A daily recap of Zag news

Today has been an emotional roller coaster for all Zag fans. There has been some great news for Ronny Turiaf and some emotionally draining news for Austin Daye. Here is a recap on all GU basketball related news.

- It appears that all the hard work that Ronny Turiaf has put in is going to make him a very wealthy man. The Golden State Warriors have offered Ronny a 4 year contact worth $17 million. The Los Angeles Lakers have 7 days to match the contract offered by the Warriors. In my opinion I think this is almost a perfect fit for Ronny. The main bigs that are in Don Nelson's rotation are Andris Biedrins who is a restricted free agent, and Brandon Wright. The Warriors did add Richard Hendrix in the NBA draft, but the way I look at it, Ronny will be the 1st big off the bench. He also will be playing for a team that will fly up and down the court. There will also be far fewer set plays, which will allow for Ronny to do most of his scoring on offensive rebounds and off of penetration by the guards.

- On the complete opposite end of the spectrum was news of Austin Daye's injury. Austin has been a counselor at the Lebron James camp the past couple of days, and appeared to have suffered a severe injury doing drills. After hearing a loud noise (and im not talking about the screams of Zag fans), Daye feared the worst. However the trainers determined it to be a hamstring injury and not the dreaded knee injury. This will likely rule Daye out of the "Say No Classic" in Los Angeles, but the fact that it is only a hamstring injury is fantastic. Besides Jeremy Pargo, Austin is the one player that the Zags can't afford to lose. His versatility is so important for the success of the upcoming season.

- It appears as if Adam Morrison is nearing the end of his long road to recovery. Adam has participated in some non-contact drills for new coach Larry Brown, as well as made an appearance at the Charlotte Bobcats summer league. According to numerous articles, Labor Day is the big day for Adam. By this day, the hope is that all limitations from the injury should be gone, and he will be able to go full contact. Good luck to Adam who has been training hard both in Charlotte and back in Spokane.

Daily Recap

Today was loaded with Zag related news, so here are some quick looks at what we learned today.

-We have learned that the Zags will be playing the University of Tennessee, on January 7th. If I'm not mistaken, this game is to be played in Knoxville. The Zags may also see Tennessee at the Old Spice Classic.

- The 2008 NBPA top 100 will be beginning today. This tournament features 100 of the top players in the class of 2009, along with the top 10 in the class of '10. The Zag recruits who will be featured are Anthony Stover, Anthony Marshall, as wells as class of 2010 center Jeremy Tyler. We will be giving you updates as we hear them.

- The LA Times has run features on three of GU's main targets for the class of 09. There have been features on Bak Bak, Joe Burton, and Anthony Stover. Check them out, as they give very good insight into the recruitment, and abilities, of each player.

LG to transfer

After weeks of speculation, it has been officially announced that Larry Gurganious will be transferring away from GU. Gurganious will be a Redshirt Junior next season, and is said to be considering many schools back in California. Should he transfer to another Division 1 school, LG will be applying for a personal hardship waiver. If granted, it would mean that LG would not be forced to sit out a full season.

LG came to Gonzaga from St. Mary's high school in Berkeley, CA and was regarded as one of the top wings on the west coast. Many fans will remember his GU debut, as in his first exhibition game, he had numerous steals that resulted in thunderous dunks. However, LG's time at GU was marked by injuries, as he had to redshirt his sophomore year because of a back injury. Despite being healed this past season, Gurganious received inconsistent playing time, although it appears that it was issues at home that caused the transfer.

The Kennel Report wishes LG all the best as he continues his basketball career at another school. I think we speak for all GU fans when we say that his athleticism and eye-opening dunks will be greatly missed. We wish LG all the luck in resolving whatever issues he may be having at home, and are sure that he will have great success wherever he may end up.

Zags hire first cross country/track and field head coach

In exciting news today, Gonzaga hired its first ever full-time cross country/track and field head coach. The Zags hired cross country coaching legend Pat Tyson, who has coached at Mead high school in Spokane. Tyson just finished up the spring season as South Eugene high school in Oregon, where he was the head coach of the track and field team.

