Re: Gonzaga Notes

by DoubleDipper Fri Aug 26, 2022 11:39 am

It is 2022:

Baylor and Gonzaga will meet in a men’s basketball game in South Dakota on Dec. 2 and organizers will pay players on both teams who agree to help promote the game.

The first meeting since the Bears beat the Bulldogs in the 2021 national championship game has become opportunity for players to cash in on their celebrity under name, image and likeness (NIL) rules.

“Engaging the players to help activate the game broadcast sponsors is the future of college athletics,” said the game organizer.

by up7587 Thu Oct 27, 2022 2:53 pm

https://www.johncanzano.com/p/canzano-gonzaga-to-the-pac-12?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

by **Rob's Jacket** Wed Nov 02, 2022 3:58 pm

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/34934063/sources-gonzaga-talks-big-12-joining-conference

Big East, Pac 12, Big 12 ... are we going to see a Gonzaga to the SEC rumor soon?

by up7587 Wed Nov 02, 2022 4:59 pm

Rob's Jacket wrote:https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/34934063/sources-gonzaga-talks-big-12-joining-conference

Big East, Pac 12, Big 12 ... are we going to see a Gonzaga to the SEC rumor soon?

The current Big 12 school closest in profile to GU is TCU. Both are private schools with religious affiliation.
TCU enrollment 11,938 (10,222 undergraduates)
GU enrollment 7,295 (4,852 undergraduates)

TCU endowment $2.48 Billion with a B
GU endowment $308 Million

Baylor has 20,626 (15,191 undergrad) students and an endowment of $2.01 Billion. Other than BYU, all the other current and new Big 12 schools are large public universities.

Research done via Wikipedia, so Professor DD will not approve.

by Geezaldinho Wed Nov 02, 2022 10:07 pm

Who is going to quarterback the Zag’s football team next year?

The last I heard the Big12 was a football conference.

They are just starting the extortion of the WCC four months early so they can schedule more D3 teams at the Macarthy center.

by Dean Murdoch Thu Nov 03, 2022 6:30 pm

I wonder how much of a gamble Gonzaga is seen as for these bigger conferences given that they've only had this sustained success with one coach. What happens when Few retires, leaves, or gets another DUI?

by up7587 Wed Feb 22, 2023 10:53 am

The saga continues. Fish or cut bait.

https://www.johncanzano.com/p/canzano-gonzaga-in-search-of-a-bidding

by up7587 Tue Mar 21, 2023 8:27 pm

Article on GU's women's team in the NCAA tournament.

Meanwhile, Fortier ran the emotional gamut: tears when she discussed the team’s ability to overcome injury and win 28 games; frustration at allowing Ole Miss to “dictate the pace and tempo of the game”; and a shrug when asked about the difference in quality between the West Coast and Southeastern conferences.

“San Diego is physical. BYU is physical. Portland is physical,” Fortier said.

But she allowed that “the conference prepares you for certain things, I don’t know that it necessarily prepares us for the NCAA Tournament.”

Once again, the rest of us have failed GU.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/mar/18/gonzaga-women-look-forward-after-disheartening-nca/

by Sound Voltex Tue Mar 21, 2023 9:23 pm

Some of the GU fans on their board don't seem to be buying it.

Louisville, Stanford and Tennessee have taller, quicker and more physical players than Ole Miss. While Gonzaga played Louisville, for the most part, with their complete team, K-Lee missed most of the Tennessee game and Maud missed some of the Tennessee game and we won both games. We played Stanford with a total of 7 players and stayed right with them for 3 quarters until the Lady Zags ran out of gas in the 4th quarter. We did not get out muscled, out hustled, etc. by any of these teams.

Where did this team go?

The team on the court yesterday against Ole Miss, was not the Gonzaga team that played and beat Louisville and Tennessee and went toe to toe for 3 quarters against Stanford.

An absolutely tremendous season overcoming an untold number of obstacles, was not capped off in the way that was expected from this team, The Portland game in the WCC championship and the game against Ole Miss were two of the worst games played by the Lady Zags all season. The coaching staff and the team have 7-1/2 months to figure out what went wrong and what they are going to do to fix it. Losing is not the issue but knowing you did not leave it all out on the court, is the bad taste that simply will not go away until next year.

https://www.guboards.com/forum/bob-zag-s-house-the-home-of-gonzaga-basketball-talk/bz-s-lady-zags-women-s-basketball/2209383-official-lady-zags-vs-ole-miss-thread?p=2211239#post2211239

by DoubleDipper Tue Mar 21, 2023 11:11 pm

I lost a great deal of respect for Fortier after seeing her postgame interview after UP beat GU for the WCC Trophy.

Perhaps being gracious in defeat is an old fashioned and outdated quality, but praising one's team for their effort and vowing to do better next time should still be standard practice...but apparently now in Spokane.

by DoubleDipper Tue May 30, 2023 8:36 am

Sources: Big 12 Continues Expansion Talks With Gonzaga Ahead of League Meetings (Sports Illustrated):

https://www.si.com/college/2023/05/29/big-12-meetings-expansion-gonzaga-uconn

by up7587 Fri Aug 04, 2023 3:29 pm

Looks like GU will not be joining the PAC-12, as it likely no longer exists. And if Utah, UA and ASU are available to the Big-12, probably not a spot for GU there, either.

by DoubleDipper Tue Oct 10, 2023 9:47 am

Big 12 Has Resumed High-Level Conference Realignment Talks With Gonzaga...

https://themessenger.com/sports/big-12-gonzaga-conference-realignment-college-sports-mens-basketball

(I was able to spend some time with WCC Commissioner Stu Jackson last week, and when talking about the schools that could potentially join the WCC, he mentioned that the possibility of GU leaving was something that was being taken into consideration by the member school presidents.)

by **Rob's Jacket** Tue Oct 10, 2023 10:20 am

Over the past decade, the WCC has bent over so far backwards to accommodate Gonzaga that we’re practically touching our ankles. It is extremely funny to me that they think they will get a better deal in a Power 5 conference dominated by football where they'll be last in line on every conceivable issue.

