THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Zags answer questions; now, some questions about the Zags

As Zoom visits go, well…

It zoomed.

Or maybe it’s better to say it came and went with a soft whoosh — rather than a howling zoom.

In case you weren’t invited, Gonzaga made two of its stars — Corey Kispert and Joel Ayayi — virtually available last week.

During these COVID days, chatting with someone on a screen is the best tool possible in terms of the media learning about teams and programs.

Kispert and Ayayi were friendly and polite, but not surprisingly, they failed to make any major news while answering some obvious questions about the Zags and their preparation for a season that’s set to begin with a bout against No. 6 Kansas.
 The fairest look into the immediate future was Kispert’s honesty when he said: “We’re gonna be very good.”

Just like his boss Mark Few, however. Kispert offered an immediate qualifier.

“Everything depends on whether we stay healthy,” Kispert said.

THOUGH he probably didn’t mean it quite as specifically as he stated, Ayayi did offer one tiny hint about what’s up with the Zags.

We already knew this, of course, but when asked about sophomores Drew Timme and Anton Watson, Ayayi conceded that they needed to take “the next step” if the Zags are to be a true juggernaut.

So. there you go.

If you wished you could have joined the Zoom call, that’s the “news” you’d have heard.

The Zags can be very good if they stay healthy, and the younger players on this talented roster need to continue improving for Gonzaga to be a national powerhouse.

As I implied earlier, we already knew this stuff.

Kispert did offer that the newcomers — three freshman and redshirt Oumar Ballo — have a “lot of talent.”

Indeed, they do.

Freshman Jalen Suggs has been named to the watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, an honor bestowed on the nation’s best point guard.

This, even though Suggs has not played a single minute of college basketball — and might actually be slightly behind senior transfer Aaron Cook Jr. at some points during early practices.

Besides Suggs, Kispert, Ayayi and the soph Timme all have made it to various national watch lists.

So, yeah.

The Zags should be awfully damn good.

WE’LL ALL get our first look at the full squad this Thursday night, as the Zags run around during Kraziness in the Kennel — despite the fact that no spectators will be allowed in the building.

It won’t be as crazy as usual without howling students, but Few has indicated there will be a scrimmage (among other things), so the world can get a quick look at the 2020 Zags in action.

You know, sort of…

With the Kraziness event still on, at least fans can virtually meet the newcomers and welcome back players like Kispert and Ayayi, who chose not to participate in the NBA draft.

Some of the things I wonder about won’t be on display until the Zags play Kansas on the 25th, and then Auburn two days later.

For instance. what role will the 6-8 Watson play on a team that needs quickness and some rim protection inside?

What about Ballo, whom we haven’t seen since he dominated the FIBA Under-19 World Cup — when he was just an unknown 16-year-old from Mali?

GONZAGA is known for spectacular improvement from players who sit out a season, or who get limited minutes as freshmen.

So how good might Ballo, Martynas Arlauskas and Pavel Zakharov be after a season of tutoring in the program?

And finally, a question about Few.

Gonzaga has never had talent like this — an entire roster of guys who believe they can play big minutes and really contribute.

How will the coach handle these kids?

Will the stars basically slug it out against Kansas and others, with minimal help from talent on the bench?

Or will Few use the full roster, trying to run teams to death with this unbelievable depth?


No offense to that Zoom call — it was fun talking to Corey and Joel — but we need to see what this team looks like against Kansas, Baylor, Iowa and so on.

I can honestly say it will be fascinating.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. “Moments, Memories and Madness,” his reminiscences from several decades as a sports journalist, runs each Sunday.

Steve also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball, once per month during the offseason.