Tyson's track record in this area working for Mead is incredibly impressive. Between 1986-2004, Mead won 12 Washington state titles in cross country, while many of his runners still hold records in the Washington All-Time top 100 list. Tyson began his running career as a teammate of Steve Prefontaine at the University of Oregon.

It will be fun to follow coach Tyson and his Zag runners, as hopefully the program can emerge and compete with some of the other great programs in the WCC.

Bob Gibbons TOC update

At this point in the night, we still dont have any reports on how the Zag recruits fared in their 1st game at the Tournament of Champions. However, the schedule for tomorrow is up, so here are the times and opponents for each Zag recruit.

Anthony Marshall and the Las Vegas Prospects

11:00 AM vs N.C.A @ Wilson Recreation Center

6:45 PM vs Florida Rams @ UNC Practice Facility


Sam Dower and Net Gain Sports

12:15 PM vs Birmingham Ice @ Reynolds Coliseum

6:00 PM vs Team Philly @ East Chapel Hill high school


Joe Burton and the Compton Magic

9:45 AM vs Virginia Rapids @ Dean Smith Center

7:15 PM vs Mean Streets @ Wilson Recreation Center


Marshall Henderson and the Dallas Mustangs

11:00 AM vs Beach Ball Select @ Dail Center

6:30 PM vs Atlanta Celtics @ Dail Center


As soon as we find some results and statistics for these Zag recruits, we will give a detailed write up.

Interview with Abdullahi Kuso

I am very excited to announce that we recently concluded a great interview with GU fan favorite Abdullahi Kuso. I hope everyone enjoys the interview, because I know I had a great time doing it.

The Kennel Report: You and Pendo are putting together a a rec-center in your hometown of Kaduna, Nigeria. What made you want to do this and what challenges have you faced?

Abdullahi Kuso: It was just an idea that Pendo and I had come up with a couple of weeks ago, and I had told Pendo that it would be a dream of mine to build a rec-center in Kaduna. At the senior awards banquet, Pendo told some alums about the plan and they were very supportive. We ended up meeting with John Rudolph, and he along with many other people in the Spokane community are helping with the funding and putting it together. There is lots of religious strife and kids who live on the streets in Kaduna, and I think this rec-center would give them an opportunity to get off the street and play basketball.

TKR: What are your plans now that you have graduated from GU?

AK: I had my knee scoped when the season ended, so I am spending the summer in Spokane trying to get back in shape. I have talked to some agents, and hopefully I can play basketball in Europe. I wouldn't have been able to do any of the NBA pre-draft camps because of the injury to my knee. I couldn't even practice before the NCAA tournament and that's why I only played 5 minutes against Davidson.

TKR: Growing up in Nigeria, what made you become interested in playing basketball?

AK: I was a lazy kid growing up, and what I liked to do was eat and watch lots of TV. A family friend, who was in the army, coaches basketball and invited me to come play. When you're 6'9 you kinda have to play. Growing up I liked soccer more, but I became interested in the NBA and basketball because I was able to watch all the highlights on TV and hear about the money they were making.

TKR: You had a great 2 years at GU, but what was your favorite moment as a basketball player here?

AK: Senior night and the University of Washington game. When I stepped on the court for the UW game, I thought "Oh My God" we have to win this game. It felt like a soccer stadium, and it seemed like there were 30,000 people in the gym.

TKR: In losing you and Pendo, it seems the team is losing the 2 players who were most willing to do the "dirty work". Who do you think will take over this role for next year's team?

AK: Rob, he is willing to do it. Everyday in practice we did drills that were really tough and made us take charges and dive all over the court, but sometimes it just didn't happen in games. Rob and Steven are both willing to play defense and give their bodies. But it really should be the whole team doing this, and the whole team finding a way to win. In the locker room they post all types of stats, like stats about who has the most steals and who has taken the most charges. Pendo and I had a competition going about who would be the highest on all the stats that had to with doing the "dirty work".

TKR: It seems that throughout the season the playing team fluctuated quite a bit for many of the players. Do you feel this made it difficult for you and others to establish a rhythm and consistency?

