Former Gonzaga point guard Andrew Nembhard joins Talking Zags to break down his thoughts on the Bulldogs with former All-American Dan Dickau.
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Gonzaga Nation here with episode 18 of Talkin' Zags.
00:09 Today's a special guest, Andrew Nembhardt,
00:13 second year with the Indiana Pacers.
00:15 You might notice my co-host Adam Morrison
00:17 unfortunately not able to join us today for good reason.
00:20 His daughter's got a high school playoff game.
00:23 So no Moe today, so it's just me and Andrew.
00:26 But you know what, that means it's point guard talk.
00:30 And we'll just get started.
00:31 First off, Andrew, thanks for joining us.
00:33 - No, thank you guys for having me.
00:34 You know, I love being around Zags.
00:36 - Well, here's the thing is,
00:37 All-Star weekend, you could be anywhere.
00:42 You could be in the Caribbean, you could be in Hawaii.
00:44 You could kind of just be laying low
00:46 back at your place in Indiana,
00:47 seeing that the All-Star weekend is Indianapolis.
00:50 Why'd you choose to come back to Spokane?
00:52 - Oh no, I mean, I didn't really have
00:54 too many places to go, honestly.
00:56 But I wanted to come see my bro play.
00:58 I always loved coming and watching the Zags.
00:59 And I thought it'd be fun to kind of pop back in.
01:02 I haven't gotten to watch a game since I've been back,
01:03 since I've left, so it'd be cool.
01:06 - So you haven't seen a game in person,
01:08 but with your brother playing,
01:10 with you having been teammates
01:11 with a bunch of the guys last year,
01:13 having made a magical run of the title game,
01:17 I can only imagine you've watched as many games as possible.
01:20 What's the feeling like when you watch them on TV?
01:24 - Yeah, I think this is a different team, a new team.
01:27 We kind of got a bigger lineup this year.
01:29 But I haven't got to watch too, too many games,
01:33 but it seems like they're better
01:34 than what the record has seen.
01:36 And I think that once we get in the tournament,
01:38 we can be a wildcard team that upsets a lot of teams.
01:41 So I think there's still a lot of excitement
01:43 going towards Martin Madden for this team.
01:45 - Yeah, and you, I'll just put this out there,
01:48 you know, point guard to point guard,
01:50 you watch the game a little bit differently, I'm sure.
01:53 You were probably, outside of Blake Stepp,
01:57 who I played point guard and two guard,
01:59 Blake and I were kind of combo back and forth,
02:02 very similar to you and Jalen Suggs.
02:04 You, to me, were my favorite point guard to watch
02:07 in the last 15, 20 years at Gonzaga.
02:09 Now, you probably have that feeling about your brother,
02:12 but you're also probably critical of your brother, Ryan,
02:14 because you see what he can do,
02:16 you can see what you want him to be better at.
02:18 When you're watching the game now,
02:20 what do you see with your brother
02:21 in regards to what his strengths are,
02:24 what his weaknesses are,
02:25 and what you feel he can become
02:27 as he continues to get better?
02:29 - Yeah, I think, well, Ryan,
02:32 I think with every point guard, though,
02:33 when you come to a new team
02:35 and has a new way of going about the offense,
02:37 I think you have to get used to it.
02:38 I think there's a period where you have to go through
02:40 making mistakes and playing through that
02:42 and still keeping that confidence.
02:44 I think watching the last two, three games,
02:47 especially for him, I think he's really,
02:50 it's really slowed down, he's getting that feel,
02:51 he's hopping into that flow state,
02:53 and I think he's only going to get better.
02:56 I think his shooting has been a question mark this season,
02:59 especially from three,
03:00 but I also think he's a big-time shot-maker
03:04 and big-time game, so not too worried
03:07 about that part of his game.
03:08 I think his floor game's been solid.
03:10 I think he just needs to clean up a couple things
03:13 in terms of understanding the coverage of every team
03:15 and how to consistently attack it
03:18 and don't get bored with doing the same thing
03:19 over and over and getting it done.
03:21 - How much do you talk to him
03:23 and share those type of critiques
03:27 or those criticisms of him?
