Former Gonzaga forward Jonathan Williams shares his thoughts on the Bulldogs, his journey to Spokane and latest stint playing professionally in the Phillipines.
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Kanzaga Nation, talking Zags, episode 17.
00:09 I'm one of your two hosts, Dan Dickow,
00:11 alongside our other host, Adam Morrison,
00:14 today's special guest.
00:16 He's back in Spokane for a bit,
00:18 in between stints playing professionally.
00:21 They call him Three Jonathan Williams.
00:24 Thanks for joining.
00:25 - Thank you for having me.
00:26 - It was a surprise to see you at shoot around the other day.
00:29 'Cause I figured you were still playing.
00:31 We chatted for a minute.
00:32 You said your season just got ended.
00:34 So give us a quick update where your season was this year
00:38 before we start talking recent Zag stuff.
00:40 - So I played in the PBA, which is in the Philippines.
00:44 And I lived in Manila, which is a great city.
00:47 I played with a great team called Phoenix Fruitmasters,
00:52 and I had a great coach in Jemite.
00:54 Had a lot of great players I played with.
00:56 We actually made it to the semifinals.
00:59 And that was the first time that team ever went
01:01 to the semifinals with an import.
01:03 So I think we had like overall a great season.
01:05 It was a great time.
01:06 Like I said, it's my first time being in the Philippines,
01:08 learning the culture.
01:10 Everybody speaks English.
01:11 So when you're playing overseas, that's a big help.
01:14 That's, you don't really get that too often.
01:16 So, but I had a great time.
01:19 - Yeah, I had a couple of stints in Europe in basketball.
01:22 Everything is taught in spoken English.
01:24 So that makes it a lot easier for guys like us
01:26 when we go overseas.
01:28 Let's get into the recent Gonzaga stuff.
01:31 Mo, you called the game at Rupp.
01:33 They had a tremendous response in that second half.
01:36 I thought when Kentucky went on that 12-0 run.
01:39 - Yeah, we got down six.
01:41 It was interesting because there was a bunch of plays
01:45 that that Reed Shepard made.
01:47 It was a fantastic player and kind of controlled the pace.
01:50 But we had a nice response.
01:51 They got up six and then we had that and one from Graham EK.
01:54 And then we made plays on the stretch.
01:58 We ran the same action probably 12 times in a row,
02:00 which was kind of funny to watch.
02:02 But it was a really good just overall team win.
02:06 I mean, if you look at the stat sheet,
02:08 everybody contributed to the game.
02:10 And it was a game that we didn't shoot well
02:13 from the three-point line and managed to win.
02:15 So go four of 18, but 21 and 24
02:18 from the free throw line was huge, obviously.
02:21 Absolutely dominated the glass plus 12
02:23 and the huge numbers plus 18,
02:25 or excuse me, 18 offensive rebounds.
02:28 But EK played great, Anton played great.
02:31 Even Ryan Nemhardt, he goes one for seven,
02:33 but he had this nine assist and really controlled the pace
02:35 and made like really good floor.
02:37 From a floor game standpoint, he was terrific.
02:39 It was a really big win for this club.
02:42 So I was happy for him.
02:43 - No, it was one of those things
02:45 where you knew they were going to finally break through
02:47 and make the big plays down the stretch and they did.
02:50 Before you came to Gonzaga, you were at Missouri.
02:52 And if I remember right,
02:54 they were in the SEC at that time, right?
02:55 - Yes, sir.
02:56 - So you've played at Rupp.
02:58 I've been there, called a game.
03:00 Adam was just there, but what's it like playing in Rupp?
03:03 How intimidating is it?
03:05 - It's not necessarily intimidating,
03:06 but like I said, it's a huge arena.
03:09 And I had to, like I said,
03:10 we lost both times that I went there.
03:12 So I was on the happy end of the stick like Gonzaga was,
03:16 but I mean, it's a crazy environment, huge arena.
03:19 When they go on those big runs,
03:21 man, the fans really get into it
03:23 and you can kind of feel like the court shaking
03:26 and just playing through that, it's just phenomenal.
03:29 - So with you having played overseas the last few years,
03:35 how much are you able to follow Gonzaga basketball?
03:38 Are you able to watch games in its entirety
03:41 or do you just watch clips here and there?
03:43 - So in Europe, it's kind of challenging
03:45 because the games come on late over here,
03:47 which is like maybe two or three o'clock in the morning.
03:49 But actually on the Asian side, it's actually pretty easy
03:52 because the games come on in the morning
03:54 since it's late over here.
03:55 So I can pretty much watch the whole game before practice.
03:58 So I'm able to watch, like even last year,
04:00 I was able to watch a lot of games.
04:01 And also this past year in Manila,
04:03 watched a lot of games
04:04 'cause it's come on like around nine, 10 a.m.
04:07 - So give us a breakdown of what you have seen
04:10 from Gonzaga watching it on tape.
