SPOKANE, Wash. — Gonzaga fans got their first look at this year’s Bulldogs at Saturday’s Kraziness in the Kennel, and Zag great Dan Dickau came away impressed with the depth, talent and versatility on display.

The Blue team — built around a guard-heavy lineup — beat the White team 41-39 in the annual preseason showcase. Dickau, who called the game on SWX, said the scrimmage offered valuable reps for a group that features several newcomers and limited returning experience.

“It was a pretty clean scrimmage for the most part,” Dickau said on his podcast. “Didn’t see a lot of sets or fine-tuned execution, but that’s typical in these scrimmages. What Gonzaga typically likes to do is let the scrimmage go in a free-flow fashion, play out of concepts, allow guys to get used to being in that atmosphere in front of the Kennel.”

Steele Venters looks healthy, confident

One of the biggest takeaways for Dickau was the return of Steele Venters, who missed the last two seasons with injuries. Mark Few and company drew up a final play for Venters to take the potential game-winning three — a sign of confidence in the redshirt senior, despite the play not panning out.

“Two defenders rushed him; he made the correct read and the correct play — he got it to Graham Ike, who wasn’t able to convert at the buzzer,” Dickau said. “I thought that was a tremendous sign for Steele Venters.”

Venters also won the three-point contest and looked confident during live play.
“He looked great movement-wise,” Dickau said. “He showed the ability to shoot threes in a couple different ways — he had space threes, and the big one is when he came off a double screen with pace, great balance, footwork, great elevation on the jump shot. That, to me, is going to be the key for him to get minutes.”

Key rotation battles

Dickau highlighted several players competing for early rotation spots.

Adam Miller, a transfer from Arizona State, “showed the ability to knock down threes and also straight-line drive and get fouled,” Dickau said. He expects Miller to eventually earn the starting spot at shooting guard.

Jalen Warley impressed with his versatility. “His numbers don’t jump out at you, but he had a presence in the game,” Dickau said. “He was able to pick and pop, get to floaters in space as the roll guy. He showed a grittiness defensively. I thought he was a connector on offense, moving the ball, spacing the ball where it needed to be. That’s another guy you’ve got to keep an eye on — clearly a rotation spot.”

Emanuel Innocenti earned praise for his defense before exiting late with a minor injury.

Tyon Grant-Foster, newly cleared to practice by an NCAA waiver, also made an impression.
“They weren’t expecting him to play,” Dickau said. “But word goes that in the locker room before the game, he saw his jersey, put it on, and there was nothing anybody could say that was going to keep him from playing. You love the determination, love the heart.”

Junior point guard Braeden Smith looked in full command. “He really showed a presence out there — leadership capability that this team is going to need. End-to-end speed, pushed the tempo, made some great reads and passes,” Dickau said.

Freshman Davis Fogle also drew attention for his length and confidence. “He knocked down a three… He didn’t back down,” Dickau said. “He’s got a bright future.”

Strength in the frontcourt

Down low, Dickau said fans can expect consistent production from Graham Ike and Braden Huff, which he believes will form one of the best frontcourt duos in the nation.

“Ike was flirting with a double-double in one half,” Dickau said. “That’s what he does — he’s averaged around 17 and 8 for his career.”

He also noted the impact of Huff’s scoring touch and Ismaila Dianni’s defensive presence.

Freshman flashes

Freshman guard Mario Saint-Supery showed flashes of skill but also some freshman mistakes, committing five turnovers.
“He looked the part as far as being comfortable, but there are things that’ll get cleaned up,” Dickau said.

Dan Dickau’s projected starting five

Based on what he saw, Dickau projected a starting lineup of Graham Ike and Braden Huff on the interior, Braeden Smith at the point, Adam Miller at the two, and either Jalen Warley, Tyon Grant-Foster, or Steele Venters at the wing.

“I think what a lot of fans felt leaving the arena is that this team is loaded,” Dickau said. “There are a lot of ways they can go with versatility. For the most part, Gonzaga’s only gone eight deep. Sometimes they play nine, but that ninth guy doesn’t play as many minutes. So it’s a great position for Coach Few and staff to be in — to work out rotations, minutes and exactly the style they’re going to play. But this team’s got a lot of potential.”

“When the AP poll comes out, the coach’s poll comes out, I would imagine they’re going to be flirting right around that 20, 21, 22 range,” Dickau said. “But this is another team, after seeing them, that’s an NCAA Tournament team. I think it’s a second-weekend NCAA Tournament team. In this day and age of college basketball, experience goes a long way — so you never know where this team is going to end up.”