# 2017–18 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Gonzaga University in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Mark Few, who was in his 19th season as head coach. The team played its home games at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington. This was the Bulldogs (also informally referred to as the Zags) 38th season as a member of the West Coast Conference. They finished the season 32–5, 17–1 in WCC play to win the WCC regular season championship. They defeated Loyola Marymount, San Francisco and BYU to become champions of the WCC tournament. They received the WCC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated UNC Greensboro and Ohio State to advance to the Sweet Sixteen where they lost to Florida State.
The last weeks of the season were played against the backdrop of a potential Gonzaga move to the Mountain West Conference (MW), first publicly reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune on February 28, 2018. MW commissioner Craig Thompson told the newspaper that the league had discussed expansion with six schools, with Gonzaga the only school he specifically named. Thompson added that Gonzaga could potentially join as a full but non-football member as early as the 2018–19 school year. A later Union-Tribune report indicated that talks were advanced enough that the conference's presidents planned a vote on an invitation to Gonzaga during the MW men's and women's basketball tournaments in Las Vegas, but decided to delay the vote until after the Final Four. However, before the MW's planned vote, Gonzaga athletic director Mike Roth notified both conferences that Gonzaga would remain in the WCC for the immediate future.

## Previous season

The Bulldogs team finished the 2016–17 season 37–2, 17–1 in WCC play. The season was arguably the greatest season in Gonzaga's 109-year basketball history. The Bulldogs finished with a 32–1 regular season record and did not lose a game until February. They finished ranked second in the final AP Poll, the highest final national ranking in school history. They won both the WCC regular season and tournament championships. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and a received a No. 1 seed in the West region. They advanced to the first NCAA National Championship game in the school's history—the deepest run for a WCC team since San Francisco advanced to its third consecutive Final Four in 1957, and also the deepest run by any Division I school without a football team since Seton Hall made the championship game in 1989. With a victory over South Carolina in the national semifinal, the Bulldogs tied the NCAA Division I record for the second-most wins in a season. Their run ended in the NCAA National Championship game, where they lost to North Carolina.

## Offseason
### Coaching changes
#### Departures

| Name | Position | Year at Gonzaga | Alma Mater (year) | Reason for Departure |
| John Jakus | Director of Basketball Operations | 3rd | Trinity International (1999) | Assistant coach at Baylor |
| Ken Bone | Special Assistant to the head coach | 1st | Seattle Pacific (1982) | Associate head coach at Pepperdine |

#### Additions to staff

| Name | Position | Year at Gonzaga | Alma Mater (year) | Previous Job |
| Stephen Gentry | Director of Basketball Operations | 1st | Gonzaga (2006) | Director of player development at Oklahoma State |

### Player departures

Johnathan Williams had entered the NBA draft but did not hire an agent, giving him the option to return to Gonzaga. He withdrew from the draft on May 24, the last day he could have done so to retain NCAA eligibility.
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Przemek Karnowski | 24 | C | 7'1" | 300 | Senior (Redshirt) | Toruń, Poland | Graduated |
| Rem Bakamus | 15 | G | 6'0" | 173 | Senior (Redshirt) | Longview, WA | Graduated |
| Jordan Mathews | 4 | G | 6'4" | 203 | Senior | San Francisco, CA | Completed athletic eligibility; graduated from California in 2016 |
| Nigel Williams-Goss | 5 | G | 6'3" | 195 | Junior (Redshirt) | Happy Valley, OR | Graduated; declared for 2017 NBA draft; selected 55th overall by the Utah Jazz |
| Ryan Edwards | 25 | C | 7'1" | 295 | Junior (Redshirt) | Kalispell, MT | Graduated; transferred to Portland State |
| Dustin Triano | 55 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Junior (Redshirt) | Vancouver, BC | Graduated; transferred to Western Oregon |
| Bryan Alberts | 10 | G | 6'5" | 198 | Sophomore (Redshirt) | Northridge, CA | Graduated; transferred to Long Beach State |
| Zach Collins | 32 | C | 7'0" | 230 | Freshman | Las Vegas, NV | Declared for 2017 NBA draft; selected 10th overall by the Sacramento Kings |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School | Years Remaining | Date Eligible |
| Brandon Clarke | F | 6'8" | 210 | Junior | Phoenix, AZ | San Jose State | 2 | Oct. 1, 2018 |
| Alex Martin | G | 6'5" | 205 | Sophomore (redshirt) | Overland Park, KS | Johnson County CC | 3 | Oct. 1, 2017 |

