Super cool, that is my boy, he’s as real as it gets,” said guard Adam Miller, who arrived at Gonzaga four years after Holmgren but played alongside him on Team USA’s 2021 FIBA U-19 World Cup gold-medal winning squad. “NBA champion, super proud of him and super grateful he did that for the team. I’m just happy to be here, part of that, but he’s also a part of that. We were super young when we first met, but I know he’s been watching us and proud of us.”

A Nike athlete, Holmgren teamed up with the KD brand to create two different colorways of the “Nike KD18” shoe. He sent pairs of the purple “Thunder & Reign” colorway, as well as the “Duck Camo” model, which features a camouflage pattern with tinges of tan and orange.

“I’m a sneakerhead. I’ve got a lot of basketball kicks,” Tyon Grant-Foster said. “Those are very stylish. I don’t know if he made the concept, but those are fire so I’m definitely going to play in them Friday.”

Grant-Foster, who swaps his shoes at halftime of every game – a tradition that started when the senior wing was in middle school – was able to exchange colorways with point guard Braeden Smith, who also wears a size 12.

“He wanted the purples, I wanted the camos,” Smith said. “Easy switch there.”

Timme, Nembhard take Zags

Drew Timme happily took another stab at predicting the tournament bracket for NCAA March Madness social media accounts. Andrew Nembhard did it for the first time on Wednesday.

Now in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Timme was one of a few-dozen celebrity pickers to fill out a bracket before March Madness games officially tip off on Thursday. Nembhard, in his fourth year with the Indiana Pacers, also participated in the exercise.

Not surprisingly, the former teammates came to a consensus on this year’s national champion: Gonzaga.

They had similar picks elsewhere, both predicting a first-round loss for former West Coast Conference rival Saint Mary’s.

Timme and Nembhard both anticipate a deep run from former assistant coach Tommy Lloyd, but expect top-seeded Arizona will fall once the Wildcats have to see Gonzaga in the Elite Eight.

Nembhard, who started his career at Florida before transferring to Gonzaga in 2021, projected a national championship game between both of his former schools.