03:28 'Cause I've talked to him a little bit,
03:31 I interviewed him for a show earlier this year,
03:34 we say hi in passing at games,
03:36 but I haven't really had a chance
03:37 to really break down the game with him
03:39 and learn what he views as positives and weaknesses
03:42 of his game and what he wants to work on,
03:44 but how do you critique his game when you talk to him?
03:48 - Yeah, I think I try to be positive.
03:51 I know there's so many,
03:52 when you're in a position like that,
03:54 you're having good games, bad games,
03:57 a lot of people want to come and give their two cents
03:59 and it's a lot sometimes,
04:00 so I think I try to give it to him in spurts
04:03 and when I really feel like a certain thing
04:06 could really help him within the game,
04:09 I'll try to give him a little tidbit
04:10 and I think the biggest thing for him,
04:12 I think, is coming off ball streams with pace
04:14 and then once he finds a coverage
04:16 where there's a drop or a show or something like that,
04:19 he needs to slow it down.
04:20 Now he can let the play develop a little bit
04:22 and then make another read and maybe another burst of speed,
04:25 but that's the biggest thing I said to him recently,
04:29 but I try not to overdo it with him.
04:31 - It's funny because you guys have different games.
04:34 You both see the game, I can tell that.
04:36 He's cerebral just as you were,
04:38 but you played it at a pace
04:42 and he plays at a faster pace.
04:44 I mean, he pushes the ball down the floor
04:46 as quickly as possible,
04:47 kind of sees if there's a crack in the defense
04:49 and he's gotten better over the last two months
04:51 about there's nothing there, let's pull it back,
04:53 let's get in an offensive continuity, ball screen,
04:56 whatever coach P wants at the time.
04:58 Is it different watching your brother push the pace
05:02 as compared to how maybe you see the game?
05:05 - Yeah, I think it's just that.
05:07 I think I'm a little bit bigger,
05:09 so I tend to use my size and my physical abilities
05:13 in terms of body and guys and maybe using my pace
05:17 and slowing it down and reading it a little bit more.
05:19 He kind of plays with his pace
05:21 and uses that to get by the guys.
05:22 I think him incorporating more of my stuff
05:28 will make him even more lethal
05:29 'cause he has that extra burst of speed,
05:31 but we do have our differences for sure.
05:35 - Yeah, let's talk a little bit now about,
05:38 you guys are similar,
05:40 and I don't want this to all be all about your brother
05:41 'cause I want your experiences too,
05:43 but you guys both started somewhere else
05:45 and then you transferred to Gonzaga.
05:47 Tommy Lloyd told me about you
05:49 when you were in high school at Mount Verde, I believe,
05:52 and Tommy and I were close,
05:53 and he's, "Hey, I'm recording this point guard from Florida.
05:56 "If we get him, we're gonna be really good."
05:59 Lo and behold, you went to Florida for two years,
06:01 but then you decided to come to Spokane and go to Gonzaga.
06:05 Your brother goes to Creighton for two years, comes back.
06:07 What was the pull for you to come to Spokane
06:09 the second time, and what was your message to your brother
06:13 when he decided to transfer from Creighton?
06:15 'Cause I know he was looking at Arizona with Tommy Lloyd,
06:18 and he was looking at Spokane and Gonzaga.
06:20 - I think for me, a little bit different from him,
06:23 just 'cause I think the way that we had play style
06:25 in Florida was super slow,
06:27 kind of more of a defensive focus for our team,
06:31 and it was a lot of set calls, I think.
06:33 For me, growing up in Canada, playing a lot of FIBA,
06:36 I felt really good in the flow
06:38 and just playing, reading, reacting.
06:40 I think that was where my real strengths came out,
06:42 and I think that's what,
06:43 I was watching them a lot my sophomore year
06:45 'cause they had that late game slot,
06:46 and I would just be like, "Damn, I feel like I could really,
06:49 I fit in really well here."
06:50 So that was the move, and I always was close to Tom.
06:54 I hit him up before I even got on the portal
06:57 and was basically like, "I'm trying to come here
06:58 no matter what, so hopefully you guys got a spot."