### 2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Corey Kispert SF | Seattle, WA | King's HS | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | May 4, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Joël Ayayi PG | Bordeaux, France | INSEP | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Apr 27, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Gonzaga Rivals Commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017. "2017 Gonzaga Scout Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017. "2017 Gonzaga ESPN Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017. "2017 Gonzaga 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017. ||||||

### 2017 returning missionaries

Jesse Wade graduated high school in 2015, but before enrolling in college at Gonzaga, he left for a 2-year LDS mission in Lyon, France, and will arrive on campus as a freshman in Fall 2017.
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jesse Wade PG | Kaysville, UT | Davis | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Oct 4, 2013 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: #110 ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2015 Gonzaga Rivals Commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 4, 2013. "2015 Gonzaga Scout Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved October 4, 2013. "2015 Gonzaga ESPN Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 4, 2013. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved October 4, 2013. "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 4, 2013. "2015 Gonzaga 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved October 4, 2013. ||||||

## Future recruits
### Recruiting class of 2018

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Filip Petrušev PF | Belgrade, Serbia | Montverde Academy | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Oct 22, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Greg Foster SG | Thiensville, WI | Ed W. Clark High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 174 lb (79 kg) | Nov 8, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Gonzaga Commit List for 2018". Rivals.com. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Roster

* Roster is subject to change as/if players transfer or leave the program for other reasons.

### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Year at Gonzaga | Alma Mater (year) |
| Mark Few | Head coach | 19th | Oregon (1987) |
| Tommy Lloyd | Associate head coach | 17th | Whitman (1998) |
| Donny Daniels | Assistant coach | 8th | Cal State Fullerton (1976) |
| Brian Michaelson | Assistant coach | 5th | Gonzaga (2005) |
| Ken Nakagawa | Graduate Assistant | 2nd | Long Beach State (2014) |
| Stephen Gentry | Director of Basketball Operations | 1st | Gonzaga (2006) |
| Riccardo Fois | Director of Analytics | 4th | Pepperdine (2009) |
| Josh Therrien | Athletic Trainer | 2nd | Washington State (2007) |
| Travis Knight | Strength and Conditioning Coach | 12th | Gonzaga (2000) |

