No. 10 Gonzaga hosts Montana State-Billings in season opener
Sports Network | November 15, 2008
Spokane, WA (Sports Network) - The 10th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs are set to host the Montana State-Billings Yellowjackets in the season opener for both teams.
For Montana State-Billings, there is no where to go but up under the guidance of first-year head coach George Pfeifer. Last season, the team finished 1-28, and six returnees hope to get a boost from a solid recruiting class in 2008-09.
The Bulldogs have been a dominant program in the West Coast Conference over the past decade, winning the last eight regular-season titles and eight of the prior 10 tournament championships. Last season, Gonzaga won 13 of its 14 league bouts and went 25-8 overall en route to its 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. With three starters back in the fold and several key reserves, the Bulldogs are expected not only to be one of the top teams in the WCC, but the entire nation.
For Montana State-Billings, the returnees from last season's one-win campaign include junior forwards Tyler Hentzen, Troy Ruff and Mike Barton, as well as sophomore guards Kyle Palmer and Brett Taylor and forward Kirk Blaine. While there is some athletic ability among the group, none of those players mentioned appear poised to take on the role of go-to guy at the offensive end. Two seniors recruited by Pfeifer for the 2008-09 lineup include 6-0 Mike Hall and 6-6 Travis Bunker. Both are NCAA Division I transfers and both were big- time performers in the junior college ranks. Hall, an NJCAA All-American, holds three-point shooting records at the University of Idaho with a 9-of-10 effort against San Jose State. Bunker, a transfer from the University of Wyoming, was the captain of the College of Southern Idaho team that captured third place at the NJCAA tournament.
Leading the way for Gonzaga is Jeremy Pargo, who is the reigning WCC Player of the Year. The 6-2 guard can simply do it all on the court, and he displayed that by netting 12.1 ppg, dishing out a team-high 6.0 apg and racking up a club-best 47 steals a year ago. Helping form one of the best backcourt tandems in the conference is Matt Bouldin, a First Team all-league choice along with Pargo. The 6-5 Bouldin led Gonzaga in scoring with 12.6 ppg and he ranked second to Pargo with 2.9 apg and 44 steals. In the frontcourt, the quick development of Austin Daye last season has to have head coach Mark Few excited about having a legitimate big man down low. The 6-10 forward averaged 10.5 ppg and 4.7 rpg as a freshman last year and he even led the squad with 54 blocks. Keep an eye on Daye, as he can be one of the nation's elite players if he can be a bit more intense. Teammate Josh Heytvelt is a big-time performer up front as well.
