Ben Gregg, Graham Ike applaud former Gonzaga teammate Anton Watson’s first NBA points

WICHITA, Kan. – Gonzaga is busy preparing to play Georgia on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament, college basketball’s biggest stage.

But a few Zags made time Wednesday to applaud former teammate Anton Watson, who scored his first NBA points Monday with the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, one of the biggest stages in the world.

Watson, who made his NBA debut last week against Sacramento, had an assist and a field goal on a floater three minutes late in New York’s win over Miami.

“Great to see,” said forward Ben Gregg, who played three-plus seasons with Watson. “I know getting waived by Boston (last month) was probably hard for him, but I know he’s a resilient guy and he was going to stick it out and make it work wherever he landed.

“To see his first bucket go in, the floater of all shots and something he used to always work on, it was really cool to see all that work show out and him being in the NBA is unbelievable. So proud of him.”

Graham Ike, Watson and Gregg gave Gonzaga a formidable frontcourt last year as the Zags reached the Sweet 16 for the ninth consecutive season.

“Love that guy,” Ike said of Watson. “I saw the floatie and I was like, ‘Wow.’ What I saw first actually was them giving him the game ball and congratulating him in the locker room. I know how special that is for him.

“For him to be in that position, it’s inspiring to see that. And to be able to play with a player of that caliber and see him go on and do those things at the next level, it’s a blessing.”

Watson is keeping an eye on the Zags as he attempts to carve out minutes with the Knicks, third in the Eastern Conference standings behind Cleveland and Boston.

“I’m excited to see what they do in the tourney,” Watson said in a text message.

Newell on GU recruitment

It’s no secret standout freshman forward Asa Newell, projected by many as a first-round draft selection and possibly a lottery pick, had Gonzaga among his finalists before picking Georgia.

As he was wrapping up an interview session outside Georgia’s locker room, Newell was asked if it’s pronounced Gone-zaga or Gone-zawga.

“I say Gone-zaga,” Newell, who took an official visit to Gonzaga, said with confidence.

Later, he discussed the Zags’ recruitment.

“Oh, it was definitely close,” said Newell, who leads the Bulldogs in scoring (15.3) and rebounding (6.8). “Mark Few didn’t make the decision easy on me, but I felt like God led me to come to Georgia.”

Half-court fully entertaining

Gonzaga traditionally closes shoot-arounds with players, coaches and managers firing half-court shots.

A crowd of perhaps 1,000 watched Wednesday’s session and soon was cheering loudly as the Zags made at least five before changing directions and hitting a few more at the opposite basket.

Redshirt guard Braeden Smith and sophomore forward Braden Huff connected back-to-back and a short time later assistant coach Brian Michaelson and video coordinator A.J. Few, son of coach Mark Few, connected from half court.

GU players were relaxed during the 40-minute session, singing and dancing to the music blaring from the sound system.

Another day, another Nembhard

Georgia coach Mike White enjoyed recruiting Andrew Nembhard to Florida and took even more joy watching the Canadian point guard run his offense from 2018-20.

Preparing for Gonzaga this week has taken White back down memory lane, with Andrew’s younger brother Ryan manning the point guard spot for Few’s Zags.

Asked how far he goes back with the Nembhard family, Ryan specifically, White responded, “Oh, a long time. I would have to get the calculator out. I’ve been around him since he was a young player. Seen him play a bunch. Big fan of his game. Big fan of his older brother’s game, of course.”

Andrew, now in his third season with the Indiana Pacers, played two seasons for White and the Gators before entering the NBA draft, removing his name and transferring to Gonzaga.

White left Florida after the 2021-22 season and moved within the SEC, to Georgia, in 2022-23. Picking up the program’s first NCAA Tournament win in more than a decade likely means containing, or limiting, Nembhard, who leads the nation with 325 total assists.

“We talk about our team’s toughness and resilience,” White said. “Both he and his brother have that. They just do. It’s been fun studying him these past 72 hours or so. We’re all college basketball fans, and you’ve watched him over the years, but the more you watch him, the more you appreciate how tough he is, how smart he is, how he makes everyone around him better.

“We talk about Asa’s ability to be unfazed and unflappable. That’s what Ryan Nembhard is as well. He is just a heck of a player.”