Doling out historical comps for this year's Gonzaga players

Last week, the Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrated 30 years since their first postseason appearance. To mark the occasion, the program honored men’s basketball alumni from all eras with numerous players old and... well... older returning to Spokane for festivities.

With that as the backdrop, this is as good a time as any to take our own trip down memory lane. We’re not just going to remember some guys, though, we’re going to remember the guys we're reminded of when watching the players on the 2023-24 GU team.

Some of these comps are pretty obvious, while others took some digging. But I managed to give each rotation player a former Zag whose game I see in theirs. 

RYAN NEMBHARD : JEREMY PARGO

Okay, the comp should probably come with the caveat of Ryan Nembhard being like a below-the-rim Jeremy Pargo. Because, for those of you too young to remember the Zag teams of the late-2000s, do a quick Google video search for “Jeremy Pargo dunk” and prepare to be entertained.

Athleticism gap aside, this is about as clear of a comp as any.

During his junior year in the 2008 season, Pargo averaged 12.1 points and 6 assists in 34 minutes per game. So far this year, Nembhard is averaging 12.5 points and 6 assists in 34 minutes per game.

Pargo shot 26.5% from deep that year, preferring to do his scoring off the dribble. Nembhard is shooting 25% from deep this year, and also shows a penchant for attacking the paint.

They’re both smaller guards, with Pargo’s listing of 6-foot-2 feeling a bit generous. Efficiency, by Gonzaga standards at least, is lacking with both. Despite that, each was given the keys to the offense and tasked with taking on by far the largest role in keeping the offense humming.

An international journeyman, Pargo has made appearances for 19 professional teams including four stops in the NBA. Now 37 years old, Pargo currently plays in the NBA developmental league with the G-League Ignite team. 

NOLAN HICKMAN : JOSH PERKINS / GARY BELL

Nolan Hickman has been a lightning rod for criticism the past two seasons, much like Josh Perkins was for most of his Gonzaga career.

Both are guards who were inversely forced to play out of their natural positions for a season, with Hickman moved to point guard last year and Perkins moved to shooting guard as a sophomore in 2017. Both did just fine in those roles, though for many, “just fine” wasn’t good enough.

Often maligned for his decision making, Perkins nonetheless ended his career as the program’s all-time leader in assists.

Hickman is also criticized for his decision making, despite the fact that Gonzaga’s offense during non-conference play was considerably more efficient with Hickman as the lead guard and Nembhard on the bench than it was with any combination of players around Nembhard.

Hickman/Perkins is a perception comp, but a straight player comp for the Zag's current shooting guard would be Gary Bell.

Hickman has the edge in scoring, with his 12.7 points per game this season being above Bell’s best of 11 per game as a junior. On the other hand, Bell has the edge defensively having won WCC Defensive POY honors as a senior, though Hickman has shown himself to be an above-average perimeter defender.

Hickman has been asked to do more than Bell ever was, especially this season, so his efficiency numbers aren’t as good, but his volume is greater.

Bell played for professional teams in Poland, France and Greece before returning to Gonzaga in 2019 as a graduate assistant. He is currently an assistant coach at Northern Arizona in the Big Sky Conference. 

DUSTY STROMER : KYLE DRANGINIS

This one was tough. I considered Mike Hart here for the non-scoring impact both he and Dusty Stromer have on the game, and I thought about Joel Ayayi for the well-rounded game both players have.

The problem with both is that Stromer should eventually become a scorer for the Zags, which would ruin the Hart comp. But until he does become a scorer, the Ayayi comp doesn’t quite work.

Even the Kyle Dranginis comp is a bit wonky, because Stromer was a day-one starter as a freshman (granted, that wouldn't have been the case if Steele Venters hadn't gotten injured) while Dranginis didn’t become a regular starter until his final year.

Their career arcs will likely look quite different in the end, but for now Dusty’s best comp is Dranginis’ senior season.

While he was the regular starter at the three guard spot in 2016, Dranginis was sixth on the team in scoring with 6.5 points per game. Stromer is now the regular starter at the three, but he’s seventh on the team at 6.4 points per game.

Both have three point percentages in the mid-30s and a knack for grabbing over 4 rebounds per game. They contribute, but they don’t jump off the stat sheet.

After graduation, Dranginis spent four seasons playing in Denmark and Germany. 

ANTON WATSON : ELIAS HARRIS

As I realized putting this together, when doing a career comp, you often need to toss aside players' freshman seasons.

Anton Watson was a hometown kid with potential, but a recurring injury forced him to the bench and eventually onto the shelf for the second-half of his first season. Elias Harris was an international player and a relative unknown as a result — recruiting service 247sports doesn’t even list Harris on Gonzaga’s list of all-time signings — but he turned out to be a stud as a frosh.

Both guys put together full careers in Spokane. Harris stayed for four seasons despite a breakout freshman campaign vaulting him into the NBA Draft discussion. Watson, thanks to the extra year of eligibility given because of the pandemic, is back for his fifth season as a Zag.