07:01 But for my bro, I think it was just
07:03 like a comfortability thing here,
07:05 and I think there's some player development stuff
07:10 that they have here that could help him.
07:12 I think also he fits in well with the same type of flow,
07:16 making reads, kind of playing off your instincts,
07:19 that sort of thing, so I think it was a good move for him.
07:21 - Player development's been huge for players at Gonzaga.
07:24 You mentioned it, for me it was tremendous.
07:26 That's when Tommy Lloyd was a really young coach,
07:29 kind of breaking into the business,
07:30 but Coach Phiu was still very kind of prevalent
07:33 in the player development.
07:35 Kelly Olenek, his story comes to mind all the time,
07:38 fellow Canadian.
07:39 What is the difference that you see
07:42 when you were at Florida and player development
07:45 versus what you've seen at Gonzaga?
07:47 And talk to other guys, 'cause guys are the pros.
07:50 I know how it is.
07:51 They take pride in the college that they come from,
07:53 and they wanna kind of share their experiences.
07:57 - I think for me, that was probably,
07:58 might have been the biggest thing
07:59 for me too, player development.
08:00 I initially was supposed to sit out that year
08:02 'cause I was supposed to transfer and sit out,
08:04 and I loved the idea of the Kelly Olenek story
08:06 and how you could just grow your game so much in that year.
08:10 But I think it's the consistent approach,
08:14 the individual approach,
08:15 and kind of basic player to player,
08:17 but they're just consistent in the gym.
08:19 These guys love the game, like Gentry, B-Mighty,
08:23 these guys live the game.
08:24 They're always in the gym.
08:25 So I think it's just that culture of everybody in the team
08:29 loving the hooves, getting better together,
08:31 which is something I wanna be a part of.
08:32 I think that's what makes Gonzaga so good.
08:34 - When I transferred from UW to Gonzaga,
08:38 Coach Few hadn't even taken over the job yet.
08:42 It was Dan Monson still as the coach.
08:44 Coach Few took over a month or so later.
08:48 But one of the things I remember from Coach Few
08:50 and I's early conversations when I got on campus
08:52 was he didn't care how many points I scored.
08:55 He didn't care how many turnovers I had necessarily had
08:58 or how many assists.
08:59 He cared if his point guard put his team
09:02 in a position to win.
09:03 And I remember this to that day.
09:05 It kind of freed me up to go play my game
09:07 the way I always envisioned it as a kid growing up
09:09 and I had success growing up to get to that point.
09:12 What were Coach Few's biggest messages to you
09:15 that have stuck with you to this day
09:16 that helped you be successful at Gonzaga
09:19 and kickstart a great NBA career?
09:20 - Yeah, I think for Few, I think for him,
09:24 for me, it was always like,
09:26 I'm gonna bring what I have to the table,
09:29 but I want you to bring your confidence and your swagger
09:32 to the game every time.
09:34 And don't let that waver throughout the games.
09:36 And I think he allowed me to just be free
09:38 on that side of the floor
09:39 and not worry about making mistakes,
09:42 especially when I first got here
09:43 and allowed me to kind of get comfortable
09:45 on that side of the floor.
09:48 - You played with a ton of good players.
09:50 I mean, you just go down the list of the guys
09:53 that were on that Final Four team
09:55 and then you look at the very next year.
09:58 I think there's five guys, if I'm not mistaken,
10:00 in the NBA off the top of my head really quick.
10:02 How fun were those two years that you spent
10:06 at Gonzaga?
10:07 - Some of the most fun I've had hooping,
10:09 'cause you know how it is in the league.
10:11 It's not the same team environment.
10:14 It's not the same group of guys
10:16 all going for one goal necessarily at times.
10:18 There's individual agendas,
10:19 and I understand that it's a different type of game,
10:21 but it was just a fun,
10:24 like the camaraderie here was so much fun
10:25 to come to hoop every day
10:27 with a bunch of guys that were competitive,
10:29 all wanted to win,
10:30 weren't really stat hunting much.
10:32 So it was easy for me to fit in
10:34 as a guy who I feel like is a winner.
10:36 - You made the comment of winner.
