College basketball 2022-23: Trio of returning starters leads another deep, talented Gonzaga roster

Mark Few normally saves his signature handstand celebration for big wins in March, but it would be understandable if the longtime Gonzaga coach made an exception this past June.

A big win is a big win, no matter the time of year.

Few may or may not have been on his hands, but Bulldog fans were certainly over the moon when All-American forward Drew Timme announced on social media – with 14 minutes to spare until the NBA’s early withdrawal deadline – he’d be returning to Gonzaga for a fourth season.

Nobody was counting the Bulldogs out of the national championship picture two days earlier, but Few’s job got a lot easier – and the job of GU’s opponents that much harder – when Timme, junior wing Julian Strawther and senior guard Rasir Bolton all made decisions to return to school, bolstering GU’s roster with three all-conference players who accounted for 41.4 points per game of production in 2021-22.

Timme, Strawther and Bolton had different things to consider as they went through the NBA draft process, and different motives for returning, but there was a mutual understanding of what it would mean for the Bulldogs’ national championship odds if all three were sharing the same court again come November.

“Me and Drew were together at the NBA combine, so we were able to chop it up at that time,” Strawther said. “At that time it was still kind of early, we didn’t have our decisions fully made up but we spoke about it. Then on my way home from the same trip, me and Rasir was on that same plane so we could talk about it. Days leading up, we kind of texted, Ra was the first one to tell me, ‘Hey I’m going to head back.’ I kind of told same thing that night, I feel like I’m probably going to be back too.

“I feel like all of us coming back and making that decision together was really big and I feel like it’s big for the program.”

Few doesn’t have to deal with the headaches of replacing Timme, Strawther and Bolton, but building a rotation outside of the three returning starters is an exercise that presents its own challenges, especially if Gonzaga’s depth is as strong as it looks on paper.

Gonzaga rolled out a four-guard, small-ball lineup midway through the 2020-21 season and rode it to a 31-0 record before losing in the national championship game.

There’s a chance the Bulldogs will lean on a similar lineup this season, with sophomore Nolan Hickman at point guard and some combination of Bolton, Malachi Smith and Hunter Sallis occupying the two other guard positions. Gonzaga can then plug Strawther in as a small-ball power forward, the same position Corey Kispert played for the Zags in 2020-21.

Few went with a bigger unit during a 99-80 exhibition loss to No. 11 Tennessee, starting Hickman, Bolton, Strawther, Anton Watson and Timme, but the coach declined to say whether the Zags would start that group in the season opener.

A former Kentucky commit, Hickman showed flashes last season while backing up second-round NBA Draft pick Andrew Nembhard, and has made considerable progress in the offseason according to Few. Bolton and Smith are two of the sport’s most accomplished scorers with exactly 2,800 career points between them. Bolton made 46% of his 3-pointers last season while Smith made 40%.

“It’s scary,” Smith said of the backcourt. “Everybody can do a lot of things and we’ve all played high-level games and against high-level competition. That’s what makes practice so competitive and you want to push each other every day, so I think it’s going to be a good year if we continue to stay humble and do what we’re supposed to.”

College basketball teams have seen Timme’s tricks for three years now and still aren’t equipped to stop them.

Gonzaga’s opponents haven’t found a counter to Timme’s crafty footwork and finishing ability, but they could be in even more trouble if the senior is able to shoot from the perimeter with more consistency. He made four 3-pointers at the NBA Draft Combine and made four shots at GU’s preseason Kraziness in the Kennel scrimmage without scoring once in the paint.

“In Drew’s case, you’re just trying to squeeze the last 5% out of his development,” Few said. “I think he’s already taken that on, he’s doing a great job in practice of just making sure he’s challenging himself on the defensive end and I think we’ve all noticed a big difference there.”

If he’s not in the initial five-man unit, Hunter Sallis should gobble up plenty of minutes off the bench. The former five-star recruit is excellent in transition and has the ability to create his own shot, but Sallis’ most valuable asset – at least for this Gonzaga team – will be his perimeter defense.

Dominick Harris was cleared for full-contact practice following Kraziness in the Kennel, but considering GU’s guard depth he may struggle to crack Few’s rotation, especially after spending a year away from the court recovering from a foot injury.

If the Zags go with a small-ball lineup, they’ll have at least two viable subs for Timme off the bench: Watson, who’s played in every game the last two seasons, and LSU transfer Efton Reid, a 7-foot sophomore who averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds for the Tigers.

Ben Gregg, a 6-foot-10 forward who’s supposedly made big strides this offseason, could also be a candidate for playing time off the bench.

In year No. 24, Few’s assembled a roster of former five-star recruits, coveted transfers and tested veterans with 2-3 years of NCAA Tournament experience under their belt. If that’s not enough to ensure the Zags are prepared for meaningful, high-stakes games in March, he’s cobbled together one of the most challenging nonconference schedules in program history, pitting GU against at least four Top 25 teams before West Coast Conference play.

Few hopes it’s all enough to guarantee postgame handstands deep into the month of March.