2014–15 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team

2014–15 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball
NIT Season Tip-Off champions
WCC regular season & tournament champions
NCAA Tournament, Elite Eight
Conference West Coast Conference
Ranking
Coaches #6
AP #7
2014–15 record 35–3 (17–1 WCC)
Head coach Mark Few (16th year)
Assistant coach Tommy Lloyd
Assistant coach Donny Daniels
Assistant coach Brian Michaelson
Home arena McCarthey Athletic Center
2014–15 West Coast Conference men's basketball standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT
#7 Gonzaga † 17 – 1   .944     35 – 3   .921
BYU 13 – 5   .722     25 – 10   .714
Saint Mary's 13 – 5   .722     21 – 10   .677
Pepperdine 10 – 8   .556     18 – 14   .563
San Diego 8 – 10   .444     15 – 16   .484
Portland 7 – 11   .389     17 – 16   .515
Santa Clara 7 – 11   .389     14 – 18   .438
San Francisco 7 – 11   .389     14 – 18   .438
Pacific 4 – 14   .222     12 – 19   .387
Loyola Marymount 4 – 14   .222     8 – 23   .258
† 2015 West Coast Conference Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2014–15 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Gonzaga University in the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Mark Few, who was in his 16th season as head coach. The team played its home games at McCarthey Athletic Center, which has a capacity of 6,000. The Bulldogs (also informally referred to as the Zags) were playing in their 35th season as a member of the West Coast Conference. The Zags were predicted to finish atop of the conference by the West Coast Conference Preseason Poll.[1] The Zags finished in first place in the West Coast Conference Standings for the 18th time with a 17-1 conference record after BYU defeated the Zags in the regular season finale, snapping the nation's longest active home winning streak of 41 games, as well as Gonzaga's school record 22-game winning streak.[2] The Bulldogs then went on to beat BYU in the West Coast Conference Tournament, and claimed their 14th WCC tournament title, along with punching their 18th ticket to the NCAA Tournament.[3] Gonzaga entered the 2015 NCAA Tournament as a #2 seed in the South region, and dismantled #15 seed North Dakota State,[4] #7 seed Iowa,[5] and #11 seed UCLA,[6] to gain its second trip to the Elite Eight, as well as Mark Few's first as head coach. The Zags then fell to #1 seed (and eventual national champion) Duke, and finished the season with a 35–3 record, which were the most wins in school history.[7]

Previous season

The 2013-14 Gonzaga Bulldogs team were predicted to finish atop of the conference by the West Coast Conference Preseason Poll.[8] The Zags finished in first place in the West Coast Conference Standings for the 17th time with a 15-3 conference record.[9] The Bulldogs then went on to beat BYU in the West Coast Conference Tournament, and claimed their 13th WCC tournament title, along with punching their 17th ticket to the NCAA Tournament.[10] The team drew an eight seed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, where they outlasted ninth-seed Oklahoma State in the round of 64, 85-77,[11] but then lost to Arizona in the round of 32, 84-61.[12] The Zags finished the season with an overall record of 29-7, including a perfect 15-0 record at home.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Coleman, GerardGerard Coleman 0 G 6'4" 170 Junior (Redshirt) Boston, MA Transferred to Georgetown (KY)[13]
Stockton, DavidDavid Stockton 11 G 5'11" 165 Senior (Redshirt) Spokane, WA Graduated
Meikle, LukeLuke Meikle 21 F 6'9" 203 Freshman Tacoma, WA Transferred to Cal Poly[14]
Bhaskar, BrianBrian Bhaskar 22 G 6'2" 185 Senior Monterey, CA Graduated
Roese, LeoLeo Roese 23 G 6'3" 184 Freshman São Paulo, Brazil Left Team
Dower, SamSam Dower 35 C 6'9" 243 Senior (Redshirt) Brooklyn Park, MN Graduated
Barham, DrewDrew Barham 43 F 6'7" 200 Senior (Redshirt) Memphis, TN Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School Notes
McClellan, EricEric McClellan 21 G 6'4" 180 Junior (Redshirt) Austin, TX Vanderbilt Transferred after his redshirt sophomore year.[15]
Wesley, ByronByron Wesley 22 G 6'5" 210 Senior Rancho Cucamonga, CA USC Transferred after his junior year.[16]

