The Wild World of Gonzaga Recruiting

One thing the Gonzaga coaching staff does amazingly well is keep secrets. This becomes increasingly frustrating when it comes to recruiting; especially the 2009 class. As a passionate follower of college recruiting, I have never seen so many waves of kids go pass through Gonzaga's radar only to commit elsewhere. Don't believe me? Check out our May breakdown of the 2009 recruting prospects. We are proud that Sam Dower has stuck around and committed to Gonzaga but other than that, it has been an absolute guessing game. The flurry of confusion began when Brock Osweiler decommitted. The big man from Montana was a sure fire Zag and seemed to be in love with the program. College football and Dennis Erickson took him away from Spokane and that sent the staff scrambling. Even in this haze, we still know a few things...

What We Know: Sam Dower and Mangisto Arop are the newest Gonzaga Bulldogs. Both recently signed and appear to be stars in the making for Mark Few. Dower is a big man from Minnesota and Arop is an athletic guard from north of the border. Mangisto, or Manny was a huge surprise for Gonzaga fans. He burst on the scene and basically the first news we heard about him was the fact that he committed to Gonzaga. Dower, on the other hand, was part of TKR's first batch of recruits to watch and he looks to be a real gem. We got to watch him scrimmage with the team a little bit and he has skills but will have to add some weight to truly dominate.

What We Think We Know: Gonzaga recruiting is so odd that the United States government is getting involved. The most frustrating, yet promising, part of 2009 recruiting is the Bol Kong saga. Kong's a Sudanese native who is being blocked from the country because his native country is one that has harbored terrorists. The situation appears to be resolving and all signs point to the fact that Kong will get this worked out and play at Gonzaga. This is complete and total rumor but the sources are trustworthy and I'm sure the school is doing a lot to get this kid in the country. Kong is supposedly a rare talent and a guy that could be a star at Gonzaga. Words like phenom get tossed around when discussing Kong and it would be such a great story if he would be able to get into the country. I'm sure the rumors will continue to circulate and the general public will be kept in the dark but you've got to root for a kid like Bol Kong.

What We Would Like to Know: How does this class end? The 2009 recruiting

class is the most important class that Mark Few has ever recruited. Gonzaga will be losing a number of program defining players. Jeremy Pargo, Micah Downs, Josh Heytvelt, and Ira Brown will be leaving. Many believe that Austin Daye will be headed to the NBA after this season, a thought that I am not totally sold on yet. If Daye leaves, Gonzaga will be pencil thin in the post. Two names that have been hanging around for quite a while are Kelly Olynyk and Daequon Montreal. Montreal (right) is a star at one of the best junior college programs in the nation and Olynyk is a 6'10'' guard-forward that is starting to blow up in Canada. Montreal has been outstanding so far in his sophomore season at the College of Southern Idaho. In recent action, Montreal had 23 points and 18 boards. He seems to fit what Gonzaga needs but his name is getting mentioned less and less when it comes to Gonzaga recruiting. Olynyk visited last weekend and seemed to be enthralled with the program but he's been growing so much and so fast that no one really knows where he fits on the court. The Zags don't really need a point guard which means Olynyk is going to have to add a lot of weight to that 6'10'' frame and become a solid wing/post player if he winds up here.

My Best Guess: I know I'm going to look back on this in a couple of months and kick myself. I want to see Daequon Montreal as a Zag. I really think that he is college ready right now and that is something that Gonzaga needs. Especially if Daye leaves, the Zags are going to need bodies in the paint that are ready to contribute and Montreal could be that guy. While I write this, my gut feeling tells me that this won't happen but I'm holding out hope. We should be heading over to Idaho at some point this season to watch Daequon in action but all reports have been extremely positive. As far as Olynyk is concerned, I'm in the wait and see mode. I'd imagine that the staff is going to be cautious with him and see how he progresses this year. He's got the body and length to be a star but it is still kind of a mystery about where he will play on the court once he gets to college.

There is always a chance that neither of these guys wind up at Gonzaga and we get some foreign player or a high-profile transfer. In fact, that may be the odds on favorite right now. The perfect situation right now is if Kong comes and Daye stays. We'd have one more scholarship to throw around and maybe attract a transfer that is ready to play in the paint. That would take pressure of Sam Dower to contribute right away.

Bulletin Board Material in September

A key fundamental for any good journalist/blogger or anyone who publishes with the expectation of being read, is to remain level headed. Objectivity and not getting caught up in the moment is a difficult thing for some journalists to do in this world. Similarly, there are also some journalists or bloggers who just make asinine comments just so people will read their work. In my eyes, Doug Gottlieb fits into both these categories, especially with his recent journalistic piece about point guards in college basketball this season.

My gripe with Gottlieb is not just the absence of Jeremy Pargo in the top-10, it is with a majority of his list and the way in which he describes them. The artice (which is ESPN insider) is a complete contradiction from line to line. He seems to bring up endless points throughout that should negate half of his list from even being mentioned. At #1 he has Darren Collision, the same Darren Collison that UCLA fans were begging to leave Los Angeles and go to the draft. Collison was atrocious for the most part down the stretch. He had 6 combined points in the games against Memphis and Western Kentucky in the NCAA tournament, showing that he is devoured by big, powerful guards in the mold of Derrick Rose and Courtney Lee.

While it's nice to see Patrick Mills at #2, this is also a tad bit premature. Mills, the Aussie from St. Mary's caught every one's attention in the Olympics but has not demonstrated the consistency in college basketball to garner such a high rating. Also, Jeremy Pargo had 18 and 27 points last season's battles between SMC and the Zags.