AK: We had so much talent, and what the coaches were trying to do is find the best fit that would help the team win. I didn't feel that when I lost playing time that the decision the coaches made was personal, I just tried to find different ways that would let me help the team win.

The Kennel Report would like to thank Kuso for this great interview. I truly had a great time with the interview, and would really encourage any people in the Spokane community to try and get to know Kuso before he leaves.

WCC returning to old format

Many fans of GU and the WCC conference have become accustomed to a Saturday/Monday viewing schedule, with a WCC game usually being aired as part of ESPN's Big Monday schedule. However, many coaches and athletic directors have been upset with the schedule, as it has forced the athletes to miss more classes, as well has eliminating Sunday as the traditional day off. It seems as though their frustrations have been heard, as the WCC will likely be returning to the Thursday/Saturday game format.

This likely means that WCC games will be the second or third game on the ESPN networks most nights, with the latest tip time being 8 PM. This will replace the dreaded 9 PM start time, that many fans did not support. The big issue with the move is the impact it may have on the refs. The Pac-10 also uses the Thursday/Saturday schedule, and would likely get many of the better referees that work on the west coast. This must worry many fans of GU, as I don't think anyone was overly impressed by the performance of the WCC refs throughout the season.

Weekend Wrap-Up

School's out for summer but that does not mean that the Gonzaga baseball and women's crew teams are back home quite yet. Each team had some work to do this weekend before their time in the sun.

-The Gonzaga baseball team was looking to end their season with a sweep of Loyola Marymount to end their season today in Los Angeles. LMU was having none of it however, and defeated the Bulldogs in convincing fashion 11-1. This does not take away from the fantastic season the Zags had, racking up 30 wins for the second straight season and going .500 in the challenging WCC. The Lions scored three in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back as they ended Gonzaga's season on a sour note.
However, it was still a very successful season for many of the players and for the team as a whole. Gonzaga, for the first time in 26 years, totaled 30 wins in back-to-back seasons which is a huge accomplishment. Ryan Wiegand and Evan Wells had extremely successful seasons and will both be returning next year as seniors. There was also a bright spot on the mound as freshman Cody Martin set Gonzaga single season save record as well as entering his name in the record books in many other categories. The future is very bright for these young Zags, but the loss of nine seniors will hurt very much.

-The Women's Crew Team took part today in the Pac-10 Conference Championship in Sacramento, CA. The Zags entered four boats against some of the biggest competition in the nation and had a very respectable finish. The Zags Novice 8+ boat earned a fifth place finish, the Varsity 4+ boat earned a sixth place finish and the varsity 8+ and second varsity 8+ placed eight today. The Novice boat was used to having excellent fortune in the Pac-10 championship as the past two years they have taken first place but Cal dominated today. The University of Washington also had a good day as they won the varsity 4+.

Zags earn 30th win with victory

The Gonzaga University baseball team won game 2 of their final series of the year, and in doing so, earned their 30th win of the season. In a thrilling encounter, the Zags edged LMU 8-7. The win improved the Zags overall record to 30-22 and upped their record to 10-9 in conference.

In what ended up being a high-scoring affair, it was starting pitcher AJ Proszek who earned the victory today. Proszek pitched incredibly well, allowing only 1 run in 6 solid innings. The Zags led throughout the game, but pulled away in the 7th when they turned a 2-1 lead into a 5-1 advantage that they would not relinquish. Despite allowing LMU to cut the deficit to 1 run on two different occasions, the Zags were able to hold on for an 8-7 victory. The outcome was in doubt, as LMU narrowed the score to 8-7 in the 9th, but Cody Martin was able to hang on and get the save.

The Zags were led offensively by Marcus McKimmy who hit 3-for-4 and drove in 4 runs. By earning their 30th win of the season, GU has now had back to back 30 win seasons for the first time in 26 years. The series and potentially the season will come to end tomorrow at 1 PM. If a makeup game is needed, GU will play Pepperdine on Monday in Malibu.

Zags start final series with a win

The GU baseball team kicked off its final series of the season with an impressive 7-4 victory over LMU. The win improved the Zags overall record to 29-22 and gave them a 9-9 record in WCC play.

