Meeting the Challenge: A Shannon Elliott Story

[collegesportsfanms]

Alright guys, in conjuction with my college basketball tournament that I have going on, I'm going to bring my DDS:CB dynasty over to this forum as well in hopes of getting some extra interaction with it. Hope you guys enjoy. I will be copying and pasting what I have done so far.

[collegesportsfanms]

The city of Spokane, Washington was in shock after Mark Few announced his retirement shortly after the 2010 NCAA tournament which saw Duke cut down the nets, losing in the championship game to Butler. Not Gonzaga, but Butler. Another mid-major team who had come out of nowhere to compete with the power conference teams and to make a name in the NCAA tournament. The only difference is, Butler was able to do what Mark Few and the Zags have never been able to do: not only reach the final four, but also advance to the championship game and come as close as possible to winning without actually winning. This upset Few, who knew his team had many chances to be in Butlers position. His abrupt retirement was the end of a great career, but a non-fulfilling career, as he didn't get what he really wanted.

The search began for a new coach, many of whom were turned away, and even more that were not offered the job. Gonzaga AD Roger Patrick just could not find a man who he thought showed the fire and determination to lead the Zags to the promised land... and then Shannon Elliott showed up.

A cocky 29 year old from Seattle, who had thrown his name into the hat early on but was denied an interview because of his young age, finally won Patrick over with his determination to get in the office. after 2 interviews, Shannon Elliott was named the new head coach of Gonzaga mens basketball. "Come on, how could you not want this job? All the places are in order for a great career, and I'm making a pact, right now. I will not leave Gonzaga until Roger Patrick fires me, or until I take this team to the national championship. Better yet, I'm guaranteeing us a move to the Pac Ten within 5 years." Strong words from Elliott, those being the words that convinced Roger Patrick that he found his man.

[collegesportsfanms]

Head Coach: Shannon Elliott
Age: 29
Experience: 0

Contract per year: $950,000
Years left: 5

Reputation: 65
Ambition: Average
Academincs: High
Discipline: High
Temper: High

Offense: 75
Defense: 75
Recruiting: 75
Scouting: 75
Player Development: 75



Gonzaga University

Mascot: Bulldogs
Location: Spokane, WA

Arena: McCarthey Athletic Center
Capacity: 6000
Facilities: A

Conference: West coast Conference
Conference Prestige: 38

Team Prestige: 73
Academics: A
Minimum SAT Score: 940

Goals for 2010-2011 Season

1. Reach NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2. Win Conference Tournament
3. Win 15+ games
4. Improve School Prestige
5. Sign 4 Star Recruit

[collegesportsfanms]

Shannon Elliott has put together a good staff, especially considering his third assistant is one of the best recruiters nationally and probably the best in the area.

1st assistant coach

Reggie Jordan
Age: 55
Contract per year: $95,000
Years Left: 5
Reputation: 39
Ambition: Very High
Academics: High
Discipline: High
Temper: Very Low
Offense: 51
Defense: 79
Recruiting: 58
Scouting: 41
Player Development: 43

Reggie will be the main assistant, helping Mr. Elliott with practices and game strategies. He is a defensive minded coach that will really compliment Shannon well.

2nd assistant coach

Randy Fitz
Age: 63
Contract per Year: $61,000
Years Left: 5
Reputation: 37
Ambition: Very High
Academics: High
Discipline: Low
Temper: Average
Offense: 61
Defense: 22
Recruiting: 45
Scouting: 67
Player Development: 22

Randy is in charge of the scouting duties. He is a decent scouter, but has room for improvement

3rd assistant coach

Chucky Tebbs
Age: 46
Contract per year: $17,000
Years Left: 5
Reputation: 19
Ambition: High
Academics: High
Discipline: Average
Temper: Very High
Offense: 26
Defense: 22
Recruiting: 73
Scouting: 32
Player Development: 26

Chucky has one good thing going for him.. he's the youngest assistant on the staff and he's already a prime recruiter. When his contract is up in 5 years he should be bringing more than his share of 5 star recruits to Spokane

[collegesportsfanms]

Shannon Elliott was left with $125,000 to recruit this season, with 4 spots to fill. Knowing that, he would have to take it easy on the scouting reports. "For this year, I'll go with the basic editions of the national report and western report. Eventually I want to start buying gold editions," said Elliott. On July 7th, Shannon will be attending the Las Vegas camp, looking for potential recruits out west. Good luck to him.

"Alright, this is the day that I've been waiting for. Time to get some players to take this team to the Final Four." June 26th had arrived, and the coaching staff at Gonzaga set out on the recruiting trail. "We've got 3 scholarships to fill, and of the 4 players graduating, 3 are big men. So we'll be shooting for 2 post players and a PG."

[collegesportsfanms]

Well it wasn't the recruiting class that Shannon Elliott wanted for his first year, as he was very close to signing 3 of the top 100 players in the nation, but all of them fell through. As it stands, here is what he came up with.

C Darcel Martin out of The Dalles, OR. He is rated 240 in the nation and averages 14.8 points and 8.5 rebounds a game.

PG Shawn Smith out of Phelan, CA. He is rated 260 in the nation and averages 17.6 points, 4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists a game.

C Richie Darting out of Olympia, WA. He is rated 490 in the nation and averages 15.7 points and 5.2 rebounds a game.

After recruiting these 3 players, coach Elliott was mildly unhappy. "I guess it's a decent recruiting class, I mean 2 out of the 3 should be 4 star players, but we have 87,000 dollars left for recruiting. I think I'll change my recruting habits next year. We could and should have done better.

[collegesportsfanms]

Well the season is about to tip off, so it was time for Shannon Elliott and staff to review the roster. This is the depth chart that was decided upon.

Starters

PG Ben Barrett- 5'10'' FR- It's not often a freshman is called upon to run the team, but Elliott really likes this guy. A tremendous shooter. 4 stars/5stars

SG Justin Mihm- 6'3'' SO- Great athleticism, 3 stars/4.5 stars

SF David Roberson- 6'7'' FR- Normally a PF, but can step out and hit the open jumper, 1 star/3 stars

PF Ray Alston- 6'10'' SR- Looks to be the senior leader of the team. Has a great post game, can also step out and hit the jumper. Very athletic for a big man. 4 stars/4.5 stars

C Tommy Marion- 6'10'' SR- Compliments Alston quite nicely, the two of them should be a force inside. Could be stronger on the boards. 3.5 stars/4 stars

Reserves

C Scott Jamison- 6'10'' JR- Will be first off the bench, an offensive force inside. If he gets the ball in the paint, forget about it. 3.5 stars/4 stars

PG Quentin Roberts- 6'2'' SR- Great ballhandler, makes good decisions on the floor. 2.5 stars/4 stars

C Matt Scott- 6'11'' SR- great work ethic, goes to the glass hard every time. Can make a difference with his long wing span. 2.5 stars/3 stars

SG Cortez Rowe- 6'2'' SO- Solid on the defensive end, knows how to get to the rim and get himself on the free throw line. 2 stars/4 stars

SG James Whaley- 6'4'' FR- Another solid shooter for the Zags, makes good decisions on the court. 2 stars/4 stars

SG Barron Christie- 6'2'' JR- In a bit of trouble already because of some incidents in practice, unlikely to get a lot of minutes early on. Unselfish, can find the open man, but sometimes forces shots. 1.5 stars/3.5 stars

SF Sheridan Vinson- 6'6'' SO- Hits the glass hard, great work ethic. First one to practice, last one to leave. Needs to hone his skills, but when he is a senior, will be a very solid player. 1.5 stars/4 stars

SF Andrew Brinker- 6'8'' SO- Needs a fair share of work before he sees good minutes. Will be a mop-up player. Another player with great potential. 1 star/3.5 stars

Redshirting

SF Jason Guthridge- The man can flat shoot, unfortunately right now he has limited skills otherwise. Court discipline is almost perfect, great defensive anticipation. Will be a force by his junior, maybe even sophomore year. 1 star/4 stars

C Michael Branch- May never see the court in a Gonzaga uniform. Limited upside. About all he brings to the table is his shot blocking. Scholarship could be better used elsewhere. 1 star/2 stars

[collegesportsfanms]

Now it's time to look at the 2010-2011 Gonzaga schedule

Nov. 13, 2010- vs. Texas Tech (Coaches Classic)
Nov. 23, 2010- @ Texas A&M
Nov. 26, 2010- @ UNLV
Nov. 27, 2010- @ Tennessee
Nov. 30, 2010- SMU
Dec. 3, 2010- Northwestern St.
Dec. 4, 2010- Illinois-Chicago
Dec. 7, 2010- Wichita St.
Dec. 10, 2010- @ Penn St.
Dec. 13, 2010- Washington State
Dec. 17, 2010- UC Irvine
Dec. 21, 2010- Ohio St.
Dec. 24, 2010- #23 Texas
Jan. 4, 2011- @ Loyola Marymount*
Jan. 7, 2011- Portland*
Jan. 11, 2011- @ St. Marys*
Jan. 14, 2011- San Francisco*
Jan. 18, 2011- @ Santa Clara*
Jan. 21, 2011- Pepperdine*
Jan. 25, 2011- @ San Diego*
Jan. 28, 2011- Loyola Marymount*
Feb. 1, 2011- @ Portland*
Feb. 4, 2011- St. Marys*
Feb. 8, 2011- @ San Francisco*
Feb. 11, 2011- Santa Clara*
Feb. 15, 2011- @ Pepperdine*
Feb. 18, 2011- San Diego*

Games in bold are home games
Games with asteriks are conference games

[collegesportsfanms]

Gonzaga News

Shannon Elliott begins his career as Gonzaga coach today, taking his team to the Coaches Classic, where the Zags will be the #7 seed, taking on #10 seed Texas Tech in the first round. The complete seedings for the tournament are as follows:

(1)- Florida
(2)- Duke
(3)- Indiana
(4)- Kentucky
(5)- Notre Dame
(6)- Wake Forest
(7)- Gonzaga
(8)- Ohio St.
(9)- Boston College
(10)- Texas Tech
(11)- N.C. State
(12)- Missouri
(13)- New Mexico
(14)- Washington
(15)- Vanderbilt
(16)- West Virginia

This is a stacked field and will really challenge the Zags early on.

In other news, the Zags start the season unranked, which was news to Shannon Elliott. "Well lets face it, Mark Few's last season wasn't his best, but he did lead his team to the second round and had a 27-7 record. Another reason why Gonzaga needs to be in a power conference, they get no respect"

Strong words from Elliott, who will be happy to know that Gonzaga is predicted to finish first in the WCC again this year. "This is a no-brainer though, we are obviously the best team in the conference and have been for several years."

Looks like our new coach is a little cocky. Let's hope he isn't biting off more than he can chew.

*As always, I will be simming month by month. The only time I will actually coach in-game is during tournaments. Whether it be preseason, conference, NCAA, or god forbid, the NIT.* Everything else will be simmed.*

[collegesportsfanms]

Nov. 13, 2010
Coaches Classic First Round

(10) Texas Tech vs. (7) Gonzaga

Shannon Elliott looked nervous as he made his Gonzaga coaching debut. His suit was already soaked, and the game hadn't started yet. He knew that this particular game, and this tournament as a whole, could define his success or lack of success at Gonzaga.

"Fellas, if the first half is any indication of how this season is gonna go, we might as well throw in the towel now. We CAN NOT let teams shoot 53% against us and expect to compete." Those were some angry, angry words from Gonzaga coach Shannon Elliott, after his team fell behind by 14 points in the first half. The Zags haven't played bad to this point, but their defense is horrendous, as they trail 45-31 at halftime. "This is unacceptable. I thrive on defense, and I expect to see a much better effort the second 20 minutes."

Ouch! That's all I can say. Either I'm a really bad coach, or this game made Gonzaga look really bad. No way should Gonzaga be losing 84-43 to Texas Tech. No way in heck. Something is definitely wrong with this picture. Teams don't shoot 55% in real basketball. I'm frustrated right now, very frustrated. I'm thinking this project just took a turn for the worse and that Gonzaga is on a serious downward spiral. I don't even know what else to say.

Other games in the Coaches Classic

(16) West Virginia upset (1) Florida 74-67
(9) Boston College beat (8) Ohio St. 70-66
(5) Notre Dame beat (12) Missouri 65-58
(13) New Mexico hammered (4) Kentucky 62-46
(2) Duke was all over (15) Vanderbilt 75-47
(6) Wake Forest took out (11) N.C. State 66-48
(3) Indiana all over (14) Washington 66-40

[collegesportsfanms]

More results from the Coaches Classic

Quarterfinals

(9) Boston College over (16) West Virginia 58-54
(5) Notre Dame over (13) New Mexico 61-55
(2) Duke beat (10) Texas Tech 78-62
(3) Indiana over (6) Wake Forest 72-56

Semifinals

(5) Notre Dame beat (9) Boston College 82-76
(2) Duke over (3) Indiana 61-46

Championship

(2) Duke rattles (5) Notre Dame 77-59

Well at least the team that I expected us to lose to went on to win the tournament. I really thought Gonzaga would handle Texas Tech then lose a tough one to Duke. Boy was I wrong!

[collegesportsfanms]

Nov. 23, 2010

Gonzaga (0-1) @ Texas A&M (0-2)

One of these teams would get their first win of the season, and coach Elliott was hoping that the poor play against Texas Tech was a fluke. While the Zags did play better, they still fell short, losing 74-60. Ben Barrett led the way with 15 points, but he did it on only 5-18 shooting.

Nov. 26, 2010

Gonzaga (0-2) @ UNLV (2-2)

The Zags really needed a win here, especially after Pepperdine upset UConn the other night. Unfortunately it was not meant to be, as the Runnin Rebels jumped to a 25 point lead and never looked back, winning 76-60. Even worse news that starting PF Ray Alston would not be back until December, as he sprained his back and would be out a week.