The players ranked 5-10 are a combination of tournament stars and average players. Eric Maynor is a fun story and all that but the fact is that the only thing I have seen from his career is one good game against a decent Duke team that was on upset alert. He averages around 18 and 5 a game but I don't exactly think that competition is outstanding in the Colonial League.

Stephen Curry is another outstanding basketball player who deserves to be in the hunt for national player of the year, but he does not belong here. Himself, along with Jrue Holiday are complete rookies playing point guard at this level. You can't expect Curry to come out and be one of the best point guards in the nation in his first season at the spot. The star of that cinderella team in my estimation was Jason Richards and he will be sorely missed. Jrue Holiday being up there is laughable being that he is a freshman in a freshmen class which is supposed to be down this season. He may be great...but you can't put him up here.

Guys like Gottlieb have been notorious for saying crazy stuff to get listeners and readers. Along with Stephen A. Smith and guys of the sort, they have turned ESPN into a joke where emotion overtakes education.

If the title of this was "Best Stories at the Point Guard Spot in 2008-09" it would be perfect. Most guys on this list have very interesting stories to watch this season. Fore example: Is Collison going to bounce back? Is A.J. Price going to be the same guy after knee surgery? Can Stephon Curry play point guard and still score 40 a game? Can Mills keep up his Olympic pace? Where has Eric Maynor been?

Tons of interesting headlines, but way too many questions for this to be an accurate top-10 list. It's truly sad because guys like Jeremy Pargo and Levance Fields, who I would take over 6-8 of Gottlieb's guys are often overlooked because they are just too solid. Even Ty Lawson is insanely overlooked. He is the best point guard in the country and there should really be zero argument about that. He has every tool you need from a point guard at the college level.

Label this article for what it is, another cute story from ESPN that has no particular meaning except giving me an excuse to get fired up. Who knows how much better Gottlieb could have been as a journalist if he could have just stayed at Notre Dame all four years...

Some Zag Related Sidenotes

---Our friends over at Parsing the Wac have a piece on Brandon Davies. Apparently they believe he is BYU bound.

--Abdul Gaddy and Avery Bradley have both found homes for the next four years. Gaddy will stick with his Arizona commitment while Bradley is Texas Longhorn bound.

--Tyler Honeycutt also concluded the worst kept secret in 2009 recruiting. He has been a virtual lock to be a UCLA Bruin for quite some time and recently gave his verbal to the Bruins.

--Zag prospect Steven Bjornstad has committed to the University of Nevada. This isn't a huge loss for the Zags because of their huge interest in Devonte Elliott. It may be a huge decision for Gonzaga as Nevada was a school heavily courting Elliott and now that they have Bjornstad, their interest in Elliott will probably be over.

Devonte Elliott to Visit Gonzaga

It appears that the rich could soon be getting richer.

With Sam Dower in the fold, recruiting focus has shifted to two other big men, Brandon Davies and Devonte Elliott. The Kennel Report has just learned that Devonte Elliott will be taking a official visit to Spokane in the first week of October.

Elliott will be coming up the weekend after Brandon Davies, who visits September 26-28. This is extremely exciting news for the Zags because it appears that the staff has finally found two bigs to go along with Sam Dower. After balking at Joe Burton, Bak Bak etc, it is encouraging to see more visits being set up.

I'm sure that both of these recruits will get the star treatment from Coach Few and the staff and we all hope that Devonte and Brandon react the same way Sam Dower did. Getting three quality bigs in 2009 would set up the Zags to be reloading instead of rebuilding. There is no doubt that some junior college prospects have entered the picture but it appears that the staff is very excited about these two high school stars.

We will keep you up to date on any further information regarding Devonte. It's good to be a Zag!

Videos of New Zag Target Cliff Dixon

Whenever news breaks on a new Gonzaga basketball recruit there is plenty of excitement. It appears that the Zags have found another diamond in the rough in junior college star Cliff Dixon.

Since the news broke about our recruitment of Dixon, TKR has been all over the internet to provide you with more information on the Juco star. Here are some videos we were able to dig up. We hope you are as impressed with his athleticism as we were!







Those are both fun dunks to get you excited about this prospect, but we were also able to dig up some in-game videos of Mr. Dixon.

Visit this page on College Coaches Network to see Cliff in some games. Note that these are very long videos, but they really do a good job at showcasing his skill set. The big man can run!

Cliff is on Team 4 in all of these videos. Enjoy!

Zags in pursuit of JC Big

Since the commitment of Sam Dower, many GU fans have been clamoring for Coach Few and the rest of the staff to get another big man. It appears that the staff has turned to the JC ranks, as they are pursuing Hutchinson Community College big man, Cliff Dixon.

Dixon, a 6'10 big man from Forestville, Maryland, is being sought after by Gonzaga, Oklahoma State, and Kentucky. Dixon averaged 17.2 points and 10.1 rebounds last season, when he played for Motlow State. According to Jerry Mullen, who helps host JC tournaments during the summer, Dixon has the potential to be the top JC player in the country.

TKR will keep everyone updated as we learn more about Dixon and his recruitment. With the terrific success of Abdullahi Kuso, Ira Brown, and JP Batista, TKR is excited to hear that Coach Few and the staff are looking for another JC transfer.

We Got Dower...Now What?

After all the dust has settled from the Sam Dower commitment, the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Mark Few are still left with at least three more scholarships for the 2009 season. The Zags will be losing Ira Brown, Jeremy Pargo, Josh Heytvelt, Micah Downs and will have the scholarship of the recently departed Larry Gurganious. Also, many believe that Austin Daye may make the NBA jump after his Sophomore season, so if that is the case, the Zags potentially could have 6 open scholarships!