The Zags started off the game quickly, as they scored 2 runs in both the 1st and 2nd innings, allowing them to jump out to a 4-0 lead. The Zags added to their lead throughout the game, as they took a commanding 7-0 lead in the top of the 7th inning. LMU finally broke the shutout in the bottom of the 7th when they scored one run, and they tacked on 3 more runs in the bottom of the 8th. However, the Zags were able to hold onto the victory, as LMU would get no closer then 7-4.

GU was led by an outstanding performance from its starting pitcher Matt Fields. Fields struck out 7 batters over a very impressive 7.2 innings pitched. The senior continued his great year, and improved his record to 8-3 on the season. It was the bottom of the order that carried the Zags offensively, as Tyson Van Winkle recorded a great 3-for-5 performance. Five other Zags recorded multiple hits, as the team put on a fantastic offensive display.

The Zags will be searching for their 30th win of the season today, as the series continues at 1 PM. The final game of the series will be on Sunday afternoon at 1 PM

Women's Basketball brings in great talent

After another very successful season, it seems that the GU women's basketball team is becoming a dominant force in the WCC. This has a great chance of continuing, as head coach Kelly Graves has brought in a very talented and versatile 3 woman class.

The standout player in the class is Kayla Standish, a native of Ellensburg, Washington. Standish is a 6'2 forward, and continues the trend of very highly ranked players choosing GU. Standish has been ranked as high as the 71st overall player in her class, and as the 9th ranked forward. Standish had a great high school career, as she was named the Washington 2A state player of the year in both her junior and senior seasons. Her senior year, she led the Ellesnburg Bulldogs to a second place finish in the state tournament. Standish has the ability to play both inside at the post position, while having range extending to the 3 point line. Standish is also a highly acclaimed volleyball player, while she also excels in track and field. She was also recruited by WSU, UW, and Georgia Tech among others.

The second player to sign during the early period was Shannon Reader from Lake Oswego, Oregon. Reader is a 6'2 center who is a strong rebounder and defender. Her scoring really improved during her senior season, as she was the second leading scorer on her team. She transferred to Oswego from Century High School, where she averaged a double-double in both her freshman and sophomore years. Reader will provide the Lady Zags with another big body, who is willing to sacrifice herself on both ends of the floor.

The Lady Zags recently picked up a commitment from Kelly Bowen who is a native of Australia. She is a 6'2 PF who played for Frankston Blues, which is part of the Big V league in Australia. Bowen is a consistent double double threat, and is a highly skilled scorer. In her most recent season, Bowen averaged 13.9 pts and 11.5 rebounds while scoring nearly all of her baskets around the hoop. Bowen is a traditional post player, and will bring a strong post presence to the Zags. Bowen was also the MVP of her league during the 2007 season.

Zags Lose Home Finale in Extra Innings

Gonzaga looked to finish the year out strong with seven of their last ten games at home. The friendly confines of Patterson Baseball Complex were not so friendly to the Zags during this home stand as they dropped 4 of their last 7 including a current three-game skid after tonight's loss to Washington State. The Zags dropped their home finale 7-5 in eleven innings.

The trend for Gonzaga the past few games has been jumping out to early leads and not be able to hold on down the stretch and that continued tonight. The Zags jumped out of the gate with five runs in the bottom half of the first inning. In one of the wilder first innings, Gonzaga scored these five runs off of one single hit by Ryan Wiegand. After three walks and two hit batters, Washington State's starting pitcher Connor Lambert was relieved by Chad Arnold. Arnold went on to throw a wild pitch which brought another run in. All in all, only one run was brought in by a hit, the rest were brought in by a variation of wild pitches, walks, and hit batters.

That would be the last action the Gonzaga offense would produce on this occasion as the Cougar pitching staff shut the Zags down the rest of the game. Washington State scored two runs in the top-half of the seventh to tie it up at five and send it into extra innings. The first batter in the 11th for the Cougars reached on a error by Gonzaga center fielder Drew Heid and that would prove costly as that run would be the game winner for WSU. The Zags were able to rack up nine hits throughout the game but failed to put anything together after the first inning.