04:14 And then when you saw them in person the other day
04:16 against University of Portland.
04:18 - I feel like, like I say, struggle early on,
04:20 like they have some hard games,
04:22 especially versus Purdue and early on in the season.
04:26 But I feel like they come along,
04:27 like you got a lot of transfers.
04:28 So like back in my day when we played,
04:31 our team kind of stuck together,
04:32 like Shimmick stayed, Tilley stayed,
04:36 and then Nigel now, and Jeremy, we stayed for a while.
04:39 So it was like two or three year guys.
04:41 Now with the NIL transfer,
04:43 now these guys are flipping over so much, it's kind of hard.
04:47 But I feel like they trying to like
04:49 form that camaraderie right now.
04:51 And I think that's going to help them
04:52 prolong throughout the season.
04:54 - All right, Mo, what did you see in regards to Ben Gregg?
04:57 I thought Ben Gregg set the tone early on
04:59 as far as flying around.
05:01 - Yeah, he was doing the Ben Gregg stuff.
05:04 I mean, he had 14 and five.
05:06 Him being in the starting lineups really helped.
05:08 So helped us seek, not have as much pressure on him.
05:12 You know, he just sets the tone for us energy wise.
05:18 And it's better to have that on the floor
05:20 right away than later.
05:21 You know, there's going to be spots where it hurts
05:24 that he's not a true three, right?
05:27 'Cause he's playing that spot right now,
05:28 but he, I mean, he knows his limitations.
05:30 But I think just having him in another big body
05:35 really helps us.
05:35 So, I mean, he goes four for eight,
05:37 two or six from downtown,
05:38 and then, you know, gets the 14 points and five rebounds.
05:42 He was fantastic.
05:43 He's been great.
05:44 Only he's played a bad game
05:45 in the starting lineup this year.
05:46 - Yeah.
05:47 - And then he's 11 and they started.
05:48 So I'm pretty sure that it'll stay that way.
05:53 But him and Braden were really good.
05:56 - Yeah, we've talked about like,
05:58 when he moved into the starting lineup,
05:59 it balanced out the rotations.
06:01 But I think we-
06:02 - It was easier, so.
06:03 - Yeah, you have one guard for sure,
06:05 one big for sure coming into those rotations.
06:07 But Braden Huff, I think, to kind of piggyback
06:11 what you were talking about,
06:12 finally played big against great competition.
06:16 - Yeah, I don't know about that narrative though.
06:19 I keep, everybody keeps dogging him for, you know,
06:24 some of the games and it's like,
06:25 okay, against UW he played four minutes.
06:28 What's the other one he just played five minutes?
06:29 - So maybe it's just extended minutes.
06:30 - Yeah, like it's not his fault
06:33 that he doesn't get a longer leash.
06:35 He's been highly productive and short bursts.
06:39 He had a big game against San Diego.
06:40 I don't know if they're the world beaters,
06:41 but he has 26 or whatever.
06:44 Then he plays against LMU,
06:45 Leo Pepe is probably one of the best defenders in the league,
06:48 has a big game against them, right?
06:49 So it's like, we can't, you know,
06:52 he's not gonna light the world on fire
06:53 his first 10 games as a freshman.
06:55 He's averaging 11 and a half, maybe 12 now,
06:58 and playing maybe 16, 17 minutes.
07:01 So, you know, like for example, Graham gets his fifth
07:06 and he comes in and they run three straight plays for him.
07:09 He gets a field goal, a goal 10,
07:12 so field goal and they foul him.
07:13 So he scores six in a row off the bench being cold
07:16 and then playing Harley in the second half.
07:19 So I've really been impressed with how he's handled
07:22 kind of the yo-yo stuff that Huey's done to him,
07:24 'cause he's been extremely productive.
07:26 You know, I just think sometimes, you know,
07:29 the magnifying glass gets a little bit too,
07:32 or the spotlight shines a little bit too bright
07:35 on one end of the floor.
07:36 - Yeah.
07:37 - It's like, not everybody's Michael Cooper.
07:39 - Yeah, and you're right, 'cause sometimes
07:41 like you're on the floor 'cause you can score.
07:43 You just score the ball and, you know,
07:45 and, you know, at defenseman's championships, I get that.
07:47 But also like, if you're extremely productive on one end
07:50 and you're halfway productive on the other,
07:53 that's pretty good, right?
07:54 You're still winning.
07:55 So I don't know, he's been fantastic.
07:57 I really like his game.
07:58 - Yeah, well, I think there was two plays in particular
08:02 that stuck out to me in the Kentucky game.
08:04 One, when he got that steal, when he just was aware,
08:07 like 94 feet from the basket, started going back,
08:10 he saw the path, stole it, laid it up,
08:12 and then the other one was the counter.
08:14 He kept going right shoulder, left hand jump hook.
08:16 They sat on it and he kept going middle.
08:19 So he had that right hand jump hook in the middle.
08:20 I thought that was a tremendous play.