Thus far, Coach Few and the staff have secured 2 of those 5(6) spots with Mangisto Arop and Sam Dower. The other wild card, which is slowly fading, is Mr. Bol Kong. Kong, who committed to Gonzaga around the same time as Arop, has not received his Visa to come to the United States and it appears that his odds of being a Zag are slim. If Kong does not wind up here the Zags will still have at least three spots to fill. Thus, it rests on the staff to figure out how and when we are going to fill those spots. Here are a few scenarios that would seem likely...

Seal the deal with a couple bigs. This scenario seems likely only if we are going full bore at DeVonte Elliott (right) and Brandon Davies. Both are scheduled to visit Spokane this year. These two seem to be the only two bigs that the Zags are currently interested in. Elliott is a personal fav, but there are still doubts about his high school grades and qualification issues. Davies is a stud from Utah but there are question marks about how likely we are going to be able to get him out of Utah. He has also visited Cal, creating another potential road block. If we are able to seal up these two bigs relatively soon, expect to see Few hold back that fifth scholarship to make a late run at someone or just hold it for 2010. If Davies and Elliott are Zags, there is no need to get another big now and our guard situation is deep enough to stick out another year.

Tony Nixon and a big. When I say Tony Nixon, it basically means the staff would go out and snag a guard that can flat out shoot. Or perhaps another ball handler to go along with Meech. Pargo will be gone and Gibbs, Bouldin, and Gray are all more comfortable being the off-guard. We have plenty of roster spots to throw around, and we will also need some immediate impact players so it should be easy to draw them in, but the ways of recruiting are very mysterious. The more I think about it, if we could get Nixon or a talented guard with another big, I would be very happy. Now... if we could snag Nixon, Davies, and Devonte Elliott, this blogger would be dancing down Mission Avenue.

Other Scenarios include...

Get a big and maybe grab a Juco player or two. Mark Few has shown the ability to go out and grab some impact Juco players such as Abdullahi Kuso and Ira Brown (no more Mamery Diallo's please). A Juco big would be extremely valuable for this team because of the inexperience with all the departures. It would be nice to have an older player to assume some control and show immediate maturity. I like the Juco idea very much, but it's hard to predict how a player from the Juco ranks is going to play out, especially a PF/C.

The Bol Kong Miracle! Give me Arop, Dower, Kong, Davies, Elliott and instead of dancing down Mission Avenue I will be dancing down I-90 Eastbound! There is a chance that Kong could show up second semester of this year and take a 2009 scholarship but it just seems so unlikely. It is a sad story because many people said that Kong could step on the court today and be one of Gonzaga's most talented players. TKR is praying and hoping that Kong's situation can somehow be resolved.

As you can see, there are a plethora of ways to spend these final three scholarships. My main hope is we get players who are ready to make an impact within two years. With our lack of depth when Pargo etc. leave, we will assuredly need players who are ready to contribute. Elliott and Davies I believe are ready. Either one would be good, but both would be absolutely outstanding! For now, I'm going to continue basking in the happiness of Sam Dower, as I still have not gotten over how happy I am that we grabbed another player out of the Midwest. Go Zags!!

Arop and Dower appear in Rivals 150

While recruit rankings really have no impact on how good a recruit will turn out, it is always fun to see what people think of GU recruits. Today, rivals.com released their post-summer top 150, and both Mangisto Arop and Sam Dower made appearances.

After fantastic performances in the FIBA U-18 championships and Nike Global Games, Mangisto Arop shot up the recruit rankings. The native of Sudan was the first verbal to GU in the class of 09'. His incredible length and athleticism has Manny ranked the 8oth best player in the class of 09. Manny was also listed as the 15th best SF in the class of 09'. This is a significant jump, as Arop was unranked in the last top 150. While many eyebrows were raised when his verbal was announced, it seems that the staff has once again found a diamond in the rough. The scariest part about Arop, is that at this point he is still a very raw prospect, and will only continue to improve over the next couple of years.

The other key recruit to make an appearance in the top 150 is Sam Dower. The 6'9 PF, from Osseo, Minnesota, is the 119th ranked player in the nation, and the 30th ranked PF. After a terrific performance this summer, Dower moved up over 10 spots in the most recent rankings. The main reason for this is that Dower has started to realize some of his enormous potential. Dower recently cut his list to a final 5 schools, which include Gonzaga, Minnesota, George Mason, Cal, and Marquette. Dower recently made an unofficial visit to Minnesota, and may do the same to Marquette before the end of the month. Dower will be making his official visit to Gonzaga on September 6-8, and hopefully we will be hearing good news from the highly skilled big man. However, The Daily Gopher, seemed to disagree with TKR's assertion that Gonzaga is the favorite for Sam.

Sunday Musings...

Just a few Sunday morning shower thoughts...

--Gonzaga fans need to begin understanding the way in which Mark Few recruits. Few rarely sticks with the first wave of players that he has interest in. We've seen this in the past two recruiting stints; they mirror themselves quite well in fact. 2008 recruiting gave us names such as Jordan Theodore, Rotnei Clarke, and Brad Tinsley. The only one from the initial recruiting swing that Gonzaga stuck with was Andy Poling. Both Demetri Goodson and Grant Gibbs were on the Zags radar relatively late.

2009 is starting out the same way. We were infatuated with guys like Joe Burton, Anthony Marshall, Bak Bak, etc etc and now all those players have committed to other schools or have fallen off the face of the Earth. The only one that has hung on to last through the first wave is Sam Dower and he is a favorite to become a Zag for the next four years. Mind you, this is only Few's tendencies in the United States (I can't figure out the trend for Canada recruiting, but I like it!)

