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Mar. 18—Nolan Hickman noticed a novel approach to Gonzaga's preparation for the West Coast Conference Tournament and the likelihood of round three against Saint Mary's.
The Gaels won close decisions in the first two matchups, prompting GU's coaching staff to not only adjust the starting five — inserting Braden Huff for Ben Gregg — but push the players to summon every ounce of their competitive fire in Las Vegas.
"The prep for Saint Mary's was much different than our past experiences running into Saint Mary's," said Hickman, who has lined up against the Gaels 12 times in his career. "It was, 'We just gotta be nastier,' just being nastier on defense and the rebounding end. They kind of made that a point in practice.
"It was just more of our guards having to get in there and muck it up in terms of rebounding."
The result was Gonzaga's gritty 58-51 win, in essence beating the Gaels at their own game. Despite losing the rebounding battle, the Zags limited the damage by forcing SMC into a season-high 18 turnovers, several following offensive boards, and converting those into 20 points.
"Those plays swung our way (against Saint Mary's) and in both games in the tournament," GU head coach Mark Few said of the 50-50 balls and hustle plays. "Now we have to keep playing with that edge. It's important to see that continue."
It's common for Vegas visitors to attempt to stockpile as many chips as possible in the casinos. For GU, the trip was about finding and playing with a chip, err, boulder, on their shoulders.
"We know it's win or go home now and that game kind of showed when we're playing desperate, we're pretty dangerous," Gregg said. "If we're playing that hard every possession and that locked in, we're going to be hard to beat. I don't think anybody is ready to go home now, so we still have a big chip on our shoulder."
Zags point guard Ryan Nembhard would have preferred a blowout but acknowledged the benefits of digging out a victory with 40 high-energy minutes that didn't waver when the Gaels made runs or GU periodically labored to score.
"I wish we would have won by 30, scored a little bit more," he said, "but I do think there's a lot of value in winning like that. It showed a lot of grit and shows a lot about our maturity to be able to win a game like that when you don't shoot it the best. It just shows we can win in different ways and it's nice to pull out a close one."
Gonzaga's tendency to drop tight games during the regular season worried some of the fan base and left the Zags uncomfortably close to the tournament bubble at times. The consternation became another entry in the motivation file.
"It was a combination of things," Nembhard said. "We really wanted to win that tournament. That was a big week for us, and even that last stretch of the (regular) season. We hear all the doubts, we hear the people that say we're not as good as we used to be or whatever it may be.
"I think that chip also was a little bit losing to Saint Mary's twice and losing the one on Senior Night, but it's also who we are at this point of the year. We go into every game with that chip, thinking we're the best team every time we step on the floor. We're looking forward to competing against great teams that bring out the best in us. If don't have a chip on your shoulder in March and don't want to go into every one of these games like it's a fight, then I don't know why you're playing ball."
Likewise, the Zags navigated an adversity-filled season with thicker skin and rising confidence from their improved play over the last month.
After dropping back-to-back January games to Oregon State and Santa Clara, Nembhard spoke up at a team meeting that actions, not words, were required to get back on track. Hickman's postgame comments were direct after GU yielded 103 points to the Broncos.
"Missing assignments and our energy, our spirit, that's pretty much the two (things)," the Seattle native said. "We can't play like that. Dead. Got to have some heart, got to show it."
Then and now?
"Much different," Hickman said. "This year's team is so similar to last year's where we had to go into Kentucky, us against the wall, and dig one out. That's how we were feeling, backs against the wall after two losses to Saint Mary's. Why not go in guns blazing? Basketball is just so much more beautiful when it's like that. It's cutthroat. I think a lot of teams need to experience that around this time of year before we get into the Big Dance. There's a clear understanding now."
"I don't think it's good for you to just be smooth sailing your whole life and not go through any roadblocks or challenges," Nembhard said. "To go through stuff and prevail and come out on the other side, it shows a lot about who you are as a person and who we are as a team. I think it's special."