08:22 - Well, it's like I said, they ran the same action.
08:24 They ran the Iverson cut with the, you know,
08:27 the ball screen dive and then Anton come over
08:30 and then you had Nolan on the other side.
08:32 They literally ran it 12 times in a row.
08:34 But part of it was the dive into a seal,
08:37 which he was really good at.
08:38 And then the high low stuff with Anton,
08:40 you know, top down passing.
08:42 And like I said, the fact that he gets subbed in
08:45 in that spot and they run it to him three times in a row
08:47 and he scores every single time,
08:48 probably the biggest game of the season
08:51 is pretty impressive.
08:52 So I was really impressed with him.
08:54 And obviously Ben Greig, I thought even Dusty flew around,
08:58 made plays, his floor game had four rebounds,
09:00 you know what I'm saying?
09:01 So like everybody played in this game.
09:03 I know Luca played two and a half minutes.
09:05 You watched him defensively, he was completely fine.
09:07 You know what I mean?
09:08 So it's one of those where you walk away
09:11 and you're like, you know, everybody contributed.
09:13 And I know coaches say that a lot,
09:14 but sometimes, you know, it's kind of BS.
09:16 It was one of those where if somebody can say that
09:18 in the locker room, like everybody felt good
09:19 who checked in the ball game.
09:21 - Yeah. - It was cool.
09:22 - Yeah.
09:23 You had that left-hand jump hook that was dominant.
09:25 When you look at Braden right now,
09:27 how big of an advantage in a curve ball
09:29 is it for you guys as lefties going against defenders?
09:32 - I'm not necessarily gonna say it's an advantage.
09:35 It just, you just can't stop it, in my opinion.
09:39 And especially when she, like I say,
09:40 threw in that right-hand jump hook that one time,
09:43 that really kind of throws you off
09:44 because you have to shoot it.
09:46 As long as you just test it out just once or twice a game,
09:49 now you keep the defense.
09:50 - Coward. - Honest.
09:51 - Honest.
09:52 Now he can get to that left-hand more comfortably.
09:54 But if he starts to develop that a little bit more,
09:58 he can get to that left-hand a lot more.
09:59 'Cause that's one thing I didn't do in college
10:01 'cause I was left-hand dominant for sure.
10:03 I did not use my right-hand at all.
10:05 But I feel like with him now,
10:07 he's gonna use that right-hand more and more
10:08 and get more comfortable with it.
10:10 And that's gonna allow him to get to that left even more.
10:13 - Usually lefties too, and obviously you're a lefty,
10:16 are a little more ambidextrous, right?
10:17 'Cause it's a right-hand world.
10:18 So you grow up having to do things both ways.
10:20 Anytime I've coached lefties or played with them,
10:24 I always thought it was such an advantage
10:26 just because it's not used to guarding you,
10:28 but usually their counter is a little bit better than,
10:31 you know what I mean?
10:31 Like, could you shoot a bunch of left-hand floaters?
10:34 Probably not.
10:35 - I'd like to. - A lefty, yeah, you know.
10:37 But a lefty could probably shoot a right-hand,
10:39 'cause like I said, growing up,
10:41 it's a right-handed world.
10:42 So I think having a lefty, multiple lefties is helpful.
10:46 - Yeah, my right-hand floater is way better
10:48 than my left-hand floater.
10:50 But my left-hand hook shot is way better
10:52 than my right-hand hook shot.
10:54 So it just--
10:55 - That's interesting 'cause I think one of the allures
10:58 for transfers, I transferred, you transferred,
11:01 is the player development at Gonzaga.
11:03 What was it for you
11:06 when you were deciding to transfer
11:08 that really kind of solidified the deal to come to Gonzaga?
11:11 And then what were the focal points during your development
11:15 to get you to the level where you could get to the NBA?
11:18 - Well, first of all, when I first came,
11:20 'cause I was on the same visit with Nodule,
11:23 and just seeing the guys, how much they put in the work,
11:26 and just seeing how the coaching staff,
11:28 and seeing the past guys, like Kelly O'Lennox,
11:31 and Rob Zacharies, Adam Morris,
11:34 and all these guys that came before me
11:35 that developed into these mega superstars at Gonzaga,
11:39 and had a chance to play in the tournament,
11:40 had a chance to go professional.
11:42 I didn't have that, and I wanted to experience it.
11:44 I'd never been to a tournament before,
11:45 and that was always a big dream of mine.
11:47 To see that blue court,
11:49 well, all the blue around the court,
11:50 I wanted to experience that.
11:53 And so, but what sold me was just B-Mike.
11:56 I talked to B-Mike a lot
11:57 throughout the entire transfer process.
12:01 And I talked to Nodule, and then once Nodule committed,
12:03 Nodule's like, "Take my yoke.
12:05 "What you about to do?"
12:06 I'm like, "Hey, I got to have one more visit left."
12:09 And I think it was SMU at the time.
