New Year's Resolutions for Gonzaga Basketball

The new year is upon us and resolutions season is here. This week’s Kennel Corner takes a look at three players, all big men, and assigns a New Year's resolution for each. These resolutions all check these three boxes: they're possible, they're positive for the team, and they're positive for the player in question.

BEN GREGG: SMARTER AGGRESSION

When fans see Ben Gregg rise from the bench and walk to the scorer’s table, good things are to be expected on the court. The big sophomore brings energy to every moment of every possession he plays. Effort plays, like offensive rebounding and defensive intensity, are where he shines, and with Gregg those plays tend to come in bunches.

Unfortunately, those bunches often end with a whistle and a foul called on Gregg. He’s committed 25 fouls, sixth most on the team, in just 141 minutes played, eighth most on the team. Among Zags, only Efton Reid commits more fouls on a per-40 minute basis than Gregg.

While the fouls are a problem, and often result in Gregg returning to his seat on the bench, his New Year’s resolution should be to not let the whistles dull the intensity with which he plays. His propensity to commit fouls is a result of the high-energy, pest-like play which has made him an impactful player and fan favorite. Of course, it would be great if he could maintain his style of play while eliminating the excessive fouls — as a young player, it would be fair to expect that to happen in time — but until that happens, I’d rather have the Ben Gregg we’ve seen blossom this season than a wilted version playing to avoid whistles.

EFTON REID: CONTINUED DEDICATION

Before enrolling at LSU ahead of last season, Efton Reid was considered to be a five-star prospect by ESPN, where he was listed as the No. 20 prospect in the high school class of 2021. As a freshman in Baton Rouge, Reid not only played every game for the Tigers, but started them all as well.

His time at Gonzaga has been different. After playing 10-plus minutes in Gonzaga’s first two games, Reid’s numbers quickly dwindled to a series of games in which he played between just one and three minutes, and then against Kent State he didn’t see the court at all. Since then, though, he’s started to find a consistent, though very limited, role in the rotation.

Reid had a massive impact in a few first-half minutes against Washington which helped the Zags turn the tide of that game. More importantly, he’s been generating buzz around the program as a guy who is putting in his time and embracing his role, albeit a smaller one than just about any five-star prospect would expect in year two of college.

His New Year’s resolution should be to just keep grinding and stay the course. He’s got the talent, obviously, as his pedigree shows. And Gonzaga’s got a track record of building stars out of players who could have easily seen their careers lost to the sands of time: Dan Dickau was a transfer from Washington, Kelly Olynyk was essentially a transfer within Gonzaga with a post-freshman redshirt season; Kyle Wiltjer from Kentucky and Brandon Clarke from San Jose State also spring to mind. All of those players spent a year on the sidelines wearing a redshirt, not playing in games. The rule that forced most of them into that situation no longer exists, which is why Reid is eligible to play for Gonzaga this season. That said, the new rules should not stop him from treating this as effectively a redshirt year. He can grow on the sidelines, while also playing in games, albeit in limited minutes.

If Reid can continue his growth in practice, and steadily increase his role in games, he will be poised for a breakout year next season. Drew Timme will likely be gone, as will Anton Watson. There is a very real opportunity for Reid to go from kinda-sorta in the rotation this year to in the starting lineup next season.

His 16 points in 19 minutes against Eastern Oregon last week showed that he is a capable player, albeit one who might need a bit of time to develop before he gets those minutes consistently against legitimate opposition. Those minutes are coming. Stay the course.

DREW TIMME: GENEROUSITY

Drew Timme is rapidly approaching numerous Gonzaga career records. He moved into the spot as then No. 5 and then No. 4 all-time scorer in GU history just last week — and barring the bizarre, he'll easily pass Adam Morrison during the Zags' next game at San Francisco to take the third slot. He’s well into the top 10 in rebounding and continuing to climb. Where you won't see the All-American big man — yet — is near the top of the all-time assists list.

With 257 assists to his name in a Gonzaga uniform, Timme is well outside the top 10 in program history, but he’s on pace to crack into the top 10 if the ball bounces his way. Steven Gray is 10th in program history with 339 assists, a number Timme would pass at his current season average of 3.4 assists per game assuming he matches that for the remainder of the season and Gonzaga plays its way into the NCAA title game. Every single player in the top 10 of assists in program history, currently, was a guard, and all of them played point guard at least sparingly if not entirely. Timme’s never played anything short of power forward. Whether he cracks the top 10 in assists or not, he’s easily the best-passing big man the Zags have ever had (editor's note: this is Przemek Karnowski erasure!).

My New Year’s resolution for Timme is to continue to stuff the stat sheet. The team needs him to do it, which is one reason why it’s generous of him. Another is if he starts throwing the ball around and racking up assists — he dished out seven against Xavier alone — it becomes a somewhat selfish generosity. He will climb higher and higher in yet another statistical category in Gonzaga history. The argument for Drew Timme as the best Zag ever can already be made, but he can settle it once and for all with his play down the stretch this season.

NEXT UP

Gonzaga at San Francisco • Thu,  Jan. 5 at 8 pm • ESPN

Gonzaga at Santa Clara • Sat, Jan. 7 at 7 pm • KHQ/Root Sports