Nov. 27, 2010

Gonzaga (0-3) @ Tennessee (2-1)

"Who's the idiot that made us go on the road for back to back games," Shannon Elliott wondered. Alas, the early season schedule has not been kind to the Zags, but 1 thing was different tonight... Gonzaga. Fearing an 0-4 start, the seniors got the team together in a players only meeting behind closed doors. Whatever Tommy Marion and Ray Alston said must have got to them, as the Zags won 68-54 for Shannon Elliott's first win as a college head coach! Marion carried the team on his shoulders tonight, scoring 25 points on 11 of 16 shooting.

Nov. 30, 2010

SMU (3-2) @ Gonzaga (1-3)

With a renewed confidence after the big Tennessee win, the Zags hoped to avoid a letdown against SMU. Coach Elliott need not worry, as 4 players scored in double figures, and Gonzaga never trailed, winning 80-55! Some renewed confidence from the Zags as they win their last 2 games of November.

November Wrap-Up

Overall Record: 2-3
Home Record: 1-1
Away Record: 1-2
Rank: NR
RPI: 277

The Gonzaga Bulldogs still have a lot of work to do, but hopefully with a lighter schedule coming up they can go on a nice winning streak before the Texas game.

[collegesportsfanms]

Dec. 3, 2010

Northwestern St. (2-3) @ Gonzaga (2-3)

The Zags stay home and look to build more momentum on the young season, and they would, taking care of business with a 65-46 win. Ben Barrett led the way with 24 points, making 7 three pointers.

Dec. 4, 2010

Illinois-Chicago (0-4) @ Gonzaga (3-3)

Another week with back to back games, but head coach Shannon Elliott felt much more comfortable about it this time, with his team playing good basketball now. And Gonzaga would not dissapoint, with 3 players in double figures, winning 75-45. Tommy Marion had 15 points and 7 boards, but the win came at a price. Justin Mihm sprained his toe and will miss the next 2 weeks.

Dec. 7, 2010

Wichita St. (3-2) @ Gonzaga (4-3)

Elliott knew this would be a tough game, but felt that his team could get the job done if they just played to their strengths. And he was right as the Zags held the Shockers to just 29% shooting. Quentin Roberts filled in nicely for Mihm with 11 points and Gonzaga won 60-40. The winning streak was now 5.

Shannon Elliott knew that he had a problem on his hands. Tommy Marion and David Roberson have had several arguments in the last couple weeks, and it was time to make a change. Elliott called them both into his office and gave them a final warning: the next time he heard about them arguing with each other, they would both lose their starting spot. And if it happened again, they would be suspended. He knew he had to get a handle on things now.

[collegesportsfanms]

Dec. 10. 2010

Gonzaga (5-3) @ Penn St. (2-5)

The Zags hit the road after several games in a row at home, knowing that they couldn't overlook any team in a power conference, even a 2-5 Nittany Lion team. Elliott's fears were right, as this game could and would not be decided in 40 minutes. It took 45 minutes to decide this game, which the Zags pulled out, 79-73 in overtime. Despite his troubles off the court, Tommy Marion continued to be the senior leader he needed to be on the court, scoring 20 points and grabbing 8 boards.

Dec. 13, 2010

Washington St. (2-4) @ Gonzaga (6-3)

The Zags returned home for their rivalry game against the Cougars, and Shannon Elliott wanted this one, bad. Ben Barrett made sure he got it too, scoring a season high 26 points as Gonzaga won easily, 72-51.

Dec. 17, 2010

UC Irvine (3-6) @ Gonzaga (7-3)

Another game that the Zags wanted and needed, and they got it! Ray Alston scored 18 points and had 9 boards, and Quentin Roberts continued his quest for more playing time as he scored 20 points and the Zags won their 8th game in a row, 75-55.

Gonzaga ranked!

The news out of Spokane today was exciting, as both polls had the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the top 25! The coaches poll had them in at #25, and the media poll had them at #24. "It's about damn time!" said Shannon Elliott. "We've been working our asses off since the loss to UNLV, and it's about time somebody started noticing us. I really feel that this is going to be the start of a big season, and you might just be seeing Gonzaga go a long way in March." Don't get too caught up in the moment, Mr. Elliott. You have 2 tough games coming up next week: vs. Ohio St. and vs. Texas.

[collegesportsfanms]

When asked about the upcoming week, Shannon Elliott had this to say: "Look, they are both tough games, but I feel that we have so much momentum right now, it would be bad coaching on my part to not expect to win both of these games. Yes, we are playing 2 very tough teams, and yes, getting both might be a stretch, which is why I would be happy if we split. I want both, but if we only get 1, I would be satisfied going into the break with a 9 and 4 record.

Dec. 21, 2010

Ohio St. (6-3) @ #25 Gonzaga (8-3)

The Zags played their first game as a top 25 team tonight, and the crowd in Spokane was rocking! This was a great college basketball game, as the lead changed hands several times but when it was all said and done, the Buckeyes were on top. Gonzaga lost a tough one, 66-59.

Dec. 24, 2010

Texas (7-3) @ #25 Gonzaga (8-4)

"I would like nothing better than to beat Texas tonight and get an early christmas present," said Shannon Elliott. It took the Zags 15 lead changes and most of the game to get it done, but when they got going, they jumped to a 19 point lead and won easily, 77-61. Again, Ben Barrett carried the team, scoring 24 points. Tommy Marion had another nice game with 15 points and 5 boards.

So Elliott got his wish, he went 1-1 in the tough 2 game homestand. Now the Zags would take some time off for the holidays.. A week to be exact. "We'll give these guys a week to go home to their families, but they are expected to be back for a 9 AM practice on Jan. 1st. If they aren't, they don't play. A 9-4 start isn't bad, but now we have to get it done in the WCC."

December Wrap-Up

Overall Record: 9-4
Home Record: 7-2
Away Record: 2-2
Rank: NR
RPI: 95

[collegesportsfanms]

Jan. 4, 2011

Gonzaga (9-4) @ Loyola Marymount (8-5)

A tough road game to start the conference schedule, but Shannon Elliott figured his team had 3 good days of practice to get ready after the holidays. And he was right. The Zags never trailed the entire game, building up a 27 point lead. They actually got outscored by 7 in the second half, but it didn't matter, as Gonzaga won 72-56.

Jan. 7, 2011

Portland (5-9, 0-1) @ Gonzaga (10-4, 1-0)

The Pilots came in looking for an upset, and for the first 10 minutes, they actually led. Then Ben Barrett and Tommy Marion took over. Barrett had 24 points, and Marion had 12 rebounds, and the Zags ended up winning 69-54.


Shannon Elliott sat in disbelief on the morning of Jan. 8th. He had just found out that one of his key seniors, C Tommy Marion, would miss the rest of the regular season. Apparently, on Marions 12th and final rebound of the game against Portland, he came down wrong on his ankle, fracturing it in 2 places. The official verdict: Marion would be out for 55 days. "This is a huge blow, because Tommy was giving us great presence on the boards. We'll have to hope that Scott and Matt can fill in nicely. They will each get a chance to start, and we'll continue to start the one that performs better."

[collegesportsfanms]

Jan 11, 2011

Gonzaga (11-4, 2-0) @ St. Marys (7-8, 1-1)

This game worried Elliott. He knew that his team was not in the best state of mind after losing Tommy Marion for the rest of the season. He had to hope they would regain their focus in time and not let the season go to waste. And for the first half, the Zags played like a shellshocked team, being outscored 37-28 in the first half. Gonzaga came out like a brand new team in the second half, thanks to inspired play by Ray Alston, picking up the slack nicely. He finished with a double double, scoring 19 points and pulling down 13 boards as the Zags rallied to win, 69-62.

Jan. 14, 2011

San Francisco (7-9, 3-0) @ Gonzaga (12-4, 3-0)

An interesting game here featuring the only 2 teams that were still undefeated in conference play. The Dons always played the Zags tough, and tonight would be no different: for the first half at least. At halftime, San Francisco led 28-27. The second half was all Gonzaga, as they outscored the Dons 39-22 to blow open a close game and win easily, 66-50.Ben Barrett again led the way with 21 points.

Jan. 18, 2010

#25 Gonzaga (13-4, 4-0) @ Santa Clara (10-7, 1-3)

The Bulldogs (Zags) were back in the rankings at #25 this week, and going on the road to face a tough Santa Clara team that had almost as much success in the WCC as Gonzaga has. It wasn't a pretty game by any stretch of the imagination, as neither team lit up the nets. In a game that featured 9lead changes and a familiar story (for the third game in a row Gonzaga trailed at halftime), the ending was much the same: A Gonzaga win. Ray Alston had a 16 point, 9 rebound effort as the Zags won 58-49.

[collegesportsfanms]

Jan. 21, 2011

Pepperdine (12-6, 3-2) @ #25 Gonzaga (14-4, 5-0)

The Zags were playing the preseason #2 pick in the WCC. Gonzaga expected yet another battle, and they got it. Unfortunately, this was a battle that would see their 14 game win streak come to an end, as Pepperdine used a late run to win 72-64. After the game, it was report that little used Barron Christie had some less than negative things to say about a few of his teammates. "It's an in-house matter and will be dealt with accordingly," was all Elliott would say on the situation.

"He's done, at the end of the year, he's done. I'm pulling his scholarship and he can go elsewhere. The man has been ragging on his teammates all year, and I'm through with him. Those were the words that Shannon Elliott had to say after a phone call gone bad with Barron Christie, which resulted in voices being raised, a week suspension for Christie, and a phone getting slammed down in Elliott's ear. Not that it would matter much because Christie is down on the depth chart, so sitting him out for 2 games probably won't make a difference.

Jan. 25, 2011

Gonzaga (14-5, 5-1) @ San Diego (8-11, 3-3)

As expected, the Zags fell out of the top 25 after the loss to Pepperdine, and needed to get back to business after a trying few days. "We've got to stay together, as a team. I finally got Tommy and David on the same page, and now Barron has to go and alienate his teammates. We need to refocus and it has to start now." And while it wasn't a great effort, the Zags got 40 points from their starting backcourt, Ben Barrett and Justin Mihm, and held San Diego scoreless in the last 5 minutes to survive with a 67-60 win.

So here are the standings after the first half of the WCC season

Gonzaga (6-1, 15-5)
San Francisco (5-2, 9-11)
Pepperdine (5-2, 14-6)
San Diego (3-4, 8-12)
Loyola Marymount (3-4, 11-9)
Santa Clara (2-5, 11-9)
Portland (2-5, 7-13)
Saint Marys (2-5, 8-12)

[collegesportsfanms]

Jan. 28, 2011

Loyola Marymount (11-9, 3-4) @ Gonzaga (15-5, 6-1)

So the second half of WCC play is underway, and Shannon Elliott knew that every game mattered at this point. He wanted to get this half of the conference schedule off to a good start, and he would. The Zags led from start to finish, and Justin Mihm scored 18 points to lead Gonzaga to an important 76-57 win.

January Wrap-up

Overall Record: 16-5
Conference Record: 7-1
Home Record: 10-3
Away Record: 6-2
Rank: NA
RPI: 43

As of Feb. 1, Gonzaga seems to be a lock for the NCAA tournament. They are projected as #48 on the in list, but they want to run through February with a minimum of 1 or 2 losses, preferably none at all.

[collegesportsfanms]

Feb. 1, 2011

Gonzaga (16-5, 7-1) @ Portland (7-14, 2-6)

Shannon Elliott and the Zags look to get the month of February started right, and they would. Although it was much closer than anticipated, Gonzaga got double figure scoring from 4 players, led by Justin Mihm with 20, and they pulled out a 67-59 victory.

Feb. 4, 2011

St. Marys (9-13, 3-6) @ Gonzaga (17-5, 8-1)

The Zags had a meltdown tonight, losing 66-57 to St. Marys. But the real story was after the game. Again, Barron Christie was shooting off his mouth, this time ragging on Justin Mihm. "Barron Christie will never play another minute on the court at Gonzaga, ever!" said Elliott after he heard about the comments.

Feb. 8, 2011

Gonzaga (17-6, 8-2) @ San Francisco (11-12, 7-3)

This was a must win game for Gonzaga, as the Dons sit tied for second place right now, 1 game behind the Zags. This was a grind it out game, that Gonzaga trailed late. Justin Mihm would not let his team lose however, as he scored the last 6 points of the game, finishing with 23 total, and Gonzaga won a hard fought game, 67-63.

Feb. 11, 2011

Santa Clara (14-10, 5-6) @ Gonzaga (18-6, 9-2)

The Zags just needed to take care of business at home, that was the them tonight. Santa Clara is a tough team, and they knew that. They also knew that winning today would clinch no worse than a tie for the conference title. And they got it done. 3 players scored in double figures, and David Roberson had his best game of the season, scoring 12 points. The Zags won 62-49!

The Zags continued to improve their seeding in the NCAA tournament, now ranked 23rd by the coaches and 21st by the media. Gonzaga also listed at #25 in the who's in list of the bubble watch.

[collegesportsfanms]

Feb. 15, 2011

#23 Gonzaga (19-6, 10-2) @ Pepperdine (17-8, 8-4)

This was the game Shannon Elliott had been waiting for. A chance to clinch the WCC title outright as they travelled to Pepperdine. Not to mention, Elliott wanted revenge since the Waves beat the Zags in Spokane. And the celebration would begin! The Zags never led by 4, the game had 14 lead changes, but in the end, that 4 point lead would be the difference. Ben Barrett and Ray Alston each had 14 points and the Zags won a tough one 56-52 to clinch the WCC title!

Feb. 18, 2011

San Diego (9-17, 4-9) @ #23 Gonzaga (20-6, 11-2)

Somebody made the mistake of telling Shannon Elliott that this was a meaningless game, and almost got a microphone shoved down his throat. "There is no such thing as a meaningless game. EVERY game means something. So what, we won a conference title in the regular season. We still have 2 games: our final conference regular season game, and a very tough bracket buster game. The media around here thinks it's a big deal that we won yet another conference championship, well guess what. That's not good enough. I want a national championship, dangit!"

Wow.. on to the game. The pregame tirade was the most exciting thing of the day, as the Zags ho-humed their way to a 58-52 victory before going on the road tomorrow for the Bracket Buster game.

