Former Gonzaga All-American Dan Dickau breaks down how high Gonzaga men's basketball could climb in the rankings.
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00:00 Hey everybody, we welcome you back to another episode of the Gonzaga nation podcast.
00:05 Christian Pedersen joined by Dan Dick.
00:06 How you're catching us on a mailbag edition.
00:08 This is where we take your viewer submitted questions and we ask them of one of the greatest
00:12 Gonzaga basketball minds and just all around good people in program history.
00:16 Dan Dick out, Dan, we got some actual more season related questions.
00:21 Now that we are closing in on actual basketball and we'll remind everybody as always that
00:27 we're as impatiently waiting for it as you are.
00:29 So when some of our content feels bottom of the barrel ish, we know we get it.
00:33 We want it to be basketball season two.
00:35 So bear with us through like, it's like literally as a recording right now, it's like a hundred
00:41 more or like I was trying to do total hours.
00:43 It's like 10 days until we have something tipping off somewhere that we can all be back
00:48 on.
00:49 Dan, the first of these three questions we got coming in, people want to know.
00:55 And I think this one is applicable more than ever because Gonzaga might start traveling
00:58 to some new places is what's one of, or your favorite road destinations as a player that
01:04 you ever visited.
01:06 Favorite road destination.
01:08 Well, you know, when I was, let's see, when I was at UW, we had the ability to play in
01:15 the Hilo tournament.
01:18 It's no longer, but it was in Hilo, Hawaii.
01:22 That was my sophomore year, my freshman year at UW, we didn't play in any of those great
01:27 kind of multi-team tournament events in the non-conference.
01:31 And then at Gonzaga, my junior year, we didn't get any of those.
01:37 Actually no, my junior year, yes, we did.
01:39 We played in the great Alaska shootout in Anchorage.
01:42 So we didn't get Maui.
01:44 We didn't get any of those.
01:47 Sorry, that was my senior year.
01:49 I'm getting all confused now because of like schedules for this team, schedule for that
01:55 team.
01:56 But no, we played in the great Alaska shootout my senior year.
01:58 That was tremendous.
02:00 We also had the ability to play at St. Joe's on New Year's Eve.
02:04 It doesn't have the maybe cache of say a, you know, in Madison square garden being on
02:10 the East coast, but it's a really cool old gym that we were able to play at.
02:15 I think one of the, some of the other gyms that you look back at my college career as
02:20 a player, you know, we played in the forum with Gonzaga against Fresno state.
02:27 That was great.
02:28 But I really like War Memorial gym in San Francisco.
02:33 I think it's a awesome older gym that has a lot of history because of Bill Russell and
02:40 Casey Jones and those teams that won national titles.
02:43 I think if you want to just stay in the league itself, Pepperdine might have the greatest
02:47 setting at Firestone field house, where you walk out and you see, you know, the Pacific
02:54 ocean off the front steps.
02:56 If I go back a little bit more again to my time at UW, playing at Oregon, Matt court
03:01 was awesome playing at Pauley pavilion in UCLA was unbelievable.
03:07 And then playing in Arizona at the McHale center was great as well.
03:09 I did that both with UW as well as with Gonzaga.
03:12 Those were all fantastic environments.
03:16 You know, the other one that kind of jumps out at you for good and bad, bad because we
03:20 lost there in the NCAA tournament, but good because we won a game there in overtime during
03:25 the regular season would be in the pit in Albuquerque.
03:28 That is a loud, difficult arena to play at.
03:32 The pit is a very niche pick.
03:37 And I don't know how many people know that New Mexico for a solid 15 to 20 years was
03:42 a hazardous road game.
03:44 Yeah, they're good again.
03:46 I mean, last year they were the last undefeated team in college basketball.
03:50 Richard Pitino is doing a great job there.
03:53 They've got their starting back court back in Jalen house and Jamal Mashburn Jr.
03:58 I expect them to give San Diego state Boise state a run for their money again in the mountain
04:03 west.
04:04 Yeah, man, it just, Hey, look, this further ties back to some of the narratives that you've
04:08 talked about how there is good basketball played out here on the west.
