Talking about Zags is always in season
Here it is, late June, and we’re talking hoops.
You have to admit the timing is a little unusual — what with two Zags landing in the first round of the NBA draft, Hoopfest week in downtown Spokane, Mark Few finding that transfer point guard he’s been seeking for months and, yes…
Another conversation about Gonzaga moving to a new conference.
Let’s just toss the whole batch out there, eh?
ITEM: We should start with the Zags’ newest incoming transfer, since I keep seeing emails that were written in sheer panic.
Fans have been frantic that Few won’t have a legitimate Division I point guard to guide all those gifted freshmen this coming season.
Last weekend, though, the Zags landed an under-the-radar grad transfer, Ryan Woolridge from North Texas State.
The Mean Green play in Conference USA, and Woolridge (6-3, 180) ran a team that had some success under hotshot young coach Grant McCasland.
They were 41-30 over McCasland’s two seasons and, for what it’s worth, won the CBI tournament two years ago.
Woolridge has experience (89 games at North Texas) and last year averaged 11.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and a healthy 4.8 assists.
He was voted the best defender in CUSA, which should make him a great match with fellow transfer guard Admon Gilder, another tenacious defensive player.
There is one huge red flag here, however…
Wooldridge is just a 55-percent career free-throw shooter, which makes you wonder if Few will be able to keep his primary ballhandler on the floor down the stretch in close games.
Fingers crossed, folks.
Wooldridge is not likely to be the second coming of Nigel Williams-Goss, but he could be a terrific fit if he can make some high-pressure free throws.
ITEM: It would have been difficult for the Zags to come out of the NBA draft with much more glitter than they were awarded.
Rui Hachimura is an instant hero in multi-cultural Washington, D.C. (no surprise there), and the Memphis Grizzlies are almost giddy after landing Brandon Clarke at No. 21.
In fact, the Griz traded up three spots to do it.
Even if you still dislike the Thunder, it might be worth buying the NBA television package just to watch this young and warp-speed Memphis team.
We know what Clarke is like in an open-court game, of course, but putting him on the floor with Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. will make the Grizzlies one of the most athletic teams in a league that’s trending hard in that direction.
“Playing with Ja and JJ is going to be a lot of fun,” Clarke said. “I love being out there with guys who have that kind of game.”
Clarke has never been to Memphis, by the way, and says he’s already getting the lowdown on barbecue spots.
Meanwhile, Zach Norvell Jr. wasn’t drafted, but the Lakers signed him to a two-way contract.
He’ll play for the G League South Bay Lakers, but the two-way designation means guaranteed money and a legitimate chance to wind up in the NBA.
Those three Zags might find Josh Perkins in the league, as well.
The former point guard snagged an Exhibit 10 contract with Charlotte — one step below a two-way deal but very much on the parent club’s radar.
Well…
We knew that bunch created a hell of a Zags team, and now people who follow these things for a living have wholeheartedly agreed.
ITEM: The wider college basketball landscape has been shaken up again, with Connecticut putting the last touches on a return to the Big East.
UConn was never a good fit in the American Athletic Conference, which devalued the Huskies’ unique combination of men’s and women’s hoops — while also showing that UConn will never really be able to compete at the top level in football.
It’s likely that UConn will hang on to its football program, but do so as an independent or with a drop to the FCS level.
The UConn move means that the AAC needs to fill at least one spot — and maybe two.
The conference, which has national reach and is about to sign a new TV deal, seems willing to take one school for football and another that’s basketball-only if its brand is really big-time.
Sound familiar?
Who knows where this latest rumor will take us?
But I’ll leave you with a Twitter item from Gonzaga’s most reliable unofficial site, Inside the Kennel…
“Interesting note here about basketball being a focus (with reshuffled AAC). “Would Gonzaga fans be interested in Houston, Memphis, Wichita State and Cincinnati?”
This is a whole new debate, as opposed to those overtures from the Mountain West. We’re finally talking about the whole country.
We’ll discuss it in our “Zags Tracker” feature next Tuesday.
Opinions welcome.
Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns for The Press appear on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Steve also contributes the “Zags Tracker” package on Gonzaga basketball once monthly during the off season.
Email: scameron@cdapress.com