Listen to the latest Perimeter episode from former Gonzaga All-American Adam Morrison
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01:20 [Music]
01:29 One of the notes I put down here that we have to talk about, and I just read it this morning because it came across my phone, is Bracket Watch.
01:36 And...
01:37 Yeah, the bubble team?
01:38 We're the first team out.
01:40 Wow.
01:41 It's a... and the last team in is Boise State.
01:46 And I was just like...
01:47 Never... when have we seen that?
01:50 I don't... the last time I could think of was like 2016, probably when we weren't ranked.
01:53 It was when we... but I think we had enough...
01:55 I think our non-conference record that year was good enough to get us into the tournament on a... without winning the WCC.
02:02 Yeah.
02:03 I... that is a curious position to be in.
02:08 Obviously, it's gonna be something we discuss throughout the year and from week to week when, you know, obviously how we see wins or losses.
02:14 But if you're being completely honest right now, Lonardi is usually pretty spot-on.
02:19 Yeah.
02:20 Which is crazy. Like, he's usually one or two teams out, you know, out of 68. Like, he's one or two on the good side or...
02:27 You know what I mean? Like, that's crazy.
02:29 We're probably gonna have to win the deal if you just started it today.
02:36 Yeah, we would.
02:37 It's just crazy.
02:38 I was gonna say, maybe our one saving grace is that St. Mary's is 31 in the net ranking, San Francisco's 43.
02:45 We get to play them two more...
02:46 Twice. Twice each year.
02:48 Four times.
02:48 So, like, those are resume builders.
02:50 Like...
02:51 Yeah.
02:51 But yeah, I mean, obviously as we get closer to the end of the season, like, it's gonna... it's really gonna flesh itself out.
02:56 But it's one of these years. It's just like, as a Gonzaga fan, we just... we don't have them often at all.
03:02 Like, because like, our streak is what? 26 years?
03:05 26 years.
03:06 So...
03:07 Yeah.
03:07 It's like... well, it's, you know, obviously we got a lot of games left to play.
03:12 Yeah.
03:13 And we've had teams in the past...
03:15 You know, I went and watched... obviously my daughter plays for Meade, and so I watched NC Meade boys afterwards.
03:21 And...
03:21 Abdula... I always just call him Kuso.
03:25 Kuso, who played at Gonzaga.
03:27 We were talking after the game, and he's, you know, "What's going on?"
03:31 I was like, "Yeah, it was a tough one. Bob O'Bonn."
03:33 He's like...
03:33 I remember the year after I left, he was on that team with, I think it was the year...
03:38 Heitfeld got suspended.
03:41 Mmm.
03:43 But they still had a good club, but he's like, "We fell out of the rankings, and we had like a team talk in the locker room."
03:50 You know, one of these after practice, like, "We're not gonna be this effing team."
03:54 Like...
03:54 "And it ain't gonna happen to us."
03:56 And they figured it out and won the West Coast Conference Tournament and made the NCAA Tournament.
03:59 You know what I mean?
04:00 Yeah.
04:00 But they're like...
04:01 And he's like, "They need to figure that out."
04:03 Totally.
04:04 And, you know, obviously he's... was a good player and now coaching, but he understands to be in that position.
04:11 Like, "You need to figure this out, man."
04:13 So...
04:14 I'm really curious to see how the rest of the season goes, how the effort and the mindset goes.
04:20 That's what I'm gonna be watching from here on out.
04:22 Obviously, keep track of the...
04:24 The three-point shooting and rebounding.
04:27 The rebounding thing will get fixed, but that was just a tail-whipping, man.
04:31 I'm... minus 13 is crazy.
04:32 But yeah.
04:35 Bubble team.
04:36 I didn't even notice.
04:37 I'm glad you brought that up.
04:38 Yeah, it's...
04:39 It's crazy.
04:40 Well, yeah.
04:40 I mean, not to be ranked in the AP and...
04:42 I mean, it's understandable.
04:44 So, it's...
04:45 You can't really...
04:46 Yeah, first time since 2016.
04:48 It was 142 weeks.
04:49 Yeah.
04:50 Is what I think I saw.
04:50 Mm-hmm.
04:51 The difference with that team...
04:53 That was the 2016.
04:55 That was the year Schimmick got hurt.
04:56 Yeah.
04:57 We had...
04:58 Domus and Wiltshire...
05:00 Yeah.
05:01 Were our two inside guys.