[collegesportsfanms]

Feb. 19, 2011

Bracket Buster Sunday
#20 Gonzaga (21-6) @ #24 UNC Greensboro (22-4)

This would be a game that could really give the Zags some momentum going into the conference tournament if they can win. It'll be tough though, they'll also be playing without Ray Alston, who sprained his wrist and will miss todays game.

At the last moment, Alston decided to play. It was a good decision as he scored 9 points and pulled down 6 boards. The Zags held Greensboro to just 15 first half points and won 56-49.

The seedings and matchups have been announced for the WCC tournament.

On the top half of the bracket:

(8) San Diego will take on (5) Portland. The winner of that game takes on (4) Santa Clara. Whoever wins that takes on (1) Gonzaga in the first semifinal.

The bottom half of the bracket:

(7) St. Marys takes on (6) Loyola Marymount. The winner takes on (3) San Francisco, and the winner of that takes on (2) Pepperdine in the second semifinal.

The WCC tournament would get underway on March 3rd.

It was a round of upsets as (8) San Diego beat (5) Portland 62-53. On the other side of the bracket, (7) St. Marys played probably their best game of the season in beating (6) Loyola Marymount 81-65.

March 4th would see the second round games:

(8) San Diego kept on the upsetting ways, beating (4) Santa Clara 81-66.
(3) San Francisco won a tough battle, beating (7) St. Marys 78-73.

So the semifinals were set:

(8) San Diego vs. (1) Gonzaga and (3) San Francisco vs. (2) Pepperdine

[collegesportsfanms]

*Shannon Elliott stood in the locker room before the WCC semifinal game in shock.* Ben Barrett had just announced that he would declare for the NBA draft after this season. Now he had to figure out how to rally the troops to play a game. "Damn that Ben, he's not ready. He needs at least another year here."

March 5, 2011

WCC Semifinals
(8) San Diego (11-18) vs. (1) #16 Gonzaga (22-6)

"Look guys, I know losing Ben for next season is tough, but we still have to focus on this season. Let's go out there and take care of business." Those were the words of Shannon Elliott before the game started, as the news about Ben Barrett had now been made public. And focus they did! The Zags scored the first 14 points of the game and never looked back. Holding San Diego to just 11 second half points, Gonzaga rolled to a 62-33 victory. On the other side of the bracket, San Francisco, in what can be considered a mild upset, beat Pepperdine 67-60. "I'm a little dissapointed, I was looking for a rubber match with Pepperdine, but hey, San Francisco is tough too. It'll be a great game."

March 6, 2011

WCC Championship
(3) San Francisco (16-14) vs. (1) #16 Gonzaga (23-6)

The Zags looked sharp during warm-ups, knowing that anything less than a win would damage a solid season. "I want this. This is my only season as a Gonzaga Bulldog, and I want a championship," said Ben Barrett. It wasn't the prettiest game, but it was consistent, as the Zags outscored the Dons 27-22 in both halfs. Tommy Marion came off the bench to score 15 points, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrated yet another WCC championship with a 54-44 victory. Now the question is, would this be good enough for a top 4 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Selection Sunday

The Zags didn't have to wait long to hear their name called, as they were selected in the first region, the Philadelphia region. They were given the #6 seed and would take on the #11 seed Arkansas in the first round. "Not a bad seeding, not the greatest, but not bad. We'll take it," said Shannon Elliott.

The only other WCC team to make postseason play would be Pepperdine, who took the #2 seed in the South Regional of the NIT. They would take on 7th seeded Louisiana-Monroe in their first game.

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On March 14th, Pepperdine had no trouble handling Louisiana-Monroe in the NIT tournament, 78-59.

March 16, 2011

East Region First Round
(11) Arkansas (15-13) vs. (6) #16 Gonzaga (24-6)

Shannon Elliott knew that a lot was on the line tonight. The next loss and Gonzaga's season would be over. He felt that Arkansas was a team that backed into the NCAA tournament, and he was right. The Zags led from the opening tip, led by 23 at one point, and romped to a 65-46. "You can't have more balanced scoring than we did tonight," said Elliott. Out of the 9 players that scored for Gonzaga, 3 of them had 6 points. 3 had 9 points, 1 had 3 points, 1 had 7 points, and Scott Jamison led all scorers with 10. Gonzaga knew they couldn't celebrate though. Up next.. a tough game against #3 seed UCLA.

Also in a bit of good news, Pepperdine continue their run through the NIT tournament by beating Creighton 53-50. They advanced to the South Region championship to take on a surprising Columbia team.


March 18, 2011

East Region Second Round

(6) #16 Gonzaga (25-6) vs. (3) #5 UCLA (27-6)

This is the game Shannon Elliott was dreading. A win here would meet a season goal because it would advance the Zags to the sweet sixteen. But he knew that UCLA was tough, very tough. And while the effort was decent, it wasn't good enough. The Bruins won 72-58 in a game that Gonzaga never led. So the season was over, but it was another successful one. The problem was, Shannon Elliott wasn't happy, he knows it could and should have been better.

[collegesportsfanms]

End of Season recap

Pepperdine's season ended early as well, as they were beaten solidly by Columbia, 64-51.

The NIT final four consisted of Columbia vs. UConn and Memphis vs. Central Michigan. Memphis beat Central Michigan 65-61, and Columbia kept up the good basketball by beating UConn 74-67 in OT. The 2011 NIT championship was won by Memphis, in a great game, Memphis got a late three pointer and a half court prayer by Columbia just missed as Memphis survived 62-61.

Only 1 #1 seed advanced to the 2011 NCAA Final Four, and that was also the #1 team in the country, Louisville. They handled 5th seeded Arizona 69-54. The other semifinal was a Big Ten semifinal, as 2 #3 seeds, Michigan and Ohio St. squared off. The Wolverines won convincingly 76-53. This set up an intriguing national championship between Louisville and Michigan. Unfortunately it was intriguing on paper only, as the Cardinals hammered the Wolverines to stake claim as the best team in the nation, 69-42.

Season Awards

In a surprise to nobody, Gonzaga received no mention of national awards. This was something else that Shannon Elliott wanted to change. "We need to have guys competing for things like the Norton Player award, First and Second Team All-American, and I need to start competing for National Coach of the Year. As far as the WCC goes, Shannon Elliott got WCC coach of the year, Scott Jamison got WCC defensive player of the year, and Ben Barrett made second team WCC. "Ben Barrett is going pro, and he can only make second team in his conference? I could understand if he was a second team all-american, but he's not even the best player in his conference!" Obviously Elliott is quite ticked that Barrett will be departing.

Season Review

Well, Elliott and the Zags succeeded in only 2 of the 5 goals. To win 15 games and to win the WCC tournament. Gonzaga's prestige dropped, they fell short of the sweet sixteen by 1 game, and despite what Elliott thought, the 3 players he recruited, none of them were 4 stars. Ouch! Elliott's job security was still 4.5 out of 5 though, so no need to panic yet. Only 1 school was interested in Elliott.. Mississippi Valley St. Elliott laughed when he heard the news. "No way would I leave Gonzaga. I said I would not leave until I was forced to leave, and I stand by that decision." Elliott would also make a decision to leave the coaching staff the way it was. He asked the board for more time to meet the goals, which was denied

[collegesportsfanms]

2011-2012 recruiting, part 1

With $125,000 to play with again, and Elliott knowing he had over $70,000 remaining last season, he shelled out $40,000 right off the bat to get the gold star edition of the Western Scouting Report, and then the normal basic edition of the National Scouting Report.

In transfer news, Shannon Elliott was able to convince C Matt Hawkins to transfer over to Gonzaga. Obviously he will have to sit out a year, but Hawkins was picked at #3 in the top ten transfer list. Once again Elliott will head out to Las Vegas for the Vegas Revue.

When Shannon Elliott got the news, he almost dropped the phone. For all the hating he did on Barrett's decision to go pro, Barrett was chosen as the #5 pick, yes you heard it right, the #5 pick in the first round of the draft. wow.

[collegesportsfanms]

2011-2012 recruiting, part 2

Shannon Elliott had an easy job this year. He had 1 scholarship to give out, and his goal was simple. He needed a shooting guard for next year, and he wanted either a 4 or 5 star SG.

And while Elliott didn't get his #1 choice, he did get what is supposed to be a 4 star player. SG Denny King, a JC SO out of Winston, OR, gave Elliott a verbal today. He is a 4 star player, rated 245th nationally. A decent signing, but Elliott knew it could have been even better.

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Let's take a quick look at the depth chart for Shannon Elliott's Gonzaga Bulldogs for the 2011-2012 season.

Starters

PG- Justin Mihm
SG- James Whaley
SF- Sheridan Vinson
PF- Brooks White
C- Scott Jamison

Key Bench Players

PF- David Roberson
SG- Cortez Rowe
SG- Barron Christie
C- Darcel Martin
SF- Andrew Brinker
PG- Shawn Smith
SF- Jason Guthridge
C- Michael Branch

Coach Elliott decided to bring Barron Christie back after several offseason talks with the young man. "He can play a valuable role on this team if he keeps his mouth shut and does his talking on the court. We'll see what happens."

[collegesportsfanms]

2011-2012 Gonzaga Bulldogs schedule

Nov. 14, 2011- vs. Alabama (Preseason NIT)
Nov. 22, 2011- Wisconsin
Nov. 25, 2011- Rice
Nov. 27, 2011- @ Georgia
Nov. 29, 2011- Southern Miss
Dec. 2, 2011- @ Bradley
Dec. 6, 2011- UNC Greensboro[/B
]Dec. 9, 2011- [B]DePaul
Dec. 13, 2011- @ Washington State
Dec. 16, 2011- New Mexico St.
Dec. 20, 2011- @ Missouri State
Dec. 23, 2011- Nebraska
Dec. 27, 2011- Duquesne
Jan. 3, 2012- Santa Clara*
Jan. 6, 2012- @ San Francisco*
Jan. 10, 2012- Pepperdine*
Jan. 13, 2012- @ San Diego*
Jan. 17, 2012- @ St. Marys*
Jan. 20, 2012- Loyola Marymount*
Jan. 24, 2012- @ Portland*
Jan. 27, 2012- @ Santa Clara*
Jan. 31, 2012- San Francisco*
Feb. 3, 2012- @ Pepperdine*
Feb. 7, 2012- San Diego*
Feb. 10, 2012- St. Marys*
Feb. 14, 2012- @ Loyola Marymount*
Feb. 17, 2012- Portland*

In other news, Gonzaga, as was the case last year, starts the season unranked, but is picked to finish first in the WCC. Let's take a look at the Preseason NIT field.

(1) UCLA
(2) Kansas
(3) UConn
(4) Georgia Tech
(5) Georgetown
(6) Ohio St.
(7) Gonzaga
(8) Boston College
(9) Memphis
(10) Alabama
(11) Illinois
(12) Temple
(13) N.C. State
(14) Mississippi St.
(15) New Mexico
(16) Vanderbilt

[collegesportsfanms]

Nov. 14, 2011
Preseason NIT First Round
(10) Alabama vs. (7) Gonzaga

Shannon Elliott and the Zags wanted to get this season off to a better start than they did last year. That 84-43 beatdown that Texas Tech put on them to open the season last year still leaves a bad taste in Elliott's mouth. And they got their wish. Gonzaga started out slow, giving up the first 7 points, but woke up quickly. They led 37-28 at halftime, built the lead to 18 in the second half, and had 4 players score in double figures as Gonzaga wins 77-62! Here are other results from the first round:

(1) UCLA- 54, (16) Vanderbilt- 34
(9) Memphis- 56, (8) Boston College- 44
(5) Georgetown- 74, (12) Temple- 56
(13) N.C. State- 72, (4) Georgia Tech- 60
(2) Kansas- 61, (15) New Mexico- 46
(6) Ohio St.- 69, (11) Illinois- 55
(14) Mississippi St.- 69, (3) UConn- 63


Nov. 16, 2011
Preseason NIT Second Round
(7) Gonzaga (1-0) vs. (2) #4 Kansas (1-0)

And the games get tougher for the Bulldogs. Elliott knew he would have his work cut out for this one. The Zags actually put up a decent effort, and had the fans excited when they built a 7 point lead early on. Kansas got control soon after, and rolled to a 71-56 victory. Let's take a look at the final results of the Preseason NIT

In other second round games:

(9) Memphis- 65, (1) UCLA- 55
(5) Georgetown- 61, (13) N.C. State- 48
(14) Mississippi St.- 71, (6) Ohio St.- 63

In semifinal action:

(9) Memphis- 74, (5) Georgetown- 73
(2) Kansas- 71, (14) Mississippi St.- 55

And in the championship:

(2) Kansas- 60, (9) Memphis- 44

So at least Gonzaga can say they lost to the eventual Preseason NIT champions. And they won their first round game this year, which is an improvement. Now as long as they can keep winning and don't get into a losing streak like they did last year.

[collegesportsfanms]

Nov. 22, 2011

Wisconsin (0-2) @ Gonzaga (1-1)

The Zags were looking to get off to a good start in the rest of their non-conference schedule, and beating a tough team like Wisconsin would do the trick. And they did. Cortez Rowe led 4 Gonzaga players in double figures with 21 point on 8-10 shooting, and Gonzaga got the victory, 82-69!

Nov. 25, 2011

Rice (0-5) @ Gonzaga (2-1)

Elliott wouldn't overlook the Rice Owls, even though they were winless on the season. He knew that by doing that, it would give Rice confidence that they shouldn't have. And as expected, Gonzaga took care of business, winning 78-50. Justin Mihm had a season high 27 points tonight, and Gonzaga led the entire game.

Nov. 27, 2011

Gonzaga (3-1) @ Georgia (1-2)

Road games are always tougher than home games. Elliott knew this, and gave his team an extra pep talk. As it turned out, his team didn't need a pep talk, they just needed to play. Justin Mihm had another great game with 23 points and 6 assists, and Gonzaga won the battle of the Bulldogs 83-72.