12:11 And I did that visit, and I was like,
12:12 "Well, if I want to go to a tournament,
12:14 "and have a chance to play in the NBA,
12:16 "I think Gonzaga's the best spot for me."
12:19 And then once I came here,
12:21 and did the whole redshirt thing, that was pretty hard.
12:23 But I had Nodule, we had three guys in redshirt,
12:26 me, Nodule, and Jeremy.
12:27 - It's pretty good to be three guys in redshirting, right?
12:31 - So doing it together, it's a lot easier than doing it
12:34 just solo, just by myself.
12:36 And we all committed to each other
12:38 that we was gonna work out every single day,
12:40 do everything we can in practice to get better,
12:42 do everything off the court, like stay in class.
12:44 'Cause I wanted to get my business degree,
12:46 so I made sure I loaded up on classes too,
12:49 while also continuing to work every day on the court.
12:52 And I worked with B. Mike, and I worked with Daniel Daniels,
12:55 'cause every time they had a game,
12:58 we would do like an hour and a half workout before the game.
13:00 And we'd been there full out sweat,
13:02 we just played two hours, and that really helped us out a lot.
13:06 And then I had like guys like John Jacobs,
13:08 who's always in my ear, Ricky, who's at Arizona now,
13:11 who's always in my ear every single day.
13:14 And so all that helped me become the person I am today,
13:17 on and off the court, so I appreciate them for that.
13:19 - Yeah, you went through the old school transfer, right?
13:22 Where you had to sit out, how much did that help you?
13:24 I mean, there's been great stories with, you know,
13:27 BC, yourself, Kelly, you know, Kyle,
13:31 like how much did that redshirt year,
13:33 if you look back, you're like, man,
13:34 that was the biggest blessing in disguise that I,
13:36 you said it was difficult,
13:37 but that I got to take a year of my body,
13:40 I got to reform my body, and then as a grown man,
13:43 an extra year helps you no matter what,
13:45 how much was that blessing in disguise?
13:47 - It was a huge blessing, and like,
13:48 I didn't, I did not want to do it,
13:50 but like I said, having Nodule and Jeremy there
13:52 to do it with me, 'cause when a team goes on the road,
13:55 you just, you stay back.
13:57 So having two other guys stay back with you,
13:59 and you do workouts together,
14:02 was like, really helped me out a lot.
14:04 And so having all that, and having that experience,
14:07 and just watching Fem and watching,
14:10 not just watching the game,
14:11 it's really helped me out for like the following year.
14:14 - Yeah, no, I 100% agree with you,
14:16 'cause my redshirt year after transferring from UW,
14:18 we had a couple guys that were like that,
14:21 were redshirting, but Tommy Lloyd
14:25 was a volunteer assistant that year,
14:27 so I had him as well as the other redshirt guys
14:30 kind of pushing me, and it's impactful,
14:34 because it keeps you on the right path,
14:36 and you build a camaraderie,
14:37 so come the next year, Tommy Lloyd's an assistant coach,
14:41 and who do I trust and value their opinion?
14:43 Tommy Lloyd, and so it would have been the same,
14:45 I'm sure, with you.
14:46 Tell us a little bit about that group
14:50 that was at the Final Four.
14:51 I mean, you guys, that to me was one of my most fun memories
14:57 as a former player, as a basketball fan,
15:00 watching that progression of that team
15:02 throughout the season,
15:03 but what was it like on the inner circle?
15:06 - It was great, we was maybe too close.
15:09 Like, we had group chats on Snapchat,
15:11 we had a test thread on iMessages,
15:14 we were just super close, and we did everything together.
15:16 Like, you never saw that year
15:18 one of us walking by ourselves.
15:20 It was always gonna be with,
15:21 somebody was always gonna be paired with somebody,
15:24 and then also that same year,
15:25 like, we was always in the gym, like, every single night,
15:28 so, like, basically, like, we would practice,
15:30 we had weights in the morning,
15:32 class, and then practice, and like, one or two,
15:35 and then, like, pretty much everybody would be in the gym
15:38 from, like, six to 10,
15:39 like, doing individuals, working on their games,
15:42 and I think that just made us even close,
15:45 and we knew, like, we could trust the other person,
15:47 'cause we knew we saw them in the gym every single night,
15:49 so I knew I could trust Chimney if I threw him a high load,
15:51 I knew I could trust Nigel when he drives to the lane,
15:55 and I knew I could trust him
15:56 when he shoots his floater,
15:57 'cause he worked on it every single night,
15:58 so that's the thing, we just,
15:59 we worked so hard as a group,
16:01 and we also worked so hard individually
16:03 to make sure that we get ourselves ready
16:04 and prepared for each game.
16:06 Like, we was really, really dedicated this year,
16:08 like, and to each other.
16:10 - Did you ever go back and watch that film when,
16:12 was it Meeks?
16:14 Was it, who was the big guy at Kentuck,
16:16 or North Carolina, where his hand was out of bounds?