10:39 You look at the Gonzaga roster over the years
10:42 has been winner after winner.
10:44 I think when you were in that boat
10:48 of not knowing if you were gonna be eligible or not,
10:49 and I don't know exactly how this story fits,
10:53 but the way I've been told is,
10:55 as you mentioned, you were planning on registering.
10:57 You were planning on working on your game,
11:00 getting ready for the next year.
11:01 But Jalen Suggs, who was a consensus,
11:04 all American in high school,
11:05 was slated to be the point guard as a freshman.
11:08 When he found out that there was a chance
11:10 to petition for a waiver to get you eligible,
11:13 my understanding is he told Coach Few to go for it,
11:15 'cause Andrew's gonna make us that much better.
11:17 Am I right in saying that?
11:19 - You are, you are.
11:20 And I think that speaks to the care for winning.
11:24 I think guys weren't too worried about,
11:26 oh, I need to get my game off
11:27 so I can get to the next level.
11:28 I think everybody understood
11:29 that winning will take care of all of that
11:31 as long as we play together.
11:32 And win games.
11:35 So yeah, that was nice.
11:37 That made me feel good.
11:38 And I was kind of hesitant at first,
11:40 'cause I didn't know where I was going to really fit in.
11:42 Haven't really been playing with that first team that much.
11:44 So, but it all played itself out well.
11:47 - Well, he ends up hitting the shot
11:49 against UCLA in the Final Four.
11:51 And I don't know if,
11:53 how your recollection is of that shot.
11:56 But when I watched the highlight,
11:57 everybody sees Jalen Suggs hit it,
11:59 run up to the scores table.
12:01 But your reaction might've been just as equally good
12:04 'cause you were as excited as he was.
12:06 Do you remember that?
12:07 - I do, I do.
12:08 That was a crazy shot.
12:09 I'm gonna be honest.
12:10 When he put it up, I was just thinking,
12:12 all right, let's go to overtime.
12:13 And let's win in overtime.
12:14 But then, just banked it in.
12:16 I was like, damn.
12:17 That was a crazy shot.
12:19 I mean, a big moment for us.
12:20 And I mean, I'm not gonna lie.
12:23 That year, every game we went into was like,
12:25 we're gonna win this shit no matter what
12:27 because of the guys we had
12:28 and how we were just rolling that season.
12:31 But that shot was big for us
12:32 and it was a fun moment for sure.
12:34 - You know, it was a weird year
12:36 'cause fans could be at some of the games early,
12:38 but then you had to limit the amount of people there.
12:42 And then the NCAA tournament was those restrictions.
12:45 I called some of those games radio.
12:47 I didn't have any of your guys' games,
12:48 but the protocol to get to the games
12:51 and be at the games in quarantine was just crazy.
12:54 The focus you guys had to have being in the bubble that year
12:57 would've had to been off the charts.
12:59 Do you remember how Coach Pheu and staff
13:01 and you guys as a unit kept each other loose to stay ready?
13:05 - Yeah, I think that's it.
13:06 It's a very tough thing,
13:07 especially for a group that was rolling so well.
13:10 I feel like it's easy to slip.
13:11 We had a maturity about ourselves.
13:14 I think we had a lot of guys
13:15 that had a lot of experience in college basketball.
13:17 We played a lot of minutes.
13:17 So we had a maturity that we were gonna get ourselves up
13:20 for these games no matter who was in the stands
13:22 and play together and win basketball games.
13:25 And we did that.
13:26 - And that team was pretty impressive
13:29 because Corey Kispert, yourself, Jalen Suggs were there.
13:34 Drew Timmy obviously was on the team
13:36 as kind of an anchor down low.
13:38 Anton was a big part of that team.
13:42 When you look at Anton, or sorry,
13:45 when you look at Drew's career,
13:47 all-time leading scorer at Gonzaga,
13:51 a lot of people doubted him.
13:52 I still think he's gonna find a way into the NBA
13:55 because he can just score it so easily.
13:58 What do you see out of him?
14:00 And now that obviously he's hurt,
14:02 I'm sure he's looking at the game in a little different way
14:04 about strengths, weaknesses,
14:05 what he's gotta get better at.
