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I remember when Gonzaga began recruiting and giving scholarships to foreign players. I didn't like it at all. I am slow to change I think. But slowly I came to realize that if Gonzaga was going to continue to be one of the best basketball programs in the United States, they HAD to recruit overseas. As I look back at the last ten years of GU basketball I would now say that some of the greatest Zag players have been young men from other countries. I also realized how much they added to the personality of the team and, most likely, to the university too.
Not only has Gonzaga been recruiting foreigners, they are now able to recruit some very good players who are transferring from other universities. This year Gonzaga will have 6 players who are either from other countries or who have transferred from another university. They are Kevin Pangos, Kyle Wiltjer, Wesley, McClelland, Sabonis and Angel Nunez. That is almost half of the team.
I think many of us get real involved in the recruiting season and often feel kind of bad when we don't sign some of the athletes that Gonzaga recruits really hard. However, the truth of the matter is that after Gonzaga has failed to sign some of the big names in the incoming freshmen class, Mark Few and his staff will eventually sign a foreign player and a transfer, or two. This now seems to be a fact, and as the years have gone by it's something that I now look forward to. I can hardly wait to watch Sabonis, Wesley, McClellan and Wiltjer play. I believe I will be very happy when I see them on the court.
One interesting thing about the foreign players is that I think they all became stars at Gonzaga, and four of them signed professional contracts with an NBA team (Turiof, Sacre, Olynik, and Elias Harris). So maybe, in the end, we don't really lose when we don't sign some of the top US athletes coming out of high school. Like they say, sometimes when we lose we win.
Not only has Gonzaga been recruiting foreigners, they are now able to recruit some very good players who are transferring from other universities. This year Gonzaga will have 6 players who are either from other countries or who have transferred from another university. They are Kevin Pangos, Kyle Wiltjer, Wesley, McClelland, Sabonis and Angel Nunez. That is almost half of the team.
I think many of us get real involved in the recruiting season and often feel kind of bad when we don't sign some of the athletes that Gonzaga recruits really hard. However, the truth of the matter is that after Gonzaga has failed to sign some of the big names in the incoming freshmen class, Mark Few and his staff will eventually sign a foreign player and a transfer, or two. This now seems to be a fact, and as the years have gone by it's something that I now look forward to. I can hardly wait to watch Sabonis, Wesley, McClellan and Wiltjer play. I believe I will be very happy when I see them on the court.
One interesting thing about the foreign players is that I think they all became stars at Gonzaga, and four of them signed professional contracts with an NBA team (Turiof, Sacre, Olynik, and Elias Harris). So maybe, in the end, we don't really lose when we don't sign some of the top US athletes coming out of high school. Like they say, sometimes when we lose we win.
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