2014 recruiting class

Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Silas Melson[17]
SG		 Portland, OR Jefferson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jun 18, 2013 
Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 73
Josh Perkins[18]
PG		 Park Hill, CO Huntington Prep 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 186 lb (84 kg) Aug 24, 2013 
Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 86
Bryan Alberts[19]
SG		 Northridge, CA Village Christian 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Oct 28, 2013 
Scout:2/5 stars   Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 70
Domantas Sabonis[20]
PF		 Kaunas, Lithuania Sunny View School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Apr 17, 2014 
Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A  247Sports: #14  ESPN: N/A
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

2015 recruiting class

Roster

2014–15 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year High School/Junior College Home town
G 4 Pangos, KevinKevin Pangos style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 182 lb (83 kg) Sr Denison Secondary Newmarket, ON
G 5 Bell, Jr., GaryGary Bell, Jr. style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 214 lb (97 kg) Sr Kentridge Kent, WA
G 22 Wesley, ByronByron Wesley style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 206 lb (93 kg) Sr Etiwanda
USC		 Rancho Cucamonga, CA
G 3 Dranginis, KyleKyle Dranginis style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 202 lb (92 kg) RS Jr Skyview Nampa, ID
F 2 Nunez, AngelAngel Nunez style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 202 lb (92 kg) RS Jr Notre Dame Prep
Louisville		 Bronx, NY
F 33 Wiltjer, KyleKyle Wiltjer style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 240 lb (109 kg) RS Jr Jesuit
Kentucky		 Portland, OR
G 21 McClellan, EricEric McClellan style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 184 lb (83 kg) RS Jr Austin
Vanderbilt
Tulsa		 Austin, TX
C 24 Karnowski, PrzemekPrzemek Karnowski style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 288 lb (131 kg) Jr Nicolaus Copernicus Toruń, Poland
G 15 Bakamus, RemRem Bakamus (W) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 167 lb (76 kg) RS So Mark Morris Longview, WA
G 14 Griffin, ConnorConnor Griffin (W) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 212 lb (96 kg) So Lake Oswego Lake Oswego, OR
C 25 Edwards, RyanRyan Edwards  style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 294 lb (133 kg) So Glacier Kalispell, MT
G 55 Triano, DustinDustin Triano (W) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 178 lb (81 kg) RS Fr New Hampton School Vancouver, BC
G 0 Melson, SilasSilas Melson style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 178 lb (81 kg) Fr Jefferson Portland, OR
F 11 Sabonis, DomantasDomantas Sabonis style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 231 lb (105 kg) Fr Sunny View School Kaunas, Lithuania
G 13 Perkins, JoshJosh Perkins   style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 186 lb (84 kg) Fr Huntington Prep Park Hill, CO
G 10 Alberts, BryanBryan Alberts  style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Village Christian Northridge, CA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: February 18, 2015

Rankings

Ranking movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes.
Poll Pre
[30]		 Wk 2
[31]		 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Wk 15 Wk 16 Wk 17 Wk 18 Wk 19 Final
AP 13 13 10 9 9 8 8 7 6 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 7 7 7 N/A
Coaches 13 11 8 8 8 8 8 8 7 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 7 7 7 6

Schedule

Gonzaga's non-conference schedule included home games against SMU, Memphis, Texas Southern, Sacramento State, and Southeastern Louisiana. Gonzaga played true road games at Arizona and UCLA, and also faced off with Washington State at the Spokane Arena. The Zags were invited to be a host in the NIT Season Tip-Off, where they hosted Saint Joseph's and St. Thomas Aquinas and then traveled to Madison Square Garden in New York to play Georgia and ultimately St. John's in the championship game.[32] Gonzaga also played in the 12th annual Battle in Seattle at KeyArena against Cal Poly. Gonzaga played 18 conference games (home-and-home) during the seasone.[33]