04:11 They just need to figure out how to package it better, obviously, and sell it.
04:14 And that sentence alone of Jamal Mashburn Jr. at New Mexico, they're coming back.
04:18 It's a whole vibe.
04:19 And you hypothetically, if we were list, if we were listened to by a national audience,
04:23 he would have tuned out.
04:25 So many people just dismissing it out of hand is like, Oh, I don't care about that game.
04:29 Next question that we got for you is relations to some of the podcasts that have come out
04:34 and some of the articles that have come out talking about how Gonzaga is this ranking
04:38 in these polls.
04:40 Is this with Ken Palm?
04:41 Is this that and the other?
04:42 Some people want to know how high you think Gonzaga's ranking can go this season.
04:47 I mean, that's difficult because Gonzaga is always hamstrung with voters once you get
04:55 into the WCC for the most part.
04:57 Granted, you are going to get challenges with St. Mary's, San Francisco, I think is good
05:01 LMU, Santa Clara.
05:03 But that's one reason they schedule so so difficult in the non conference is to go through
05:08 their trials and tribulations.
05:09 And if they come through unscathed like they have in many times in years past, you know,
05:15 they're going to be ranked pretty darn high once you get into the league play.
05:19 That being said, I mean, if they get through, say, for example, they win the Maui Invitational
05:26 and they get through that, I would imagine they would be probably borderline top five
05:34 just because of the teams that are in that.
05:36 Purdue is their first game in Maui.
05:38 Purdue is going to be, I think their AP and coaches poll number three, if I'm not mistaken.
05:44 I know it's Kansas, Duke, Purdue, Michigan State, I think in that order for both polls.
05:50 So that's going to be a heck of a challenge right off the top.
05:53 But then you take the other teams that they could play.
05:55 Tennessee, Syracuse is in their side of the bracket.
05:59 And then if you look kind of at the bottom, what they could face, depending on how it
06:03 goes, you know, they could they could play a team like Marquette, who's going to be a
06:07 top 10 team.
06:09 So if they if they can win Maui, I think expectations are going to be accelerated pretty quickly.
06:17 And they would be hovering around that, you know, fifth in the country type of mark.
06:22 But if they don't play particularly well in Maui, I think outsiders perception is going
06:31 to drastically drop, which could be a great thing, because with a team with so many newcomers,
06:38 that's going to play a lot of focus is going to be taken off them.
06:41 And they'll be able to just regroup, just like they've done in many different times
06:45 and instances in this program, and work on the things that need to be worked on and improve.
06:50 And, you know, they'll be able to do that under the radar and under the critical eye
06:53 of a lot of people.
06:54 And I guess ultimately, it doesn't really end up mattering where the AP ranks them by
07:00 the end of the regular season or how high they ever reach.
07:03 But it certainly is fun to hear that even when the last couple of years having graduated
07:09 out, or having lost Drew Timmy lost, Chet lost some of the bigger names that you're
07:14 not saying, hey, everybody, brace for 23 to be the best that we can do this season, like
07:20 it's going to be a stretch.
07:21 It's really a fantastic testament and credit to the value that the program has placed on
07:26 overall program health and recruiting.
07:29 I will also say, Dan, eventually, I'm going to corrupt you and drag you down to the media
07:32 side where you're just going to answer that question with, they're going number one.
07:37 We'll get you there eventually.
07:39 At some point, we will teach you that Instagram reels are worth more than valuable minute
07:45 and a half long, well thought out rational arguments about why this team could get to
07:49 number seven in the nation.
07:51 Last question that we got for you is someone wanted to know is, do you think Gonzaga needs
07:56 to start doing some throwback nights, Jersey wise, and who would you have as this year's
08:00 throwback?
08:01 You know, the throwback idea is awesome.
08:07 I think the NBA has overdone their Jersey nights where, I mean, you look at an NBA team
08:13 now you got like seven, eight different versions of jerseys.
08:16 And that's too much.
08:17 I like the consistency of a home and away and then an alternate or a retro Jersey.
08:26 You know, Gonzaga has never truly gone back to having a retro Jersey.