GU will try to parlay that into another special postseason run.
Continue reading...
The Gaels won close decisions in the first two matchups, prompting GU's coaching staff to not only adjust the starting five — inserting Braden Huff for Ben Gregg — but push the players to summon every ounce of their competitive fire in Las Vegas.
"The prep for Saint Mary's was much different than our past experiences running into Saint Mary's," said Hickman, who has lined up against the Gaels 12 times in his career. "It was, 'We just gotta be nastier,' just being nastier on defense and the rebounding end. They kind of made that a point in practice.
"It was just more of our guards having to get in there and muck it up in terms of rebounding."
The result was Gonzaga's gritty 58-51 win, in essence beating the Gaels at their own game. Despite losing the rebounding battle, the Zags limited the damage by forcing SMC into a season-high 18 turnovers, several following offensive boards, and converting those into 20 points.
"Those plays swung our way (against Saint Mary's) and in both games in the tournament," GU head coach Mark Few said of the 50-50 balls and hustle plays. "Now we have to keep playing with that edge. It's important to see that continue."
It's common for Vegas visitors to attempt to stockpile as many chips as possible in the casinos. For GU, the trip was about finding and playing with a chip, err, boulder, on their shoulders.
"We know it's win or go home now and that game kind of showed when we're playing desperate, we're pretty dangerous," Gregg said. "If we're playing that hard every possession and that locked in, we're going to be hard to beat. I don't think anybody is ready to go home now, so we still have a big chip on our shoulder."
Zags point guard Ryan Nembhard would have preferred a blowout but acknowledged the benefits of digging out a victory with 40 high-energy minutes that didn't waver when the Gaels made runs or GU periodically labored to score.
"I wish we would have won by 30, scored a little bit more," he said, "but I do think there's a lot of value in winning like that. It showed a lot of grit and shows a lot about our maturity to be able to win a game like that when you don't shoot it the best. It just shows we can win in different ways and it's nice to pull out a close one."
Gonzaga's tendency to drop tight games during the regular season worried some of the fan base and left the Zags uncomfortably close to the tournament bubble at times. The consternation became another entry in the motivation file.
"It was a combination of things," Nembhard said. "We really wanted to win that tournament. That was a big week for us, and even that last stretch of the (regular) season. We hear all the doubts, we hear the people that say we're not as good as we used to be or whatever it may be.
"I think that chip also was a little bit losing to Saint Mary's twice and losing the one on Senior Night, but it's also who we are at this point of the year. We go into every game with that chip, thinking we're the best team every time we step on the floor. We're looking forward to competing against great teams that bring out the best in us. If don't have a chip on your shoulder in March and don't want to go into every one of these games like it's a fight, then I don't know why you're playing ball."
Likewise, the Zags navigated an adversity-filled season with thicker skin and rising confidence from their improved play over the last month.
After dropping back-to-back January games to Oregon State and Santa Clara, Nembhard spoke up at a team meeting that actions, not words, were required to get back on track. Hickman's postgame comments were direct after GU yielded 103 points to the Broncos.
"Missing assignments and our energy, our spirit, that's pretty much the two (things)," the Seattle native said. "We can't play like that. Dead. Got to have some heart, got to show it."
Then and now?
"Much different," Hickman said. "This year's team is so similar to last year's where we had to go into Kentucky, us against the wall, and dig one out. That's how we were feeling, backs against the wall after two losses to Saint Mary's. Why not go in guns blazing? Basketball is just so much more beautiful when it's like that. It's cutthroat. I think a lot of teams need to experience that around this time of year before we get into the Big Dance. There's a clear understanding now."
"I don't think it's good for you to just be smooth sailing your whole life and not go through any roadblocks or challenges," Nembhard said. "To go through stuff and prevail and come out on the other side, it shows a lot about who you are as a person and who we are as a team. I think it's special."
GU will try to parlay that into another special postseason run.
Continue reading...
