# 2018–19 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team (also informally referred to as the Zags) represented Gonzaga University, located in Spokane, Washington. in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Mark Few, in his 20th season as head coach. This was the Bulldogs' 15th season at the on-campus McCarthey Athletic Center and 39th season as a member of the West Coast Conference. They finished the season 33-4, 16-0 to finish in 1st place. In the WCC Tournament, they defeated Pepperdine in the semifinals before losing in the championship game to Saint Mary’s. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, Baylor and Florida State to make the Elite Eight. In the Elite Eight, they lost to Texas Tech.

## Previous season

The Bulldogs team finished the 2017–18 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.

## Offseason
### Coaching changes
#### Additions to staff

| Name | Position | Year at Gonzaga | Alma Mater (year) | Previous Job |
| Ken Nakagawa | Video coordinator | 3rd | Long Beach State (2014) | Graduate Assistant at Gonzaga |
| Jorge Sanz | Graduate Assistant | 1st | Florida Atlantic (2011) | Assistant coach at Florida Atlantic |

### Player departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Johnathan Williams | 3 | F | 6'9" | 228 | Senior (Redshirt) | Memphis, TN | Graduated |
| Silas Melson | 0 | G | 6'4" | 195 | Senior | Portland, OR | Graduated |
| Jacob Larsen | 14 | F | 6'11" | 235 | Freshman (Redshirt) | Holte, Denmark | Left team |
| Jesse Wade | 10 | G | 6'1" | 175 | Freshman | Kaysville, UT | Transferred to BYU |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School | Years Remaining | Date Eligible |
| Geno Crandall | G | 6'4" | 185 | Senior (redshirt) | Minneapolis, MN | North Dakota | 1 | Oct. 12, 2018 |

### 2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| 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. ||||||

## Future recruits
### Recruiting class of 2019

US college sports recruiting information for 2019 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Anton Watson SF/PF | Spokane, WA | Gonzaga Preparatory School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jun 21, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Brock Ravet PG | Kittitas, WA | Kittitas High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 174 lb (79 kg) | Jun 23, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Martynas Arlauskas SF | Kaunas, Lithuania | BC Žalgiris | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Sep 20, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Drew Timme PF/C | Richardson, TX | Pearce High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Nov 14, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Pavel Zakharov C | Saint Petersburg, Russia | Montverde Academy, Montverde, FL | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | Nov 19, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Oumar Ballo C | Mali | NBA Academy Latin America, Mexico City | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | Feb 23, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| 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 2019". Rivals.com. "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