14:07 But what do you see at Drew's game
14:09 and how is he gonna find his niche?
14:11 - I think it's a tough thing in the league.
14:13 I think it's a lot about opportunity
14:15 and finding that right spot
14:17 and taking advantage of the opportunity at the right time.
14:20 So whenever that comes, I think he'll be ready for that.
14:23 But I think the way the game is in the league
14:25 with all the spacing and they're not gonna double him
14:28 as much, the one-on-one aspect from the post
14:31 to the mid-range facing up,
14:32 I think he's gonna be able to score the ball at will
14:35 and create kind of advantages in that sense.
14:38 But it's all about that.
14:40 It's all about the opportunity.
14:41 I think he can pass the ball too.
14:43 So we'll see.
14:45 - Yeah, I think I've always called him
14:47 a potential curveball at the next level
14:50 'cause people take this with a grain of salt.
14:54 Like defense isn't always there until the fourth quarter.
14:57 It's a free-flowing game.
14:59 It's open.
15:00 But a lot of it is offensively, guys are so talented,
15:02 they make it look easier than it really is.
15:04 But if you have somebody with Drew's skillset
15:07 as a score in that second unit,
15:09 not very many teams are used to that.
15:11 - Yes, yes, I agree.
15:13 I agree in the spacing.
15:15 Like I know when he was here,
15:17 he was getting killed with double teams
15:18 and stuff like that.
15:19 But the spacing is just allow him.
15:21 I don't think there's many guys in the league
15:22 that can stop him one-on-one scoring the ball.
15:25 I'm talking anybody really.
15:26 So I think there's a spot for him in this league too.
15:29 - How about Chet?
15:31 You played with Chet.
15:33 Unfortunately, he couldn't play last year as a rookie.
15:35 Sat out.
15:36 Probably did him wonders 'cause he could learn the NBA
15:38 from a different perspective
15:39 'cause it is two completely different games than college.
15:42 It looks like it's a two-man race for rookie of the year,
15:46 him and Wembinyama.
15:48 Have you guys with the Pacers played the Thunder yet?
15:51 And if you have, what have you seen?
15:53 If not, what are you looking forward to?
15:54 Or what have you seen on tape that makes you excited
15:57 about the future of Chet's career?
15:58 - Yeah, we haven't actually played.
15:59 We got both of our games coming up soon.
16:02 But what I've seen from Chet,
16:04 he's just the epitome of what the league is becoming.
16:08 Like versatile, guys playing all different types
16:10 of positions.
16:11 You got little guys setting screens and rolling.
16:12 You got big guys shooting threes,
16:13 coming off ball screens, passing the ball.
16:16 So I think he fits in really well with that group
16:18 in OKC, too, the way they kind of dribble, drive
16:22 and create advantages.
16:24 And his shot-blocking ability is gonna be standing out
16:28 from the beginning when he got in the league.
16:30 I think there's, I think as his game grows
16:36 and he gets a little bit stronger,
16:37 he'll be able to kind of dominate
16:38 in that two-point scoring area.
16:40 And I think that's where a lot of the best players
16:42 are really making their living,
16:43 is like that short two-point area.
16:47 And I'm excited to play against him.
16:49 He's super competitive,
16:50 always brings the best out of everybody.
16:51 So that'll be a fun matchup going down the stretch.
16:54 - So let's talk a little bit about your current NBA career.
16:57 Last year, second-round pick,
17:00 but you signed a guaranteed deal,
17:02 which gives you a little bit of comfort level flexibility
17:06 to kind of grow into your NBA career.
17:08 You had a tremendous rookie year.
17:10 If I'm correct, you've had a few injuries here or there
17:13 in year two, but you're still averaging
17:15 close to 10 points a game, almost five assists.
17:17 What's been the biggest challenge
17:19 early in your NBA career for you?
17:21 - I think the biggest challenge that people don't realize
17:24 is just how many games there are
17:25 and how mentally taxing that can be at times
17:30 just to get up for every game
17:31 and just having to kind of keep proving yourself
17:36 every time you step on the floor.
17:39 So that's been the thing for me.
