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Having no-name roster not unusual for Gonzaga

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Jeff Goodman

Jeff Goodman is a senior college basketball writer for FOXSports.com. Check out his Yardbarker blog. MORE>>
 
Updated Sep 26, 2009 7:48 AM ET
     
 
Go ahead and name someone else besides Matt Bouldin on Gonzaga. It's not easy. "That big guy," one national writer said to me. "The little point guard," another added.
"Is Micah Downs still there?" yet another chimed in. No. Downs is gone, and so are Jeremy Pargo, Austin Daye and Josh Heytvelt. That leaves Bouldin and a bunch of no-names. "Everyone in the league thinks we're vulnerable, and I'm alright with that," Zags coach Mark Few said. "These guys have a lot to prove." Heytvelt, Daye, Pargo and Downs were four of the team's top-five scorers and combined to average more than 47 points last season. Bouldin and Steven Gray are the only returnees to average more than four points. But those in Spokane have seen this act before, so they aren't getting all that concerned. The Zags lost Richie Frohm, Matt Santangelo and two other starters from a 26-win team in 2000, but Dan Dickau and Blake Stepp emerged the following year and the team didn't miss a beat, winning 26 more. When Bouldin was a freshman three years ago, Gonzaga was coming off a 29-win season but the team lost Adam Morrison, J.P. Batista and two other starters. "It was similar to this year," Bouldin said. "Derek Raivio was the only guy back." The Zags still found a way to win 23 games in 2006-07 and extend their NCAA tournament streak to nine straight seasons. Heytvelt and Pargo went from seldom-used role guys to full-time starters who quickly became national names. Few's take: He has a few players that can make a similar leap from last season to this season. Steven Gray. Demetri Goodson. Robert Sacre. If you aren't from Spokane, you probably haven't heard much about them. That'll change. Soon. Few said Gray has a chance to be as good as any guard that has come through the program on his watch, and that's a big heaping of praise since the Zags have churned out Pargo, Dickau and plenty of other quality backcourt players. Few said Goodson gave Pargo all he could handle in practice last season and is a quick, tough floor leader. Sacre gives the Zags a true inside presence and a warrior — a completely different look than Heytvelt provided. The streak is now at 11 straight in Spokane, and it has never appeared more in jeopardy than it does entering 2009-10. "Sure, I feel a little pressure," said Bouldin, who has been one of the team's top players for the past two seasons. "But I have the utmost faith in my teammates." Despite not even seeing all of them play yet. Don't be shocked if 6-foot-7 freshman Elias Harris, a versatile, athletic player from Germany who isn't necessarily defined by a position, moves into the starting lineup — maybe quicker than anyone expects. "He can face up, he's athletic and strong and he can put it on the deck," Few said. "They have him playing the one through the four (in Europe). He's guarding guys like Nick Calathes." "From what I've been told, we're not going to skip a beat with the loss of Austin," Bouldin added. Harris is one of six freshmen this season — including a trio from Canada, Minnesota big man Sam Dower and Texas guard G.J. Vilarino. "I'm worried," Few said. "I'm very worried. I know a lot of these guys will be good down the road, but we'll see if they're ready to go right now." And it's not as if Few pulled back on the schedule, either. Gonzaga will travel to Michigan State on Nov. 17, play Duke in New York in mid-December and face non-conference games against Illinois, Oklahoma, Wake Forest, Washington State and Davidson. Maui isn't loaded, but the Zags will still get Arizona or Wisconsin in the second round. "From a program standpoint, you've got to take those games if you can get them," Few said. "Those types of games are only available to about 10 or 15 teams." With Patty Mills leaving early from Saint Mary's, it looks as though Gonzaga's primary competition for the WCC title could come from a Portland team that surprised many and returns most of its team. "I think this team is going to be tougher than our other teams," Bouldin said. "Those guys were great guys, but I think we've gotten rid of some of the prima donnas. That's going to sound derogatory, but I just think we're scrappier and we don't have the big names. We're going to have to be like the old Gonzaga teams and outwork people." And continue the streak.
Tagged: Michigan State, Arizona, Duke, Gonzaga, Washington State, Portland, Wisconsin, Texas, Wake Forest, Minnesota

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