Gonzaga will finish out their 2008 campaign in L.A. this coming weekend as they take on Loyola Marymount in a three-game series.

Zags fall to LCSC

The GU baseball team fell 8-3 tonight to Lewis-Clark State College at the Patterson Baseball Complex. The loss drops the Zags to 28-21 overall and they remain at 8-9 in the WCC. LCSC improved to 51-5 on the season.

The Zags were led by the great hitting of Ryan Wiegand, who recorded three hits, and now has 60 RBI's this season. Gonzaga took the lead early, as they scored a run in the first inning, but the Warriors of LCSC scored two runs in both the 3rd and 5th innings. LCSC added another two runs in the 7th to take a commanding 6-1 lead that the Zags could never overcome. The Zags scored a couple of runs in the bottom of the 7th, but 6-3 was as close as they would get.

Evan Wells saw his incredible 21 game hit streak come to an end, but did extend his streak of safely reaching base to 24 games. The Zags will play their final game of the season at the Patterson Baseball Complex tomorrow night at 6 PM against Washington State.

Friday Night at the Arizona Cactus Classic

Gonzaga prospects continued to play well into the night tonight at the Arizona Cactus Classic. Among the teams competing were the Dallas Mustangs and the Seattle Rotary Select. Dallas includes Marshall Henderson and Seattle has Josh Smith, Anthony Wroten, and Peyton Siva.

Marshall Henderson's team played and defeated the Compton Magic 59-55. After a mix up in the scoring we have learned that Henderson was indeed #15 for the Mustangs in which case he of had 22 points. The player listed as #15 is Adrick McKinny who is listed as a power forward. Henderson shot 5-10 from 3-point land in the contest and was the second leading scorer for his Dallas Mustangs. A very impressive debut for Marshall in a Dallas Mustangs victory.

Seattle Rotary Selects 2010 recruit Josh Smith (right) was outstanding in Seattle's game against Inland. Although Seattle lost to Inland in an 89-94 shootout, Smith made a huge impression. He went for 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks and he dominated the paint throughout the game. Peyton Siva led all scorers with 35 points and Wroten added 15 points on his own.

Another player of interest for Gonzaga is Ricardo Ratliffe who plays for Boo Williams. Ratliffe scored 18 points and had 7 boards in Boo Williams one point victory over California Supreme.

Mangisto Arop is a Zag

In a surprising development, GU has received an oral commitment from Mangisto Arop, a 6'5 SF from Canada. This is the 2nd Canadian to commit to GU in the last week, as 6'7 SF Bol Kong also verballed recently. His story is very similar to that of Bol, as he began his life in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, only to move across the world and thrive in a new country.

Arop, who recently became a Canadian citizen, is known for his great athleticism and is known to finish at the rim with a powerful dunk. He also has very good shooting range, and is known to shoot smoothly from beyond the 3 point line.

He was one of the starts at the recent Albert Schweitzer tournament, in which he helped lead the Canadian U18 National team to a very surprising 5th place performance.

We will try to let you know more about the commitment, and about Mangisto as we learn more ourselves.

Heid named WCC player of the week

GU outfielder, Mark Heid, was named the WCC player of the week for the second time in as many weeks. Heid went 10-17 in 7 games this past week and drove in 4 runs, while scoring 7. Heid has been on an absolute tear in conference play this year, as he is hitting for a .483 average through conference play so far.

Heid is one of 5 Bulldogs to have won the WCC player of the week this season, and the first to win it on multiple occasions. Earlier this season, Marcus McKimmy was named the WCC player of the month. He won this award for his outstanding performance in the month of March.

Exclusive Interview with Grant Gibbs

Hey fans, today we were able to get an exclusive interview with 2008 recruit Grant Gibbs. Grant is a 6'5 Combo Guard from Linn-Mar high school in Marion, Iowa.

The Kennel Report: How is the wrist healing after that nasty fall you took?