Recruiting in 2009 has been an interesting process but I still am not worried. I was thinking the other day about how much Brock Osweiler still being a commit would make this recruiting season so much simpler.

--One of my favorite parts about being a Gonzaga fan is how we are the gold standard for the mid-major institution. Browsing the web today I stumbled across the Southern Illinois message board and they have mentioned our excellent program as well (if you scroll down their is a good discussion involving us). Apparently SIU hopes and thinks they can overtake us and make a final four. Looking at the mid-major ranks, and yes we are still a mid-major, Gonzaga and Xavier are the only two schools that have really burst through the Cinderella bubble and established themselves as a legit school to be dealt with. Teams like SIU, George Mason, Creighton, Drake etc are still on the line of "fun stories". I'm not sure where to place Butler yet. You expect Xavier and Gonzaga to have high seeds come tourney time and to make it far in the tournament, otherwise it is a disappointment.

This is why it feels like all the mid-majors are chasing the ghost of Gonzaga basketball. Our cinderella story died with the explosion of Adam Morrison and we were taken to a completely major level.

Final 5 announced for Dower

At last some good recruiting news for the Zags. Sam Dower, the #1 priority for the coaching staff, has come out with his final 5 schools, and the Zags are on the list. Dower has narrowed his list to Gonzaga, George Mason, Marquette, Minnesota, and Cal. Dower has already scheduled his official visit to GU in early September, and it will be the 1st official visit he takes. Gonzaga, along with George Mason, have been recruiting Dower hard since the beginning of the summer, and the coaching staff was a constant presence at all his games in Vegas. Dower also particpated in the Gonzaga Elite Camp, where he earned an offer earlier this summer. Dower would be an excellent addition to the 09 recruiting class, as he is a highly skilled big man, who has unlimited potential and a great work ethic.

Zags out of the running for Marshall

Anthony Marshall, the 6'3 CG from Las Vegas, has cut his list to a final 6 schools, and Gonzaga is nowhere to be found. The 6 schools remaining for Marshall are UCLA, UNLV, Stanford, Baylor, Colorado State, and San Diego State. This is certainly an interesting list, considering the fact that Stanford and UCLA have not yet offered Marshall. If I were a betting man, I would put my money on Marshall staying local and playing at UNLV, as he has a great relationship with coach Lon Kruger. However, if the Pac 10 powers on his list offer, then everything could change. TKR has just found out that SMU is also on the list for Anthony.

As for the Zags, guard was certainly not a position of priority, and it seems that the focus will be on the bigs for the class of 09. We should also remember that the Zags have already secured the commitment of Mangisto Arop, who is a 6'6 CG that played exceptionally well in the recent FIBA tournament.

Cashing Out in Las Vegas

It's all over in Las Vegas for the best high school players in the world. 5 days of grueling, non-stop action is in the books and the results are somewhat shocking.

The Adidas Super 64 was taken by a team north of the border as Grassroots Canada defeated Joe Burton's Compton Magic 88-79 yesterday. The championship game went into overtime and that is when five star Tristan Thompson turned it on. Thompson and Jason Calliste had 15 of Grassroots 20 overtime points and

Joe Burton is out to prove to everyone that he is more like Kevin Love and not Pierre Niles. The Compton big man had 23 points in a losing effort. He had an excellent tournament however, especially passing the basketball from the post.

Grassroots Canada dominated Zag prospect Tyler Honeycutt's Pump N' Run in the semifinals 79-55.

Staying in the Adidas tournament, Sam Dower's Net Gain Sports won the Gold Division title yesterday by defeating Team Puerto Rico. The Gold Division is for teams who finished third and fourth in their qualifying pools.

Net Gain Sports is paced by Gonzaga prospect Sam Dower. Dower, who is racking up the scholarship offers, has been offered by Cal and Penn State recently. Dower led all scorers with 19 points in the 64-59 victory.

Kenny Boynton and Brandon Knight led Team Breakdown to a championship in the Reebok Championships. This was undoubtedly the most talented tournament of the three in Vegas.

In the Main Event tournament, Solomon Hill and Chris Cunningham's California Supreme took home the Platinum Championship. They defeated the formidable Houston Hoops 79-70 in the championship game.

It was an impressive showing for every Gonzaga prospect that took part in the action in Las Vegas. Two titles, a semifinal, and plenty other good games and impressive stat lines. Whoever the Zags get will surely be impressive. Every schools list of who they want is starting to take shape and verbals should be rolling in soon.

Keep checking TKR for all Zag recruiting information.

Updates from Vegas

TKR thought that we would give everyone some updates from the tournaments going on in Vegas. Tomorrow is the last day of the Vegas tournaments, and after next week, the AAU season will be over and it will be time for official and unofficial visits to really pick up.

Adidas Super 64

This tournament features a whole group of GU targets still competing. In the championship bracket, the field has been narrowed down to 16 teams, and will be at 8 teams by the end of the night. The primary matchup to watch for will take place at 3:40 when the Las Vegas Prospects will be taking on KC Pump N Run. In this game, Anthony Marshall will be going up against Jeff Reid. Both of these players have offers from GU, and I have to believe some members of the staff will be checking it out.

At the same time, Joe Burton and the Compton Magic will be taking on Omaha Alegent Health Crusaders, while Pump N Run Elite will also be playing at 3:40.

The tournament has ended for the Double Pump duo of Bak Bak and Anthony Stover, as they went out in the 1st round of bracket play. In the Gold Bracket, Net Gain Sports, it attempting to advance to the final 8. They are currently playing, and we will try to get you an update on their results as soon as we find them.

Day 2 in Las Vegas

Stats are nearly impossible to come by for the adidas Super 64, so you will have to bare with us as we update you on the happenings. It was another jam packed day of basketball in the city of shining lights....here is an update on how your Zag prospects performed.