17:41 I think this year has been easy
17:42 'cause I've been injured so much.
17:43 So I've been so excited to get right back into the game,
17:45 but I've kind of come to peace with that type of stuff.
17:50 And definitely learned a lot my first year
17:52 in terms of just how to take care of my body off the court,
17:56 what I can and cannot do,
17:57 and set me up for a better second year, for sure.
18:02 - How about the biggest surprise for you in the NBA
18:06 as far as matchups?
18:07 Because I remember my first couple of years,
18:09 when you're watching in college,
18:11 the game looks one way.
18:12 When you're there, it's completely different.
18:14 A guy that you thought might've been,
18:16 how is he in the league?
18:17 You can't do anything with him.
18:19 Some guys, it's a bad matchup for you,
18:22 regardless of whatever it is.
18:23 Who's been that kind of surprise for you?
18:25 - Yeah, for me, I've had the task of guarding
18:30 honestly every single good player in this league.
18:33 - Sorry to interrupt.
18:34 You hit a game winner over LeBron, didn't you?
18:36 I remember that one.
18:37 That would've been crazy.
18:39 - That was a big one for us.
18:40 But on the defensive side of the ball,
18:43 I think the guys that are just bigger
18:46 and don't get rushed.
18:48 And I think a Kawhi or a Shea Gill,
18:53 just is a real tough guard for me.
18:54 I think those guys that just get to their spots,
18:57 and no matter what you do,
18:58 they're just gonna ride you over the top.
19:01 Those are the tough ones for me.
19:02 But I'm finding my niche.
19:05 I'm actually one of the better defenders in this league,
19:07 in my opinion.
19:08 I really think I could compete
19:09 with any defender in this league.
19:11 - Well, I wouldn't disagree with that
19:13 'cause I think your instincts,
19:14 your competitiveness, and you're quicker
19:17 than I think a lot of people probably gave you credit
19:19 for coming out of college into the NBA.
19:22 So I think those characteristics
19:24 bode well at the next level.
19:26 When you look at the next stage of your career,
19:31 where do you need to improve upon?
19:33 And what type of goals do you have individually?
19:37 - Yeah, I think the biggest thing
19:39 I wanna continue to improve on,
19:41 I've had a really good two months,
19:42 past two months with this,
19:43 is just catching shooting from three.
19:45 Playing beside a guy like Ty,
19:47 you kinda need that in terms of creating your own gravity
19:51 so that he can kinda play,
19:52 and make him still get downhill,
19:53 and make sure that you're a threat on the court
19:56 when you don't have the ball,
19:57 'cause there's just stretches
19:58 where you're just kinda getting up and down,
19:59 haven't really touched it.
20:00 So that's a big part of it for me.
20:02 That'll make my closeout reads a lot easier.
20:06 But in terms of just growing my game,
20:07 I wanna just make that kind of paint,
20:10 non-rim area right close in the two-point area,
20:14 I wanna make that just a money shot.
20:15 And I've been pretty efficient with it this year,
20:19 but I think that's where a lot of guys,
20:21 you see Chris Paul kinda keeps getting
20:23 to that same right side, elbow.
20:25 Those are spots that are easy shots,
20:27 and you can kinda get 'em off a lot
20:29 with the way teams guard.
20:31 - Yeah, well, just in hearing a couple of your answers there
20:34 and your thoughts, you're truly a student of the game.
20:36 You study the game, you understand your skill set
20:39 and where you can have success.
20:41 When you look at what you did at Gonzaga,
20:44 and the influence Coach Few had,
20:45 how did he and Gonzaga prepare you for the NBA?
20:49 - Yeah, I think the good part about Few,
20:52 he gives you a lot of autonomy in terms of
20:54 how, when you wanna work out,
20:56 how you wanna go about your day,
20:57 how you wanna get better.
21:00 He kinda puts it on yourself,
21:02 puts it on you in terms of
21:03 how do you wanna make this happen?
21:05 And I think that was a good thing for me.
21:07 Going into the league, I didn't realize,
21:08 nobody's gonna put you in the gym to get a workout.
21:10 Nobody's gonna tell you how to do what you wanna do.
21:12 They're just gonna let you do it.