16:19 Did you ever go back and watch that?
16:20 - I think it was Kennedy, yeah.
16:21 - Yeah, he was? - Yeah.
16:22 - Nah, I didn't watch it.
16:23 He called it out, I wanna say,
16:25 but I didn't go back and watch it.
16:27 It was, it's kinda hard to watch now,
16:29 so I just let it go.
16:31 - Yeah.
16:32 You talk about the close-knit of the group that you had.
16:38 You've been in Spokane now for a little,
16:39 for around a week, you've been to a couple practices,
16:42 I'm sure you were at the game.
16:44 Do you see that with this group?
16:45 Because I've seen the group get closer
16:48 over the last little stretch,
16:51 and Mo could probably touch on this too,
16:52 'cause when you go into a road environment that's tough,
16:55 that can kinda galvanize and bring you guys together.
16:58 - Yeah, from the practices I've seen,
17:01 and also at the game versus Portland,
17:03 they seem pretty close,
17:04 they seem like a close-knit group of guys.
17:06 Yeah, I think as long as they continue to get closer
17:11 and continue to grow camaraderie,
17:13 they should be all right down the stretch,
17:15 'cause you don't need that when,
17:16 like I said, they go in the sixth,
17:18 they take the lead, and sometimes you see teams
17:20 kinda go apart, get angry, start yelling at each other.
17:24 But in those environments,
17:26 you actually gotta come closer together,
17:27 you gotta really depend on each other,
17:28 not fight, and I feel like that's what they did
17:30 versus Kentucky, they got that,
17:32 'cause we had to lead the entire game,
17:33 they got that sixth point,
17:34 and that's when teams really like flustered,
17:36 and they like, "Ah, let's start depending."
17:38 But actually, they actually came together
17:39 and actually made a couple stops,
17:41 made a couple buckets,
17:42 and I think that's gonna continue
17:43 to help them along the way.
17:45 - Yeah, I think the culture too,
17:47 with what we have is teams are naturally close,
17:50 they don't allow that,
17:51 you know, the clicks and all that stuff,
17:54 but they ain't as close as that,
17:57 as good as that team.
17:58 - 'Cause you were a coach that year,
17:59 or right around that year.
18:01 - No, I was just a fan,
18:03 but that team was,
18:05 that team was, you know, like this.
18:07 So this team is obviously good,
18:09 and they can get to that point,
18:10 but that team was obviously one of the special ones.
18:13 That, and I think the year after,
18:15 the Texas Tech one,
18:18 team that lost to Texas Tech in the lead eight,
18:20 was the, those are the two best teams in my opinion,
18:23 talent-wise, like top to bottom.
18:25 - Talent-wise, yeah.
18:26 - Rui BC, and then his inside group was Z-Bo,
18:30 Shimmy and you, like, you know what I'm saying?
18:32 And Drew, you know what I mean?
18:34 And then Tilly, yeah, like Tilly was your fourth, right?
18:37 - Yeah, 'cause I think, so what happened was,
18:39 so Shimmy and I would start,
18:41 and then Z-Bo and Tilly would come in for us.
18:44 - Yes.
18:45 - So you got four basic NBA guys,
18:48 I mean, Shimmy would have not had injuries.
18:51 - And then I think the guards,
18:52 they would rotate with Silas, Josh,
18:54 - Nigel.
18:56 - Nigel and Jordan McIdley,
18:57 they would just kind of like rotate them guys a little bit
19:00 so they can get breaks.
19:02 - Yeah, so those teams were a little more intertwined
19:06 than this team, and that's not a knock,
19:07 but those were special groups.
19:10 Our clubs always have good camaraderie, right?
19:13 They don't bring guys on that are not,
19:16 you guys know this, that are not upstanding citizens
19:19 or whatever, that are not for the university
19:22 or for the team, they get shipped out.
19:25 We've had a few of those.
19:27 - Quietly in the night.
19:29 - See you later, so, but he's exactly right.
19:33 You have to, on the road, especially like at Kentucky,
19:37 and we've seen this, like Santa Clara game,
19:40 started off great, and then they kind of get the crowd
19:44 into it, and then we kind of, not falter,
19:47 and there's nobody like yelling at each other,
19:48 but you don't see this.
19:50 Going down six, we came down and really had a steely resolve
19:53 about us, and that was nice,
19:56 'cause that Reed Shepard kid is good.
19:57 - He's good, yeah.
19:58 - Holy crap, man, I was really impressed.
20:00 He was super talented.
20:03 - Well, he shot the heck out of it from deep,
20:05 and then he was crafty on the interior finish,
20:08 either hand, he's more athletic than you think.
20:10 - Layup package, all the jelly stuff
20:12 that you always tell smaller guards,
20:14 that when you're not like a other end player,
20:17 you have to have this, like you tell youth players,
20:20 and then he had, I mean, he had multiple finishes,
20:22 he had the spin stuff, and then he had pull-ups,
20:26 and I saw Neil O'Shea on the plane,
20:28 and I was like, that's, he's pretty good,
20:32 and he's like, yeah, he's pretty good.