Las Vegas Prospects: Anthony Marshall's team had two games on Wednesday and in their first matchup of the day against the Florida Rams, Marshall dropped in 29 points to lead all scorers. Marshall and the Prospects fell to the Compton Magic 85-66 in their later game.

Joe Burton's Compton Magic team that defeated Anthony Marshall today also went on to knock of EBO 76-71 and were spearheaded by Burton who poured in 23 points.

Flavor of the month Sam Dower's Net Gain Sports team fell in a tough game 86-79 to the Texas Ambassadors. Dower is the player most heavily followed by the Gonzaga staff these days and it appears that the interest is mutual. As with every player Gonzaga is recruiting, Sam's stock is picking up steam...Zag fans are dying for a commitment, and if it came from a big man it would go a long way.

Double Pump Elite split their two games today with a five point victory this morning over the LA Rockfish and a 79-71 loss against the Juice All-stars. Double Pump is led by Zag prospects Anthony Stover and Bak Bak. Bak Bak seems to be the true target here and commitment rumors have been fluttering about for some time but in the world of recruiting, few things stay the same.

Jeff Reid's KC Pump and Run suffered an early morning loss to the New England Playaz, further proving how good it is to love sports in Boston. KC rebounded from that loss later in the afternoon as they took down the DC Assault with a 10 point victory.

In The Main Event...

California Supreme, lead by Solomon Hill and Chris Cunningham, lost two games by a combined total of 9 points to King James Shooting Stars and FOH Seattle.

Aaron Dotson's FOH Seattle team picked up the win against California Supreme but today's scores have yet to be reported.

16U Team Chandler led by DeAndre Daniels defeated the KC Heat 65-55 but lost by one point to The Force, a team which is based out of Colorado.

Also in the 16U division, FOH Seattle 16's are running through their group, having stomped on J Sierra High School and the North Texas Heat. Their will be a big matchup tomorrow between FOH Seattle and the Houston Clippers, both of whom are 2-0 thus far. Starring for FOH is PG Joe Harris out of Chelan.

If any more stats come in, we will get them to you as soon as possible.

Day 1 in Vegas

Day 1 of the biggest recruiting week of the year is officially done, so its time for TKR to take a look at how the GU targets played. Stats have been hard to find for many of the games, but we do have results and some write-ups that have helped us.

Adidas Super 64

Las Vegas Prospects- Anthony Marshall and the Las Vegas Prospects kicked off their tournament with an 85-68 victory over EBO. As is usually the case with Marshall, he was raved about for his overall play. Marshall is simply an all-around talent and will do anything it takes to help his team win. This quote from scout.com sums up Marshall as a player "The only reason to take him is if you want to win".

Net Gain Sports- Net gain Sports played two games yesterday, and ended up with a 1-1 record. They beat Wisconsin Swing Combo 68-51, but fell to Full Package Athletics 61-55. Net Gain is led by GU recruit Sam Dower. Dower was followed by the GU coaches, and had the full staff at his games. He played very well, scoring 20 points in his 2nd game.

Compton Magic- The finest individual performance of the day might have come from Joe Burton. Compton defeated the Florida Rams 85-76, and were led by Joe Burton's 32 points. I am personally beyond excited to see Compton Magic and the Las Vegas Prospects go up against each other tonight at 5.

Double Pump Elite- Led by the tandem of Anthony Stover and Bak Bak, Double Pump started their tournament with an 83-75 victory over the New Orleans Jazz. Stover was dominant defensively and had the GU staff checking out his game as well. He is tremendously raw offensively, but he has all the athleticism and upside that you can ask for in a prospect.

KC Pump N Run- They are my pick to win the entire tournament, and KC Pump N Run started off their tournament with a dominant 96-68 victory over Ohio Basketball Club. Featuring Jeff Reid, KC has had an unbelievable summer, and it appears they will like their chances to dominate in Vegas.

Reebok Summer Championship

This tournament featured the game of the day as it had Abdul Gaddy and Avery Bradley going up against Kenny Boynton and Brandon Knight. There will not be many better back court matchups then this, and the game really lived up to the hype. In a 12 point loss, Gaddy had 24 points and 8 assists, while Bradley had 20 points. However this could not compete with the Team Breakdown combo of Boynton and Knight. Boynton had 33 points and 5 assists, while Knight had 26 points.

Getting Ready for Sin City pt. 3

The best thing about all three of the tournaments in Las Vegas is that each and every one of them brings something different to the table. The Adidas Super 64 for Gonzaga fans is the main focus because of the sheer number of recruits that will be participating. The Main Event is an insane display of youth and will present a look at the future of the game of basketball.

The Reebok Summer Championships is definitely the tournament with the most talent. There is so much talent in this tournament that Reebok selected 8 of the most talented teams to play in a min-tournament within the regular tournament. These matchups will feature some of the best players (especially guards) in the country.

Zag fans won't have many players to watch too closely in this tournament as most recruits are in the Adidas Super 64 but their will still be some exciting basketball to watch. Here are a few pools to keep an eye on if you are a Gonzaga fan.