Nov. 29, 2011

Southern Miss (1-4) @ Gonzaga (4-1)

Another game that should be fairly easy for the Zags. Hoping they can wrap up the month of November with a good solid performance. After a slow first half that saw Gonzaga up by only 2 at halftime, they poured it on in the second half, outscoring Southern Miss 34-21 to win 72-57. Cortez Rowe was leading scorer with 17 points, and Brooks White contributed 6 points and 10 rebounds.

November Wrap-up

Overall Record: 5-1
Neutral Record: 1-1
Home Record: 3-0
Away Record: 1-0
RPI: 51

[collegesportsfanms]

Dec. 2, 2011

Gonzaga (5-1) @ Bradley (4-2)

So the Zags go on the road for what could be a tough game against the Braves of the Missouri Valley conference. And boy was it ever a tough game. Bradley held a 17 point lead at one time, and Gonzaga led by no more than 2. If it wasn't for Scott Jamison, Gonzaga probably would have lost this game. Jamison had a double double with 16 points and 13 boards, and Gonzaga won by the slimmest of margins, 63-62.

"Wow, where'd that come from," said Shannon Elliott, as he sat in his office looking at the latest edition of the Top 25. Last week, Gonzaga wasn't even receiving votes. This week, they were ranked 16th in the media poll and 12th in the coaches poll. "Obviously somebody thinks we are doing something right."

Dec. 6, 2011

UNC-Greensboro (4-3) @ #16 Gonzaga (6-1)

So this would be the rematch from the bracket buster game from last year, in which Gonzaga won. That was a close game. This one wasn't. This is a much improved Gonzaga team. 4 players scored in double figured for the Zags, led by Justin Mihm, who had 14 points and 6 assists, and Gonzaga won 63-45.

Dec. 9, 2011

DePaul (6-3) @ #16 Gonzaga (7-1)

This has the potential to be a tougher game for the Bulldogs of Spokane, as DePaul has a decent 6-3 record. But head coach Shannon Elliott wasn't worried. "They haven't beaten anybody good yet. The best team they've faced so far is Tulsa and they lost to them." As always, Elliott has a confident, borderline cocky attitude. Unlike last year, this years team backs it up. Gonzaga led from start to finish, building a 26 point lead. The Zags had all 5 starters in double digits, led by Scott Jamison with 27 points, and Gonzaga won easily, 88-68.

The media caught up to the coaches as far as the polls go, as both polls have Gonzaga listed at #12 in the rankings this week. "We can't put much stock into rankings though, I mean what do they really mean. The only ranking I care about is being #1 at the end of the year." Boy, Elliott really has this team thinking big.

[collegesportsfanms]

Dec. 13, 2011

#12 Gonzaga (8-1) @ Washington St. (1-5)

So the Zags go on the road for the big rivalry game against Washington St. looking for a big win. The Cougars don't look like a team that will offer much resistance, but that's why you play the game. Despite a 14 point, 15 rebound effort from Scott Jamison, Gonzaga fell short tonight, losing 75-73. "It's hard to go on the road and win a rivalry game, very hard. Washington St. had been on the road the whole season, and they were pumped to finally have a home game. We just caught them at the wrong time. We'll battle back, this is a resourceful bunch of kids." Those were the comments from Shannon Elliott after the game, but he was obviously dissapointed.

Dec. 16, 2011

New Mexico St. (5-4) @ #12 Gonzaga (8-2)

So the Zags went back home to face the Reggie Theus coached New Mexico St. team, which scared Elliott. "Look, this is a man that made a career in the NBA, and now he's coaching. New Mexico St. has been to postseason play the last 3 years under Theus. Does this game scare me? Hell yes it does." And he had right to be scared, for the first minute. New Mexico St. scored the first basket to go up 2-0, then went up 5-3, and never led again. Gonzaga forced 21 turnovers, Justin Mihm scored 15 points, and the Zags recovered nicely from their loss to Washington St. by beating the Aggies 77-59.

As expected, Gonzaga dropped in the polls, but not much. They dropped to 14th in both polls. Also, Shannon Elliott got a call earlier to let him know that Scott Jamison, with his 9.1 rebounds a game, was 15th in the nation in that category. "Scott is having an outstanding season. Unfortunately, he is a senior, and we are sure gonna miss him next year."

Dec. 20, 2011

#14 Gonzaga (9-2) @ Missouri St. (5-3)

Last time the Zags went on the road, they lost. This would be their second road game against a Missouri Valley Conference team, and as always, Elliott was confident but nervous. "Hey, Missouri St. has gotten the shaft the last few years. I felt for the last couple years they were an NCAA tournament team that got shunned. They beat Purdue earlier in the year, and Purdue is always a strong team." This time, it was Cortez Rowe that stepped up when the Zags were down. Rowe scored 22 points and had 8 boards, as Gonzaga held on for an 80-75 win, earning their 10th victory of the non-conference season.

[collegesportsfanms]

Dec. 23, 2011

Nebraska (6-4) @ #14 Gonzaga (10-2)

The Zags returned home for their final 2 non-conference games of the season, not including the bracket buster game. And it was another hard fought game in which they just escaped. 5 players scored in double digits for the Zags, which were led again by Cortez Rowe with 17. James Whaley chipped in 14 off the bench, and Gonzaga survived 69-66.

Dec. 27, 2011

Duquesne (7-3) @ #12 Gonzaga (11-2)

What a way to end the non-conference season for the Zags, in what might be their toughest opponent the rest of the season. "They beat Oklahoma by 20, so they can play a little bit. It's not gonna be easy, but then again, very few of our games have been easy so far." Those were the comments of senior C Scott Jamison. However, the Zags did not struggle at all tonight, leading by 24 at one point, and actually leading the entire game. Again 5 players scored in double figures. James Whaley led the way with 15 points, Justin Mihm had 12 points and 8 assists, Cortez Rowe had 10 points and 8 rebounds, Brooks White had 11 points, and Scott Jamison had another double double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Oh yeah, and the final score was 81-65 Gonzaga.

As we enter 2012, here are the current standings through the non-conference portion of the schedule:

Gonzaga 12-2
Pepperdine 10-3
Santa Clara 8-5
Loyola Marymount 7-6
San Diego 6-7
San Francisco 6-7
Portland 4-9
Saint Marys 5-8

December Wrap-up

Overall Record: 12-2
Neutral Record: 1-1
Home Record: 8-0
Away Record: 3-1
Rank: 12
RPI: 9

[collegesportsfanms]

Jan. 3, 2012

Santa Clara (8-5) @ #12 Gonzaga (12-2)

So tonight begins the conference season, and Elliott is really liking his teams chances to sweep through it. They start with an always tough Santa Clara team. This game was close for a while, but the Zags poured it on in the second half, let by Scott Jamison, who had 21 points and 9 boards. James Whaley contributed 13 points and Justin Mihm 14 points, as Gonzaga opens WCC play with a 72-53 victory.

Jan. 6, 2012

#12 Gonzaga (13-2, 1-0) @ San Francisco (6-8, 0-1)

Gonzaga looked to stay hot, taking on a Dons team that gave them fits last year. But this Gonzaga team is much improved. However, they had to fight their way back in this one. Down by 8 at halftime, Gonzaga used a strong inside presence to get back in the game. Brooks White got his first POTG honors with a 12 point, 7 rebound effort, and Darcel Martin added 10 points and 5 boards as the Zags won 69-62.

Gonzaga moved up to 10th in the media poll and 9th in the coaches poll this week, but again Elliott was unimpressed. "As I've said many times, the only ranking that matters to me is being #1 at the end of the season. Our work is not complete until that goal is met."

[collegesportsfanms]

Jan. 10, 2012

Pepperdine (12-3, 2-0) @ #10 Gonzaga (14-2, 2-0)

This was set to be a battle, and everybody involved knew it. In a game that could very well decide the WCC regular season winner when it all came down to it, Elliott gave his team 2 extra practice during the weekend to get ready for it. "We are ready. The guys want this one bad." And he wasn't lying. The Zags led by 10 at halftime, extended the lead to 28 in the second half, and won easily, 85-59. Scott Jamison could not be stopped inside, as he scored 29 points on 14 of 17 shooting. Justin Mihm was a big reason why, as he dished out 12 assists, 9 of those to Jamison.

Jan. 13, 2012

#10 Gonzaga (15-2, 3-0) @ San Diego (6-10, 0-3)

Coming off a big 26 point victory over what was considered to be Gonzaga's toughest foe in the WCC, The Zags had to avoid the big letdown against a San Diego team that had lost their 3 conference games by an average of 12 points so far. Scott Jamison decided to take matters into his own hands before the game even started with a spirited pregame speech. "Look guys, we haven't played our best on the road yet. We just beat Pepperdine by 26. There's no way in hell we should lose this game. Let's go out and prove to everybody that we can play away from home." Unfortunately, Jamison couldn't be of much help this game, as he only scored 4 points and the Zags found themselves down by 8 at the half. But Cortez Rowe put on the superman cape, scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half, and help Gonzaga come all the way back to pull out a 60-54 victory.

The Zags moved to 9th in both polls, and Cortez Rowe, with his superman effort in yesterdays game, earned himself the WCC Player of the Week Award. Congrats to him.

Jan. 17, 2012

#9 Gonzaga (16-2, 4-0) @ St. Marys (6-11, 1-3)

The start of the week saw the Zags stay on the road to face St. Marys. A team that has struggled thus far, but is just a play or 2 away from pulling an upset. Again, not the greatest road effort for the Zags, who were taken to overtime in this game. Scott Jamison came up big with an offensive rebound and putback with 29 seconds left to go in the extra period. That put Gonzaga up by 4, and they would end up winning 75-71 in OT.

[collegesportsfanms]

Jan. 20, 2012

Loyola Marymount (10-8, 3-2) @ #9 Gonzaga (17-2, 5-0)

So the Zags were back at home where they've played their best basketball, taking on a team that has lost 2 in a row after winning their first 3 WCC games. "All I can say is if we played as good on the road as we do at home, we might be undefeated right now." Those were Shannon Elliott's comments after he watch his Gonzaga Bulldogs dismantle Loyola Marymount 96-60. The Zags led the entire game, and at one point led by 40! Yes I said 40. It was so bad that Elliott cleared the bench the last 4 minutes of the game, and everybody got at least 4 minutes of action. Darcel Martin had a double double with 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead the way.

Even with the big win at home, Gonzaga actually moved down a spot in the rankings, to #10. "That's what I'm talking about, a lack of respect. Until we can start beating teams like Kansas, UCLA, Washington St., on a consist basis, we'll always be underranked and underseeded. That's why I want this team to finally get to a final four." Those were Elliott's comments after he heard the news.

Jan. 24, 2012

#10 Gonzaga (18-2, 6-0) @ Portland (6-13, 2-4)

A big chance for Gonzaga to get some respect on the road, as they really need a good showing here, with 2 road games this week. First up, Portland. Once again, it wasn't the prettiest win, but it was a win nonetheless. 4 players scored in double figured, led by Brooks White with 18, and Gonzaga finished the first half of the conference season undefeated with an 83-74 victory.

Jan. 27, 2012

#10 Gonzaga (19-2, 7-0) @ Santa Clara (11-9, 3-4)

Elliott had a bad feeling about this game. He knew his team had cut it close on the road too many times, and with the second half of the WCC schedule underway, Elliott just had a feeling this game could be disaster. And he was right. The winning streak came to an end tonight, as the Zags never really got focused, and lost 76-66. "We are still in control, and still in a lot better spot this year than we were last year. All we have to do is win out and we should easily be a top 3 seed."

Jan. 31, 2012

San Francisco (10-11, 4-4) @ #10 Gonzaga (19-3, 7-1)

The Zags needed to get back in business after the loss to Santa Clara, with Pepperdine now also ranked at #24. Elliott knew the WCC could get some more respect now, and knew his team really needed to take care of business. They did indeed, as Scott Jamison had a 25 point, 6 rebound effort to lead the Zags to a 76-63 victory.

The latest bubble watch has 2 WCC teams in the top 25 of the who's in part. Gonzaga is in at #17, and Pepperdine is in at #23. Unfortunately, like last year they are probably the only 2 WCC teams that will see postseason play. The Bracket Buster schedule has been announced, and Gonzaga will end the season at home against Delaware.

January Wrap-Up

Overall Record: 20-3
Neutral Record: 1-1
Home Record: 12-0
Away Record: 7-2
Rank: 10
RPI: 15

[collegesportsfanms]

Feb. 3, 2012

#10 Gonzaga (20-3, 8-1) @ #24 Pepperdine (17-5, 7-2)

So the game of the year in WCC play, with 2 ranked teams going at it. ESPNU picked this one up. "Wow, our first ESPN game since I've been here. It's about time we started getting some damn respect." Shannon Elliott had that to say when he heard the news, now he just had to make sure his team was ready. One thing is for sure, Scott Jamison was ready. He had another double double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. This was a hard fought game all the way, but the Zags picked it up late in the second half and won 60-53, taking a 2 game lead in the WCC. "It's a bittersweet win. It's great for us, but I feel for Pepperdine, who will probably be out of the polls next week. The more teams getting votes out of our conference, the better. It's the only way our conference prestige will go up," said Elliott after the game.

Good news/bad news for the WCC tonight as the new polls came out. The good news, the loss to Gonzaga was not enough for Pepperdine to be thrown out of the top 25. They remained at #25. The bad news, the solid win did not move Gonzaga up, it kept them at #10. More good news as Scott Jamison won WCC player of the week for the week ending 2/4.

Feb. 7, 2012

San Diego (9-14, 3-7) @ #10 Gonzaga (21-3, 9-1)

The Zags knew how important these last 4 conference games were, as every win from here on out better their NCAA tournament seeding. They didn't want to slip up against San Diego, and they wouldn't. Gonzaga built a 21 point lead early in the second half and hung on for an 82-72 victory. Cortez Rowe and Justin Mihm led the way with 15 and 14, respectively.