Date Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (Attendance)
Exhibition
11/01/2014* #13 Thompson Rivers W 95–69  -  15 - Wesley  8 - Wesley  4 - Dranginis & Pangos  McCarthey Athletic Center (-)
Regular Season
11/14/2014* #13 Sacramento State W 104–58  1–0  18 - Wiltjer  8 - Sabonis  6 - Perkins  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
11/17/2014* #13 #22 SMU
(ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon)		 W 72–56  2–0  17 - Pangos  9 - Sabonis  7 - Pangos  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
11/19/2014* #13 Saint Joseph's
(NIT Season Tip-Off)		 W 94–42  3–0  18 - Bell Jr.  11 - Sabonis  6 - Pangos, Wesley  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
11/22/2014* #13 St. Thomas Aquinas
(NIT Season Tip-Off)		 W 109–55  4–0  24 - Nunez  11 - Nunez, Wiltjer  7 - Pangos, Perkins  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
11/26/2014* #10 vs. Georgia
(NIT Season Tip-Off Semifinals)		 W 88–76  5–0  32 - Wiltjer  6 - Karnowski, Wesley  6 - Pangos  Madison Square Garden (5,128)
11/28/2014* #10 vs. St. John's
(NIT Season Tip-Off Finals)		 W 73–66  6–0  14 - Sabonis  9 - Sabonis  9 - Pangos  Madison Square Garden (5,548)
12/02/2014* #9 Southeastern Louisiana W 76–57  7–0  20 - Wiltjer  9 - Karnowski  3 - 4 players  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
12/06/2014* #9 at #3 Arizona L 63–66 OT 7–1  15 - Wiltjer  7 - Karnowski  6 - Pangos  McKale Center (14,655)
12/10/2014* #9 vs. Washington State W 81–66  8–1  22 - Karnowski  9 - Wesley  4 - Wiltjer  Spokane Arena (11,521)
12/13/2014* #9 at UCLA W 87–74  9–1  24 - Wiltjer  9 - Wesley  5 - Dranginis  Pauley Pavilion (10,006)
12/15/2014* #8 Texas Southern W 94–54  10–1  21 - Wiltjer  7 - Nunez  6 - Pangos  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
12/20/2014* #8 vs. Cal Poly
(Battle in Seattle)		 W 63–50  11–1  16 - Karnowski, Pangos  8 - Karnowski  3 - Dranginis  KeyArena (11,741)
12/27/2014 #8 at BYU W 87–80  12–1 (1–0)  24 - Wiltjer  10 - Karnowski, Wesley  7 - Pangos  Marriott Center (20,900)
12/29/2014 #7 at San Diego W 60–48  13–1 (2–0)  15 - Wiltjer  8 - Karnowski  4 - Pangos  Jenny Craig Pavilion (4,517)
01/03/2015 #7 at Portland W 87–75  14–1 (3–0)  21 - Karnowski, Pangos  6 - Sabonis  5 - Pangos  Chiles Center (4,852)
01/08/2015 #6 San Francisco W 88–57  15–1 (4–0)  17 - Pangos  9 - Sabonis  5 - Pangos  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
01/10/2015 #6 Santa Clara W 79–57  16–1 (5–0)  18 - Karnowski  9 - Karnowski, Sabonis  4 - Pangos  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
01/15/2015 #3 at Pepperdine W 78–76  17–1 (6–0)  24 - Wiltjer  12 - Sabonis  5 - Pangos  Firestone Fieldhouse (3,250)
01/17/2015 #3 at Loyola Marymount W 72–55  18–1 (7–0)  17 - Bell  8 - Sabonis  6 - Pangos  Gersten Pavilion (4,026)
01/22/2015 #3 Saint Mary's W 68–47  19–1 (8–0)  14 - Pangos  13 - Sabonis  5 - Pangos  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
01/24/2015 #3 Pacific W 91–60  20–1 (9–0)  13 - Bell Jr., Karnowski  8 - Sabonis  4 - Wiltjer  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
01/29/2015 #3 Portland W 64–46  21–1 (10–0)  13 - Sabonis  11 - Sabonis  4 - Karnowski  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
01/31/2015* #3 Memphis W 82–64  22–1  17 - Karnowski  11 - Sabonis  5 - Pangos, Wesley  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
02/05/2015 #2 at Santa Clara W 77–63  23–1 (11–0)  22 - Wiltjer  9 - Sabonis  7 - Pangos  Leavey Center (4,700)
02/07/2015 #2 at San Francisco W 81–70  24–1 (12–0)  29 - Wiltjer  11 - Wiltjer  4 - Pangos  War Memorial Gymnasium (4,000)
02/12/2015 #3 Loyola Marymount W 80–51  25–1 (13–0)  21 - Wiltjer  10 - Wiltjer  8 - Pangos  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
02/14/2015 #3 Pepperdine W 56–48  26–1 (14–0)  19 - Pangos  7 - Karnowski  3 - Pangos, Wesley  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
02/19/2015 #3 at Pacific W 86–74  27–1 (15–0)  45 - Wiltjer  6 - Wiltjer  8 - Pangos  Alex G. Spanos Center (5,672)
02/21/2015 #3 at Saint Mary's W 70–60  28–1 (16–0)  16 - Wiltjer  12 - Wiltjer  7 - Pangos  McKeon Pavilion (3,500)
02/26/2015 #3 San Diego W 59–39  29–1 (17–0)  14 - Karnowski  8 - Karnowski  4 - Pangos  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
02/28/2015 #3 BYU L 70–73  29–2 (17–1)  17 - Wesley  9 - Wesley  5 - Pangos  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
WCC Tournament
03/07/2015 #7 vs. San Francisco
(Quarterfinals)		 W 81–72  30–2  24 - Karnowski  8 - Wiltjer  5 - Pangos  Orleans Arena (8,537)
