I like wiltjer and wish him luck, but

[struggler]

I sadly watched Gonzaga a lot last season (Insomnia - and even WCC basketball didn't cure it) - so these are just my observations. 1. I think they will greatly miss Pangos. He was the poise on the floor. 2. Karnowski played his best in March - he made passes and assists that were rare in the regular season play I saw. He takes up a ton of space - so offensive rebounds are his bread and butter in league play - he's simply bigger than everyone else. On defense - slow up and down the floor and quick guards expose his lack of adjustment. Overall though he's the typical high IQ type player that makes correct plays and hurts you little. 3. Sabonis - I know I may get bashed for this - but I just do not think he's a stud - not yet anyway. Again, in league play Gonzaga just has size over everyone else - so offensive boards are a feasting ground. He does finish strong around the rim. Spunky/hot head attitude. I have just seen him struggle with equal or better size (height and length) and someone willing to play as physical as he does. On defense - he is a foul machine.... so physical. Doesn't always get called obviously - but he fouls... a lot. 4. Wiltjer - I mean to me - he's about the same as he's always been. Gets a ton of shots at Gonzaga - so points per game are there, seems to still avoid playing inside and on defense - lordy - he either gets blown past over and over by a quicker player - or he grabs to try to slow them down.

Disciplined team last season - I definitely thought over-rated. In several of the conference games I saw - they games were actually close - very close until the final 2-3 minutes and Gonzaga got to the line and converted. They shoot FT's well. For me - far more athletic teams are much more dangerous than them, but they are disciplined (to a fault) and if they can get to the FT line - they will do well. For me - their difference is going to be with guard play. Pangos was a senior and took the big shots when needed, made most.

Sorry for the book - and as always - GO CATS

 

[gossie21]

Oh how the worm has turned. Right before March, every Big Blue fan on here was licking their chops wanting Gonzaga as UK's 2 seed. Screaming about how overrated their front court is, how weak their competition is, how we would crush them.

Now they have a formidable frontcourt, be a Final Four contender, how they don't flame out when hit with big expectations. You can tell it's summer that's for sure. Gonzaga will be decent, win a bunch of games (schedule is a joke), probably get a decent seed but get beaten by just a better quality team. They are mid level for a reason. That Elite 8 run was nice last year but it isn't like they ran through a gauntlet of teams to get there. The best team before Duke was UCLA. Gonzaga is a tier 2 team. I don't ever see a Final Four in their future.

I'm pretty sure that last years' UK frontline was just about the best in the history of college basketball. We had the #1, #6, #12, and #48 draft picks all on the same frontline. So yeah, compared to THAT team this Gonzaga team would not be all that great. Most of the angst before last years tournament was wanting Gonzaga in lieu of Wisconsin as our #2. We actually got an even better gift with Kansas as our #2.

At any rate, compared to college basketball next year it is not at all unreasonable to suggest that Gonzaga has the best frontline. That doesn't mean that they won't have weaknesses. They certainly will. Also, keep in mind that this team did not flame out or underachieve in the tournament. They lost in the Elite-8 to Duke. This team is not one of the flame-out artists from years past.

 

[caneintally]

I can't buy this
"Few is also high on his own team. Few said he has the best frontcourt in the country in Przemek Karnowski, Domantas Sabonis and former Kentucky player Kyle Wiltjer, who is back for another season in Spokane."

We have a more talented front court but not by much as the Zags have 3 really good big men and Sabonis will be a 1st rounder after this season . UNC , Kansas , UK and Gonzaga are the 4 great frontcourts IMO this season .

 

[WonderBraa]

Sosa got owned

 

[UK90]

Was Wiltjer hurt during the Pan Am Games? He was on the bench but I do not recall seeing him in the games. If he was healthy it had to piss him off having to watch another UK player on the floor while he sits.

He was not hurt. He was just benched. He was the12th man on the team, the coach basically only gave him playing time during the final minute of blowouts.