21:14 And then they're gonna observe you and be like,
21:16 well, we like that or we don't,
21:18 and they're not gonna really kind of
21:21 help you with none of that stuff.
21:22 So I think he put me in a good frame of mind
21:26 of just making sure I'm consistent,
21:28 getting my work in,
21:29 prioritizing what needs to be prioritized.
21:32 - Think about it right now.
21:33 There's 10 current Zags in the NBA.
21:36 There was 11 until Petrushev went back to Europe.
21:39 I think the only schools quickly off the top of my head
21:42 that I can name have more pros
21:43 are Duke, Carolina, Kansas, and maybe UCLA?
21:47 - Maybe Kentucky too.
21:48 - Kentucky, yeah.
21:48 So those schools.
21:49 That's pretty amazing to think about it.
21:51 - No, definitely.
21:52 I think we're a blue blooded right now.
21:53 I mean, if you look,
21:54 I just seen a stat on Instagram or Twitter the other day,
21:58 we got the most tournament wins in the last 10 years.
22:01 So like we're the top of the top right now
22:04 and we're competing with anybody.
22:06 So if the Zags don't have their credit,
22:09 you're not watching hoops.
22:10 Let's be real.
22:12 - I like that answer.
22:13 And I agree with that answer.
22:14 You know, let's go back to this year's team a little bit.
22:17 I think they're better than their record indicates.
22:20 You know, the losses that they've had,
22:23 Purdue and UConn,
22:24 I think those are clearly the two favorites
22:25 to win the title.
22:27 And they were in the Purdue game,
22:29 maybe not so much the UConn game,
22:31 but then they unfortunately let a couple slide.
22:34 This is still a darn good basketball team.
22:36 - I totally agree.
22:37 - What are you most worried about with this team
22:41 when you've watched them to not allow them
22:44 to get to the NCAA tournament and make a run?
22:46 - Yeah, I think the obvious word for them is outside shooting.
22:49 I think most of their losses have come with three for 18,
22:54 five for 20 nights from three.
22:56 And it's just, it's tough to get over that hump.
22:59 But I think their defense is pretty good.
23:03 And I think that they can score the ball enough
23:07 if they get that shooting down the stretch.
23:09 But that's probably my biggest worry about them.
23:11 But I also think the best part about being
23:13 in their situation is that you don't got the pressure
23:16 of being that number one seed coming into the tournament.
23:18 You have nothing to lose.
23:19 And none of these teams want to see Gonzaga,
23:21 I think, in the first round as a possible double-digit seed.
23:24 So I think they have a chance
23:26 to make some noise in the tournament for sure.
23:28 - Yeah, no, you're 100% right about that.
23:31 'Cause I think you guys were a one seed in Portland.
23:33 I called the games for Westwood One Radio.
23:35 And you guys had a tough first round game
23:39 before you played Memphis in the second round.
23:41 But even though we're in the Northwest,
23:43 people were excited that a 16 was hanging around
23:46 against you guys as a one.
23:47 And I'm sitting here like, hold on, Gonzaga,
23:49 we're in the Northwest, this shouldn't be the case.
23:51 But to maybe have the tables flipped again
23:54 where the Gonzaga's a 100 might be an interesting thing
23:56 in the NCAA tournament to have a run.
23:58 - No, it is a cool little psychological thing.
24:00 Coming into the game with nothing to lose,
24:01 kind of like the LMU game the other night.
24:03 You got six guys playing or whatever it is.
24:07 You got no conscious going into the game.
24:08 And maybe some guys that don't hit shots usually like that
24:11 are hitting shots and keeping them in the game.
24:12 But we'll see.
24:14 I think I'm excited about what they can do down the stretch.
24:17 - So it's all-star break.
24:18 You come back to Spokane, spend a couple of days.
24:20 You watch Gonzaga, make sure you get your workout in,
24:22 hang out with your brother.
24:25 Is there anything else that while you're in Spokane,
24:27 you had to make sure, was there a restaurant
24:29 or someplace you had to get to
24:31 that was fun for you while you were here?
24:34 - Restaurant spot, Umi's probably the spot
24:36 I'm going to go to before I leave.