Pool H: Dallas Mustangs, I Can Allstars, Illinois Wolves Carpenter, Hoop Magic Symonds

Dallas Mustangs schedule: vs. I Can Allstars 7/22 @ 12:30
vs. Illinois Wolves Carpenter 7/22 @ 9:15
vs. Hoop Magic Symonds 7/23 @ 4:15

The Dallas Mustangs have been a team Gonzaga fans have been watching for quite some time. Marshall Henderson is a big-time guard for the Mustangs and has Gonzaga in his top five. Within the past year, we have seen Henderson's stock with the Zags go up and down. It had been my contention a while ago that things had cooled between Marshall and the Zags and that has come to fruition as Henderson has named the Utah Utes as his current leader. Prior to that, it was all Zags. He has been a Gonzaga fan all his life and seemed to be bound for Spokane. As it looks right now, both parties have begun exploring other options. Will the flame be rekindled? Only the coaching staff and Marshall knows that, but for now it seems that Henderson will not be playing his basketball in the Pacific Northwest.

Pool EE: FBC Perris, Boise Flite Orange, Colorado Chaos 17's (Red), Camp Darrly 2000 Royal.

FBC Perris schedule: vs. Boise Flite Orange 7/22 @ 10 AM
vs. Colorado Chaos 17's (Red) 7/22 @ 6:45 PM
vs. Camp Darryl 2000 Royal 7/23 @ 1:45

Perris, California is the home to guard Robert Smith. Smith had originally committed to Gonzaga rival Santa Clara but decommitted and has seen his recruitment blossom quite nicely. Smith, a 6 foot point guard, has been offered by Cal and USC. He is also receiving interest from Virgina and Gonzaga. Scouts Inc. believes that Smith is one of the top 5 guards out West. His description sounds like current Gonzaga guard Jeremy Pargo. A short, stalky, but very strong guard. Smith tends to play at an extremely fast pace which tends to lead to turnovers at times. He seems like an excellent but very raw talent.

Top 8 Tournament:

Abdul Gaddy and Avery Bradley are still a pipe dream for Gonzaga fans and will be leading the Northwest Panthers into the "Create-N-Finish Cup" which puts the top 8 teams (as seeded before the tournament) against each other.

Northwest Panthers v. Team Breakdown 7/22 @ 12:30 PM

This game will match Bradley and Gaddy versus two of the top guards in the nation: Kenny Boynton and Brandon Knight. This will be one of the best matchups that AAU basketball has ever seen. And that fun will not stop there as the other players included in this min-tournament are John Wall, Ryan Kelly, Renardo Sidney and many others.

It is going to be a star-studded event and there is no better for the stars to come out then in Las Vegas. If you can't make it to Vegas to see all of the live action, you can watch it at WazooSports

Getting Ready for Sin City pt. 2

Is there any better time for recruiting enthusiasts?

With three huge tournaments coming up tomorrow in Las Vegas, the desert will be crawling with college coaches looking to find the next star for their program. The Main Event is one of the three tournaments taking place this week and it will be a huge spectacle, with 9 different age groups with kids from 9 years old and up competing for the Main Event title.

Mark Few and the coaching staff will be watching many Gonzaga targets in Las Vegas this week and a few of them will be showcasing their skills in this particular event. For a closer look, The Kennel Report is happy to break down who's in and when they play.

17U Division

There is one main pool to watch in the 17U competition and that is Pool C. The teams battling it out are California Supreme, Portland Legends, King James Shooting Stars, and Friends of Hoop (Seattle).

California Supreme schedule: vs. King James Shooting Stars 7/22 @ 4:40 PM
vs. Friends of Hoop (Seattle) 7/23 @10:10 AM
vs. Portland Legends 7/24 @11:15 AM

Friends of Hoop (Seattle) schedule: vs. California Supreme 7/23 @ 10:10 AM
vs. King James Shooting Stars 7/23 @ 6:50 PM
vs. Portland Legends 7/24 @ 10:10 AM

There is no doubt that the coaching staff will be checking out group C of the Main Event tournament. This ground includes potential Zag recruits Solomon Hill and Chris Cunningham, both of who are on California Supreme. Friends of Hoop in Seattle also has a Gonzaga player of interest in Aaron Dotson. Solomon Hill is the big prize here, but he seems to be cooled on Gonzaga and should be headed to the PAC-10 unless Few can do some convincing. Cunningham is a skilled power forward who holds offers from Santa Clara and UC-Riverside but don't be surprised to see the PAC-10 jump all over this kid soon. Aaron Dotson is a personal favorite and someone who Gonzaga has extended an offer to. He also holds offers from the Washingtons, USC, and Miami (FL). Dotson is a Seattle boy so staying close to home may be a big piece of his recruiting, hopefully this talented shooting guard doesn't wind up too close to home at UW.

Oh...and the Portland Legends will be featuring one time Gonzaga commit Brock Osweiler who reneged on his verbal commitment to chase down glory as a college football player at Arizona State

16U Division

In the 16U category, Gonzaga eyes will have a close eye on group A and G.

Group A includes Team Chandler, North Texas Bulls, The Force, and KC Heat.

Team Chandler schedule: vs. KC Heat 7/22 @ 2:30 PM
vs. The Force 7/23 @ 12:20 PM
vs. North Texas Bulls 7/24 @ 10:10 AM

Team Chandler is led by DeAndre Daniels. The 6 foot 8 power forward screams upside at everyone who sees him. His recruiting is really starting to pick up now as he has been contacted by main major programs. Contacts include Texas, UCLA, and Georgetown but no offers have been given to the Louisiana native. The Zags are one of the teams of interest and I'm sure Few will be watching this young man who is bursting on the scene.

Group G is another group of interest for Gonzaga fans. This group includes Friends of Hoop (Seattle), Houston Clippers, J Sierra High School, and North Texas Heat 2010.

