Gonzaga Bulldogs: No longer a Cinderella team, Gonzaga has become a perennial force in college basketball. However, they have been disappointments in the postseason the last few years and no longer target as many "under the radar" white players as they did in creating the dynasty, preferring to bring in "athletic" blacks and mixed race players. Is their a connection? This year, however, Gonzaga should once again feature several talented white ball players.
One of my favorite players,
Josh Heytvelt returns and, if the senior is fully recovered from the injury that plagued him a season ago, should be a dominant player. Phenomenally athletic, Heytvelt has the ability to control a game on both ends of the floor. Junior combo guard
Matt Bouldin led the Zags in scoring last year, and in my opinion is a better all-around player than his more highly totued black backcourt mate. A very strong guard at 6-5, Bouldin is a matchup nightmare on the offensive end. The uber-athletic 6-7 guard/forward
Micah Downs has intrigued me for years. Clearly the most athletic player in the WCC who can score from anywhere on the court, the former McDonald's All-American also has the skills to be an All-Star in the NBA. Yes, that's right. I said it. However, the problem with Downs is between his ears. He has never put that talent and skill set into effect on a consistent basis come gametime.
The only other white player expected to play this season is 7-5 center
Will Foster, who is
still very much a project in his junior year. So you can see, Gonzaga is much darker than in years past. Mixed players Austin Daye and Steven Gray get a lot of pub.
Two highly regarded freshmen, guard
Grant Gibbs and forward
Andy Poling are expected to redshirt.
Josh Heytvelt
Matt Bouldin
Micah Downs