05:03 And I think Eric McClellan was one of our point guards.
05:07 Yeah.
05:08 I'm trying to think of that crew, but...
05:10 Those two guys are still playing professional basketball.
05:12 Yeah.
05:12 That was more injury, I feel like.
05:15 It was just injuries.
05:16 And then they had some weird...
05:17 You know, weird losses.
05:20 But then they figured it out.
05:21 But they had two guys like...
05:22 Domus is a perennial all-star.
05:24 Mm-hmm.
05:25 And Wiltshire's playing like EuroLeague still.
05:27 And like...
05:27 Yeah.
05:28 Like the second best league in the world.
05:29 And like playing heavy minutes.
05:31 So, it's like...
05:32 It's a little bit different crew.
05:35 And that's no offense, but that's just the truth.
05:37 That's a different crew than we have in there now.
05:40 I'm not saying any of our guys can't turn into pros.
05:43 But those are like two...
05:44 I think...
05:46 You know, you've heard me say this a million times.
05:47 I think...
05:48 Domus is the best big ever here.
05:52 Yeah.
05:52 If you just go down on like total resume.
05:54 Totally.
05:55 You know what I mean?
05:56 And that's a lot of really good bigs.
05:57 But just...
05:58 I'm like Domus...
05:59 I've always said that.
06:00 I'm like, "Domus is my favorite player."
06:01 Mm-hmm.
06:02 So, it's gonna be interesting, man.
06:04 I haven't given up on this team.
06:07 I know other people haven't.
06:09 But when there's lack of effort and focus,
06:12 I will always say it on this podcast.
06:15 All the time.
06:16 I'll say it on the air too.
06:17 Every time.
06:18 Because if you bring effort and focus
06:20 and a little piss and vinegar,
06:22 like things will go your way.
06:23 Mm-hmm.
06:24 And if you...
06:24 Sometimes you lose a game where you're battling your tail off,
06:27 I always come in and we're like,
06:29 "Yeah, that was a tough loss. We really played hard."
06:30 Mm-hmm.
06:31 This one was like...
06:32 Wow, that was embarrassing.
06:33 Yeah.
06:34 You know what I'm saying?
06:34 Like, effort was not there.
06:36 Start of each half.
06:38 First half, second half, terrible.
06:40 Glass, terrible.
06:41 Decision-making, terrible.
06:43 Yeah.
06:44 And then you just go down the line.
06:45 It's like, "Bad, bad, bad."
06:46 And it's like, if it wasn't for Anton going 14 of 18
06:49 and then Ryan having a good second half,
06:51 we would have lost by 10.
06:52 Yeah.
06:53 10 plus.
06:53 And it would have been easy.
06:54 Mm-hmm.
06:55 So, that's what I'm gonna be really looking for,
06:58 especially on this first, you know, this road trip
07:01 coming up with San Diego and Pepperdine.
07:03 Obviously, we just played them, but
07:05 we're not in a look-ahead mode.
07:08 No, we're not.
07:09 I mean, I was just gonna say, like, last time
07:11 we had this conversation, we lost to San Diego State
07:13 and we were on our way to play Pepperdine and...
07:17 San Diego.
07:18 San Diego.
07:18 And I was like, "Well, these are get-right games."
07:21 And like, "Well, these are get-right games, but like,
07:23 even if we do win, like, we still have to think about
07:27 everything else still."
07:28 100%.
07:29 It's not like get-right 'cause they can come back
07:31 and lay another egg.
07:32 Yeah.
07:33 I agree.
07:34 It's gonna be an interesting back half of this season here.
07:39 And do they have the talent and the, you know, the want?
07:44 I know they have the talent.
07:45 I was gonna ask, like, is it, like, this team is,
07:48 it isn't 'cause of their lack of talent
07:49 that they're losing, right?
07:50 I don't think so.
07:51 I think the shooting part, you can attribute it to,
07:54 I guess, shooting talent.
07:56 I mean, that'd be fair assessment.
07:58 I'm not saying the guys can't shoot, but you gotta,
08:01 if they're not making them, then you kinda have to be like,
08:03 "Well, you can't shoot."
08:04 That's so true, yeah.
08:05 It's kinda hard, you know, you get put in a weird spot
08:08 'cause you don't wanna, like, call a guy like he can't shoot,
08:11 but we're getting to a point where, like, man,
08:13 this guy's just gotta make, gotta start making threes.
