2016–17 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team

2016–17 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball
Conference	West Coast Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 8
AP	No. 8
2016–17 record	8–0 (0–0 WCC)
Head coach	Mark Few (18th year)
Assistant coach	Tommy Lloyd (16th year)
Assistant coach	Donny Daniels (7th year)
Assistant coach	Brian Michaelson (4th year)
Home arena	McCarthey Athletic Center

2016–17 West Coast Conference men's basketball standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
#8 Gonzaga	0	–	0		–			8	–	0		1.000
#12 Saint Mary's	0	–	0		–			6	–	0		1.000
San Francisco	0	–	0		–			6	–	1		.857
BYU	0	–	0		–			5	–	2		.714
Pepperdine	0	–	0		–			4	–	2		.667
Portland	0	–	0		–			4	–	2		.667
Pacific	0	–	0		–			3	–	3		.500
Loyola Marymount	0	–	0		–			2	–	2		.500
San Diego	0	–	0		–			3	–	5		.375
Santa Clara	0	–	0		–			3	–	5		.375
† 2017 West Coast Conference Tournament winner As of Dec. 3, 2016; Rankings from AP Poll

The 2016–17 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team represents Gonzaga University in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team is led by head coach Mark Few, who is in his 18th season as head coach. The team plays its home games at McCarthey Athletic Center, which has a capacity of 6,000. The Bulldogs (also informally referred to as the Zags) are playing in their 37th season as a member of the West Coast Conference.

Previous Season

The 2015-16 Gonzaga Bulldogs team finished the season 28–8, 15–3 in WCC play to finish in a share for the WCC regular season championship. They defeated Portland, BYU, and Saint Mary's to be champions of the WCC Tournament and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. As a #11 seed, they defeated #6 seed Seton Hall and #3 seed Utah to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, where they lost to #10 seed Syracuse.

Preseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for Departure
McClellan, EricEric McClellan	23	G	6'4"	184	Senior (Redshirt)	Austin, TX	Graduated
Wiltjer, KyleKyle Wiltjer	33	F	6'10"	243	Senior (Redshirt)	Portland, OR	Graduated
Dranginis, KyleKyle Dranginis	3	G	6'5"	203	Senior (Redshirt)	Nampa, ID	Graduated
Sabonis, DomantasDomantas Sabonis	11	F	6'11"	240	Sophomore	Kaunas, Lithuania	Entered the 2016 NBA draft

Incoming transfers

Name	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School	Years Remaining	Date Eligible
Mathews, JordanJordan Mathews	G	6'4"	203	Senior	San Francisco, CA	California	1	Oct. 1, 2016[1]

2016 Recruiting Class

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Zach Collins[2] C	Las Vegas, NV	Bishop Gorman	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Mar 16, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 88
Killian Tillie[3] F	Antibes, France	INSEP	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Aug 29, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Zach Norvell[4] G	Chicago, IL	Simeon	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Nov 2, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 82
Jacob Larsen[5] C	Holte, Denmark	Falkonergårdens Gymnasium SISU Copenhagen	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Nov 12, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Rui Hachimura[6] F	Sendai, Japan	Meisei	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Nov 20, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #14   Rivals: #13  247Sports: #10  ESPN: #21
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: "2016 Gonzaga Rivals Commits". Rivals.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2015. "2016 Gonzaga Scout Commits". Scout.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2015. "2016 Gonzaga ESPN Commits". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2015. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved November 20, 2015. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 20, 2015. "2016 Gonzaga 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2015.

2017 Recruiting Class

2017 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Corey Kispert[7] SF	Seattle, WA	King's	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	May 4, 2016
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 69
Overall recruiting rankings:
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: "2017 Gonzaga Rivals Commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 4, 2016. "2017 Gonzaga Scout Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved May 4, 2016. "2017 Gonzaga ESPN Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 4, 2016. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved May 4, 2016. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 4, 2016. "2017 Gonzaga 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2016.

Roster

2016–17 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Home town G 0 Melson, SilasSilas Melson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Jefferson HS Portland, OR G 2 Beach, JackJack Beach (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Torrey Pines HS San Diego, CA F 3 Williams, JohnathanJohnathan Williams 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 228 lb (103 kg) RS Jr Missouri Memphis, TN G 4 Mathews, JordanJordan Mathews 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 203 lb (92 kg) Sr California Los Angeles, CA G 5 Williams-Goss, NigelNigel Williams-Goss 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Washington Happy Valley, OR G 10 Alberts, BryanBryan Alberts 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 198 lb (90 kg) RS So Village Christian Northridge, CA G 13 Perkins, JoshJosh Perkins 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS So Huntington Prep Park Hill, CO C 14 Larsen, JacobJacob Larsen 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 227 lb (103 kg) Fr Falkonergårdens Gymnasium Holte, Denmark G 15 Bakamus, RemRem Bakamus (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 173 lb (78 kg) RS Sr Mark Morris HS Longview, WA F 21 Hachimura, RuiRui Hachimura 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Meisei Sendai, Japan F 22 Jones, JeremyJeremy Jones (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS So Rice San Antonio, TX G 23 Norvell, ZachZach Norvell 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Simeon Chicago, IL C 24 Karnowski, PrzemekPrzemek Karnowski 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 300 lb (136 kg) RS Sr Nicolaus Copernicus Toruń, Poland C 25 Edwards, RyanRyan Edwards 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 295 lb (134 kg) RS Jr Glacier HS Kalispell, MT F 32 Collins, ZachZach Collins 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Bishop Gorman HS Las Vegas, NV F 33 Tillie, KillianKillian Tillie 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr INSEP Cagnes-sur-Mer, France G 55 Triano, DustinDustin Triano (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Jr New Hampton School Vancouver, BC	Head coach Mark Few (Oregon) Assistant coach(es) Tommy Lloyd (Whitman) Donny Daniels (Cal State Fullerton) Brian Michaelson (Gonzaga) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: May 24, 2016