Tailing off athletically a bit after his first year, Harris was never the team’s leading scorer for a season. Like Watson, he became a get-the-job-done sort of player. As upperclassmen, both were leaders by example as tough, smart and instinctive players.

There’s also the statistical comparison to be made, and according to statistician Ken Pomeroy, the best comp for this season’s Anton Watson is junior year Elias Harris... and that’s not just among Zags. Pomeroy’s algorithm looks at every college basketball player from at least the past 15 seasons. And nobody has been more similar to Watson than Harris.

Now 34, Harris had a short stint in the NBA as a rookie with the Lakers, but has since spent most of his career playing in his native Germany. He currently plays for EuroLeague club Bayern Munich. 

GRAHAM IKE : SAM DOWER

Physically, this is one of the comps that you can just see with your own eyes. You don’t need stats to tell you that Graham Ike, like Sam Dower, is a 6-foot-9 left-handed center. Watching Ike’s smooth touch on hook shots over his right shoulder is like having a flashback to 2014.

That 2014 season, Dower’s senior year, was easily his best as a Zag and it’s the season that statistically makes the most sense for this comp.

Dower led the team in both scoring (14.4 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg). Ike’s a bit better at 15.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, but like Dower, he’s leading the team in both categories as well.

Ike has range that Dower did not, but rarely uses it. Like Dower, his role is to be the anchor on the interior.

After graduating in 2014, Dower spent a few seasons playing professionally for teams in France, Latvia and Poland before multiple knee injuries brought an end to his playing career. 

BRADEN HUFF : KILLIAN TILLIE

As a freshman in 2017, Killian Tillie came off the bench and showed flashes of his incredible potential. At times, he even stepped up and delivered in big moments, like when he calmly drained two free throws with 2.2 seconds left against South Carolina to put the Zags up 77-73, leading to a win in the program’s first Final Four appearance.

While Braden Huff may not find himself on that big of a stage this year, he’s already put together a number of huge performances in his reserve role.

Both players are stretch bigs with good form from deep, decent handles for their size and an ability to bang on the block that could be belied by their skill away from the basket.

Tillie shot 47.8% from deep as a freshman, while also showing a knack for rebounding in his limited minutes.

Huff’s been given a larger role than Tillie was as a freshman, and that may be starting to wear on him a bit. After going 10-for-19 from deep over his first eight games, Huff hasn’t made a three since and has seen his percentage drop to a still respectable, but certainly sub-Tillie 34.5.

After Gonzaga, Tillie spent two seasons in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies. Last month, he was courtside in the Kennel for the San Diego State game. 

BEN GREGG : MIK-ID HAR-DERGRAFT

Ben Gregg is a fun player, so I’m going to have some fun with this comp.

Take the defensive intensity of Mike Hart, the diving on the floor and the hands that are magnets for the ball, and throw in the three point shooting and toughness of David Pendergraft, then sprinkle on a good serving of lean protein, and you’ve got yourself a Ben Gregg.

Hart and Pendergraft, like Gregg, were also big-time fan favorites.

All three were beloved not only for their effort but their efficiency. Gregg is the team leader in offensive efficiency this season, with his rating of 133.4 well outpacing second-place Braden Huff’s 122.5. Pendergraft led the team as a junior and senior, and Hart not only led the team as a senior, but his rating of 163.3 led the nation per statistician Ken Pomeroy.

Not to mention the fact that all three are among the Zags most likely to elicit a “this f——-n' guy again” reaction from opposing players.

Pendergraft went into the business world after graduation. Mike Hart spent some seasons in coaching (including two as Gonzaga’s video coordinator,) and is now a staple in the elite division at Hoopfest 

JUN SEOK YEO : YOUNG BEN GREGG

There’s an obvious Rui Hachimura comp here, and it’s honestly not anywhere near as lazy and surface level as it may seem, but we’re going to go another direction.

Jun Seok Yeo, like Ben Gregg, joined the Zags midway through a season and had to adapt to a team that had already come together.

Gregg was given some minutes in his first season, but not many. Yeo, on the other hand, was essentially redshirted as he adapted to his new situation.

In their first full season, both players quickly established themselves as fan favorites. Gregg for his energy and enthusiasm and Yeo for his talent and potential. Gregg was stuck behind a logjam of bigs, while Yeo has been stuck on the bench behind… well, I’m not exactly sure.

Obviously, things have changed for Gregg, who is now a key part of the rotation and coming off of a career best performance against San Diego with 22 points.

The comp here for Yeo is one based on potential. Like a young Gregg, Yeo is built like a basketball player. He looks the part, he just hasn’t been able to show it yet. Gregg found a way, and look at him now.

The hope is that Yeo can do the same, and he’s starting to get the opportunity, having played double-digit minutes in each of the past two games. 

NEXT UP

Men

Gonzaga at Santa Clara • Thur,  Jan. 11 at 6:30 pm • ESPN

Women

Gonzaga vs. Santa Clara • Thur, Jan. 11 at 6 pm • SWX & ESPN+

Gonzaga vs. San Diego • Sat, Jan. 13 at 2 pm • ESPN+