Grant Gibbs: The recovery has been slow because after the initial fall and break, it didn't heal correctly after about 2 weeks, so I had to have it rebroken and have pins put back in, but I was still got back to play in about 3 and a half weeks. So I skipped a lot of rehab and took a risk but over the last couple of months its gotten better and better. But the doctors told me about 3 to 6 months until its 100%

TKR: From what we have read, you are a longtime GU fan, what is it about the program that had you so interested in being a Zag?

GG: One of my mom's friends lives in Spokane and got me to be a fan at an early age and I followed them through the years of Santangelo, Dickau, and Stepp and just liked the way they played and followed them. Once they started recruiting me I knew I had to come check it out and it turned out to be a perfect fit for me.

TKR: What other schools were recruiting you the hardest before you committed?

GG: I narrowed it down between Iowa, Iowa State, Wisconsin, and Gonzaga as my Final 4. Before that when I was open I also liked Marquette, Washington State, Creighton, UNI, Penn State and a few others.

TKR: Was there a lot of pressure on you from friends and family to stay local and attend one of the Iowa schools?

GG: There definitely was and to this day I haven't had a lot of support for the decision I made. People wanted to see me play close to home and try to build something with an in-state program. The only person who really had my back with the whole thing was my high school coach who told me to go where I wanted to go not where everyone else wanted to see me.

TKR: A lot of fans around here think with the addition of you and the other freshman to the returning roster, that the team could really compete for a National Championship. What are your expectations for yourself and for the team next season?

GG: I definitely thinks it's a possibility and a realistic goal for a team with as much talent as we'll have. It should be a goal of this program every year in my opinion, you don't want to aim for Sweet 16's and Elite 8's every year because you're selling yourself short, it should be the number one goal to win a National Championship every year.

TKR: One website described you as a perfect fit for Mark Few's system. How do you think the flex offense and the fast tempo that GU plays suits your game?

GG: I think its a perfect fit for my game and being able to bring the ball up the court as well as play on the wing helps with that too. I really like the way Coach Few lets his guards play and doesn't hold them back.

TKR: Gonzaga is known for having one of the best homecourt atmospheres in the nation. Did the coaches describe to you just how passionate the fans and the Kennel Club are?

GG: Yeah they did and i've seen all the videos and what not. It looks like a special environment and the record of the team the last couple of years really reflects the atmosphere and advantage at home.

TKR: Since many of the fans will not get to know you personally, is there anything you want to tell them about who Grant Gibbs is off the court?

GG: Haha I don't really know, I guess I'm a pretty goofy dude and I like to have a good time and I get along with most people so don't be shy to introduce yourself, especially females.


The Kennel Report would like to thank Grant for taking the time to do this interview. I think we are talking for the entire GU fanbase when we say that we are incredibly excited to see Grant succeed at Gonzaga.

Glowing review for Anthony Marshall

While GU continually pursues the best basketball players across the nation, it is nice to find a player that not only excels on the court, but also off it. It appears that GU target Anthony Marshall is indeed one of those rare people.

As stated earlier today, Marshall excelled at the Jayhawk Invitational, continually displaying his great athleticism and elite basketball talent. It was also revealed that Marshall is a scholar athlete who maintains a 3.5 G.P.A in the classroom. He was described as a gentleman with a good nature and character and is even said to provide a great example for his fellow peers.

Equally exciting for all GU fans is that Marshall named GU along with Miami, LSU, Washington, and UNLV when asked what schools were actively recruiting him.

Gonzaga Sweeps Two Game Series against Oregon State

The Gonzaga University baseball team completed an improbable sweep of two-time champ Oregon State at Patterson Baseball Complex with a 4-2 victory today. Slowed by a pair of early errors, the Bulldogs found themselves down a run in the early going. However, the Bulldogs came back strong in the bottom of the fourth when Ryan Wiegand singled in Evan Wells. Jason Chatwood scored later in the inning as well. Gonzaga added two runs in the seventh inning to secure the win and sent the Beavers back to Corvallis with back-to-back losses.

With the victory, the Gonzaga Bulldogs move to 27-18 on the year. They are in the final stretch of their season and will begin a three game home series on May 2nd at 6:30 PM. Come out and support the Bulldogs as they look to bring this momentum into the WCC tournament and hopefully garner an NCAA tournament bid.