20:34 He'll be in the NBA someday, so it was fun to watch.
20:36 - He's definitely an NBA player.
20:37 - But yeah, I was really just overall proud of that group,
20:40 man, they needed a win like that,
20:41 because if you look at all the losses,
20:44 you know, UW, a chance to win, should've won.
20:46 Obviously, Kentucky, we win,
20:49 but Santa Clara probably should've won that game
20:52 of front-end one-on-one, you know what I mean?
20:54 So like, you would've felt bad if they played that well
20:57 and didn't win this one, and then all the noise
21:00 would've just amped up again.
21:01 - Yeah.
21:02 - So I don't know how much it changes our chances
21:05 to getting that large, if not, it certainly helps.
21:09 - Well, the analytics are what they are.
21:12 I mean, I think you also, there's an eye test
21:14 to the selection committee, at least there has to be.
21:17 That's a good win.
21:18 - Really good win.
21:19 - You know, I mean, they're 24 in the net
21:21 as of this morning.
21:22 There's never been a team that's been that high in the net
21:25 and not make the tournament.
21:27 But it's one, quad one win is all against Kentucky,
21:30 so they still have their work cut out for them,
21:32 but I don't see them being left out at this moment.
21:37 - Yeah, again, a win at St. Mary's would help, obviously,
21:42 and then a win at San Francisco,
21:43 in other words, it's gonna be at Chase Center,
21:45 which I think really actually kind of helps us,
21:47 'cause you're not playing a true road game.
21:49 - Yeah, it'll be deemed a road game,
21:51 but I'm sure it goes, hey, we're gonna have more fans.
21:53 - Yeah, exactly, so like, it'll help us.
21:55 So yeah, this club, it's a great win,
21:57 and I think they're peaking at the right time,
22:00 but again, it is one win as well,
22:04 so we still have to understand.
22:06 - But if you go quad one and quad two,
22:08 'cause they consider that two, I think we're four and six.
22:11 So it's not like we don't have something
22:14 to completely point to, but you're right,
22:17 a national televised game, Kentucky,
22:20 who is top 10 for most of the seasons,
22:24 obviously faltered a little bit, but super talented,
22:27 that helps us.
22:28 - And I think that's important why the game was played
22:31 in February as opposed to December.
22:33 So now all of a sudden, it's fresher in your mind
22:36 if you're on that selection committee.
22:38 You were at Missouri before you came to Gonzaga,
22:40 so you've been in a power conference setting,
22:43 and then you come to the WCC, so you've seen both,
22:45 and we typically ask most of our guests,
22:48 like, with the changing landscape of college athletics,
22:52 do you like the WCC for Gonzaga?
22:55 Would you like to see them move conferences?
22:57 Or at this point, it's like, hey, Gonzaga is gonna be fine
23:01 regardless of what league they're in.
23:03 - I thought they were gonna be fine.
23:06 Just continue to recruit high-level guys
23:08 and continue to build that culture each and every year,
23:11 we should be fine.
23:12 So I'm not really concerned about being in WCC
23:14 or, well, it's not the Pac-12 no more,
23:17 I don't know whether--
23:17 - It'll be gone next year.
23:18 - It'll be gone.
23:19 But we are at an Oregon State and Wazoo, right?
23:23 So that brings more high-level competition,
23:26 like high D1 guys, so we'll see.
23:28 - What was your dream school growing up in Memphis?
23:32 'Cause Memphis was rolling, I would imagine,
23:35 with Cal at the time.
23:36 - Well, he left when I was young, though.
23:39 He left when I was like maybe 13.
23:41 - To go to Kentucky.
23:44 - After Derrick Rose.
23:45 - Yeah, after that, that crew, CDR and Derrick Rose, yeah.
23:48 - Yeah, so John Wall, first year, whenever that was,
23:51 that's when he went to Kentucky.
23:53 But actually, I love Melo,
23:56 so I always thought I wanted to go to Syracuse.
23:59 - Okay.
23:59 - Syracuse, like you said,
24:00 it's like my top two dream schools growing up.
24:03 - Syracuse and UCLA, you said?
24:05 - Yeah.
24:06 - Okay, Gonzaga, we beat UCLA a number of times
24:08 in the last few years.
24:10 When you've seen these runs that Gonzaga's made
24:13 in the NCAA tournament since your final four year,
24:16 how fun is it for you to sit back and be like,
24:20 I've been there, done that, know what they're going through,
24:22 I'm pulling for 'em?
24:23 - It's an awesome feeling, 'cause you've been there,
24:26 you just wish them all the best,
24:28 and hopefully just continue to win.
