THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Just one game in, Suggs proves he's worth all the fuss

Hype, meet reality.

Let’s get this matter out of the way immediately.

Jalen Suggs is all of that…

And then some.

The Zags' freshman point guard played his first game Thursday, facing mighty Kansas — and even the reigning national defensive player of the year, Marcus Garrett.

To be sure, there were a lot of heroes as the No. 1 Zags stormed down the stretch to kick off the season by dispatching the Jayhawks, 102-90.

After the game, Suggs made a point of saying his teammates kept him calm and loose.

They’re a pretty good group, too.

Drew Timme was almost unstoppable inside, and hit 11 of 15 shots en route to a 25-point afternoon.

Corey Kispert did what he does, playing every facet of the game well, steadying the ship when necessary and tossing in 23 points of his own.

Joel Ayayi was Joel Ayayi, as well — 15 points, 9 rebounds and a couple of critical steals for baskets.

But we knew all about those three.

SUGGS WAS the mystery on this team, a group that has gotten so much preseason love.

Was he worth all the fuss?

Zag fans were dying for an answer.

So, what happened?

Well, the kid from Minnesota simply took over the game in the second half, right around the time Kansas had erased a 14-deficit and pulled into a tie at 57-all.

Suggs drove through a crowd to score, muscling up like the football star he’s been; he slipped a look-away pass to Ayayi for a bucket; he drained a long 3-ball when the game had tightened and Gonzaga needed points.

At times, it seemed he did whatever he pleased.

Overall, Jalen played just 24 minutes as Coach Mark Few juggled lineups throughout the first half.

Yet in those 24 minutes, Suggs scored 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting (2 for 3 from deep), grabbed four rebounds and handed out eight assists, while committing just a single turnover.

Consume those numbers for just a sec.

Beyond the stats, though…

Even better, he played strong and quick as you might have expected — but surprisingly, he displayed a sense of serenity out there that would make a casual observer wonder if Gonzaga (or somebody) is spoofing about this young man’s age.

“I’ve waited all my life to play college basketball,” Suggs said during a postgame Zoom interview.

Now we know why.

ADDING Suggs to the core of this Gonzaga bunch — not to mention the late waiver allowing transfer Andrew Nembhard to play immediately — has created what has to be the most amazing group of guards that the Zags have ever had on one team.

Especially when you add Kispert to the group — and even at 6-7 he can handle and defend with any guards — Gonzaga has created a team that will overwhelm people with mismatches.

Kansas Coach Bill Self, who’s been around just a bit and won a national championship in the process, was quick to say his Jayhawks had never faced a better group of guards — nor would they for the rest of the year.

The gifted Garrett, who scored 22 points in defeat, said of Gonzaga…

“We were just surprised by how fast they play.”

Self actually suggested that had a lot to do with the result.

“I thought we did a lot of good things,” he said, “and we got to a point where we were really in the game.

“But then in the last 10 minutes, they just ran us out of gas.”

That’s been the Gonzaga formula over the last several years.

They want to speed you up until, like the Roadrunner in those famous cartoons, they’re just gone.

The thing is, though, that plan only works if you have a fantastic point guard — a savvy character who can handle the ball, constantly plays quick, can go all the way to the bucket, or see the floor, or find the open man, all while keeping things under control…

Even at breakneck speed.

Who could have guessed that the top-ranked Zags, an up-tempo team that broke the century mark against a rugged Kansas defense, would have an 18-year-old running the show?

Suggs surely will only be around one year, before becoming an NBA lottery pick.

But if Gonzaga can somehow dodge the curse of COVID and get most of a full schedule played, watching this guy ball is going to be a treat.

Jalen Suggs is simply special.

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 which is published each Tuesday.