Friends of Hoop (Seattle) schedule: vs. North Texas Heat 2010 7/23 @ 8 AM
vs. J Sierra High School 7/23 @ 3:30 PM
vs. Houston Clippers 7/24 @3:35

Joe Harris leads Friends of Hoop into Las Vegas. Harris, who plays his high school basketball in Chelan, WA is a rising star in Washington prep sports. As a sophomore, Harris averaged 22 points and 4.5 assists. Harris is looking to continue his stellar play this summer during the AAU circuit. Harris is a guard who does a little bit of everything and has superior court vision, something Zag fans love. His recruiting is just beginning to blossom and his Chelan team was at Gonzaga's team camp this summer. Needless to say he should be a major blip on the radar of Gonzaga.

Enjoy the tournament and check in for updates!

Getting ready for Sin City

With the biggest recruiting week of the year coming up next week, TKR has decided to give everyone a preview of the action that will be taking place in Las Vegas. Starting July 22nd, there will be 3 major tournaments taking place in Sin City, and you better believe that the GU coaches will be on hand. Today, we will be previewing the Adidas Super 64 tournament, which features numerous GU recruits. At this tournament, pools A-H are considered super pools, and this means that these teams will all be placed in the championship bracket. My understanding, is that these pools feature some of the most talented teams in the nation going up against each other in pool play.

Pool A- Indiana Elite One, Atlanta Celtics, Pump N Run Elite, Playaz Basketball Club Gold

Pump N Run Schedule: vs. Playaz Basketball Club: 7/22 @ 1 PM
vs. Indiana Elite One: 7/22 @ 7:40 PM
vs. Atlanta Celtics: 7/23 @ 3:40 PM

This pool features Pump N Run Elite, which is led by GU recruit Tyler Honeycutt. GU was in the top 3 for Honeycutt a couple of months ago, but is no longer listed by Honeycutt. The 6'8 SF appears to be headed to UCLA, after he was offered by the Bruins last week. The Atlanta Celtics have one of the most talented squads in the tournament, and are led by the #3 recruit in the 09 class, Derrick Favors.

Pool B- Ohio Basketball Assault, KC Pump N Run, DC Assault, New England Playaz

KC Pump N Run schedule: vs. Ohio Basketball Club: 7/22 @ 1 PM
vs. New England Playaz: 7/23 @ 9 AM
vs. DC Assualt: 7/23 @ 3:40 PM

KC Pump N Run had had a terrific summer to this point, and looks to continue their great run of play. One of the key contributors for KC is GU recruit Jeff Reid. The 6'5 SG has taken an unofficial visit to Gonzaga already, and was on campus for camp earlier this summer. Reid has interest from most of the Big 12, and claims an offer from the Zags. We are not sure how interested Reid is in the Zags, but by offering, it seems the staff is interested in him. It should be fun to follow KC Pump N Run to see if they can keep up their fantastic play.

Pool C- EBO, Las Vegas Prospects, Compton Magic, Florida Rams

Las Vegas Prospects schedule: vs. EBO: 7/22 @ 2:20 PM
vs. Florida Rams: 7/23 @ 10:20 AM
vs. Compton Magic: 7/23 @ 5:00 PM

Compton Magic schedule: vs. Florida Rams: 7/22 @ 2:20 PM
vs. EBO: 7:23 @ 9:00 AM
vs. Las Vegas Prospects: 7/23 @ 5:00 PM

I would be very surprised if the coaching staff is not present for nearly every game in this pool. The main attraction will be the Las Vegas Prospects, who are led by GU recruit Anthony Marshall. As we learned in our interview with Anthony, GU has been recruiting Anthony from the beginning, and the interest is very strong both ways. The 6'3 CG can do everything on the court, and will likely be followed by at least one member of the staff. The Compton Magic feature the JP Batista clone, Joe Burton. Burton is a 6'7, 270 pound bruiser in the post. Many GU fans long for the return of a true banger in the post, and although he has had a very solid summer, some question whether Burton is a mid-major talent. Gonzaga has offered Burton, and it seems that Burton is interested in the Zags as well. This should be a great group for GU fans to follow, and TKR will have its eyes glued to this group.

Pool D- Seattle Rotary Select I, Houston Select Black, Southern California All-Stars Elite, Utah Pump N Run Red.

Seattle Rotary Select schedule: vs. Houston Select Black: 7/22 @ 3:40 PM
vs. Southern California All-Stars Elite: 7/23 @ 10:20 AM
vs. Utah Pump N Run Red: 7/23 @ 5:00 PM

Seattle Rotary Select has one of the top players in the Class of 2010, with GU recruit Josh Smith. The bruising big man is arguably one of the top 5 players in the entire class, and has interest from every major program in the country. Although he seems like a BCS school kind of player, that has not stopped the staff from doing everything they can to get in the running for this elite talent.

Pool F- Double Pump Elite, New Orleans Jazz, LA Rockfish, Juice All-Stars

Double Pump Elite Schedule: vs. New Orleans Jazz: 7/22 @ 5:00 PM
vs. LA Rockfish: 7/23 @ 11:40 AM
vs. Juice All-Stars: 7:23 @ 7:40 PM

Another team that the staff will be following in Vegas is Double Pump Elite. Double Pump features the front line of Bak Bak and Anthony Stover, who both hold offers from the Zags. Stover is full of unlimited potential, and recently earned offers from Arizona State, UCLA, and UCONN. However, he has continually named GU in his top 5, and the staff is certainly pursuing him heavily. Bak Bak is about as skinny as it gets, but is a highly skilled and versatile PF. He also has range that extends to past the 3 point line. He currently holds offers from Oregon State and GU, and it seems that the Zags will be in the running for Bak until the end.