08:30 They've had multiple alternate jerseys.
08:33 I mean, they had gray a couple of years ago.
08:35 They've had red before.
08:36 They've had black before.
08:38 With that armed forces game, they've had a camo Jersey.
08:44 But the one they've done a number of different times is the Native American heritage night.
08:51 They've done it maybe three or four different times on occasion.
08:53 And the Jersey has been turquoise, not falls in the normal realm of Gonzaga's color schemes.
09:01 But they've done that a number of times.
09:02 I haven't seen anything yet on the schedule or any of the inside information that I get
09:08 that says they're going to have one of those nights this year.
09:11 But I wouldn't be surprised if they do.
09:13 And then in regards to the Jersey decision, you know, usually with the media notes that
09:20 get sent out, you know, preparing for broadcast, you'll find out two days before what Jersey
09:25 they're wearing.
09:27 If you had to pick, though, an era from the Gonzaga history books, what are you going
09:32 with?
09:33 If you had to say this will be this year's throwback?
09:36 Give me the Reds.
09:37 I actually like the Reds.
09:38 A lot of people didn't.
09:40 I grew up a huge Blazer fan.
09:42 I grew up a Bulls fan.
09:44 So I like those red jerseys.
09:46 You know, those would be those would be my pick, I think.
09:49 So what about you?
09:52 Did you like the old old school ones or what would you go?
09:55 Well, I see.
09:56 I think that if you're going to introduce old school as a concept that like you said,
10:01 that the school has never done before.
10:03 Yeah, make a make it a 50 type year jump back.
10:08 But I think my question, the further I dig into some of these different uniforms and
10:14 the Reds, the Reds are a great mix of both being an alternate jersey and a throwback
10:20 jersey.
10:21 And it does give you a huge jump.
10:22 But I love the concept of sport and some of the.
10:27 The more John Stockton, he asked short, short and you know that some of the kids would lean
10:33 into that if you went full on, hey, retro throwback.
10:37 It seems like you could have some fun there.
10:39 And really like the way that the the turquoise uniforms are a real break stylistically and
10:45 vibe wise, you could have something that really pops for one game is like, OK, that's not
10:50 even really in, you know, even either of these colors.
10:53 Like that's something that's a fun, very different shade of Gonzaga blue and everything like
10:57 that, because it seems like there was also some lighter blues used throughout the years.
11:01 But I would probably go, oh, gee, vibes like way, way back.
11:04 Like given the first year ever of Gonzaga basketball.
11:07 Yeah, I mean, I still I can't get all the way on board with the short shorts.
11:11 I mean, I look back at some of the jerseys that I wore at different points in my career.
11:16 My knees were fully covered.
11:18 I remember in Europe, I the jerseys they gave me in Italy, they gave me a three XL pair
11:25 of shorts and they were unbelievably big.
11:28 Like looking back, it's like, how do I even dribble with those?
11:32 So yeah, I mean, styles, fashion, they always go for a full circle.
11:39 I don't know if I'd be comfortable going all the way back to the short shorts, kind of
11:43 that middle of the road in between the two would work for me.
11:45 But yeah, I just got another question that came in for our mailbag.
11:49 They sent it to me, which is fine.
11:51 A direct message on on Instagram.
11:54 I know, Christian, a lot of times you handle this one, but wanted to make sure I hit this.
12:00 It was, do you think with the players from Gonzaga who transferred to another conference
12:05 will play better or are they transferring because they didn't agree with the program?
12:09 Oh, there you go.
12:10 You're bringing up the shorts.
12:11 Well, you're going to.
12:13 This is the 1906, 1907 squad.
12:15 These were the first ever Gonzaga uniforms.
12:18 Those look like history, kind of baseball jersey pants cutting into basketball shorts
12:25 with the pinstripe piping on the side.
12:29 And they're probably really thick, heavy flannel type of material.
12:33 So I want to go all the way back there.
12:35 Yeah.
12:36 For the audio viewers, as Dan said it perfectly, they cut baseball socks out.
12:41 They gave him probably wool or heavy cotton pants and sleeveless vests.