I hope GU stays in the WCC, if only for the sake of tradition. But if they leave, I’m honestly ready to just add Seattle U, Denver, and somebody else (Cal Baptist?), go back to being an above-average mid-major conference, and to never have to play the Bulldogs again.

I'm sure Gonzaga's soccer teams would enjoy weeknight conference games in Lubbock and Morgantown. Definitely enhancing the student-athlete experience there.

by NoPoNeighbor Fri Oct 13, 2023 8:17 pm

Gonzaga leaving will make the WCC a more enjoyable conference for everyone else. There would finally be something to play for. A realistic chance at getting to the NCAA tournament (until the big money conferences kill that off, too). In no other situation that I can think of has a mid-major team become dominant and not moved on to a bigger conference (Wichita, Creighton, VCU...). GU is the outlier, and the WCC is suffering for it.

I say replace BYU and GU with Seattle and Grand Canyon. I'd like an old-fashioned 10 team conference with proper travel partners again.

Portland/Seattle
San Fran/Saint Mary's
Pacific/Santa Clara
Pepperdine/LMU
San Diego/Grand Canyon

by up7587 Fri Oct 13, 2023 8:57 pm

NoPoNeighbor wrote:I say replace BYU and GU with Seattle and Grand Canyon. I'd like an old-fashioned 10 team conference with proper travel partners again.

Portland/Seattle
San Fran/Saint Mary's
Pacific/Santa Clara
Pepperdine/LMU
San Diego/~~Grand Canyon~~Cal Baptist

I like what the way you think, but made one change to your line-up.

by DoubleDipper Sat Oct 28, 2023 11:12 am

up7587 wrote:
NoPoNeighbor wrote:I say replace BYU and GU with Seattle and Grand Canyon. I'd like an old-fashioned 10 team conference with proper travel partners again.

Portland/Seattle
San Fran/Saint Mary's
Pacific/Santa Clara
Pepperdine/LMU
San Diego/~~Grand Canyon~~Cal Baptist

I like what the way you think, but made one change to your line-up.

Talking to the WCC Commissioner, UP's president, and UP's vice-president for athletics, the goal is to have a 12-school conference.

by up7587 Sat Oct 28, 2023 11:17 am

DoubleDipper wrote:Talking to the WCC Commissioner, UP's president, and UP's vice-president for athletics, the goal is to have a 12-school conference.

Is that before or after GU goes to the Big 12?

by DoubleDipper Sat Oct 28, 2023 11:28 am

up7587 wrote:
DoubleDipper wrote:Talking to the WCC Commissioner, UP's president, and UP's vice-president for athletics, the goal is to have a 12-school conference.

Is that before or after GU goes to the Big 12?

Both!

The WCC would like to see GU remain in the conference, but the $$$ reality $$$ is, the league knows it must prepare for the inevitable defection of the Spokane school.

It was a big hit in the media market when BYU left the conference, and that world-wide following cannot be replaced, but there are a number of "WCC-compatible" schools that can bring their own geographic up-market media following to the WCC.

by Geezaldinho Sun Oct 29, 2023 12:03 am

up7587 wrote:
DoubleDipper wrote:Talking to the WCC Commissioner, UP's president, and UP's vice-president for athletics, the goal is to have a 12-school conference.

Is that before or after GU goes to the Big 12?

Zags aren’t going to the Big12.

Nobody but Mark Few at Gonzaga wants to go there, and too many Big12 schools don’t want the zags taking their auto bid every year.

by DoubleDipper Thu Nov 09, 2023 8:17 am

Steele Venters, a key offseason addition via the portal from Eastern Washington, is apparently out for the season with a knee injury...

The 6-7 wing averaged 15.3 points and shot 37 percent from 3 last season and was the Big Sky Player of the Year.

by up7587 Tue Mar 26, 2024 9:11 pm

@TiptonEdits wrote:Pepperdine transfer G/F Michael Ajayi has committed to Gonzaga, per his IG.

First team All-WCC. 17.2 ppg, 9.9 rpg.

by up7587 Sun Apr 07, 2024 4:36 pm

up7587 wrote:
@TiptonEdits wrote:Pepperdine transfer G/F Michael Ajayi has committed to Gonzaga, per his IG.

First team All-WCC. 17.2 ppg, 9.9 rpg.

Ajayi posted today that he is entering the NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility. Via @MichaelAjayi_

by up7587 Sun Apr 07, 2024 4:50 pm

@TheoLawsonSR wrote:Coming off his ACL injury, #Gonzaga wing Steele Venters plans to start running soon and is targeting the end of this summer for a return to the court.

Played three years at EWU 2020-23, starting the last two, then sat out with the injury this past year at GU.

by up7587 Mon Apr 15, 2024 7:59 pm

Two GU players were drafted in the WNBA 2nd round. Brynna Maxwell was taken 1st in the 2nd round, and 13th overall. She was the 10th U.S. college player taken as there were a few foreign players drafted. Kaylynne Truong was taken 9th in that round, 21st overall.

Cameron Brink from Beaverton and Stanford was taken 2nd overall.