Gonzaga
Zach Collins7-0, C, Freshman
10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks
Collins is a lottery pick in the making. There are so many things that the freshman did in this game that made me fall in love with him. His physical tools are elite for the center position. Although he has a light frame for a center, he still competes extremely hard, grabbing rebounds out of his area and pushing South Dakota State's Mike Daum off the block when guarding him. His lateral and vertical athleticism is as good as any center in this draft. He had one impressive chase down block in transition that stood out. He switched onto guards and contained them very regularly, something that is rare for a guy his size. He is the complete package defensively.
His statistics are quite impressive, averaging 10.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in only 17.1 minutes per game. He's shooting 67.7% from 2, 44.4% from 3, and 75.4% from the line. He hit one three in this game and his touch from the free throw line and everywhere is great. He didn't post up that much, and one of the few times he did it looked awkward, but he doesn't have to have that role in the league. He can set screens and either pop for a three or dive for a lob dunk. The only reservation that you might have with him would be the lack of sample size. Gonzaga is really deep at their big spots, which is why Collins only plays 17.1 minutes per game. His effort level is why he is able to have such large production in small minutes. He's a guy I would roll the dice on with a lottery pick.
Przemek Karnowski
7-2, C, Senior
10 points, 3 rebounds
Very underwhelming game for Karnowski in this one, mostly due to the scheme that South Dakota State played. They had the man guarding Johnathan Williams leave Williams alone and stick to Karnowski the whole game, keeping the ball away from him and immediately doubling him on the catch. Karnowski is known for passing out of the post (2 assists per game), but he didn't make good choices when he caught it in this game. He mainly chose to try and barrel his way through the double team with mixed results.
Karnowski weighs nearly three hundred pounds, making him absolutely unstoppable at the college level. He only ever goes to his right shoulder to get to his left handed hook, and there isn't anybody who can keep him from doing it. If his passing reputation holds up, he could be a backup center in the league offensively, someone who catches the ball in the post and then can move it and use it as a way to get open shots for others. Defensively, he's always going to be a liability protecting the rim and for a guy his size, 3 rebounds in this game is concerning. He doesn't move well laterally due to his huge frame. More likely to make a bunch of money playing in the Euroleague than he is making an NBA team.
Nigel Williams-Goss
6-4, PG, Junior
9 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists
Williams-Goss' was a highly ranked recruit who ended up transferring from Washington to Gonzaga after his sophomore year. Gonzaga historically has thrived in developing transfers, and Williams-Goss is one of three who are having huge impacts on their team this season. Williams-Goss' size at the point guard position separates himself from most point guards. It helps him with his vision and seeing the floor. He isn't afraid to go up and get rebounds, joining the Gonzaga's frontcourt in dominating the glass.
He's a decent enough athlete to compete at a high level, but mainly relies on his size to get where he wants to go. While he didn't shoot it well this game (4-13 FG, 0-3 3FG), his shooting percentages bode well for him (57.4% from 2, 37.2% from 3, 91% FT). He has a great floater when he gets into the lane which will be a handy shot against NBA bigs. Defensively, he has the size to switch across multiple positions, something that might entice teams who play that way. Williams-Goss will be an interesting guy to track in a draft loaded with point guard talent.
Jonathan Williams
6-9, PF, Junior
6 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers, 3-8 FG
Another transfer whose benefited from Gonzaga's player development, Williams showed off his best and worst attributes in this game. Williams is extremely athletic, running the floor in transition and being able to guard pretty much any position. He dominated the glass in this game and does well going and getting rebounds out of his area. He is the perfect four to play next to Karnowski defensively.
South Dakota State's gameplan was to basically ignore him on offense, and it worked. Williams missed a few jumpers badly and didn't even look to shoot when he got it. South Dakota State was begging him to shoot the ball. Williams is going to have to find his niche as a pro as a small ball four who can pass and dribble handoff when he catches the ball, but his ceiling is limited given his offensive skills.
Jordan Mathews
6-4, SG, Senior
16 points, 5 rebounds
Mathews showed off a lot of his scoring ability in his three seasons at Cal. Even though his role is reduced on this stacked Gonzaga team, he still has had plenty of opportunities to flash his sweet stroke. He can get a bucket whenever Gonzaga needs one. The thing that might keep him from being an NBA player is his physical tools. He has an average wingspan and small size for a wing, at just 6-4 with a 6-4 wingspan. He's another guy who might be destined to make a boat load of money in Europe.
South Dakota St
Mike Daum6-9, C, Sophomore
17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers, 7-16 FG, 2-4 3FG
Daum has put up some of the most impressive statistics of any player in college basketball this season. Daum averaged 25.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, shot 57% from 2, 41.8% from three, and 87.5% from the free throw line this season en route to leading the Jackrabbits to the NCAA tournament. With how deep and talented the Gonzaga frontcourt is, this was going to be the biggest test of Daum's young career.
There was some good and some bad in Daum's performance. He is undersized for a center at 6-9, 245 pounds, and he moves like a center rather than a power forward. He has long arms which can help with his lack of athleticism, but at times it didn't matter. He was so slow of foot that running back in transition to pick up the athletic Gonzaga bigs was a struggle. South Dakota St mainly zoned up their ball screens which was able to hide Daum.He didn't dominate the glass like you would've liked for a guy his size, and even looked a little soft trying to bang inside.
He has a nice one footed fade away in the post but had a hard time moving guys on the block when he caught it. Even though he's an elite shooter, his release is slow to get off, making you wonder if he'd be able to get it off against longer, more athletic players. Daum has made tremendous improvements in his young basketball career so far, making him an interesting guy to keep an eye on, even if he didn't impress as much in this game against one of the best teams in the country.
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