Pool G- IEBP, Indiana Elite LNO, Colorado Select Blue, French Hoops

IEBP Schedule: vs. Indiana Elite LNO: 7/22 @ 6:20 PM
vs. Colorado Select Blue: 7/23 @ 1:00 PM
vs. French Hoopes: 7/23 @ 7:40 PM

IEBP should be a team that GU fans keep their eyes on, as it is led by Andrew Bock. Bock is a quickly emerging Point Guard, who has seen his stock take off in the past couple of months. Although very skinny at this point, Bock has a long frame that could carry much more weight. He was here for camp early this summer, and it will be interesting to see if some of the bigger schools start showing some interest in Bock.

Pool M- Texas DI Ambassadors, Full Package Athletics, Net Gain Sports, Wisconsin Swing Combo

Net Gain Sports Schedule: vs. Wisconsin Swing Combo: 7/22 @ 10:20 AM
vs. Full Package Athetics: 7/22 @ 7:40 PM
vs. Texas DI Ambassadors: 7/23 @ 5:00 PM

Net Gain Sports features one of the quickest rising prospects in the nation, and one of the main focuses for the staff, with 6'10 PF Sam Dower. Dower has mentioned the Zags in his top 2 recently, and made his way out to Spokane for camp earlier this summer. His recruiting has really taken off recently, with numerous Big 10 schools noticing the great potential that Dower has. However, GU has been on Dower for a long time, and appears to have a great chance at landing him. I expect a member of the staff to be watching Dower intently for nearly all of his games, and hopefully he can keep up the great performances he has been putting up this summer.

Hill and Burton shine at Pangos

This past weekend, two GU recruits put on a great display at the Pangos All-American camp. Both Solomon Hill and Joe Burton were recognized for their terrific performances.

Solomon Hill is a versatile wing, who along with Tyler Honeycutt, is the main focus at the wing position for the coaching staff. Hill is such an elite talent due to the versatility that he displays on the court. He does everything on the court at a high level, including being a very strong defender and rebounder. The one aspect of his game that he does need to work on is his jump shot. It has been described as solid but inconsistent. It seems that if he can sure this part of his game up, then he has the makings of being an incredible talent. Texas seems to be the school to beat for Hill, but he has mentioned the Zags numerous times recently, and it seems the staff is really stepping up its recruiting of Hill.

The other recruit who really shined was Joe Burton. This has been a theme for Burton throughout the Spring/Summer AAU circuit. He has consistently impressed people with how he uses his big body to grab rebounds and finishes well at the hoop. His big frame, and the way he rebounds, has reminded many Zag fans of JP Batisita. For me, this is the ultimate compliment for any big man. One aspect of Burton's game that is getting lots of notice, is the fact that he is a great passer. Anybody who watched Kevin Love this past season known that a great passing big man can really ignite a team's fast break offense. Burton has mentioned that the Zags have been recruiting him, and I have to believe that if he comes to campus for a visit, the Zags have a good shot of landing him.

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.

2008 Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions

The never ending AAU schedule continues this coming weekend in North Carolina. Games will take place all over tobacco road at NC State, UNC, and Duke among others. The 15th annual Tournament of Champions features 16 pools of four teams each in the 17 and under division. Like the Arizona Cactus Classic and the Boo Williams tournament, the Bob Gibbons is a very prestigious tournament and thus, it always turns out the top talent. This year is no different as some of the best high schools players in the nation will be descending on the Dean Dome and the campus of North Carolina. In this mix as always are plenty of Gonzaga prospects.

The main prospects that Gonzaga will be watching in this tournament is Anthony Marshall, Sam Dower, Joe Burton, and Marshall Henderson.

Anthony Marshall has been well publicized, especially on this blog, we'll admit it we love him! He is a do-all guard playing for the Las Vegas Prospects. He fills up stat sheets and is a great rebounder for a guard. His ability to slash and get in the lane has made him one of the most sought after guards in that nation. As of right now his stock is still rising but still holds a great deal of offers from schools across the nation.

Sam Dower (left) is a 6'9'' power forward from Minnesota. Dower plays for Net Gain Sports. He popped up on Gonzaga's radar rather recently. He has a great deal of mid-majors in the midwest on his tail including Saint Louis and Wisconsin-Green Bay. He is also receiving plenty of interest from high-major programs in the Big-10. He would be a great addition for Gonzaga as they are very weak in the post.

Joe Burton is the current flavor of the week for Gonzaga fans. Although he hasn't really showed Gonzaga much interest as of yet, Burton fits exactly what Gonzaga needs. He is a a wide, 6'7'' 270 pound man. His height is a bit of an issue as he is short for his position. Burton plays for the Compton Magic and after his great showing in Arizona, he looks to continue dominating the paint. J.P Batista part duex? Maybe.

Marshall Henderson (right) has Gonzaga in his final three. However, the vibe around Spokane is that Gonzaga does not have Marshall as highly ranked as he has us. He is a heck of a good shooter but his dribbling has been questioned as to whether or not it is ready for the next level. He even admits his dribbling is suspect...something you don't want to hear from a potential point guard at the next level. Henderson plays his ball for the Dallas Mustangs.

Here is the Friday schedule for the Gonzaga prospects:

Anthony Marshall:
@ Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke University
7:40 p.m. 17--A-1 Indiana Elite One vs. A-4 Las Vegas Prospects

Sam Dower:
@ The Dean Dome at Chapel Hill
6:30 p.m. 17--M-1 Carolina Raptors, NC vs. M-4 Net Gain Sports, MN

Joe Burton:
@ Wilson Rec Center at Duke University
8:00 p.m. 17--G-1 Compton Team Magic Elite, CA vs. G-4 Garner Road Elite, NC

Marshall Henderson
@ The Dean Dome at Chapel Hill
6:30 p.m. 17--D-2 Dallas Mustangs, TX vs. D-3 North Carolina Gaters

Enjoy!