THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Battle bringing a lift to lineup

It’s not quite a rule.

Not exactly.

Still, we know very well that, generally speaking, journalists should not overly admire single individuals.

Getting hooked on a subject — someone you need to cover objectively —can give readers the impression that you might not be fair.

It happens, though.

In sports, especially, members of the media can feel just like members of the public and become “fans” of a particular player.

Sorry, we just love watching some athletes compete, just like you do.

The difference is that we work to be fair and objective about any specific player — no matter how much we enjoy seeing that individual turn sport into art.

Or magic.

Or chaos.

That’s my defense for being a card-carrying member of the Khalif Battle fan club.

I’m not alone, by the way.

In just five games, Battle has made Zag Nation even crazier than it was before opening night.

Disclaimer: Also like a lot of fans waiting to see this remodeled Gonzaga juggernaut, I wondered about a player tipping off at his fourth school in four years (Battle has played at Bradley, Temple, Arkansas and now as a Zag).

What sort of highwayman would make that journey, and still be all in with a Gonzaga team trying to win everything?

WELL, IT turns out that Khalif Battle plays a wild sort of game when Mark Few allows it – but he quietly listens to coaches and teammates when they need him to switch gears.

Yes, there are some contradictions involved here.

Battle is obviously having fun, and shows it to opponents and the crowd – but he’s deadly serious about winning, and came to Gonzaga to play with a great team.

Something else may have caught your attention.

Battle’s first name is a form of the Arab word “caliph,” which means “leader.”

Yet he’s had Catholic schooling throughout his growth years in Trenton, N.J., and makes the “Sign of the Cross” when he steps on the court.

Fans at the Kennel likely tune out all that background when they’re watching Battle play.

He’s a terrific 3-point shooter (46 percent so far this year), but what you remember about his game is that he clearly recalls that the best way to get from Point A to Point B is a straight line.

Khalif in the open court is like watching a runaway train and wondering if this dash is going to finish with a windmill slam, some dipsy-do reverse under the bucket — or an offensive foul as he runs right through some poor defender around the top of the lane.

I’m pretty sure Battle doesn’t know what’s going to happen, either.

Except that stopping is out of the question.

Khalif is going to the hoop.

The rest can be decided in milliseconds.

There’s a heartbeat in there when NOBODY can guess the outcome.

In sheer terms of how the outcome affects the game, Gonzaga comes out best if Battle draws a foul when the contact occurs.

He’s one of the nation’s best free-throw shooters, now on an active streak of 33 in a row (15 straight when he was averaging 29.7 points in his final seven games at Arkansas, and 18 FTs to start this year at Gonzaga).

BATTLE actually reminds me of Zach (Snacks) Norvell Jr., who played with the Zags’ Elite Eight team with Rui Hachimura, Brandon Clarke and the guys who had a legit chance to win it all.

Norvell is now back at Gonzaga as an assistant coach, but in his active days, he was a go-for-it lefty who could get on thrilling runs from behind the arc, but also put his head down and crashed toward the basket.

Yes, that sounds like Battle because it WAS like Battle.

Both of these guys would sometimes go chilly with their 3-pointers, and take some poor ones in an effort to get dialed back on line.

And of course, they would.

In the meantime, fans would hold their breath and remember that “shooters got to shoot.”

That’s what you’re going to see from Battle, along with his aggressive defense and whipped passes as the Zags run their half-court offense.

Just like with Norvell, Few was thrilled to get Battle, because he keeps the pace on high — even when the Zags tend to get a little sleepy once in a while.

Having a microwave on the wing guarantees instant heat, and Battle fires up everyone when he’s barreling downcourt – and when he stops to fire from 30 feet.

He makes the game more fun.

And the Zags more dangerous.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”