Year 1 of the post-Drew Timme generation shall be much more of a problem for No. 11 Gonzaga following a knee injury to projected starter Steele Venters that may stay the 6-foot-7 wing out for the season. The injury, which was once first reported by The Messenger, will go away the Bulldogs with out their most-proven collegiate 3-point shooter prematurely in their season opener towards Yale on Friday.
Venters hit 40.3% of his makes an attempt from past the arc in 3 seasons at Eastern Washington whilst growing into one of the most peak quantity shooters on the mid-major degree. He transferred to Gonzaga after the Eagles’ season ended with a second-round loss within the NIT and was once anticipated to play a key function as the Zags paintings to exchange 3 in their peak 4 scorers from a 31-6 group that reached the Elite Eight.
Without Venters, the Zags should reconfigure their rotation briefly right through tune-up video games towards Yale and Eastern Oregon sooner than the depth ratchets up with a showdown towards No. 3 Purdue on Nov. 20 to start the Maui Invitational. As is customized, Twenty fifth-year trainer Mark Few has assembled a hard nonconference slate to lend a hand his group construct a resume sooner than WCC play starts.
The truth of Gonzaga’s front-loaded agenda will increase the urgency to decide a lineup and offensive pecking order for a group that was once already present process an important transition even sooner than Venters’ injury.
There is not any Jalen Suggs or Chet Holmgren-type of generational freshman prospect in this Gonzaga group. Instead, the Zags targeted their skill acquisition efforts on touchdown 247Sports’ No. 10 ranked switch elegance, that includes Venters, former Wyoming megastar giant guy Graham Ike and prized ex-Creighton level guard Ryan Nembhard.
But there’s an intriguing freshman skill who will have to have abundant alternative to polish amid the injury to Venters. Dusty Stromer ranked as a four-star prospect and the No. 62 participant within the 2023 recruiting elegance, in step with 247Sports, and is looked as a talented 3-point shooter. At 6-6 and with a identical body to Venters, he could see extra mins than prior to now anticipated.
Venters began over Stromer in Gonzaga’s exhibition victory towards Lewis-Clark State ultimate week, however it can be no marvel if Stromer steps into the beginning lineup now. Few mentioned after the 96-58 exhibition win that he is been pushing Stromer arduous thru “some freshman mental errors and stuff like that” however was once complimentary of the strides Stromer is making.
“He scored it pretty well in high school, so hopefully we can grow that part of his game,” Few mentioned. “He’s another one of those guys that has a great feel for the game, can really defend, knows how to play.”
Deeper into the bench
Most of Gonzaga’s intensity is within the frontcourt, the place avid gamers such as Ben Gregg and Braden Huff will fight for mins in the back of Ike. Few additionally has a couple of intriguing new global forwards in Pavle Stosic of Serbia and Jun Seok Yeo of South Korea.
But on the subject of true perimeter guns, the Bulldogs are lean in the back of Nembhard and fellow projected starter Nolan Hickman. If Stromer steps into the beginning lineup, that would go away Croatian freshman Luka Krajnovic as the lone non-starter on scholarship to be indexed as a guard at the group’s legit roster.
Krajnovic logged 20 mins off the bench within the exhibition victory, completing with seven assists and no turnovers to head with two issues on 1 of three capturing. Few could be left with little selection however to deploy Krajnovic in a key rotational function as a freshman.
Rebuilding year?
Saint Mary’s was once picked to win the WCC over Gonzaga, marking a unprecedented example wherein the Zags are not the preseason favourite in a league they have got ruled for over a quarter-century. Yet, the Bulldogs are nonetheless extremely ranked within the AP Top 25 (No. 11), in Gary Parrish’s Top 25 And 1 (No. 19) and at KenPom.com (No. 5).
Few’s beginning again court docket of Nembhard and Nolan Hickman will have to be probably the greatest within the nation. Graduate ahead Anton Watson could also be a identified commodity and dependable veteran, and Ike has the prospective to be a celebrity. The giant guy averaged 19.5 issues and 9.6 rebounds within the 2021-22 season at Wyoming sooner than lacking all of ultimate season because of a foot injury.Â
The injury to Venters simply underscores the questions surrounding the remainder of the roster. Gonzaga ranked twentieth ultimate season in mins continuity, in step with KenPom. Once the numbers form up, it can be unexpected if they’re within the peak 200 of that class this season. But the Zags have reached a minimum of the Sweet 16 in 8 consecutive NCAA Tournaments for a explanation why.Â
Few has constructed a monster, and the departure of Timme together with the dangerous injury success to begin the season will supply him a degree to turn as soon as once more why he’s looked as a top-five trainer in school basketball.