12:47 The most amazing look possible.
12:49 You would lose recruits.
12:50 You would people would stop wanting to come back and zag if they knew they had to play
12:55 with that.
12:56 I apologize, Dan, I steamrolled right through your question about people transferring out
13:00 and players having more success elsewhere.
13:02 Please restate it.
13:03 Yeah, no worries.
13:04 Do you think the players from Gonzaga who transferred to another conference will play
13:08 better or are they transferring because they didn't agree with the program?
13:11 You know, that's always an individual decision.
13:15 But you know, we look at the three kind of major guys that left.
13:19 Dominic Harris went to LMU.
13:22 He loved Gonzaga by every indication.
13:24 You know, I talked to him on a few different occasions and, you know, he was just bummed
13:29 that he didn't get a bigger opportunity than he did.
13:33 Now he got an opportunity, but unfortunately, each time those opportunities came about,
13:37 he got hurt.
13:38 And so I think a fresh setting is good for him.
13:40 I think he's going to have success down at LMU.
13:44 And so I think that was more of one of the things where he just couldn't take advantage
13:48 of opportunities that were in front of him because he was hurt.
13:51 And so a fresh start is good for him.
13:53 Hunter Salas, you know, I think it was one of those things where he had opportunities.
13:57 He just didn't take advantage of them in regards to go from, you know, a role that he was in
14:05 to an expanded role.
14:06 I think it was going to be there the next year, but he didn't want to have he didn't
14:10 want to stick around and really take that expanded role and kind of prove to the coaches
14:17 that that was his.
14:18 No one was going to take it away from him.
14:20 He had flaws in his game that he had to work on.
14:22 He was working on them, but sometimes they take longer for individuals than other guys.
14:28 And what we're talking about there is this jump shot, you know, so wish him the best
14:32 luck at Wake Forest.
14:33 It'll be interesting to see how his game evolves under a different player development
14:38 program.
14:39 But, you know, I don't think you're going to find a better player development program
14:42 than what Gonzaga has.
14:44 And Efton Reed, you know, he came in with with pretty high expectations, having come
14:48 from LSU early on in the season.
14:51 He struggled.
14:52 Ben Gregg had an opportunity in front of him and Ben Gregg made the most of it.
14:56 So, you know, from, you know, the first quarter of the season on, Ben Gregg was the first
15:00 pig off the bench because he earned it, not not anything that had to do with Efton Reed
15:07 not being able to be a solid player.
15:10 And so I think he probably saw the writing on the wall and that fact that, you know.
15:15 I probably am going to be in a similar position because Ben earned it.
15:19 And some guys want to fight for that.
15:21 Some guys don't.
15:22 And, you know, he found another home and hopefully it works out well for him as well.
15:26 I would also like to throw out the glass half full interpretation of these situations.
15:30 And yes, a guy transferring to another school can be the scorn.
15:35 There was burned bridges and oh, he's off.
15:37 I hate that he's succeeding, yada, yada, yada.
15:39 But oftentimes, if the guy goes on to succeed at another location, it ultimately in my trying
15:46 to like I said, look at this all glass half full, it boils back to you weren't wrong about
15:50 the kid.
15:51 He was really a good basketball player and you recruited a good basketball player and
15:54 you made the right decision to bring him here.
15:56 But like you said, for the litany of different reasons, it just for the X number of years
16:00 or weeks or months or whatever it was that he was here, he didn't get to hit his prime.
16:05 But I would rather end of the day know that it wasn't a miss because coach few and staff
16:11 picked the wrong kid.
16:14 They I like the proof in the pudding that they still picked somebody that was a good
16:17 fundamental like elite tier basketball player just for whatever reason.
16:22 Being 19 can be tough and sometimes ish doesn't work out.
16:26 Absolutely.
16:27 Yeah.
16:28 All right.
16:29 Well, glad to know that people are sending you questions.
16:31 You can always hit him up at Dan Dick out 21.
16:33 You can hit us up at Fandation Zags on all the different social media.
16:37 We have a great team that is always monitoring all of them, letting you guys know when all
16:41 of our next great content is coming out.
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