03/09/2015 #7 vs. Pepperdine
(Semifinals)		 W 79–61  31–2  25 - Wesley  9 - Wiltjer  6 - Pangos  Orleans Arena (8,546)
03/10/2015 #7 vs. BYU
(Final)		 W 91–75  32–2  18 - Wiltjer  10 - Wiltjer  5 - Pangos  Orleans Arena (8,585)
NCAA Tournament
03/20/2015* #7 (2 S) vs. (15 S) North Dakota State
(Second round)		 W 86–76  33–2  23 - Wiltjer  11 - Sabonis  5 - Pangos  KeyArena (14,852)
03/22/2015* #7 (2 S) vs. (7 S) Iowa
(Third round)		 W 87–68  34–2  24 - Wiltjer  9 - Sabonis  4 - Bell, Dranginis, Karnowski  KeyArena (14,901)
03/27/2015* #7 (2 S) vs. (11 S) UCLA
(Sweet Sixteen)		 W 74–62  35–2  18 - Karnowski  10 - Wiltjer  4 - Wiltjer  NRG Stadium (21,168)
03/29/2015* #7 (2 S) vs. #4 (1 S) Duke
(Elite Eight)		 L 52–66  35–3  16 - Wiltjer  5 - Karnowski, Wesley, Wiltjer  2 - Bell, Karnowski, Wesley  NRG Stadium (20,744)
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. ( ) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific Time. (#) during NCAA Tournament is seed with Region S=South.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "West Coast Conference Announces 2014-15 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, All-WCC Team". October 27, 2014.
  2. ↑ "BYU beats No. 3 Gonzaga, ending nation's longest home win streak". February 28, 2015.
  3. ↑ "No. 7 Gonzaga cruises past BYU to 14th WCC title". March 10, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Gonzaga moves on with 86-76 win over ND State". March 20, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Gonzaga catches fire in second half, routs Iowa to reach Sweet 16". March 22, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Gonzaga handles UCLA, reaches Elite Eight for 1st time since '99". March 27, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Freshmen-led Duke pounds Gonzaga to earn Coach K's 12 Final Four". March 29, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Coaches Tab Gonzaga to Capture WCC Men's Basketball Title". October 24, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Gonzaga beats St. Mary's 75-47 to close WCC season". March 1, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Gonzaga holds off BYU comeback to win WCC title". March 11, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Gonzaga outlasts Oklahoma State as 61 fouls called, 5 foul out". March 21, 2014.
  12. ↑ "No. 1 Arizona dominates Gonzaga to reach Sweet 16". March 23, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Gerard Coleman headed to Georgetown (Kent.) College". August 15, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Report: Former Gonzaga forward Lucas Meikle transfers to Cal Poly". July 6, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Eric McClellan transferring to GU". June 29, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Byron Wesley transferring to Gonzaga". May 18, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Oregon high schooler Silas Melson commits to Gonzaga". June 19, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Josh Perkins, highly-touted recruit, picks Zags". August 24, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Guard Bryan Alberts from SoCal commits to Gonzaga". October 29, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Domas Sabonis Signs Men's Basketball Letter-Of-Intent". April 17, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Guard Jesse Wade from Utah commits to Zags". October 4, 2013.
  22. ↑ "Kraziness in the Kennel This Saturday". October 23, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Zags roll past wolfpack". November 1, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Bryan Alberts to redshirt". November 15, 2014.
  25. ↑ "Zags’ Melson steps in for fellow freshman guard Perkins". November 30, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Josh Perkins make take a medical redshirt, may not return in the 2014-15 season". February 13, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Josh Perkins on the mend". March 22, 2015.
  28. ↑ Goodman, Jeff (April 4, 2015). "Domantas Sabonis back to Gonzaga". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Angel Nunez won his NCAA appeal". February 18, 2015.
  30. ↑ "2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings - Preseason (Nov. 10)". October 31, 2014.
  31. ↑ "2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings - Preseason (Nov. 17)". November 17, 2014.
  32. ↑ "30th Annual NIT Season Tip-Off Features 10-team Field, Six Games At MSG". September 5, 2014.
  33. ↑ "2014-15 Gonzaga Men's Basketball Schedule". September 17, 2014.