## Schedule and results

Gonzaga's non-conference schedule includes matchups with Washington and San Diego State on the road. Gonzaga hosted Creighton, Texas Southern, and Incarnate Word at home. Gonzaga battled Villanova on a neutral court at Madison Square Garden in the Jimmy V Classic. The Zags were invited to play in the PK80: Phil Knight Invitational, where they played against Florida, Ohio State, and Texas. The Zags played in the single-elimination WCC Tournament, which took place in March 2018 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Nov 4, 2017* 5:00 pm, KHQ | No. 18 | College of Idaho | W 96–67 | | 28 – Tillie | 6 – 3 Tied | 5 – Tied | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov 10* 6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 18 | Texas Southern | W 97–69 | 1–0 | 20 – Perkins | 12 – Tillie | 5 – Norvell | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Nov 14* 6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 17 | Howard | W 106–69 | 2–0 | 18 – Norvell | 9 – Tied | 6 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Nov 18* 7:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 17 | Utah State PK80–Phil Knight Invitational Opening Round | W 79–66 | 3–0 | 20 – Tillie | 9 – Tied | 3 – Tied | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Nov 23* 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 17 | vs. Ohio State PK80–Phil Knight Invitational Motion Bracket Quarterfinals | W 86–59 | 4–0 | 21 – Williams | 11 – Tillie | 4 – Tied | Veterans Memorial Coliseum (7,878) Portland, OR |
| Nov 24* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 17 | vs. No. 7 Florida PK80–Phil Knight Invitational Motion Bracket Semifinals | L 105–111 $^{2OT}$ | 4–1 | 39 – Williams | 12 – Williams | 7 – Perkins | Moda Center (14,274) Portland, OR |
| Nov 26* 10:00 am, ESPN | No. 17 | vs. Texas PK80–Phil Knight Invitational Motion Bracket 3rd Place Game | W 76–71 $^{OT}$ | 5–1 | 20 – Hachimura | 9 – Hachimura | 7 – Perkins | Moda Center (15,365) Portland, OR |
| Nov 29* 6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 15 | Incarnate Word | W 103–68 | 6–1 | 18 – Hachimura | 8 – Larsen | 5 – Norvell | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Dec 1* 7:15 pm, ESPN2 | No. 15 | No. 25 Creighton | W 91–74 | 7–1 | 22 – Tillie | 8 – Tillie | 4 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Dec 5* 4:00 pm, ESPN | No. 12 | vs. No. 4 Villanova Jimmy V Classic | L 72–88 | 7–2 | 22 – Norvell Jr. | 5 – Perkins | 5 – Perkins | Madison Square Garden (17,532) New York, NY |
| Dec 10* 5:00 pm, P12N | No. 12 | at Washington Rivalry | W 97–70 | 8–2 | 21 – Williams | 12 – Williams | 8 – Perkins | Alaska Airlines Arena (9,749) Seattle, WA |
| Dec 16* 5:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 12 | North Dakota | W 89–83 $^{OT}$ | 9–2 | 20 – Perkins | 9 – Tillie | 7 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Dec 18* 6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 12 | IUPUI | W 101–71 | 10–2 | 27 – Tillie | 14 – Williams | 6 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Dec 21* 7:00 pm, CBSSN | No. 12 | at San Diego State | L 70–72 | 10–3 | 22 – Norvell Jr. | 15 – Williams | 7 – Perkins | Viejas Arena (12,414) San Diego, CA |
| WCC Regular Season |||||||||
| Dec 28 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 20 | Pacific | W 81–48 | 11–3 (1–0) | 19 – Hachimura | 6 – Kispert | 5 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Dec 30 4:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 20 | Santa Clara | W 101–52 | 12–3 (2–0) | 19 – Melson | 6 – Tied | 8 – Tied | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Jan 4, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 19-t | at Pepperdine | W 89–59 | 13–3 (3–0) | 22 – Tillie | 8 – Tillie | 5 – 3 Tied | Firestone Fieldhouse (2,930) Malibu, CA |
| Jan 6 7:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 19-t | at Loyola Marymount | W 85–66 | 14–3 (4–0) | 30 – Williams | 10 – Williams | 10 – Perkins | Gersten Pavilion (2,782) Los Angeles, CA |