Feb. 10, 2012

St. Marys (8-16, 3-8) @ #10 Gonzaga (22-3, 10-1)

Gonzaga forced 21 turnovers, held St. Marys to just 35% shooting, and won 75-49 to extend their undefeated home winning streak. Scott Jamison led the way with 21 points and 7 boards. James Whaley was also in double figures with 13. The win meant that with 2 conference games remaining, the next Gonzaga win or the next Pepperdine loss would give the Zags their millionth WCC regular season title in a row. Well, not millionth, but a lot anyways.

In other conference news, Gonzaga moved up to 8th in the media poll and 6th in the coaches poll. Pepperdine stayed at 25th in both polls. As far as the bubble watch goes, we know that both teams are projected to be in. Gonzaga has moved up to #16 on the who's in list, good for a #4 seed, and Pepperdine could garner a #7 seed if things hold the way they are. They are #25 on the who's in list.

[collegesportsfanms]

Feb. 14, 2012

#8 Gonzaga (23-3, 11-1) @ Loyola Marymount (12-13, 5-7)

Scott Jamison went off again tonight, scoring 22 points and grabbing 15 boards, as the Zags clinched the WCC regular season title yet again, winning 83-66. "I'm not getting excited until we reach the Final Four, then I'll get excited," said Elliott, who has said that was his goal all along.

Feb. 17, 2012

Portland (9-17, 5-8) @ #8 Gonzaga (24-3, 12-1)

A struggling Portland team comes to town tonight, but Elliott knows his team can't overlook anybody, making it clear that his team had better be ready to play tonight. 5 players scored in double figures tonight, the Zags led by 19 at halftime and ended up winning 90-71 to wrap up the conference season with a 13-1 record.

Good news for the WCC heading into Bracket Buster Sunday. The Zags moved up to 6th in the media poll and 4th in the coaches poll. Pepperdine moved up to 22nd in the media poll and 20th in the coaches poll. As far as the bubble watch, Gonzaga moved up to 14th in the who's in list and Pepperdine up to 22nd in the who's in list.

Feb. 19, 2012

Delaware (16-9) @ #6 Gonzaga (25-3)

So this would be the end of the regular season for the Zags, and winning this game would give them a perfect home record for the season. Doing so would be no problem. Gonzaga scored 53 points in the first half and led by as many as 32. James Whaley was the leading scorer this game with 21 points, and Gonzaga won easily, 79-62.

The WCC bracket is set, and let's take a look. The top half of the bracket sees (8) St. Marys vs. (5) Loyola Marymount. The winner of that game takes on (4) San Francisco in the second round, and the winner of that gets (1) Gonzaga in the semis. The bottom half of the bracket sees (7) Portland vs. (6) San Diego. The winner of that game takes on (3) Santa Clara, and whoever wins that game will take on (2) Pepperdine. Everybody is expecting another Gonzaga-Pepperdine final.

In first round action in the WCC, (5) Loyola Marymount got by (8) St. Marys 69-62, while (7) Portland smashed (6) San Diego 94-77. Second round action saw (7) Portland stun (3) Santa Clara 71-70, probably ending Santa Clara's chances of postseason play. And (5) Loyola Marymount hammered (4) San Francisco 72-51.

[collegesportsfanms]

March 5, 2012
WCC Semifinals

(5) Loyola Marymount (14-16) vs. (1) #4 Gonzaga

Shannon Elliott knew his team needed to win this game to improve their seeding even more for the NCAA tournament. His team knew it too, and responded by building a 33 point lead, holding Loyola to 17 first half points, and winning easily, 75-52. Justin Mihm was the leading scorer with 19 points, and Scott Jamison had another double double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and even led the team in assists with 5. So Elliott decided to sit around and wait for the second semifinal. While everybody was expecting Pepperdine to roll through, that was not the case at all. Portland continue the cinderella bid by beating up on the Waves 71-58.

March 6, 20120
WCC Championship

(7) Portland (12-18) vs. (1) #4 Gonzaga (27-3)

Elliott was in a joyful mood after the game, as he found out that none of his underclassmen were declaring for the draft this year. "Such good news. Sure wish Ben Barrett would have stuck around to enjoy the ride." What Elliott wasn't excited about was having to play a very hot Portland team in the championship. "I wanted a rematch with Pepperdine. But hey, I guess we could roll over and let Portland win, that way it would be 1 more WCC team into postseason play. I mean after all, our bid is clinched, and so is Pepperdines. Santa Clara might be in the NIT." Of course this was a joke, no way was Elliott going to let his team roll over. He knew that if his team didn't win this game, they could fall from a potential #1 or #2 seed down all the way to a 4 or 5, even with the record.

As expected, Portland challenged Gonzaga every step of the way. There were 16 lead changes and 8 ties in this game. Nobody had a lead bigger than 9. It was tied at 38 at the half. But Cortez Rowe stepped up when it mattered, hitting a big three pointer to give the Zags a 5 point lead with a minute to go, and also hit his free throws down the stretch. Rowe ended up with 15 points and Gonzaga cut down the nets, winning the WCC tournament title 81-72!

So it was time. Shannon Elliott invited the team to his house, where his lovely wife April cooked a delicious 7 course meal, making sure the young men had their tummies full for the selection show. Elliott knew his team would probably get screwed out of a #1 seed, but was hoping for a #2. After the show however, was complete dissapointment. "This is absolute bull****," were the first words out of Elliott's mouth after he saw the brackets. "First off, there is no way we can be a #4 seed. And what's worse, we have to travel all the way to Washington D.C?" Could we be getting screwed any harder? The scene was ugly at the Elliott house, but what they had to do was get prepared for a first round game against SMU. In the Lexington regional, Pepperdine scored the #6 seed and would be taking on a dangerous #11 seed Eastern Illinois in the first round. Unfortunately, the second round loss in the WCC tournament may have cost Santa Clara the postseason, as they were not selected to play in the NIT.

[collegesportsfanms]

March 16, 2012
NCAA East Region First Round

(13) SMU (21-10) vs. (4) #4 Gonzaga (28-3)

It's unbelievable that in an NCAA tournament game, a team could be the 4th ranked team in the nation, but only get a #4 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Zags felt snubbed, and they wanted to go out and show it tonight. Facing an SMU team in which they were better than at every position on paper, Elliott wanted to win this game convincingly. While it wasn't the totally convincing win Elliott wanted, the Zags did lead from start to finish, by as big as 17. Justin Mihm scored 15 points and had 7 assists as Gonzaga won 79-66. Their second round opponent would be 12th seeded UMass, who upset 5th seed Arkansas 70-66. In bad news for the conference, Pepperdine lost 69-66 to Eastern Illinois, leaving Gonzaga as the only WCC team still playing basketball in March. This surely will not help the conference prestige.

March 18, 2012
NCAA East Region Second Round

(12) UMass (22-11) vs. (4) #4 Gonzaga (29-3)

The Zags would be going for their 30th win of the season here, knowing a win tonight would probably set them up with a matchup against #1 Louisville. Gonzaga, in the scouting report, showed to be much stronger than UMass in the paint, with the guard play about even. And it was another hard fought matchup, as every starter scored in double figures for Gonzaga. Scott Jamison again led the way with another double double, with 14 points and 10 boards, and Gonzaga advanced to the sweet sixteen with an 87-80 victory. But their work wasn't done, as they would face #1 Louisville next. A glimmer of hope though, as Louisville struggled against Boston College, only winning 56-54. "This is what we want. We want to prove we are better than a #4 seed. We've been waiting for this," said Elliott.

March 23, 2012
NCAA East Regional Semifinal

(4) #4 Gonzaga (30-3) vs. (1) #1 Louisville (31-1)

No doubt this would be a very, very tough game. Nobody was giving the Zags much of a chance against the team that had been #1 most of the season and their only loss coming against Memphis by 2 points. "We need to hang tough early on, and slow Louisville down. If we are still close in the last 5 minutes of the game, then I'll like our chances," said Elliott. And not only did the Zags keep it close, but they actually led late in the game. In fact, they led by as many as 17 in the second half. Louisville came roaring back though to take a 1 point lead 60-59. Then Justin Mihm hit a three pointer, and the Zags hung on for the 64-61 victory! "I knew this team had it in them. I just knew they could do it," said Elliott after the victory, sending the Zags to the Elite Eight where they would take on #2 seed Notre Dame in the regional final.

March 25, 2012
NCAA East Regional Final

(2) #6 Notre Dame (27-6) vs. (4) #4 Gonzaga (31-3)

Elliott knew that every game from here on out would be tough, and he was hoping his team could knock off another Big East team to squeeze into the Final Four. Unfortunately, his team had run out of gas. The Zags started slow, trailed by as many as 14 in the first half, and were down 38-28 at halftime. They did eventually wake up and outscored the Irish in the second half, but it wasn't enough, as an outstanding season came to an end as Gonzaga lost 74-65.

[collegesportsfanms]

Postseason Wrap-Up

The NIT would see only 1 #1 seed in the Final Four as it would be (4) Clemson vs. (3) Binghamton and (3) Syracuse vs. (1) Fresno St. In the semifinals, Clemson hammered Binghamton 66-50, while Fresno St. beat Syracuse 70-62. The NIT was won by Fresno St. in a great championship, 58-56.

Shannon Elliott headed to Indianapolis for the Final Four, as (1) Kansas took on (2) UCLA and (1) Arizona took on (2) Notre Dame. And it would be a Pac Ten battle in the championship game, as the Final Four saw Arizona beat Notre Dame 74-63 and UCLA beat Kansas 73-63. It would be Arizona cutting down the nets in a defensive battle that most people had turned off by halftime. Arizona led 35-17 at halftime, and won 56-39 to cut down the nets.

Season Awards

Not that Elliott expected his team to be in the running for national awards, although he thought he might get some mention for National Coach of the Year. Unfortunately that went to Todd Booker of Arizona, but we do hear the Elliott was in the running. Scott Jamison won WCC defensive player of the year, and of course Elliott won WCC Coach of the Year. The all-WCC selections were dominated by Bulldogs, as Scott Jamison, Brooks White, and Cortez Rowe all made first team all-WCC, with Justin Mihm taking second team all-WCC. "Although I'm a little bit miffed that one of my guys didn't get WCC Player of the Year, the fact that we had 4 of 10 spots on the first and second team all-conference team says a lot. Especially since 3 of the 4 are coming back.

Season Review

Elliott was pleased to know that 4 of the 5 goals were met. The Zags won the WCC Conference Tournament, won 15 games, improved school prestige, and qualfied for the NCAA Tournament. The only goal that wasn't met was to get a 4 star recruit. Someone is going to have to explain this to me, because I'm sure that my lone recruit of the year was a 4 star recruit, as rated by the western gold report. Where am I going wrong here? As far as job offers go, Elliott had a few, the most prestigious coming from Duke, who was coming off a 13-17 season. Elliott decided to stay where he was at. "I have a great thing going here, with unfinished business. I'm staying."

Departing Players

SG Barron Christie (graduated)- 2.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 1.1 apg. Elliott was so proud of Christie for the way he turned his attitude around. He did not have one problem with Christie this season, after damn near booting him from the team last year. Unfortunately, the good attitude didn't make up for his limited skills.

C Scott Jamison (graduated)- 12.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg. This loss hurts much more, as Jamison turned into a quality player this season, giving the Zags a major boost inside.

[collegesportsfanms]

Staff Hiring

I knew it would happen eventually. Ohio University offered my top assistant, Reggie Jordan, the head coaching job and he accepted. Good for him. His replacement on my staff will be Rob Yearwood. While he's not as strong offensively and defensively, he is a 94 in player development, and that's what I need. Somebody to help me develop these players along.

I decided to ask the board for a new budget, and they declined. As far as I can tell, no conference movement. Haven't had any in 2 years, and I'm beginning to wonder if it's even turned on. Is there a way to check this?

*I decided to change this dynasty to first person instead of third person. I feel it's more involved going the first person route. If anybody wants to comment, feel free.*

[collegesportsfanms]

Never mind my question about conference movement. I got the news today.. Gonzaga is now a member of the esteemed Pac Ten! While I would have rather made the jump to a conference like the WAC or the Big West first, I will take it! Utah Valley St. takes our place in the WCC.

2012-2013 Season

Coach Information
Name: Shannon Elliott (31)
Record: 56-11 (.836)
Contract: $950,000/3 years
Reputation: 75
Offense: 85
Defense: 85
Recruiting: 78
Scouting: 76
Development: 85
Job Security: 12 (Very Secure)

School Information
Name: Gonzaga
Mascot: Bulldogs
Location: Spokane, WA
Arena: McCarthey Athletic Center (capacity 6,000)
Facilities: A
Academics: B
Conference: Pac Ten
Conference Prestige: 85
Team Prestige: 82
Minimum SAT: 940
Starting Budget: $298,100
Asst. Salaries: $193,000
Remaining Budget: $105,100

Administration Goals

1. Reach NCAA Final Four
2. Win Conference Tournament
3. Win 20+ games
4. Maintain School Prestige
5. Sign 4 star recruit

Are they serious? I mean these are some really tough goals, especially with my first year in the Pac Ten, where obviously the competition is going to get tougher. And I still haven't figured out how to sign a 4 star recruit.

My Assistants

1st Assistant: Rob Yearwood (56, $115,000 / 3 years) - Practice/Development
2nd Assistant: Randy Fitz (65, $61,000 / 3 years) - Scouting
3rd Assistant: Chucky Tebbs (48, $17,000 / 3 years) - Recruiting

[collegesportsfanms]

As is the case last year, I'm going to be ordering the gold report for the Western Region, as well as going to the Las Vegas Revue. I also decided to go to the Indy Elite Camp. Maybe I can find a 4 star recruit there. No transfers for me this year. I didn't see anybody on the list of possible transfers that really interested me. Not to mention, I didn't have a scholarship available.

So we've got $66,400 to spread out for 5 recruits this season. I definitely have my work cut out for me. I'll be looking to sign somebody at each position.

Gonzaga has just gotten a top 20 recruit! Damon Goolsby out of Bainbridge HS in Bainbridge, WA has just committed to Gonzaga. He averaged a triple double in his senior year of high school! 20.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 11.3 assists for the point guard. Wow, for a guy to average almost 11 rebounds as a point guard, hell, just for a guy to average a triple double is very impressive.

