Gonzaga Basketball Scouting Report

Sam Bourne
Mar 26, 2024
5 min read

With an Elite Eight appearance on the line, Purdue plays a familiar foe in Gonzaga on Friday. In the Maui Invitation this season, Purdue defeated Gonzaga by the score of 73-63, holding the Bulldogs to their worst offensive game of the season. Let's talk about what has changed with Gonzaga since that game.

Gonzaga Offense:

Gonzaga's starting lineup now includes a third big man with Ben Gregg replacing Dusty Stromer. On paper this may seem clunky, but the Bulldogs have risen to seventh in offensive efficiency according to Kenpom and are playing even better over their last 10 games.

Gonzaga is going to push the pace with Nembhard looking to push the ball down the court quickly, Graham Ike was a big factor with his rim running in the first matchup. In their secondary transition, they run a series of DHOs that are effective in generating space for either guards or bigs to attack.

Gonzaga Player Profiles

#0 - Ryan Nembhard

He is the key for Gonzaga to beat Purdue. He is small in stature but strong and very quick with his handle. Nembhard does most of his damage in the pick and roll where he can score in the intermediate range or dime up his big. For Purdue, I expect Lance Jones to start on Nembhard. The key is the Purdue guards not being caught a step behind, focusing on staying on his hip and forcing him left when possible.

This example from the WCC exemplifies exactly what I want to see from Lance Jones. Loading up on a side so Nembhard doesn't have a choice and then sliding right over the top of the screen. The big never leaves Ike and Nembhard settles for a really tough floater.

#13 - Graham Ike

The transfer from Wyoming is a long, physical athlete with the ability to score and rebound. his primary form of offense is within the post where he loves to turn towards the baseline with either a lefty hook or turnaround jumper. Against Purdue this season, Ike was effective rim running off of Edey post ups and buried two of his three total three pointers in pick and roll situations. With Ike being a talented scorer along the baseline, my guess is Purdue doubling from the middle instead of doubling from the baseline.

The clip shows a great example of how to guard Ike. The big is staying strong while help is coming fast and right for the ball. Ike is really impressive one on one but he struggles when teams force him to play in a crowd.

#11 - Hickman

Last years point guard, he has shifted to a secondary ball handler/ shooting guard position. He is a very good three point shooter. If he is forced to drive, he wants to go right to get to his floater. Gonzaga likes using him as a screener in Spain actions with Nembhard and Ike/Watson. I would like to see Purdue be physical with him but with Smith on him the goal should be forcing Hickman to continuously make plays off the dribble.

#22 - Anton Watson

A 6'8" power forward who's game maps well to the likes of Oso Igahdoro. Watson is most effective in transition where he can attack space and use his physicality to get to his right hand floater. In the half-court, Gonzaga has used him more as a screener as the season has progressed, allowing him to make decisions in the short roll. With how well Trey Kauffman-Renn defended Great Osobor, I would put TKR on Watson and sit on his right hand.

#33 - Ben Gregg

Gregg is a very good shooter and will become extra aggressive after making a shot. Outside of shooting, Gregg will crash the offensive glass consistently and drive in late clock situations when he clearly has an advantage. Fletcher Loyer will probably draw the matchup with Gregg, focusing on taking away his threes and using quickness to stay in front of Gregg.

#34 - Braden Huff

A skilled freshman that comes off the bench, Huff is averaging 10 points. He has a decent stroke from three (33%) and relies on his left hand heavily to finish. It is important to do your work early in pushing his touches off the block and forcing him to go to a secondary move (taking away his lefty hook). With Huff normally being on the court without Ike, Edey will be used to guard Huff straight up or forcing Huff baseline.

#4 - Dylan Stromer

The young freshman looks extremely quick and plays with a lot of energy. But his role is primarily a shooter who is aggressive in transition. His athleticism can be effective attacking closeouts, but he will be used as a screener or cutter to set up Nembhard or Hickman running into another action.

Gonzaga Offensive Plays

Gonzaga is one of the best movement teams in the country. They do an excellent jobs of putting their guards into opportunistic positions to come off of dribble handoffs. These motion often are being initiated by a big with Nembhard or Hickman always coming to get the ball and looking to turn the corner.

Secondary Break Motion

Middle Pick and Roll

Pin Option

Empty Screen Slip

Spain Action

Bulldogs Defense

Man to Man

Ball Screen - The main coverage is a hard hedge with Ike and other bigs being at the level of the screen. If teams are scoring against the hedge Gonzaga will start switching the screen.

Post - With Ike, Gonzaga played Edey one on one and had a lot of success essentially face guarding Edey to not allow deep post position. I wouldn't be surprised to see Gonzaga double from the low big if Edey gets going.
On Ball - They will be aggressive with Purdue's guards, trying to make post entry passes as difficult as possible
Off Ball - Similarly to ball screens, Gonzaga will alternate between their main switching defense and a more aggressive non-switching defense. The two clips below shows the difference between the two styles.

Three Quarter Court 1-2-2

This defense is used sparingly but can be effective in milking time from the shot clock and then falling back into their normal switching defense. They will look for opportunistic traps in the corners.

How to Score Against Gonzaga

Re-screens and slips with Edey vs the hard hedge

Drag or "tight" (Inside the arc) screens to force Gonzaga into a semi-drop
Dribble handoffs or "ghost" screens to open up drives

Guards driving one on one matchups
- Lance Jones had a big second half because he was able to get into the paint with his drives