24:31 But I know them games are tough,
24:33 'cause each team will have different runs,
24:35 once you withstand those runs,
24:37 and you make sure your runs are actually extended longer,
24:40 you should be all right,
24:41 but those games are very, very intense.
24:44 Everything matters.
24:46 - You spent time in the NBA before you moved on
24:49 to a little bit of time in Europe,
24:50 but recently you've been playing over in Asia.
24:53 What's that journey been like professionally for you?
24:58 A lot of people are curious about what former Zags are doing,
25:02 where they're playing, how their career's going,
25:04 and share with us the last couple years for you.
25:08 - So yeah, I started with the Lakers,
25:10 and then I moved to Israel, out to the Lakers,
25:14 which is a crazy story.
25:16 I was, it was a couple days before Christmas,
25:19 I was just hanging in my room,
25:22 and I got a text from my agent,
25:25 like, hey, I think the Wizards might be interested.
25:27 I was like, all right, cool,
25:29 if they not, gonna put no pen to paper,
25:32 it doesn't really matter.
25:34 And then the next day I get a call from Coach P,
25:38 saying like, yo, J, do you have a ballot in your contract?
25:41 And I was like, I don't think so,
25:43 I don't know what I have, I really don't know.
25:45 He like, can you check,
25:46 because the Wizards are probably gonna sign you.
25:50 And that was like on a Sunday.
25:52 And then later on that night, my agent calls,
25:54 like, yeah, the Wizards are gonna sign you,
25:55 so when can you leave?
25:57 And I was like, as soon as possible, just let me know.
26:00 And then I left on a Tuesday,
26:03 I made to DC on a Tuesday,
26:06 like the Tuesday night, 'cause you go back,
26:07 you get your time back.
26:10 And then I play on a Thursday in Detroit, Michigan,
26:14 the day after Christmas.
26:15 And that was, that was like my first game back in the NBA,
26:20 and I had the most insane headache that night.
26:24 'Cause I was supposed to be asleep at that time,
26:25 doing the game, and I'm like, but it was--
26:28 - You can't say nothing, yeah, you gotta fight.
26:30 - But it was an incredible headache,
26:32 I mean, it was a great headache, to be honest.
26:34 But like, and then after the Wizards,
26:36 I went to Turkey, and then I went to Germany,
26:39 then I went to Italy.
26:41 And then along the way, you also meet like,
26:43 these great guys that you build relationships with
26:45 over the course of like, the season.
26:47 I was still close with a lot of my overseas teammates.
26:50 And then after like, the Europe stint,
26:53 I went to play with Jeremy Jones, which is my teammate,
26:56 Edna Zaga, last year in Nagoya,
26:59 we had like a solid season,
27:00 but playing with another Zag member,
27:02 also like, awesome, 'cause you actually know him,
27:05 and you have that relationship already.
27:07 So it was, I had a great time with Jeremy.
27:10 We spent almost a whole year together.
27:12 And then I went to Japan, and I went to the Philippines,
27:15 you know, and then I just found out,
27:19 a couple days ago, I won like,
27:20 the best import in the Philippines,
27:22 which is like, the MVP, I guess.
27:24 - Nice.
27:25 - And, - Congrats.
27:26 - I wouldn't have done that without my,
27:27 with the great coaching staff I had,
27:29 and also like, I had great teammates too, so.
27:32 - Yeah.
27:33 - So yeah, I feel like it's also,
27:34 like, being a basketball player,
27:36 whereas in the NBA or overseas,
27:38 always gonna be a lot of ups and downs,
27:40 but long as you just stay true to yourself,
27:41 and continue to believe in God,
27:44 like everything's gonna work out,
27:45 'cause like, you're gonna hit a lot of bumps on the way,
27:47 especially, 'cause you don't know
27:49 when your next contract's coming,
27:51 you don't know where you're gonna play the next season,
27:53 but just gotta make sure you keep your faith strong,
27:55 and continue to work on your game,
27:56 so everything's gonna take care of itself.
27:58 - Yeah, no, that's awesome to hear that faith aspect of it.
28:02 That's awesome as well,
28:03 that you played with a former Gonzaga teammate in Japan,
28:06 Jeremy Jones.
28:08 I never played with a former teammate overseas,
28:11 I did in the NBA, with Richie Fromm,
28:13 but did you ever play against a former teammate over there?
28:17 'Cause I had one matchup against Derek Ravio,
28:19 who was with Mosey,
28:21 but I didn't play 'cause of an injury.
28:23 - I don't think I played against another former Zag,
28:28 I don't think so.
28:30 - Yeah, well, 'cause the reason I ask
28:32 is 'cause they're all over the place,
28:33 and we've got so many pros now.
28:35 - I did play against Tilly's brother.
28:37 - Oh, really?
28:38 - Twice.
28:39 - Well, give us a scouting report on him.
28:41 - Well, he's kind of on the tip of his career,
28:43 but he was still athletic, could still shoot it,
28:45 and I hung out with Tilly's mom,
28:47 'cause they was at the game,
28:48 so it was like a little small Zag reunion
28:51 for like a couple, like an hour or so.