[collegesportsfanms]

3 more recruits signed with Gonzaga today: SG's Sam Archibald and Walter Evans, and PF William Waterman.

Sam Archibald is out of Raymond High School in Raymond, WA. He is listed as the 25th ranked recruit nationally, and averages 21.9 points and 8.7 rebounds a game.

Walter Evans comes from Harper High in Harper, OR. He is listed as the 19th ranked recruit nationally, and averages 21.4 points and 6.2 rebounds, along with 4.1 assists a game.

William Waterman isn't as strong, but is a much needed pickup in the middle. He is from Kea'au High School in Kea'au, HI. He averages 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds a game. He is listed as the 75th recruit nationally.

So I've got 4 of 5 recruits now, and I just need a center. I'm going to take my time with this, and may not even try to sign one until after the season. I'm tired, I need a break.

[collegesportsfanms]

Well my plan was to wait and sign a center later in the season, but J.B. McWilliams wanted a scholarship. He wanted to play for Gonzaga. It was too good to pass up, as I offered him my last remaining scholarship and he accepted. He is only ranked 275th in the nation, but he averages 16.3 points and 10 rebounds a game.

Boy am I heated! I picked up an edition of the Washington Tribune today because I was told I would definitely want to read it, and this is the bs that I read. I'm so pissed off right now, that I gave my team the day off from practice.


Hello, I'm Scoop Rogers with the Washington Tribune, and I smell a rat. And that rats name is Shannon Elliott. Now before you readers rip me to shreads like you normally do, let me explain myself. OK, so this guy comes in and leads Gonzaga to a sweet sixteen and an elite eight in his first 2 years, wins 56 games in 2 seasons, and gets Gonzaga into the Pac Ten. Granted, better recruits are going to want to come, especially local recruits out of Washington. But let's look at the math. First, Mr. Elliott has not signed a WOW recruit in his first 2 years here. The recruiting has been ok, but not great. Now let's take a look at the commitments last year, by national rank: 11, 19, 25, 75, 225. Now, you're tellin me that all of a sudden 4 top 100 recruits and 3 top 25 recruits want to play here? We have 2 possibilities here. Either these commitments aren't as good as we think, which I'm not expecting since they all went to elite camps. Or... yes you heard it from me first: Shannon Elliott is a cheater. My opinion, he bribed some of these players to get them to come to Gonzaga. He wants a final four appearance so bad, he will do anything, and I mean anything to get it. Ladies and gentlemen, I am Scoop Rogers, and I am going to investigate, get to the bottom of this, and prove that Shannon Elliott is a fraud!! Gonzaga fans, you may be happy if you win that national championship, but will you be happy when your team is banned from postseason play in a few years?? This is Scoop Rogers, signing out.

[collegesportsfanms]

I sat down for a special interview with my good friend Michael Schaplowsky of the Seattle Times, where we talked about the upcoming season?

MS: Shannon, first thing I got to ask you about is the article from Scoop Rogers. He's basically accused you of buying your recruiting class this year. I've known you for a long time, and I know how bad you want to get Gonzaga to the Final Four. Please tell all your loyal fans however, that there is absolutely no truth to this rumor.

SE: Mike I don't have to tell you that, you already know. Snoopy Scoop Rogers is a nimrod who shouldn't even have a job. Let me ask him this: if I wanted to cheat that bad, don't you think I would have done so in my first 2 years? Hell, I could have came to Gonzaga and bought every good player I could find. Rogers is an idiot, plain and simple.

MS: Alright Shannon, good to hear. Next question, the NCAA, in May of 2010, made a rule that there could be limited conference movement, with a possible changes every couple of years. This year, you got one of your wishes. Gonzaga is now a member of the Pac Ten. Are you surprised it took this long, or maybe you're surprised it happened this soon?

SE: You know I'm a cocky mofo, right? That being said, I didn't even think we'd be in the Pac Ten this soon. I figured we'd move conferences by this time, but I was thinking more like the WAC.

MS: The preseason predictions are out, and DDSN has predicted you to finish 7th in your first year in the Pac Ten. Do you feel this is about right?

SE: Well my man, I thought we'd be a little higher, but you know, we are playing in a very tough conference. I mean UCLA kicked our butt a couple years ago, Washington St. beat us last year, so yeah, I'd say 7th is about right. I think with a little luck, we can finish as high as 4th or 5th though. But I still expect UCLA and Arizona to be on top of the Pac Ten this year.

MS: Alright Shannon, final question. Speaking of Washington State, they were your non-conference rival. Now that you are playing in the Pac Ten with them, how does that change things? Are you going to be seeking a new rival? Are you going to just leave it at Washington State? What are your thoughts?

SE: Well that's an interesting point, to be honest with you, I'm not sure. I don't know how the schedule will work out. With 11 teams, I can't imagine we will play a 20 game schedule, playing each team twice. I'd be interested in hearing what some of you readers think. Should we keep it with Washington St? Maybe Pepperdine, who gave us some tough games? Should we look for a WAC team? Or maybe we should look for a midwest or an east coast team to rival with. I'm open to ideas folks.

MS: Well there you have it, Gonzaga fans. Coach Elliott wants your input. Let's help him out.

[collegesportsfanms]

And now here is a look at your 2012-2013 Gonzaga Bulldogs!

Point Guards

#22 Justin Mihm- (6'3'' SR, 4/4.5)

Mihm will be a leader by example this season, as we are looking for big things out of him.

#4 Trent Butler- (5'5'' JR, 3.5/3.5)

Trent is a walk-on. He impressed me so much that I decided to keep him around. He's got very quick hands.

Shooting Guards

#15 James Whaley (6'4'' JR, 2.5/4)

James averaged almost 10 points for us last season. He's good when catching and immediately shooting. That's what I'll expect of him.

#5 Denny King (6'5" JR, 2.5/4)

Denny is a JC transfer who knows how to get to the line and hit his free throws. We'll be looking for penetration out of him.

#1 Cortez Rowe (6'2" SR, 2.5/4)

Cortez made such good strides from last year, I'll be expecting bigger things out of him as well.

Small Forwards

#32 Andrew Brinker (6'8" SR, 2/4)

Andrew is another slasher type that can get to the free throw line. He should see increased minutes this year.

#21 Sheridan Vinson (6'6" SR, 3/4)

Sheridan gives us a solid rebounder at the 3 spot. Nothing about his game wows me, but he is solid, and that's all I can ask for.

#42 Jason Guthridge (6'5" SO, 1/4)

Jason probably won't get a lot of minutes this year, we need him to sit back this season and watch and learn, but watch out. He could be great his JR and SR years.

Power Forwards

#25 Brooks White (6'7" SR, 4/4)

Brooks will be another leader for us this year. While he isn't too dangerous in the scoring department, we are expecting 8-10 rebounds a game from him, and a couple blocks a game.

#35 David Roberson (6'7" JR, 2/4.5)

I really wish I had redshirted David last year. He has the ability to be an all conference player, but he probably won't reach his potential while here at Gonzaga. However, I think he can be a force inside, and he's got quick hands. He could be our defensive enforcer.

Centers

#42 Matt Hawkins (6'9" JR, 3.5/3.5)

Matt was second team all-conference in the MAAC 2 years ago. He didn't play last year because of transfer rules. My hope is that he stays eligibile, because he is not a very good student with just a 2.2 GPA.

#44 Michael Branch (6'8'' SO, 1/4)

Michael is another player who hasn't developed like he should have. I don't know if he'll play a lot this season with 3 centers better than him.

#53 Darcel Martin (6'9" SR, 2.5/4)

Darcel had a solid season last year, having some breakout games. He is another one that has to keep his grades up.

#51 Richie Darting (6'8" FR, 2/4)

Richie redshirted last year and seems to be much improved. He can play the 4 or 5. Not really a big defensive presence, where he will excel is rebounding.

Redshirting

PG Shawn Smith (1.5/4)

The only player I could redshirt this year, I think with him out of action this year, it'll let him watch Justin and Trent and see how they run things.

Here are the projected starters:

PG- Justin Mihm
SG- Cortez Rowe
SF- Sheridan Vinson
PF- Brooks White
C- Matt Hawkins

[collegesportsfanms]

And now, the schedule for the 2012-2013 season, with preseason top 25 rankings listed if applicable.

Nov. 2012

13- Texas A&M (Coaches Classic)
22- Clemson
25- @ Nevada
29- #21 LSU

Dec. 2012

2- @ Kent St.
6- @ Delaware
9- @ #23 Florida St.
13- Washington St.*
16- #19 Michigan
20- @ Southern Illinois
23- @ St. Johns
30- @ Washington St.*

Jan. 2013

3- @ #14 Stanford*
6- California*
10- USC*
13- @ #1 Arizona*
17- #18 Oregon*
24- @ Washington*
27- Arizona St.*
31- @ #3 UCLA*

Feb. 2013

3- Oregon St.*
7- Washington St.*
10- #14 Stanford*
14- @ California*
17- @ USC*
21- #1 Arizona*
24- @ #18 Oregon*


I'm seeing a potential conflict already. I have 17 conference games scheduled, everybody else has 16. The problem: I'm playing Washington St. 3times, because 1 is a rivalry game. I sure hope that I don't get an error message because of this.

[collegesportsfanms]

Here are the seedings for the Coaches Classic:

(1) #12 Kansas
(2) #5 Florida
(3) #9 Syracuse
(4) #25 Gonzaga
(5) #19 Michigan
(6) Oklahoma St.
(7) #21 LSU
(8) #22 Memphis
(9) #18 Oregon
(10) Marquette
(11) Purdue
(12) Mississippi St.
(13) Texas A&M
(14) St. Johns
(15) Missouri
(16) BYU

Nov. 13, 2012
Coaches Classic First Round

(13) Texas A&M vs. (4) #25 Gonzaga

So we open the season once again in the Coaches Classic, hoping with a top 4 seed we can advance past the second round. WE wouldn't have any trouble in the first round against the Aggies, building a 17 point lead thanks to Cortez Rowe and Justin Mihm, who combined for 14 and 12 respectively. We cruised in the second half, winning 74-57. Here are the other first round results:

(1) Kansas- 80, (16) BYU- 72
(9) Oregon- 77, (8) Memphis- 62
(5) Michigan- 66, (12) Mississippi St.- 44
(2) Florida- 76, (15) Missouri- 62
(7) LSU- 73, (10) Marquette- 54
(6) Oklahoma St.- 70, (11) Purdue- 49
(3) Syracuse- 77, (14) St. Johns- 57


Nov. 15, 2012
Coaches Classic Second Round

(5) #19 Michigan (1-0) vs. (4) #25 Gonzaga (1-0)

I think Michigan is beatable, even though on paper they are stronger at every position. You don't play the game on paper, you play it on the court, and I like our chances. And my instincts were right. We started out very slow, falling behing 13-5, but evenutally picked it up. Justin Mihm was incredible tonight, scoring 25 points, and we won 74-65 to advance to the semifinals! Here are other second round results:

(1) Kansas- 73, (9) Oregon- 65
(7) LSU- 73, (2) Florida- 62
(6) Oklahoma St.- 59, (3) Syracuse- 56


Nov. 17, 2012
Coaches Classic Semifinals

(4) #25 Gonzaga (2-0) vs. (1) #12 Kansas (2-0)

On paper, we are even with Kansas. I like those odds. I think this is going to be an outstanding college basketball game. And by gosh we stayed hot. 4players scored in double figures tonight, and I was surprised by Denny King who scored 12 points. We built the lead up to as many as 21 points and won 75-62 to advances to the finals of the coaches classic! And we will play (7) LSU who hammered (6) Oklahoma St. 76-54.


Nov. 19, 2012
Coaches Classic Championship

(7) #21 LSU (3-0) vs. (4) #25 Gonzaga (3-0)

No matter what, win or lose tonight, we've had a great start to the season. But hell, I want to win! Our key will be stopping their SG Bryan Ross who is averaging 20 points a game in this tournament. We didn't stop him, he had 22points. But we had 6 guys score in double figures tonight. Justin Mihm led the way with 14, Denny King had 13, Sheridan Vinson and Cortez Rowe each had 12, Richie Darting had 11, and Matt Hawkins had 10, and also pulled down 9 boards. All in all, it led to an 82-72 victory as we took home the Coaches Classic championship! Wow, I never dreamed of this kind of start.

[collegesportsfanms]

What the last 10 days has done for Gonzaga basketball is change the face of the program. The Gonzaga Bulldogs for the first time ever, are ranked #1! I feel that this team can compete with any team, yes I said it, any team in the NCAA.

Nov. 22, 2012

Clemson (2-0) @ #1 Gonzaga (4-0)

We returned home to Spokane to a party. The streets of downtown Spokane and Seattle were rocking, but now it's back to business. We have to take on a very tough Clemson team that if we overlook them, can knock us off the undefeated ranks. That wasn't happening tonight, and Matt Hawkins made sure of that. He had 16 points and 9 rebounds, 6 of those being offensive boards, and we led the entire game, rolling to an 80-62 victory. We have lost Trent Butler for the next 2 weeks as he strained an abdominal muscle.

Nov. 25, 2012

#1 Gonzaga (5-0) @ Nevada (2-3)

Nevada is a dangerous team as well, as they've already beaten USC and Minnesota this year. This team is sharp though. They have great teamwork. Unfortunately, tonight wasn't our best effort. We only shot 35% from the field and were down by 5 at the half. We put it together in the second half though, and won going away, 68-59.

We actually dropped in the polls this week, as Georgetown leapfrogged over us for the #1 spot, we are #2. It doesn't matter to me, as I've said before, the only thing that matters is being #1 at the end of the season.

Nov. 29, 2012

#8 LSU (5-1) @ #2 Gonzaga (6-0)

The rematch of the Coaches Classic championship from a few days ago, and obviously LSU wants to hand us our first loss. How good it would be to beat this team twice in less than 2 weeks. It took an extra 5 minutes to settle this one, but unfortunately LSU was stronger in the overtime. They got a little bit of revenge by handing us our first loss, 80-75 in OT. The loss wasted a couple solid efforts. Justin Mihm had 20 points and 7 assists, and Matt Hawkins finally got his double double with 14 points and a career high 15 rebounds. So we end of the month of November on a losing note, but what a month it was!