08:16 Graeme E. K. was the Mountain West Player of the Year, okay?
08:19 Yeah.
08:20 A year and a half ago, so obviously he can play on a team
08:22 that went to the NCAA tournament.
08:24 Ryan Nemhard averaged 12.5-13 on a very good Creighton team
08:27 last year.
08:28 Anton was fantastic last year,
08:31 having a breakout season this year.
08:34 I think he's a true NBA guy, has a chance to play in the NBA.
08:39 You know, Dusty Stromer was a four-start recruit,
08:42 you know, big-time recruit.
08:43 Nolan was a big-time recruit that was supposed to go to Kentucky
08:46 and then switched last second, so obviously he was getting recruited by,
08:50 you know, and Brayden Huff was Illinois Player of the Year.
08:54 I think Ben Gregg was that, Oregon Player of the Year.
08:57 Oregon Player of the Year, yeah.
08:59 It's not like we're having like Diamond and the Rough guys
09:02 that didn't turn into a Diamond, right?
09:05 So these are good enough players.
09:07 So I don't think it's a talent thing, honestly.
09:09 I think it's a focus thing.
09:12 I think it's maybe an internal leadership thing.
09:16 You know, like I said, the coaching staff, they prepare,
09:20 and guys are going to have to kind of figure it out.
09:23 So that's what I'm looking for from here on out,
09:25 is effort, you know, camaraderie, togetherness,
09:30 all those cliche things that everybody kind of rolls their eyes at
09:33 until it doesn't go your way and they show up.
09:38 It's time now to like put those things together.
09:41 Yeah.
09:42 So it'll be--it's fun.
09:45 It's a nervous feeling now because I don't want to be--
09:50 have those kids have that feeling if the, you know,
09:55 the NIT word comes into effect or bubble team or whatever.
09:59 So it's like it's kind of a, hey, man,
10:02 like some of you guys are not familiar with, I guess, the Gonzaga brand
10:08 or like the pride that people have with this.
10:11 But like it'd be a scarlet letter, man,
10:14 if you don't make it to the NCAA tournament.
10:16 I'm just being honest.
10:17 Yeah.
10:18 It's not a knock, but that's just--we're just going with the complete reality
10:21 of this town and how people feel about the program
10:25 and how much success other guys have had
10:28 and all those things ahead of them.
10:31 So plenty of games left.
10:33 Plenty.
10:34 But like I said, it's got to be from the locker rooms, got to--you know.
10:40 Yeah.
10:41 It's got to be the guys in the locker room.
10:43 It can't be just, hey, you guys need to play better, play harder.
10:46 It's got to be somebody who's got to stand up and be like,
10:49 this is bullshit, man, getting beat by 18 in the first half on the glass.
10:54 And then like, hey, man, let's get in the gym together
10:57 or like, hey, man, let's just play with confidence and let this thing rip.
11:00 And if we start making some threes, let's say everybody on the bench
11:02 start going fucking crazy, slapping the floor, you know what I mean?
11:05 Like sometimes you've got to get yourself going, diving on the floor,
11:08 all that stuff.
11:10 So we'll see.
11:12 Looking forward to these week's games.
11:14 But it's a weird schedule again.
11:16 I don't know what the WCC is thinking.
11:18 I'll just play those right away.
11:20 But yeah, thanks for listening.
11:22 Thanks for helping me out, Brandon, on this one.
11:24 Thank you to our sponsors, McGillvary Environmental,
11:27 Idaho Central Credit Union, and HDG Architecture.
11:31 We'll be back recapping the games and talking about what's coming down the pike
11:38 and where we sit with the bracketology or whatever it's called,
11:42 the Linardes deal, and hopefully we'll move into the first four in or whatever.
11:47 Right.
11:48 Yeah, I mean, seriously.
11:49 No, seriously.
11:50 And then string some wins together, so then there's a little bit less of anxiety.
11:58 But you made a good point about the net rankings for San Francisco
12:01 and St. Mary's.
12:02 There are some good opportunities to get some net building wins.
12:10 It's not completely doom and gloom in that regard.
12:13 It's not just wait until February for the WCC tournament.
12:17 Okay, we could still get it to maybe we get into the mid-40s,
12:21 high 30s in the net.
12:24 If you're in that, you're usually pretty safe.
12:26 Totally.
12:27 All right.
12:28 Appreciate it.
12:29 [Music]