Sacre Sidelined, What's Next?

With basketball season quickly approaching, I began to wonder if this was going to be the year that GU would avoid the big preseason injury that seems to occur on an annual basis. After news broke that Rob Sacre would miss 6-8 weeks with a foot fracture, I was not surprised or upset, but instead immediately began thinking about who would replace him in the rotation. While this injury is obviously not good news, there are two factors that keep me optimistic; the timing of the injury, and the opportunity that this presents other players.

Timing of the injury: While no one ever wants to see a player get injured, this is nowhere near the worst time of season to lose a player. Rob will likely miss 6-8 weeks, so if we look at the worst possible scenario, he will be back at the beginning of December. This means that he will likely be able available to play December 6 against Indiana. The only significant games that Sacre will be missing are the three games that will be played at the Old Spice Classic. Rob will be able to get back in the rotation by the Battle in Seattle on December 20th, and should be fully ready to go by WCC play. This is not similar to the Heytvelt situation last year, as he was never fully healthy, and therefore could never become a regular in the rotation.

Opportunity: The player that will benefit from this injury the most is Ira Brown. With Sacre out, Ira will be the primary "big" off the bench. I know that many people will question if Ira can play in the post since he is only 6'4. I could not be more confident in the fact that Ira can hold his own against nearly every post player in the country. Ira has the strength that he can move any 6'10 PF off of the block, and the athleticism that he can rebound when he is in with the bigs. Any height that Ira might give up to his opponent, he can surely make up for with his strength and athleticism.

When I look at the top opponents we play this season, the only team with a big man that I don't think Ira can matchup with is UConn. Jeff Adrien reminds me of a bigger version of Ira, which means that Ira's strength wont be as effective against Adrien.

Michigan St.- As I mentioned in my breakdown of Michigan St., I think Ira is a great matchup for Raymar Morgan, as he can use his strength to make Morgan uncomfortable near the basket.

Arizona- Has no real post presence besides Jordan Hill. Josh will certainly matchup with Hill, which means that Ira will likely guard a less talented PF.

Memphis- Neither Dozier or Taggart is a true banger, and neither has anywher near the strength to deal with Ira in the post.

Tennessee- The Vols have no reliance on a true post presence, as Coach Pearl loves to use the quick and athletic bigs. This is another game where Ira's athleticism could see him play a huge role.

The other player who will have a great opportunity because of the injury is Will Foster. At 7'4, Will is a matchup nightmare for any team and player across the country. Many fans have longed to see Will given an opportunity on a regular basis. If Will can dominate on the defensive end, which he is fully capable of, and be assertive on the offensive end, then he will see consistent minutes while Sacre is out. I don't think this injury will have any impact on the redshirt status of Andy Poling. Since Rob will be available for the majority of the season, it does not make sense to have Andy burn his redshirt status, as he needs a year to put on strength.

TKR Breakdowns: Andy Poling

Hailing from the Pacific Northwest is the last member of Gonzaga’s 2008 recruiting class. When Andy Poling committed to Gonzaga, he was one of the hottest players in the nation. After his sophomore season at Westview High School in Oregon, Poling was one of the top centers in the nation as rated by Rivals. He earned second team all state in Oregon and led his team to the state semifinals. Then a nasty illness struck which stripped 30 pounds from Poling’s frame and significantly hurt his high school career.

Strengths: Around the NBA Draft time, it feels necessary to be talking about Poling because he is loaded with upside. Most of his upside comes from his excellent length. He is nearly 7 feet tall and has a very large wingspan meaning that he has the ability to challenge shots as well as grab long rebounds. He has always been characterized as lanky and for the Zags, this could be a very good thing. Another positive thing about Andy is that he is extremely advanced offensively. He was a scoring machine in high school when he was healthy. He has an outstanding feel for where he is on the court especially in the post. He is an excellent fit for what Gonzaga needs because he has a variety of post moves and a very smooth hook shot in the paint. The bulldogs have struggled to find a back to the basket big man since the departure of J.P. Batista. Like the other Zag recruits, Poling has a very high basketball IQ. He is a student of the game and really respects the history of the game and plays like an old time center. He is an excellent scorer not because he is the most athletic but because he knows how to play the game the right way.

Room for Improvement: Before Poling came down with his mysterious illness, he had very few areas where he required serious improvement. Now that he is barely 200 pounds, strength has become a huge issue for Poling. He must dedicate himself to the weight room if he is going to be a successful interior presence for Gonzaga. If he can add all of that lost weight back, Poling is going to be a force but if he stays slim, he is really going to struggle in the future. Going along with Poling’s overall lack of strength right now is his lack of defensive presence. He is notorious on the offensive side of the court but is a below-average defender. Obviously, an increased presence will come with an increase in his weight but it must also be a mental change. Gonzaga needs defenders in the low blocks, especially with the type of non-conference foes they take on. The last thing he needs to do is continue staying healthy. No one ever really found out for sure what his illness was but hopefully it is not recurring. If he stays healthy, he should be on the fast-track to success at Gonzaga.

Projected Role: Poling is the most likely candidate to redshirt his freshman year. He is coming off the illness, he is not physically where he needs to be and a year off could really benefit him. He could focus most of his time to adding strength and getting all of his confidence back. Gonzaga will be thin in the interior as the departure of Kuso really hurts but they still have Josh Heytvelt, Robert Sacre and Will Foster. Ira Brown can also double as a power forward because of his size and Gonzaga is probably going to have to play small this year because of the lack of bigs.

Summer Assignment: WEIGHT ROOM. Poling has to become a gym rat. Strength is the key to getting him back to his old self where he dominated Oregon high school basketball as well as in the AAU ranks. Aside from that, he needs to continue perfecting his post moves and developing faster footwork but everything with Poling stops and starts in the gym. I wouldn’t mind if he even set up a cot in weight room.

Possible Nickname: A friend of the Kennel Report has suggested “Smooth Criminal”