| Jan 11 6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 15 | Portland | W 103–57 | 15–3 (5–0) | 23 – Melson | 10 – Larsen | 7 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Jan 13 6:30 pm, ESPNU | No. 15 | at San Francisco | W 75–65 | 16–3 (6–0) | 17 – Williams | 9 – Williams | 3 – Williams | War Memorial Gymnasium (4,022) San Francisco, CA |
| Jan 18 6:00 pm, ESPN | No. 13 | Saint Mary's Rivalry | L 71–74 | 16–4 (6–1) | 23 – Hachimura | 8 – Tillie | 7 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Jan 20 5:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 13 | at Santa Clara | W 75–60 | 17–4 (7–1) | 17 – Perkins | 8 – Williams | 7 – Norvell Jr. | Leavey Center (5,011) Santa Clara, CA |
| Jan 25 8:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 15 | at Portland | W 95–79 | 18–4 (8–1) | 27 – Tillie | 7 – Tied | 6 – Melson | Chiles Center (4,557) Portland, OR |
| Jan 27 5:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 15 | San Francisco | W 82–73 | 19–4 (9–1) | 16 – Tied | 8 – Tillie | 4 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Feb 1 6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 14 | San Diego | W 69–59 | 20–4 (10–1) | 14 – Williams | 12 – Williams | 2 – 3 Tied | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Feb 3 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 14 | BYU Rivalry | W 68–60 | 21–4 (11–1) | 15 – Hachimura | 10 – Williams | 7 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Feb 8 7:00 pm, SWX/RTNW | No. 12 | at Pacific | W 71–61 | 22–4 (12–1) | 21 – Tillie | 13 – Williams | 5 – Perkins | Alex G. Spanos Center (3,453) Stockton, CA |
| Feb 10 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 12 | at No. 11 Saint Mary's Rivalry | W 78–65 | 23–4 (13–1) | 21 – Hachimura | 11 – Williams | 5 – Perkins | McKeon Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| Feb 15 6:00 pm, SWX/RTNW | No. 9 | Loyola Marymount | W 76–46 | 24–4 (14–1) | 14 – Kispert | 13 – Williams | 2 – 3 Tied | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Feb 17 5:00 pm, KAYU/RTNW | No. 9 | Pepperdine | W 81–67 | 25–4 (15–1) | 18 – Williams | 12 – Williams | 7 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Feb 22 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 6-t | at San Diego | W 77–72 | 26–4 (16–1) | 17 – Tillie | 9 – Williams | 4 – Perkins | Jenny Craig Pavilion (4,772) San Diego, CA |
| Feb 24 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 6-t | at BYU Rivalry | W 79–65 | 27–4 (17–1) | 16 – Williams | 6 – 3 Tied | 7 – Perkins | Marriott Center (18,987) Provo, UT |
| WCC Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 3 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | (1) No. 7 | vs. (8) Loyola Marymount Quarterfinals | W 83–69 | 28–4 | 24 – Tillie | 10 – Williams | 6 – Perkins | Orleans Arena (7,279) Paradise, NV |
| Mar 5 6:00 pm, ESPN | (1) No. 6 | vs. (4) San Francisco Semifinals | W 88–60 | 29–4 | 26 – Tillie | 10 – Williams | 8 – Perkins | Orleans Arena (8,296) Paradise, NV |
| Mar 6 6:00 pm, ESPN | (1) No. 6 | vs. (3) BYU Championship/Rivalry | W 74–54 | 30–4 | 22 – Tillie | 13 – Williams | 8 – Perkins | Orleans Arena (8,030) Paradise, NV |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar 15* 10:30 am, TNT | (4 W) No. 8 | vs. (13 W) UNC Greensboro First Round | W 68–64 | 31–4 | 19 – Williams | 11 – Williams | 2 – Tied | Taco Bell Arena (11,662) Boise, ID |
| Mar 17* 7:45 pm, CBS | (4 W) No. 8 | vs. (5 W) No. 17 Ohio State Second Round | W 90–84 | 32–4 | 28 – Norvell Jr. | 12 – Norvell Jr. | 8 – Perkins | Taco Bell Arena (11,686) Boise, ID |
| Mar 22* 7:07 pm, TBS | (4 W) No. 8 | vs. (9 W) Florida State Sweet Sixteen | L 60–75 | 32–5 | 16 – Hachimura | 11 – Williams | 4 – Perkins | Staples Center (19,181) Los Angeles, CA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | 18 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 20 | 19 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 6-t | 7 | 6 | 8 | Not released |
| Coaches | 19 | 19^ | 17 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll. *AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings