Summer League 2013 Final Statistics

Part two of the 2013 NBA Summer League wrapped up in Las Vegas tonight with the Golden State Warriors winning the offseason league's inaugural championship game. In Summer League games the West Coast Conference was represented by eleven former players. Ten played in Las Vegas and one, Kelly Olynyk, played in the smaller Orlando Summer League. 

The 13th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Kelly Olynyk, had the best showing of not just the WCC products but of possibly every player at this year's Summer League. Elias Harris, Brandon Davies and Matthew Dellavedova also played well enough for a shot at a spot on a roster in the NBA in their first year out of college. Robert Sacre, who was taken by the Lakers with the last pick of the 2012 draft, performed well his second Summer League. Last week the Lakers signed Sacre to a guaranteed, multi-year contract. 

A number of other former WCC players took part in the Summer League. The following is a list, sorted by school, of all WCC players to log minutes in this year's NBA Summer League. Click on the player's statistics for a larger view.

BYU

Gonzaga

Loyola Marymount

Pepperdine

Portland

Saint Mary's

Kelly Olynyk Drafted

The Dallas Mavericks drafted Gonzaga's Kelly Olynyk with the 13th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. The Boston Celtics traded with Dallas for the pick so Olynyk will be heading to Boston.

WCC Prospects in the 2013 NBA Draft

Four WCC products have a legitimate shot at hearing their name called by David Stern tonight in the NBA Draft. I've written draft profiles on all four of them for Mid-Major Madness. Since it is now draft night it's time I post them here.

Brandon Davies

Matthew Dellavedova

Elias Harris

Kelly Olynyk

Say it Aint So, KO!

The day that Gonzaga fans have expected and dreaded has arrived; Kelly Olynyk has declared for the NBA Draft.

It may seem like this day has been a long time coming. In reality however it has only been a few months, five tops, that "Kelly Olynyk" and "NBA Draft" have been in the same sentence. When the season started back in November if you knew of Kelly Olynyk you knew of this Kelly Olynyk.

Olynyk on the bench during his three game suspension.

Portsmouth Invitational Tournament 2013

This year's edition of the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament will feature two of  Kevin Foster and Brandon Davies will be in Portsmouth, part of Virginia's Hampton Roads, along with 62 of the best seniors from across the nation.

The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, or PIT as it will be henceforth referred to, is a 60 year old showcase for the best of college hoops' senior class. 64 players are spread among eight teams that battle it out over four days for the tournament championship.

This year's field includes some high profile players, including recently crowned National Champion Peyton Siva of Louisville, along with the two aforementioned WCC stars and Kenny Boynton of Florida, Durand Scott of Miami, Abdul Gaddy of Washington, Anthony Marshall of UNLV, Rotnei Clark of Butler, D.J. Cooper of Ohio and Mark Lyons of Arizona.

The PIT, though not necessarily a big event for fans, is a major part of the transition to the NBA for college players. None of the players I listed above are high on any draft boards but, thanks to the PIT, they could well get there. Last season 15 seed Norfolk State went from unknown to March darling with a round of 64 upset of 2 seed Missouri. Kyle O'Quinn, the star for the Spartans of Norfolk State, went from unknown to PIT MVP to playing in 53 NBA games this season for the Orlando Magic.

In the past players like John Stockton, John Lucas, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Tim Hardaway  have made their way from the NCAA to NBA stardom and the journey has gone through Portsmouth Virginia.

Brandon Davies' team, K & D Round's Landscaping, plays its first game at 4:00 PM PDT on Wednesday. Kevin Foster's team, Portsmouth Sports Club, plays its first game at 4:00 PM PDT on Thursday.

There will be live streaming for all PIT games this year. For more information on the PIT as well as streaming information click here.

Countdown 10/15

24 days remain...

I've tried not to do two posts about the same program in a row in the countdown, but today has been a long day. Up at six, commute at seven, work at nine, off at five, class at seven, finally getting to the post at 10:40 (central time). So, here's some coverage from KSL on the Utah Jazz selecting John Stockton in the 1984 NBA Draft. "The Utah Jazz select John Stockton of Gonzahguh University..." Back then that pronunciation was more acceptable.

Countdown #4

48 days remain.

Steve Nash: Santa Clara Broncos '96. He's back in California this season, alongside Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles.

Gonzaga's Robert Sacre Drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers

It's been a big past few days for Gonzaga's big men of the past. First Ronny Turiaf wins his first NBA Championship with the Heat last Thursday, and today the team that drafted Turiaf decided to pull another Zag big man up to the NBA. Robert Sacre, who played with as big a personality as Turiaf, was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the final pick of the 2012 NBA Draft.

So, congratulations, Big Rob!

Sacre's draftability, if that is a thing, has been on a roller coaster ride over the past year. From peaks like Hawaii coach Gib Arnold's remarks after seeing Sacre dominate his Warriors squad back in November, 2011, "He’s a first-round draft pick, you’ll see him on TNT next year because he plays the game right." to being left off mock draft boards and being ranked well below 60th (there are only 60 draft picks) on prospect lists.

Tonight though, the happy and hard working big man's toils have paid off. I'm in no position to determine how well Sacre will fit into the Lakers rotation, as I pay only fleeting attention the the NBA until mid-way thru the playoffs, but I do see this as a good place for him to land. I mentioned Ronny Turiaf being drafted by the Lakers earlier.

Based on Turiaf's time with L.A., which began as the 37th pick of the 2005 draft and promptly developed into a case of Turiaf's career possibly ending before beginning. A routine physical conducted by Lakers' staff doctors found an enlarged aortic root in Turiaf's heart, which forced the team to void his 2 year, $1 million contract. However, the Lakers also paid all costs relating to his open heart surgery and retained the rights to him, which they would use only half a year later to re-sign the fully recovered big man.

Sacre has no, known, health problems like Ronny Turiaf did upon his being drafted by the Lakers, but similar to Turiaf, Sacre will need some work done before a successful NBA career can be a reality. Sacre has the potential to easily become a solid back-up center, or more but that's a ways away, thanks to his great personality, hard nosed defense, work ethic, and rare trait for a big man in shooting well from the free throw line. However he's not at the physical/athletic level of NBA centers at this point. If the Lakers are serious, which they've proven to be with former Zags, heck they let Adam Morrison ride the pine to two NBA championships, Sacre should be on the path to a long and good NBA career much like his Zag and Laker predecessor (who need I remind you just won a championship) Ronny Turiaf.

Once again, congratulations and best of luck Mr. Sacre! I'm hoping this one draft pick will push me to care about the NBA more than I have before. Go Zags, go Lakers, go Rob!

Saint Mary's Basketball Producing NFL Talent?

If someone asked me which former Gael would be getting offers from an NFL team my guess would be the loudmouth tough guy Omar Samhan, but he's playing basketball in the Philippines and not the right answer. The answer is Rob Jones, and it makes some sense when you think about it.

The Minnesota Vikings, who are in desperate need of a tight end, offered Jones the chance to join their rookie mini-camp to compete for a spot at that position. Jones is a 6'6'' 237lbs beast, and he absolutely dominated the WCC with his size and physicality over the past couple seasons. Jones had 20 double-doubles over the course of his senior season, thanks in large part to his ability to out muscle opponents for rebounds.

Jimmy Graham, Antonio Gates, and Tony Gonzalez are three very successful tight ends who played college basketball before making the switch to the gridiron. Graham, like Jones, played only basketball while at college. He then went on to become Drew Brees' favorite target last season, during which Brees set the NFL single season record for passing yards. The athleticism that made Jones so dominant this past season(leaping ability, quickness, strength, catching and maneuvering the ball) are the traits that make him (and those other three players) such a good fit for the tight end position.

Kayla Standish and Katelan Redmon Head to the WNBA

The number of Zags in the WNBA has just doubled. Before today Courtney Vandersloot and Vivian Frieson were the only Zags to be drafted. Now that the 2012 WNBA draft has happened, the number of Zags is up to four. Kayla Standish and Katelan Redmon go from former teammates to future adversaries.

Kayla Standish, who was invited to the event, went as the 7th pick in the second round. Her new team, the Minnesota Lynx, is coming off winning the WNBA championship last season. Katelan Redmon heads across the country to play in the big apple for the New York Liberty. While neither of them landed with Vandersloot's Chicago Sky as I was hoping, they will get reunions soon enough. By May 22nd their three teams will have all have played each other. Vandersloot will get to see both Redmon and Standish in preseason games while Redmon and Standish will face off in New York in a regular season game. While they will be reunited very soon, but I won't get to see either of them play in Chicago until July.

This is great news for these players, obviously, but also for the Gonzaga basketball program. Having players drafted in three straight years, on top of selling out home games, making the sweet sixteen on the regular, and almost always being ranked in the top 25... what more does a recruit want?

Best of luck to Katelan Redmon and Kayla Standish in the WNBA. They are already two of the all time great Zags, now they have a chance to earn that honor on their professional teams. I can't wait until the Sky host the Lynx and Liberty. I'll be rocking my Zags gear at the game because it's not often that two former Zags will be playing professional basketball in the same building.

Zag Star Kayla Standish Invited to WNBA Draft

For the second year in a row the Gonzaga women's basketball program will be represented at the WNBA Draft. 15 of the top WNBA prospects are invited to the event which is held at the headquarters of ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut. There will be 36 players drafted. The 15 that are invited to the event are essentially guaranteed to be selected. Last year Courtney Vandersloot represented Gonzaga at the draft. She was selected 3rd by the Chicago Sky. Vivian Frieson, while not invited to the event, is the only other Zag who has been drafted. She was taken with the 31st pick by the Tulsa Shock in 2010.

The WNBA draft has three rounds of 12 picks, one for each team. Though like most drafts teams can trade for better position. Standish is expected to go late in the first round or early in the second.

The 6' 2'' forward had a solid junior year putting up 617 points, second only to Vandersloot, for an average of 17.1 points per game while playing in all 36 games. Standish also led the team with 59 blocks and rebounds with 304.