November Wrap-Up

Overall Record: 6-1
Neutral Record: 4-0
Home Record: 0-1
Road Record: 2-0
RPI: 1
Rank: 2

Leaders

PPG- Justin Mihm (15.0), Cortez Rowe (10.6), Matt Hawkins (8.4)
RPG- Matt Hawkins (8.1), Brooks White (6.1), Sheridan Vinson and Richie Darting (4.6)
APG- Justin Mihm (5.3), Cortez Rowe (2.7), James Whaley (1.7)

[collegesportsfanms]

Dec. 2, 2012

#2 Gonzaga (6-1) @ Kent St. (3-3)

OK here we go. Now it's time to see how this team bounces back from a loss. I need not worry, as this team has balance. 5 players scored in double figures tonight, led by Justin Mihm with 23 points and 7 assists. Cortez Rowe had 19 points, Richie Darting had a double double with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and James Whaley came off the bench to score 11. Oh yeah, Sheridan Vinson also had 10, and we won easily, 89-68.

As expected, the loss to LSU dropped us in the polls, as both the media and coaches have us listed at #4.

Dec. 6, 2012

#4 Gonzaga (7-1) @ Delaware (1-3)

I'm hoping to give everybody some playing time in this game, not expecting much of a challenge. You know how the old saying goes, if you overlook your opponent, you're bound to get burned? Well we got burned tonight. Delaware scored the first basket, and never allowed us to get into a rhythm. We did not lead once, and they led by as many as 13. We bit the dust, 69-62.

Dec. 9, 2012

#4 Gonzaga (7-2) @ Florida St. (5-2)

Even though the Seminoles aren't ranked anymore, I know that they are going to give us a tough game. And we haven't been very good going into other teams' gyms so far this year. Tonight however, we refocused. The team wasn't about to lose 2 in a row, and they battled. We hit the boards hard, outrebounding them 45-35. Matt Hawkins and Brooks White did their part with 12 and 10 respectively. Hell, even Justin Mihm had 8 boards. After an even first half, we outscored them by 11 in the second half to win a tough road challenge, 79-68.

No big surprise, as the loss to Delaware dropped us down to 8th in the rankings.

Dec. 13, 2012

Washington St. (4-5) @ #8 Gonzaga (8-2)

We return home for the first of 3 meetings with what was our non-conference rival. This is where I fear the game is going to mess up on me, as this is listed as a conference game, but it shouldn't be. As for the game itself, well it wasn't much of a game. We took a 29 point lead early in the second half, and had our usual 5 guys in double figure scoring, cruising to a 76-59 victory. And from what I can tell, DDS:CB did not count this as a conference game after all. Hmm, wonder why it had an asterik by it. Ah well, as long as things go smoothly, I'm happy.

Dec. 16, 2012

Michigan (5-4) @ #8 Gonzaga (9-2)

Now we have a rematch against Michigan, who we beat in the Coaches Classic. This is another game that scares me, because they are tough, and they will also be looking for revenge. Fortunately we had nothing to worry about. We shot 55.4% from the field, and it's hard to single any player out this game, because it was a total team effort. But then again, isn't it always with this group? This game had 9 lead changes, but when it was all said and done, we had the final lead, as we won 76-62 for our 10th win of the season!

Well despite winning both our games this week, we actually dropped to 10th in both polls. Don't quite understand that, but then again, I say the rankings don't matter. Let them keep dropping us, we'll just have to keep winning.

Dec. 20, 2012

#10 Gonzaga (10-2) @ Southern Illinois (3-5)

Every game on the road has been tough for us so far, and Southern Illinois always played tough, hard nosed defense. We would need to be very efficient offensively tonight. One thing I wasn't expecting, however, is for them to score the first 14 points of the game. They wanted this one more than we did, and they handed us our third loss of the season, quite easily. The final score of 64-53 does not indicate just how badly we played this game.

Dec. 23, 2012

#10 Gonzaga (10-3) @ St. Johns (5-5)

I'm getting tired of us playing so badly on the road, so I made the team practice right after we got off the bus. They practiced hard for an hour and a half, and hopefully they are ready for this game. I'd like to think they responded well, as they lead the entire game. Matt Hawkins, as always, was a force on the boards. He pulled down 13, and again we had 5 guys in double figures as we won another tough road game, 74-61.

As we get ready to begin the conference season, let's look at the non-conference standings and top 25 rankings for the Pac Ten Conference.

#1 Arizona (13-0)
Washington (11-2)
#10 Oregon (10-2)
#13 Gonzaga (11-3)
#9 UCLA (9-4)
#16 Stanford (9-5)
California (7-5)
Washington St. (5-6)
Arizona St. (5-6)
USC (5-7)
Oregon St. (5-7)

[collegesportsfanms]

Dec. 30, 2012

#13 Gonzaga (11-3) @ Washington St. (5-6)

So this officially begins the conference season for us. We've already beaten the Cougars once, and now we need to do it again on the road. It's very important for me to win this first conference game. It took us a few minutes to get going, but once we did, we got rolling. Justin Mihm led the way with 18 points and 5 assists, and we rolled to an 83-64 victory.

December Wrap-Up

Overall Record: 12-3
Conference Record: 1-0
Neutral Record: 4-0
Home Record: 3-1
Away Record: 5-2
RPI: 6
Rank: 14

Leaders

PPG- Justin Mihm (14.3), Cortez Rowe (12.2), Richie Darting (9.1)
RPG- Matt Hawkins (8.2), Brooks White (5.9), Richie Darting (4.9)
APG- Justin Mihm (5.3), Cortez Rowe (3.1), James Whaley and Brooks White (1.6)

[collegesportsfanms]

Jan. 3, 2013

#14 Gonzaga (12-3, 1-0) @ #17 Stanford (9-6, 0-1)

Ah, welcome to the Pac Ten, where every game is a tough game. No way in the WCC would you find a 9-6 team ranked 17th, but that's what we have here. It's gonna be tough, don't get me wrong. Well.. I thought it was going to be tough anyways. Stanford led once, at 2-0. After that, they never led again. James Whaley came off the bench to score 18 points, and we rolled to a 77-57 victory that shocked even me.

Jan. 6, 2013

California (8-6, 1-1) @ #14 Gonzaga (13-3, 2-0)

We go back home, where the Zags have had much greater success lately. Coming off a 20 point pounding on the road at Stanford, I like our chances in this one. Then again, we did lose to Delaware, so anything is possible. Cortez Rowe made sure that a loss would not happen tonight, as he scored 22 points. He was helped by Sheridan Vinson who scored a career high 16 points, and we held tough to win 79-69!

Jan. 10, 2013

USC (6-10, 1-3) @ #12 Gonzaga (14-3, 3-0)

It's been a while since we faced a team with a losing record, but don't sleep on USC. They beat top 10 ranked Duke earlier in the year, and everybody knows we are prone to the upset this year. The thing is, this game is at home, where we are almost unbeatable. As I said though, USC beat Duke earlier in the season, and tonight they beat us. We came out flat in the first half and trailed by 17 at halftime. The second half was a little better, but I knew we were in for a long night when Matt Hawkins picked up his third foul within the first 10 minutes. He managed to play a whopping 11 minutes in our 86-76 defeat.

Jan. 13, 2013

#12 Gonzaga (14-4, 3-1) @ #1 Arizona (17-0, 4-0)

Coming off the loss to USC, this is definitely not who we wanted to play in our next game. Never mind the fact that it is on the road, but Arizona has won every single game by double digits, and has an average margin of victory of 26. I'm just hoping to keep it within 10 or 15. We would be no different than the previous 17 Wildcat opponents. Arizona held us to just 25% shooting, led the entire game, and we didn't have 1 player in double figures. The good news is, we were only outscored by 2 in the second half, but we lost our second straight game tonight, getting beat 61-41.

Jan. 17, 2013

#8 Oregon (13-4, 3-2) @ #14 Gonzaga (14-5, 3-2)

Things sure don't get any easier. We return home, but we face another top ten team. This is one reason why I wanted to go to a conference like the WAC for a few years. It's a lot of pressure jumping from a one or two bid league like the WCC, all the way up to the Pac Ten who could send 7 teams to the postseason. And we had to fight hard for this one, especially since Justin Mihm went down 4 minutes into the game with a knee injury. Sheridan Vinson picked up the slack with 14 points and 8 boards, and we won a hard fought game 68-61. You would think I'd be excited about picking up our 15th win of the season, that is until I got the news about Justin: torn ACL. His basketball career is most likely over. His college career definitely is. This is a huge blow to our season.

Jan. 24, 2013

#17 Gonzaga (15-5, 4-2) @ #19 Washington (17-3, 6-1)

So we go on the road to play our first game without Justin Mihm. I've decided to give Trent Butler the starting PG spot, he's been working his ass off in practice. Fortunately we've had a whole week to get ready for this game. At this point I'm not expecting much. The guys are down, I'm down, and I just hope we can find a way to win another 5 games to at least meet that goal. Of course I don't know why I worry, I mean every time I do, this team proves me wrong. And Trent, well he filled in nicely tonight scoring 11 points and dishing out 9 dimes. The game was nip and tuck throughout, but we survived on the road, winning 67-59!

Jan. 27, 2013

Arizona St. (7-11, 2-5) @ #17 Gonzaga (16-5, 5-2)

Last time we played a team with a losing record at home, we got beat. I don't want the same result tonight. I feel like this team can overcome the loss of Justin. We need to win the games we are supposed to win. Arizona St. was picked last in the conference for a reason. The first half was much closer than it should have been, but we took control in the second half. Cortez Rowe led the way with 19 points and 7 assists, and Trent Butler had another solid game with 14 points as we won 77-61.

Jan. 31, 2013

#18 Gonzaga (17-5, 6-2) @ #12 UCLA (14-8, 5-4)

We want to end the month of January on a good note, but it won't be easy. I mean even though UCLA is struggling, they are still one of the best teams in this conference. This was a great game, with 13 lead changes and 1 tie. Unfortunately, we could never get over the hump, and we lose our sixth game of the season, 65-57.

January Wrap-Up

Overall Record: 17-6
Conference Record: 6-3
Neutral Record: 4-0
Home Record: 6-2
Away Record: 7-4
RPI: 5
Rank: 18

Leaders

PPG- Justin Mihm (12.9), Cortez Rowe (12.5), Sheridan Vinson (8.2)
RPG- Matt Hawkins (7.6), Brooks White (5.8), Richie Darting (4.5)
APG- Justin Mihm (5.1), Cortez Rowe (2.6), Brooks White (1.6)

As far as the bubble watch goes, we are still in great shape. We are 11th in the Who's In list. Unless we lose pretty much the rest of our games, we need not worry. 7 of the 11 Pac Ten teams are projected to be in the NCAA Tournament. Even USC, who is only 11-11 right now.

[collegesportsfanms]

Alright so that gets me caught up to where I am on DDS:CB. Hope you all are enjoying thus far.

[collegesportsfanms]

Feb. 3, 2013

Oregon St. (9-13, 4-6) @ #18 Gonzaga (17-6, 6-3)

We are nearing the homestretch of our first season in the Pac Ten, and I know these home games are very important. We need to keep defending our home turf, and tonight Oregon St. shouldn't offer a lot of resistance. And for the most part they didn't. Cortez Rowe went off tonight, scoring 26 points, and Trent Butler had 19. He's really filled in nicely in the absence of Justin Mihm, as we won tonight, 84-70.

Feb. 7, 2013

Washington St. (6-16, 1-10) @ #16 Gonzaga (18-6, 7-3)

We've already beaten the Cougars twice, and pretty easily both times. I can't see how this time would be any different. It wasn't. We rolled to a 77-49 victory and had 4 players score in double figures. We shot 50% in the game.

Feb. 10, 2013

Stanford (15-10, 6-5) @ #16 Gonzaga (19-6, 8-3)

This is gonna be our toughest game of the 3 game home stretch. We beat them at their place by 20, so they would be looking for revenge. It's hard to believe but we actually played better than we did last time. We jumped out to a 14-2 lead, with a balanced effort from the starters. Matt Hawkins got player of the game with 13 points and 8 rebounds. We shot 51.7% from the field and forced 22 turnovers while rolling to an 80-55 victory.

Feb. 14, 2013

#13 Gonzaga (20-6, 9-3) @ California (11-13, 4-8)

We start our season ending stretch with 3 of our last 4 on the road. Cal played us very tough at home the first go around, as we only won by 10. We knew they had something to play for and they would try to scrap a victory out. As expected it was a very tough game. Both teams wanted this one, as there were 18 lead changes and 7 ties. Matt Hawkins had 12 points and 14 boards, but it wasn't enough. Brooks White missed a jumper at the buzzer that would have tied the game, and we lost a heartbreaker, 86-84.

Feb. 17, 2013

#13 Gonzaga (20-7, 9-4) @ USC (12-13, 7-6)

We knew that this was a must win situation, with Arizona awaiting us in our next game. USC is still fighting for a winning conference record and an NIT bid, so they had something to play for as well. As expected, it was a tough game, as there were 13 lead changes and 10 ties. Brooks White put us in front for good with a monsterous slam dunk, and we went on to win 69-62, keeping a 1/2 game lead over UCLA for second in the Pac Ten.

We are 1 of 5 Pac Ten teams listed in the top 16 of the Bubble Watch this week. We are listed as the #5 team on the who's in list, which means we are a lock for the tournament no matter what happens the rest of the way. While there is still a chance we could get a #1 seed, I'm expecting no better than a #3 seed.