• Roster is subject to change as/if players transfer or leave the program for other reasons.
• Przemek Karnowski received a medical hardship waiver and decided to play his final season of eligibility at Gonzaga in 2016–17.^[8] He played the first five games for the Zags, but due to back problems, which eventually forced him to undergo surgery, he missed the rest of the season.^[9]
• Jesse Wade graduated high school in 2015, but before enrolling in college at Gonzaga, he left for a 2-year LDS mission in Lyon, France, and will arrive on campus as a freshman in Fall 2017.^[10]

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Year at Gonzaga	Alma Mater (year)
Mark Few	Head Coach	18th	Oregon (1987)
Tommy Lloyd	Associate Head Coach	16th	Whitman (1998)
Donny Daniels	Assistant Coach	7th	Cal State Fullerton (1976)
Brian Michaelson	Assistant Coach	4th	Gonzaga (2005)
John Jakus	Director of Basketball Operations	3rd	Trinity International (1999)
Riccardo Fois	Director of Analytics	3rd	Pepperdine (2009)
Jennifer Nyland	Athletic Trainer	18th	Washington State (1998)
Travis Knight	Strength & Conditioning Coach	11th	Gonzaga (2000)

Rankings

Ranking movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. RV = Others receiving votes. *AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings.

Poll	Pre	Wk 2	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	Wk 20	Final
AP	14	14	11	8																	N/A*
Coaches	13	14	11	8

Schedule

Gonzaga's non-conference schedule includes a matchups with Washington^[11] as well as neutral court games against Tennessee (in Nashville)^[12] and Arizona (in Los Angeles).^[13] The Zags were invited to play in the AdvoCare Invitational, where they will play against 3 the following in Florida: Florida, Indiana State, Iowa State, Miami (FL), Quinnipiac, Seton Hall, and Stanford.^[14] Gonzaga will play 18 conference games (home-and-home) within a nine-week span, beginning on December 29, 2016.^[15] The Zags will play in the single-elimination WCC Tournament, which takes place March 2–7, 2017 in a new 3-year contract at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.^[16][17]