24:37 But I really just wanted to kind of stop in
24:40 and say what's up to the guys, get a workout.
24:41 And honestly, what I love to do when I come here
24:43 is work out, get with TK.
24:45 Kind of just get in that mode of chilling.
24:48 This is a great place to grow your game
24:49 and just not have too many distractions.
24:52 - Yeah, it's worked out well for a lot of different guys.
24:54 You know, Spokane, Gonzaga,
24:56 guys have made a living coming back here.
24:59 Now you've got another seven, eight,
25:01 ten years in your playing career,
25:03 you know, based on how you've started off.
25:05 So you've got a while to think about this,
25:06 but you want to get into coaching.
25:09 What are your thoughts when you're fully done?
25:11 - Yeah, I mean, initially before I got into the league,
25:14 I was always like 100% I want to get into coaching.
25:17 Now seeing how a coach has to operate in his job,
25:22 it's a little bit tougher than I thought it was initially.
25:24 You know, keeping your job,
25:25 and it's kind of like someone's a player in a sense.
25:27 And I was just like,
25:29 not sure necessarily how I feel at that time,
25:31 but definitely want to stay into basketball.
25:33 I really am interested in player development,
25:35 individual player development.
25:36 So I think I might start there, see where it takes me.
25:39 I'm not going to close any doors.
25:41 - Well, the college coaching is a whole different world now.
25:43 NIL was just starting, I think, year, last year.
25:46 Now it's a whole different beast.
25:49 You know, guys are getting paid a lot of money.
25:52 And I think college players should get paid,
25:55 but I think it's going to have to recalibrate,
25:57 and it's going to kind of get figured out even more so
26:00 in the next couple of years.
26:00 What are your thoughts on NIL?
26:02 And then what would you have wanted as an NIL deal
26:05 when you were at Gonzaga?
26:06 - I want a half a mil, no.
26:08 (laughing)
26:10 I mean, NIL is good.
26:11 I think NIL is good.
26:12 I definitely think the players deserve it.
26:14 I think that teams should all have a similar amount,
26:17 though, to give to every team.
26:19 So it's leveled out.
26:20 I don't think players should be picking teams
26:23 based off of money reasons,
26:25 just because I don't think it bodes well
26:27 for them in the future, honestly.
26:28 I think you should go to a team that needs you,
26:30 and you'll succeed at the next level, if that's the case.
26:34 But regulation would be nice,
26:37 but also players getting paid.
26:40 - All right, so let's wrap this up.
26:42 Appreciate your time while you're in Spokane.
26:44 Give me a prediction.
26:45 We're recording this before Gonzaga plays
26:49 on Saturday night against Pacific.
26:51 Give me your prediction for the game tonight, Saturday,
26:54 but then give me your prediction
26:56 as far as Gonzaga making the NCAA tournament,
26:59 and how far do they go?
27:01 - Tonight, I predict a 15 to 20 ball against Pacific.
27:06 They held it close last game, but not believing in them.
27:10 And I think down the stretch,
27:13 I think they're going to ride the season now
27:15 with maybe one more loss,
27:18 but I think they're going to ride it out pretty good.
27:20 I think they're going to get into the tournament,
27:22 maybe be a double-digit seed.
27:24 I see a second weekend tournament team out of this.
27:26 I mean, I say a second weekend team out of these guys.
27:29 And then after that, I think anything can happen.
27:32 It's the tournament.
27:33 It's one of the most unpredictable things in sports,
27:34 so who knows?
27:36 - It is unpredictable,
27:37 and that would be nine straight elite,
27:39 nine straight Sweet 16s,
27:40 which UNC, UCLA, and Duke
27:43 are the only programs that ever have done eight.
27:45 So that puts Gonzaga again in rare error
27:49 with other programs.
27:50 - Yes, elite, blue blood.
27:51 - There you have it.
27:52 Yes, blue blood elite.
27:54 Big thanks to Andrew Nembhardt on All-Star Break
27:58 showing up for episode 18
28:00 of Talking Zags with Gonzaga Nation.
28:03 (upbeat music)
28:06 (upbeat music)