Feb. 21, 2013

#1 Arizona (27-0, 14-0) @ #12 Gonzaga (21-7, 10-4)

The only thing that eases my mind about this game is that we are at home. I know that for us to beat Arizona, we would have to have somebody pull a Nancy Kerrigan on all their starters. The thing we want to do is just keep it close. As cocky as I am about Gonzaga basketball, I'm also a realist. Arizona is good, damn good. I'd like to think we did the best we could, especially since we only lost by 9. They've got a player named Derrick Thorne, who is a Norton Finalist. He only had 15 points tonight, but it's all the little things that he does, like forcing us into 19 turnovers. As it stands, I don't believe in moral victories, but losing 66-57 to Arizona has to be considered some kind of victory.

Feb. 24, 2013

#12 Gonzaga (21-8, 10-5) @ #13 Oregon (19-8, 9-6)

The result of this game could decide whether we take second or fifth in the league. We can do no worse than fifth, and we could still finish second. Unfortunately we didn't come to play tonight, and we got hammered, 77-57.

[collegesportsfanms]

February Wrap-Up

Overall Record: 21-9
Conference Record: 11-5
Home Record: 12-3
Away Record: 9-6
Rank: 15
RPI: 9

*I decided to do away with neutral record. Even though the preseason tournaments are on neutral grounds, the game doesn't calculate them that way, so I'm not either*

To say we got a bum draw for the Pac Ten tournament is an understatement. Our loss to Oregon dropped us to fifth. Our first round opponent will be.. Oregon. If we win that game, we would face... Arizona. Ay yi yi. The 2013 Pac Ten tournament sets up like this..

The first round will see (9) Oregon St. taking on (8) Arizona St., then (11) Washington St. and (6) USC, and finally, (10) California taking on (7) Stanford.

The quarterfinals are as follows:

Arizona St/Oregon St. winner vs. (1) Arizona
(5) Gonzaga vs. (4) Oregon
Washington St./USC winner vs. (3) UCLA
Cal/Stanford winner vs. (2) Washington

[collegesportsfanms]

March 9, 2013

The first round of the Pac Ten tournament took place today, and here are the results:

(8) Arizona St.- 77, (9) Oregon St.- 66
(6) USC- 65, (11) Washington St.- 50
(7) Stanford- 78, (10) California- 71

March 10, 2013
Pac Ten Quarterfinals

(5) #16 Gonzaga (21-9) vs. (4) #12 Oregon (20-8)

So we are playing Oregon for the second time in 2 weeks. They whooped us good last time, so I've made a few adjustments in hopes of getting a better result. I'd say the change worked, as we jumped to a 43-28 halftime lead. In fact, we led the entire game. Only 1 player in double figures for us tonight, and that was Cortez Rowe with 18. That was enough though, as we get a big, big victory 74-66 to advance to the semifinals of the Pac Ten Tournament. Other quarterfinal results:

(1) Arizona- 59, (9) Arizona St.- 34
(6) USC- 70, (3) UCLA- 55
(2) Washington- 58, (7) Stanford- 57

USC gets the biggest win, keeping their small postseason hopes alive, and Stanford had a great chance, but will have to hope their 16-16 record is good enough.


March 11, 2013
Pac Ten Semifinals

(5) #16 Gonzaga (22-9) vs. (1) #1 Arizona (30-0)

I feel good about this game, for the simple fact they only beat us by 9 last time, and that the offensive changes I made worked so well against Oregon, I'm keeping them against Arizona. Unfortunately it didn't work this time, we led 4-2. Trent Butler had a horrible game, with 11 turnovers and missed all his shots. Arizona is damn tough, and they beat us 63-40. The other semifinal saw (2) Washington end (6) USC's run 75-62.

And in the Pac Ten final, I watched, expecting Arizona to continue its undefeated run. What I saw was Arizona jump out to a 9 point lead. But it never got any bigger. In fact, Washington kept cutting into it, finally taking a 50-48 lead with 10 seconds to go. Derrick Thorne had a chance to send the game to overtime, but missed a 14 foot jumper, and Washington pulled off the stunner, handing Arizona its first loss of the season and winning the Pac Ten Tournament 50-48.. Wow

So it is time for the selection show. Me and the team had a watch part at Wingdome here in downtown Seattle. We knew we would be in the NCAA tournament. The question is, what would our seed be?


The show started with the East Region, where Lousiville took the #1 seed. It didn't take long to see our name, although I can't say I'm thrilled. While we do get the #3 seed in the East Region, I'm ticked because once again we have to go out east. It's a shame. This year we'll be travelling to Philadelphia and taking on 14th seed VMI. Joining us in Philadelphia would be Oregon, who took the 4th seed. What is it about these guys that we always seem to match up with them. Assuming we win our first round game, we'll meet up with either 6th seed Memphis or 11th seed BYU.

I just want to know who puts together these brackets? I can understand having 2 teams in one region, but the Midwest Region got 3 teams. Arizona took the #1 seed, Washington the #3 seed, and UCLA the #5 seed. Meanwhile, the South and West regions, got no teams. It's crazy. An interesting note, as the city of Spokane, our hometown, is hosting the West Region this year. Would have been great to stay home.

No Pac Ten representation in the NIT this year, as Stanford probably would have gotten a bid had they beaten Washington. Since they didn't, they end their season, along with USC which was the other bubble team.

[collegesportsfanms]

March 16, 2013
NCAA East Region First Round

(14) VMI (20-10) vs. (3) #17 Gonzaga (22-10)

All 5 Pac Ten teams are playing today, and all 5 of us are heavily favored in our games. VMI could be a formidable opponent for us however, as they have 3 starters averaging double figures. Still though, we should advance to the next round. And we did, easily. Cortez Rowe led the way with 17 points, and Trent Butler had 13, as we built a 27 point lead and never looked back in an 80-56 victory. Our second round opponent will be 6th seeded Memphis, who beat BYU 77-70.

In other NCAA Tournament games involving Pac Ten teams:

East Region

(4) Oregon- 77, (13) Gardner-Webb- 51

Midwest Region

(1) Arizona- 67, (16) Fairleigh Dickinson- 50
(5) UCLA- 75, (12) Eastern Kentucky- 63
(3) Washington- 72, (14) Morgan St.- 63


March 18, 2013
NCAA East Region Second Round

(6) #19 Memphis (24-8) vs. (3) #17 Gonzaga (23-10)

I'm expecting a much tougher game tonight, as Memphis is a tough opponent. I still feel that we are the favorites, but I think we'll have to work harder to get this one. If you would have told me that Cortez Rowe would be held to 4 points and that we would still win by 19, I would tell you that you were crazy, but that's exactly what happened. James Whaley came off the bench to lead us with 18 points, and Brooks White had a double double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. We advanced to our second straight sweet sixteen with a 74-55 win. Our sweet sixteen opponent would see a rematch with Kansas, which we beat in route to winning the Coaches Classic in November. It wasn't a good overall day for the Pac Ten. Here are the other results.

East Region

(5) Indiana- 61, (4) Oregon- 52

Midwest Region

(1) Arizona- 79, (9) Akron- 35
(4) Florida St.- 69, (5) UCLA- 59
(6) Notre Dame- 47, (3) Washington- 42

That means us and Arizona are the only Pac Ten teams left still playing.

[collegesportsfanms]

March 23, 2013
NCAA East Regional Semifinal

(3) #17 Gonzaga (24-10) @ (2) #5 Kansas (31-3)

We are 1 of only 3 teams to beat Kansas on the season. They've got a legit candidate for Norton player of the year in Boney Williams, who is averaging a double double. I'll be honest with you guys, I wouldn't be surprised if our season came to an end tonight. I know we beat them in November, but that was 4 months ago. The good news is that we held Boney Williams to 12 points. The bad news is they had 3 other guys in double figures. It was a close game, with each team holding double digit leads at one point, but they just had too much for us tonight, and we ended our season with a 69-57 loss.

Arizona won their sweet sixteen game over Florida St. 71-46, and then crushed Wake Forest 88-62 to advance to the Final Four.

[collegesportsfanms]

Postseason Wrap-Up

This years NIT final four featured a seed no higher than 3. 2 #3 seeds, Marshall and Wisconsin, would face off in one semifinal, while a third #3 seed, Seton Hall, would take on (5) Cal St. Fullerton in the other semifinal. Seton Hall beat Fullerton 64-53, and Wisconsin hammered Marshall 75-54. Then Wisconsin beat Seton Hall 76-68 to win the 2013 postseason NIT tournament.

I was headed down to Houston to watch what I thought would be a very exciting final four. We came within 2 points of having all 4 #1 seeds in the Final Four for the first time in history. Instead, we've got #1 Lousville facing #1 Arizona in the first semifinal, while #1 Georgetown takes on #3 Syracuse in the other semifinal. Syrcause beat #1 Michigan St. by 2 to advance. The first semfinal was in my mind, the national championship. I fully expected whoever won this game to win the championship, with 1 loss between them. It did not dissapoint, as Arizona won a low scoring battle, 49-43. The second semifinal was a tale of 2 halves. I left at halftime with Syracuse leading 40-22 and was shocked when I found out about 2 hours later that Georgetown outscored their Big East counterparts 41-17 in the second half to win 63-57. So it would be a national championiship of Arizona vs. Georgetown, and I had a front row seat, hoping it would be as good as the final four was. It was, and then some. Neither team got a double digit lead. When it was all said and done, Arizona had prevailed in the best national championiship game I've seen in a while, 73-67, to win their second straight national championship!

Season Awards

As always, we were left out of any mention for national awards. Theo Worrell of Florida took home the Norton Award, and Derrick Thorne of Arizona was Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament, and also WS Freshman of the Year. Todd Booker of Arizona was WS National Coach of the Year.

As for the Pac Ten, I pretty much figured we would not sweep the awards here like we seemed to do in the WCC. But boy was I shocked when I got the phone call. I, Shannon Elliott, had just been named the Pac Ten Coach of the Year! I couldn't believe it. I guess they figured that my 5th place finish in our first year of the Pac Ten was good enough, but I really figured it would go to Todd Booker. The only other award we got was Cortez Rowe as Pac Ten second team all-conference.

Season Review

I had 5 goals this year. Let's go over them.

Reach Final Four: Failed. I was mildly upset by this, especially considering the fact that we won a very important preseason tournament.
Win Conference Tournament: Failed. I mean come on, it's very tough to win the Pac Ten, especially in our first year here.
Win 20+ games: Succeeded
Maintain School Prestige: Succeeded
Sign 4 Star Recruit: Succeeded

I consider the season a success, even if my AD Roger Patrick is upset with the fact we didn't get an automatic bid and make it to the final four. Now as for job offers: The only 2 that really caught my eye were Kansas St. (a chance to go back to Kansas) and North Carolina (Always a dream job.) But there's no way in hell I could leave Gonzaga, especially after putting together what I feel should be a definite top 25 recruiting class. So I'm staying put.

Departing Players

PG Justin Mihm (graduated)- 12.9 ppg, 5.1 apg. I just wonder what things would have been like had he been around for the NCAA tournament. Maybe we would have met our goal to make the final four.

C Darcel Martin (graduated)- 2.2 ppg, 1.1 rpg. Darcel had a few big games for us, including his 16 point, 12 rebound effort, but could never really find that consistent to earn him more than a few minutes a game.

PF Brooks White (graduated)- 6.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg. This is 1 of our starters that will not be around next year, and he's a big loss. A walk-on who was first team WCC last year. He was a role player for me, and he played his role well.

SG Cortez Rowe (graduated)- 13.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg. Another tough loss for us. He really picked up the slack after Justin went down.

SF Andrew Brinker (graduated)- 1.7 ppg, 0.8 rpg. This isn't really a bad loss, as Andrew was mostly ineffective. A great team leader though, as he really got along with everybody and helped keep everybody together this year.

SF Sheridan Vinson (graduated)- 7.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg. If you count Justin, who was a starter until he went down, we lose all but 1 starter from this years team. Sheridan kept improving, and while he didn't put up all star numbers, he was consistent. That's all you can ask of a player.

Staff Hiring

This year is easy.. Nobody is leaving, and I want to keep everybody. We'll have the same staff for the 2013-2014 season. Again, it was time to meet with the board. The problem is, my job security is fine, the facilities are great, and I always have more than enough of a budget left over after recruiting. So what to ask for? I just asked for more time. Maybe next year I'll try a facility increase.

[collegesportsfanms]

The only conference movement this year would be Longwood, who made the NIT as an independent school. They've moved to the MEAC. In other news, my hard recruiting work finally paid off, as the top 25 recruiting class rankings came out today, and we finished 7th! We were 1 of only 3 Pac Ten schools in the top 25. Arizona was first, which doesn't bode well for the rest of the conference. Their top recruit was.... Derrick Thorne!? The same Derrick Thorne they recruited last year? Same position, same hometown. Somebody help me out with this, as it must be a bug in the game. Also in the top 25 was Stanford.

2013-2014 Season

Coach Information

Name: Shannon Elliott (32)
Record: 80-22 (.784)
Contract: $950,000/2 years
Reputation: 80 (+5)
Offense: 90 (+5)
Defense: 90 (+5)
Recruiting: 82 (+4)
Scouting: 77 (+1)
Development: 90 (+5)
Job Security: 13 (Very Secure) (+1)

School Information

School Information
Name: Gonzaga
Mascot: Bulldogs
Location: Spokane, WA
Arena: McCarthey Athletic Center (capacity 6,000)
Facilities: A
Academics: B
Conference: Pac Ten
Conference Prestige: 84 (-1)
Team Prestige: 82 (no change)
Minimum SAT: 940
Starting Budget: $298,100
Asst. Salaries: $193,000
Remaining Budget: $105,100

Administration Goals

1. Reach NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2. Win Conference Tournament
3. Win 20+ games
4. Maintain School Prestige
5. Sign 4 star recruit

I'm ok with these goals. With the recruiting class we had, I think all those goals are reachable, even winning the conference tournament. And if I win 20games this season, that will give me 100 wins for my career in just 4 seasons.

My assistants

1st Assistant: Rob Yearwood (57, $115,000 / 2 years) - Practice/Development
2nd Assistant: Randy Fitz (66, $61,000 / 2 years) - Scouting
3rd Assistant: Chucky Tebbs (49, $17,000 / 2 years) - Recruiting