Chemistry and fresh talent again have Zags soaring

SPOKANE When Mark Few was done hitting the Add to Cart button in assembling this years Gonzaga basketball roster, he began giving consideration to the games old, intractable math:

Five guys. One basketball.

Whatever your take on the Zags, eighth-ranked heading into Saturday nights Battle in Seattle game against Cal Poly, chemistry has never been much of an issue. Historically, execution has seemed to reflect a phrase right there in the first sentence of the schools mission statement service for the common good.

You could argue that Few, now in his 16th year as Gonzaga coach, stretched the limits of that vision when he and his staff cobbled together this team. In addition to the usual ration of freshman recruits, they welcomed Kentucky transfer Kyle Wiltjer, who had to redshirt last season; USC graduate transfer Byron Wesley; and, due to become eligible Jan. 6, Vanderbilt expat Eric McClellan.

Call it Fews great experiment, the notion that talent could flourish without a hit to selflessness.

No doubt, he called upon years of confidence in getting teams to play together. The Zags have had their shortfalls a guard who cant shoot here, a big guy who doesnt bang enough there but camaraderie has seldom been a deficit.

Still, Few recognized in the offseason there were a lot of moving parts on this team, so, as he says about chemistry, It kind of always happens. We were like, We need to not like just take it for granted.

Few thus encouraged discussion at every turn about sacrifice. And one day, Kevin Pangos, the senior point guard, broached an idea to the staff.

Growing up, Pangos says, I went on these outdoor-education trips with my mom (a former physical education teacher) and my school. They did a lot of team-building and personal-development stuff. Ive seen firsthand how it helps.

With the influx of fresh faces on the roster, Pangos suggested one of those getaways. One weekend in October, the team drove 45 minutes across the Idaho border to a retreat at Hayden Lake.

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Chemistry and fresh talent again have Zags soaring