### Recruiting class of 2020

US college sports recruiting information for 2020 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Dominick Harris CG | Temecula, CA | Rancho Christian High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jan 28, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: 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 2020". Rivals.com. "2020 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 | 20th | Oregon (1987) |
| Tommy Lloyd | Associate head coach | 18th | Whitman (1998) |
| Donny Daniels | Assistant coach | 9th | Cal State Fullerton (1976) |
| Brian Michaelson | Assistant coach | 6th | Gonzaga (2005) |
| Jorge Sanz | Graduate Assistant | 1st | Florida Atlantic (2011) |
| Stephen Gentry | Director of Basketball Operations | 2nd | Gonzaga (2006) |
| Riccardo Fois | Coordinator of Analytics & Video Operations | 5th | Pepperdine (2009) |
| Ken Nakagawa | Video coordinator | 3rd | Long Beach State (2014) |
| Josh Therrien | Athletic Trainer | 3rd | Washington State (2007) |
| Travis Knight | Strength and Conditioning Coach | 13th | Gonzaga (2000) |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2018* 6:00 pm, KHQ | No. 3 | Central Washington | W 108–69 | – | 23 – Hachimura | 11 – Clarke | 4 – Crandall | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2018* 6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 3 | Idaho State | W 120–79 | 1–0 | 33 – Hachimura | 9 – Clarke | 8 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| November 10, 2018* 7:00 pm, SWX/RTNW | No. 3 | Texas Southern Maui Invitational campus-site game | W 104–67 | 2–0 | 19 – Tied | 13 – Clarke | 11 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| November 15, 2018* 8:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 3 | Texas A&M | W 91–74 | 3–0 | 22 – Norvell Jr. | 11 – Clarke | 6 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| November 19, 2018* 8:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 3 | vs. Illinois Maui Invitational Quarterfinals | W 84–78 | 4–0 | 23 – Hachimura | 11 – Jones | 9 – Perkins | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI |
| November 20, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 3 | vs. Arizona Maui Invitational Semifinals | W 91–74 | 5–0 | 24 – Hachimura | 10 – Norvell Jr. | 9 – Perkins | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI |
| November 21, 2018* 2:00 pm, ESPN | No. 3 | vs. No. 1 Duke Maui Invitational Championship | W 89–87 | 6–0 | 20 – Hachimura | 7 – Hachimura | 7 – Perkins | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI |
| November 26, 2018* 6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 1 | North Dakota State | W 102–60 | 7–0 | 18 – Tied | 8 – Clarke | 8 – Norvell Jr. | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| December 1, 2018* 11:00 am, FOX | No. 1 | at Creighton | W 103–92 | 8–0 | 28 – Norvell Jr. | 11 – Hachimura | 13 – Perkins | CHI Health Center Omaha (18,759) Omaha, NE |
| December 5, 2018* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 1 | Washington Rivalry | W 81–79 | 9–0 | 26 – Hachimura | 11 – Clarke | 7 – Norvell | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| December 9, 2018* 12:00 pm, ESPN | No. 1 | vs. No. 7 Tennessee Jerry Colangelo Classic | L 73–76 | 9–1 | 21 – Tied | 9 – Tied | 9 – Perkins | Talking Stick Resort Arena (10,172) Phoenix, AZ |
| December 15, 2018* 4:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 4 | at No. 12 North Carolina | L 90–103 | 9–2 | 21 – Norvell Jr. | 7 – Hachimura | 8 – Perkins | Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC |
| December 18, 2018* 6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 8 | UT Arlington | W 89–55 | 10–2 | 20 – Hachimura | 13 – Clarke | 4 – Tied | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| December 21, 2018* 6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 8 | Denver | W 101–40 | 11–2 | 23 – Tied | 7 – Clarke | 5 – Jones | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| December 28, 2018* 6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 7 | North Alabama | W 96–51 | 12–2 | 20 – Norvell Jr. | 12 – Clarke | 5 – Norvell Jr. | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| December 31, 2018* 6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 7 | Cal State Bakersfield | W 89–54 | 13–2 | 22 – Hachimura | 10 – Jones | 5 – Norvell Jr. | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| WCC Regular Season |||||||||