Date Time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (Attendance) City, State
Exhibition
Nov. 5* 6:00 PM, KHQ	No. 14	West Georgia Exhibition Game	W 122–76	–	20 – Williams-Goss	14 – Williams	5 – Williams-Goss	McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA
Non-Conference Regular Season
Nov. 11* 6:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ	No. 14	Utah Valley	W 92–69	1–0	17 – Melson	9 – Tillie	6 – Williams-Goss	McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA
Nov. 14* 9:00 PM, ESPN2	No. 14	San Diego State College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon	W 69–48	2–0	17 – Mathews	10 – Tillie	3 – Williams-Goss	McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA
Nov. 18* 5:30 PM, KHQ/RTNW	No. 14	Bryant	W 109–70	3–0	22 – Karnowski	8 – Karnowski, Williams	5 – Williams-Goss	McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA
Nov. 24* 3:30 PM, ESPN2	No. 11	vs. Quinnipiac AdvoCare Invitational Quarterfinals	W 82–62	4–0	13 – Collins, Williams	8 – Karnowski	8 – Williams-Goss	HP Field House (-) Bay Lake, FL
Nov. 25* 6:30 PM, ESPNU	No. 11	vs. Florida AdvoCare Invitational Semifinals	W 77–72	5–0	18 – Perkins	6 – Tillie	3 – Perkins, Williams, Williams-Goss	HP Field House (2,941) Bay Lake, FL
Nov. 27* 10:30 AM, ESPN	No. 11	vs. No. 21 Iowa State AdvoCare Invitational Championship	W 73–71	6–0	18 – Williams-Goss	8 – Karnowski	5 – Karnowski, Perkins	HP Field House (2,305) Bay Lake, FL
Dec. 1* 6:00 PM, KHQ/RTNW	No. 8	Mississippi Valley State	W 97–63	7–0	15 – Melson, Perkins	9 – Collins, Hachimura	5 – Williams-Goss	McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA
Dec. 3* 2:30 PM, ESPN	No. 8	vs. No. 16 Arizona HoopHall LA	W 69–62	8–0	18 – Karnowski	8 – Collins	3 – Williams-Goss	Staples Center  Los Angeles, CA
Dec. 7* 8:00 PM, ESPN2		Washington	–	–	–	–	–	McCarthey Athletic Center  Spokane, WA
Dec. 10* 5:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ		Akron	–	–	–	–	–	McCarthey Athletic Center  Spokane, WA
Dec. 18* 1:00 PM, ESPN2		vs. Tennessee Nashville Showcase	–	–	–	–	–	Bridgestone Arena  Nashville, TN
Dec. 21* 6:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ		South Dakota	–	–	–	–	–	McCarthey Athletic Center  Spokane, WA
WCC Regular Season
Dec. 29 6:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ		Pepperdine	–	– (–)	–	–	–	McCarthey Athletic Center  Spokane, WA
Dec. 31 5:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ		at Pacific	–	– (–)	–	–	–	Alex G. Spanos Center  Stockton, CA
Jan. 5  ESPN/ESPN2		at San Francisco	–	– (–)	–	–	–	War Memorial Gymnasium  San Francisco, CA
Jan. 7 7:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ		at Portland	–	– (–)	–	–	–	Chiles Center  Portland, OR
Jan. 12 6:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ		Loyola Marymount	–	– (–)	–	–	–	McCarthey Athletic Center  Spokane, WA
Jan. 14 7:00 PM, ESPN2		Saint Mary's	–	– (–)	–	–	–	McCarthey Athletic Center  Spokane, WA
Jan. 19 8:00 PM, ESPNU		at Santa Clara	–	– (–)	–	–	–	Leavey Center  Santa Clara, CA
Jan. 21 5:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ		Portland	–	– (–)	–	–	–	McCarthey Athletic Center  Spokane, WA
Jan. 26 6:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ		San Diego	–	– (–)	–	–	–	McCarthey Athletic Center  Spokane, WA
Jan. 28 7:00 PM, ESPN2		at Pepperdine	–	– (–)	–	–	–	Firestone Fieldhouse  Malibu, CA
Feb. 2 8:00 PM, ESPN2		at BYU	–	– (–)	–	–	–	Marriott Center  Provo, UT
Feb. 4 8:00 PM, ESPNU		Santa Clara	–	– (–)	–	–	–	McCarthey Athletic Center  Spokane, WA
Feb. 9 7:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ		at Loyola Marymount	–	– (–)	–	–	–	Gersten Pavilion  Los Angeles, CA
Feb. 11 7:00 PM, ESPN2		at Saint Mary's	–	– (–)	–	–	–	McKeon Pavilion  Moraga, CA
Feb. 16 6:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ		San Francisco	–	– (–)	–	–	–	McCarthey Athletic Center  Spokane, WA
Feb. 18 1:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ		Pacific	–	– (–)	–	–	–	McCarthey Athletic Center  Spokane, WA
Feb. 23 7:00 PM, RTNW/KHQ		at San Diego	–	– (–)	–	–	–	Jenny Craig Pavilion  San Diego, CA
Feb. 25		BYU	–	– (–)	–	–	–	McCarthey Athletic Center  Spokane, WA
WCC Tournament
Mar. 2–7  ESPN/ESPN2		vs.	–	–	–	–	–	Orleans Arena  Las Vegas, NV
2017 Postseason Tournament
Mar.*			–	–	–	–	–
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific Time.

References

1. "Cal's Jordan Mathews To Transfer To Gonzaga". June 23, 2016.
2. "Zach Collins commits to Zags". March 16, 2015.
3. "French forward Killian Tillie commits to Gonzaga". August 29, 2015.
4. "Gonzaga men add Zach Norvell, another top 100 recruit". November 2, 2015.
5. "Gonzaga adds Jacob Larsen, another big man from Europe". November 12, 2015.
6. "Zags sign Japanese forward Rui Hachimura". November 20, 2015.
7. "Kispert commits to Gonzaga". November 20, 2015.
8. "Karnowski Decides to Return for 2016-17 season" (Press release). May 24, 2016.
9. "Gonzaga's Przemek Karnowski needs back surgery, out for season". December 31, 2015.
10. "Priorities of a point guard – Gonzaga recruit Jesse Wade puts basketball on hold for LDS mission". January 24, 2015.
11. "UW, Gonzaga to renew series Dec. 7 in Spokane". April 13, 2016.
12. "Barnes: Top-10 programs need top-10 schedules". May 11, 2016.
13. "Staples Center to Host First-Ever Hoophall LA". April 27, 2016.
14. "Gonzaga, Iowa St, Miami, Florida, Stanford, Seton Hall, Indiana St, & Quinnpiac are in the 2016 Orlando Classic, sources told @CBSSports.". October 29, 2015.
15. "WCC's scheduling experiment will end". January 26, 2016.
16. "2016–17 Championship Schedule". Archived from the original on April 8, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
17. "West Coast Conference, Orleans Arena Announce Three-Year Extension". May 12, 2016.