28:53 - Awesome.
28:54 - And also, last year in Japan,
28:55 I think Tilly's dad is a professional volleyball coach
28:59 in Japan, and so I was able,
29:02 during the day I was able to hang out with his parents
29:04 for like a couple hours, we went and grabbed dinner.
29:07 So whenever Zags are kind of close to each other,
29:09 whether it's like parents or actually teammates,
29:11 or wherever, we're always gonna find time to connect,
29:14 you know, that's just how it is.
29:16 - Absolutely.
29:17 Well, big week coming up for Gonzaga, Mo,
29:19 you got at LMU and then home against Pacific.
29:23 What are you hoping to see?
29:24 And then Jonathan, are you still around
29:27 in Spokane for a bit?
29:28 You gonna be at the games?
29:29 - I'm not sure, I have to, like I said,
29:31 my agent just texted me not too long ago,
29:33 but hopefully, I'm praying that it won't be, no offense.
29:36 - Yeah.
29:37 - But like, yeah, but we'll see.
29:39 If I am, I'll probably come to the game,
29:41 unless I have to do something with my niece and nephew.
29:44 - Awesome.
29:45 So what are you looking forward for this week?
29:47 - Well, obviously LMU, we played really good against them
29:51 and they've given us problems in the past,
29:54 but I think if we can have a good another road mentality,
29:57 we'd match up really well against them.
30:00 And then Pacific is terrible.
30:02 (laughing)
30:04 - You're being bluntly honest, I like it.
30:06 - They're like 350 in the net, so they're not very good.
30:09 But they do play a weird style, so,
30:12 or a unique style for college basketball.
30:15 When I mean terrible, I'm going off the numbers,
30:18 but we only beat them by nine at their place,
30:20 but they play five out, kind of like an AU style.
30:22 So that's kind of difficult to guard,
30:24 you know, and if guys get rolling,
30:26 then they can make it difficult for you defensively.
30:31 So hopefully it's another good week,
30:35 and then we got a big week coming up after that
30:37 when we get the, you know, one more Portland,
30:39 and then we get the two big Bay Area teams,
30:43 San Francisco and St. Mary's.
30:46 So, you know, a lot to build on,
30:48 but also like, hey, Kentucky was great,
30:50 you gotta refocus, all the cliche stuff is very true.
30:54 And we still are outside looking in, in my opinion,
30:57 I mean that in a good way,
30:58 but it was a great stepping stone
31:01 to get to where we wanna get,
31:02 but we still have to grind it,
31:04 make sure we get that top two seed,
31:06 so we get that by in the first round
31:07 of the West Coast Conference tournament.
31:09 - Yeah, no, that Kentucky game, as big as it was,
31:12 it makes the next few weeks even bigger, you know,
31:15 'cause if you let that one slide--
31:18 - Then it becomes irrelevant.
31:19 - Yep, exactly.
31:20 - So if you lose to a Pacific,
31:21 or you lose to an LMU or a Portland,
31:24 even a San Francisco, St. Mary's about the only one
31:26 that would look okay, I guess, in theory,
31:30 being a road game, but it is vital,
31:32 like you said, that we have to kind of build on it.
31:36 But if they play with that tenacity
31:37 and just the pace that they played at,
31:40 then we look like a really different ball club.
31:44 - Yeah, no, there were stretches,
31:46 and long stretches that they looked like a top 15 team.
31:50 - Yeah, yeah, no, they looked great, man.
31:53 And like I said, everybody contributed to the game.
31:55 You go down the stat sheet, it's crazy, like every,
31:57 yeah, I said Nem Hard place 40 minutes goes one for seven.
32:00 Forget about that, like he controlled the pace
32:02 late in that game, he made so many deliveries
32:05 and assists and just controlled.
32:08 And then he, Shepherd had a good second half,
32:10 but he kind of corralled him,
32:11 remember he went on that big run,
32:13 and then kind of corralled him later in the game.
32:15 So it was just fantastic, especially for those guys,
32:19 'cause the noise around the club
32:21 has been most positive in recent times.
32:24 So it was nice for them to have a good job.
32:28 - For sure, for sure.
32:30 - Well, Jonathan, appreciate you joining.
32:31 You got anything last you want to share
32:34 or add to Gonzaga fans that tune in?
32:37 - I just continue to show support
32:39 and continue believing in our young guys
32:41 and they will, you know what I'm saying, keep it going.
32:43 - Awesome, Moe, any last words?
32:45 - No, go Zags, that's all I got.
32:50 - There you have it, go Zags for Adam Morrison,
32:53 myself, Dan Dickow, our guest today on Talking Zags.
32:57 Three, Jonathan Williams III, appreciate you joining.
33:00 We'll see you again next week
33:02 for another episode with Adam and I.
33:04 (upbeat music)
33:07 (upbeat music)