| January 5, 2019 6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 7 | Santa Clara | W 91–48 | 14–2 (1–0) | 25 – Hachimura | 6 – Clarke | 5 – Tied | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| January 10, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 5 | Pacific | W 67–36 | 15–2 (2–0) | 14 – Perkins | 8 – Clarke | 6 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| January 12, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 5 | at San Francisco | W 96–83 | 16–2 (3–0) | 24 – Clarke | 9 – Clarke | 4 – Perkins | War Memorial Gymnasium (3,008) San Francisco, CA |
| January 17, 2019 6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 5 | Loyola Marymount | W 73–55 | 17–2 (4–0) | 17 – Norvell | 7 – Hachimura | 4 – Tied | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| January 19, 2019 7:00 pm, RTNW | No. 5 | at Portland | W 89–66 | 18–2 (5–0) | 17 – Hachimura | 9 – Hachimura | 7 – Perkins | Chiles Center (4,852) Portland, OR |
| January 24, 2019 8:00 pm, SWX/RTNW | No. 4 | at Santa Clara | W 98–39 | 19–2 (6–0) | 18 – Perkins | 8 – Norvell | 8 – Perkins | Leavey Center (5,094) Santa Clara, CA |
| January 31, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 4 | at BYU Rivalry | W 93–63 | 20–2 (7–0) | 23 – Clarke | 9 – Tied | 10 – Perkins | Marriott Center (15,396) Provo, UT |
| February 2, 2019 5:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 4 | San Diego | W 85–69 | 21–2 (8–0) | 32 – Hachimura | 8 – Clarke | 6 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| February 7, 2019 6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 4 | San Francisco | W 92–62 | 22–2 (9–0) | 20 – Clarke | 16 – Clarke | 7 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| February 9, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 4 | Saint Mary's Rivalry | W 94–46 | 23–2 (10–0) | 24 – Clarke | 7 – Hachimura | 9 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| February 14, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 3 | at Loyola Marymount | W 73–60 | 24–2 (11–0) | 22 – Hachimura | 12 – Clarke | 4 – Tied | Gersten Pavilion (4,213) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 16, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 3 | at San Diego | W 79–67 | 25–2 (12–0) | 22 – Hachimura | 10 – Hachimura | 9 – Perkins | Jenny Craig Pavilion (5,132) San Diego, CA |
| February 21, 2019 6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW | No. 2 | Pepperdine | W 92–64 | 26–2 (13–0) | 23 – Hachimura | 11 – Clarke | 9 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| February 23, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | BYU Rivalry | W 102–68 | 27–2 (14–0) | 25 – Norvell | 10 – Clarke, Hachimura | 7 – Perkins | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| February 28, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 1 | at Pacific | W 86–66 | 28–2 (15–0) | 27 – Hachimura | 13 – Clarke | 2 – Tied | Alex G. Spanos Center (4,644) Stockton, CA |
| March 2, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 1 | at Saint Mary's Rivalry | W 69–55 | 29–2 (16–0) | 19 – Perkins | 8 – Hachimura | 3 – Norvell | McKeon Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| WCC Tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN | (1) No. 1 | vs. (8) Pepperdine Semifinals | W 100–74 | 30–2 | 18 – Norvell | 7 – Clarke | 6 – Perkins | Orleans Arena (7,642) Paradise, NV |
| March 12, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPN | (1) No. 1 | vs. (2) Saint Mary's Championship/Rivalry | L 47–60 | 30–3 | 16 – Clarke | 8 – Clarke | 4 – Perkins | Orleans Arena (7,771) Paradise, NV |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2019* 7:27 pm, truTV | (1 W) No. 4 | vs. (16 W) Fairleigh Dickinson First Round | W 87–49 | 31–3 | 21 – Hachimura | 9 – Clarke | 7 – Norvell Jr. | Vivint Smart Home Arena (16,807) Salt Lake City, UT |
| March 23, 2019* 4:10 pm, TBS | (1 W) No. 4 | vs. (9 W) Baylor Second Round | W 83–71 | 32–3 | 36 – Clarke | 8 – Clarke | 6 – Perkins | Vivint Smart Home Arena (17,792) Salt Lake City, UT |
| March 28, 2019* 4:09 pm, CBS | (1 W) No. 4 | vs. (4 W) No. 10 Florida State Sweet Sixteen | W 72–58 | 33–3 | 17 – Hachimura | 12 – Clarke | 5 – Perkins | Honda Center (16,145) Anaheim, CA |
| March 30, 2019* 5:09 pm, TBS | (1 W) No. 4 | vs. (3 W) No. 9 Texas Tech Elite Eight | L 69–75 | 33–4 | 22 – Hachimura | 12 – Clarke | 6 – Perkins | Honda Center (15,277) Anaheim, CA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | 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 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 3 (1) | 3 | 3 | 1 (32) | 1 (43) | 4 (1) | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 (6) | 1 (44) | 1 (42) | 1 (41) | 4 (1) | Not released |
| Coaches | 4 (1) | 4^ (1) | 3 | 1 (17) | 1 (21) | 6 (1) | 9 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 (4) | 1 (26) | 1 (27) | 1 (28) | 3 (3) | 6 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings. ^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.