Kyle does well at Gonzaga when he plays against mid-major competition, but he does not seem to be cut out to compete against the elite level athletic competition. It's how his Canadian team career has gone, and it was also the same way he was at UK--he'd look good when we'd play slow mid-major patsies like Lafayette College in our non-con games--but then look horrible as soon as we started playing teams with elite athletes.

 

[Neue Regel]

Oh how the worm has turned. Right before March, every Big Blue fan on here was licking their chops wanting Gonzaga as UK's 2 seed. Screaming about how overrated their front court is, how weak their competition is, how we would crush them.

Now they have a formidable frontcourt, be a Final Four contender, how they don't flame out when hit with big expectations. You can tell it's summer that's for sure. Gonzaga will be decent, win a bunch of games (schedule is a joke), probably get a decent seed but get beaten by just a better quality team. They are mid level for a reason. That Elite 8 run was nice last year but it isn't like they ran through a gauntlet of teams to get there. The best team before Duke was UCLA. Gonzaga is a tier 2 team. I don't ever see a Final Four in their future.

I think their spanking of Iowa was probably their best tournament win. Iowa wasn't great by any means but they had their moments (they won in Chapel Hill earlier in the season.) I was one of those who felt UCLA should not have been in the tournament though to their credit they did make the final 16. (boneheaded goal tend on a 3-pointer in opener by SMU)

Regarding Wiltjer, he's a solid player with good skills but he's not the quickest guy out there. He missed a big layup in the Duke game, Duke led 53-51 with 6 mins or so to go and Wiltjer missed a point blank layup to tie it. Justise Winslow really took over in that stretch hitting a big 3 when it was 57-51 to put Duke up 60-51 with right about 2:58 remaining.

I hope they get there some day, Few has done a terrific job out there. I agree with what others have said about West Coast B-Ball in general though. It's been pretty soft for years. No comparison between East and West or even Mid-West and West.

 

[decma]

He was not hurt. He was just benched. He was the12th man on the team, the coach basically only gave him playing time during the final minute of blowouts.

Kyle does well at Gonzaga when he plays against mid-major competition, but he does not seem to be cut out to compete against the elite level athletic competition. It's how his Canadian team career has gone, and it was also the same way he was at UK--he'd look good when we'd play slow mid-major patsies like Lafayette College in our non-con games--but then look horrible as soon as we started playing teams with elite athletes.

How is this how his Canadian team career has gone? Prior to the PanAms, I believe he played for Canada in one FIBA tournament, the World U18s in San Antonio in 2010. At that tournament he played very well, and was Canada's best big (Sim Bhullar and Khem Birch were also on the team).

His best game was in the bronze medal game against Argentina. He scored 27 pts on 9/12 shooting.
Against Brazil, who finished 2nd, he scored 18 pts on 6/13 shooting.
Yes, he had a quiet game against the US (7 pts, and 5 boards in limited minutes due to foul trouble), but there was no pattern of padding stats against weak competition and not being able to compete against the elite teams.

 

[RondoBaller21]

Almost every year experts predict gonzaga to either win it all or make a final four. The gonzaga faithful does the same thing. With that, gonzaga has underperformed every single year Mark Few has been coach. They are chokers no matter what idiots on this board may think.

 

[truebluewildcat]

Gonzaga does have one of the biggest, most talented and experienced front courts in the nation...and their back court will be pretty solid as well...

folks, accept it now rather than freaking out every time KW makes a lay up and gets mentioned on Sports Center with the Zags...they will be a top 5 team all year, final four favorite, and Wiltjer will be a big part of that as well as a candidate for some awards...

 

[Bert Higginbotha]

Gonzaga does have one of the biggest, most talented and experienced front courts in the nation...and their back court will be pretty solid as well...

folks, accept it now rather than freaking out every time KW makes a lay up and gets mentioned on Sports Center with the Zags...they will be a top 5 team all year, final four favorite, and Wiltjer will be a big part of that as well as a candidate for some awards...

I really doubt it.

They will have a fantastic record because they play no one worth a crap. But they will fold again.