Gonzaga’s Graham Ike has something to prove

Gonzaga fans expressed some cautious optimism when Wyoming transfer Graham Ike announced he was joining the Bulldogs last year. An absolute beast in the Mountain West Conference, Ike had averaged nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds per game in his time with the Cowboys But after sitting out the 2022-2023 season due to a foot injury, many wondered if he would return at full strength. Skeptics in Zag Nation viewed his arrival as a dice roll—some worried he might be undersized and injury-prone, unable to keep up in Gonzaga’s fast-paced, highly efficient offense that had relied so heavily on Drew Timme’s interior production.

Boy, were they wrong about Graham Ike.

Upon arriving at Gonzaga, Ike quickly established himself as the cornerstone of Bulldogs’ offense. With his large frame and stellar footwork, he played with patience and precision, he liked to “move the furniture around a bit” before going to work in the paint (credit to Greg Heister for the analogy). More importantly, Ike brought an intimidation factor to the Gonzaga frontcourt—a level of aggressiveness and a colorful ahem “vocabulary” that many fans (and television broadcasters) were unprepared for. Like his role model Kevin Garnett, Ike infused the Bulldogs with a brutal competitiveness that had been missing under the Timme Administration. Gone were the days of finesse and fancy footwork in Gonzaga’s low post. Ike offered something else entirely.

After a few rocky games in the early part of the season, Ike hit his stride following some guidance from Coach Few who assured the big man that his aggressiveness was not only welcome—it was essential. From the pivotal February 10 showdown against Kentucky through to the end of the regular season, Ike averaged a jaw-dropping 23.3 points while shooting an absurd 68.6% from the field. He also went 27/30 from the free-throw line and accrued 10 blocks. “Dominant” doesn’t adequately describe his late-season performance.

By tournament time, Ike looked unstoppable. During Gonzaga’s March Madness run, Ike held his own against Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson (whose lunch he absolutely devoured) and Purdue’s Zach Edey (whose lunch was simply uneatable), making a strong case for himself as one of the best and most unfairly overlooked bigs in college basketball.

This season, he has the opportunity to pick up right where he left off, and largely alongside the same supporting cast—a rare luxury in the era of the transfer portal. Among these players, none is more crucial to Ike’s success than point guard Ryan Nembhard. Their chemistry in the high screen-and-roll was unmatched last year and the two of them alone will account for a significant portion of Gonzaga’s offense this season.

Unless, of course, Ike finds himself on the bench.

One aspect of Ike’s game that needs fine-tuning is managing foul trouble. At 6’9”, he occasionally found himself struggling to defend against longer, rangier bigs last year, which led to some overzealous defense on his part. Last season, he fouled out of 4 games and racked up 4 fouls in 11 others. In 6 of Gonzaga’s 8 losses, he had at least 4 fouls. For comparison, Anton Watson recorded only 7 games with 4 fouls and fouled out just once, and only after Ike had already done so himself.

This year, Ike needs to figure out how to play aggressively without fouling, especially on defense. Protecting the rim while staying out of foul trouble is a difficult balance to strike, and Ike certainly didn’t make it any easier for himself last year with his demonstrative reactions to calls he didn’t agree with. Although he accrued only one technical foul last year, there were plenty of moments when he came very close to more. Ike played on metaphorical thin ice with plenty of refs last season, and drawing attention to oneself among officials isn’t always the best move for a player so essential.

Personally, I love Ike’s tenacity, competitiveness, and the colorful expletives with which he peppers each broadcast. But for the Zags to make a deep tournament run, Ike needs to ensure that his trademark aggressiveness doesn’t compromise his playing time.

In a recent ranking of the best bigs in college basketball for this upcoming season, Andy Katz put Graham Ike at the number 4 spot behind Auburn’s Johni Broome, Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, and, yes, Hunter Dickinson at the number 1 spot. If last year’s NCAA Tournament offers any indication as to who the best in the nation really is, though, Andy’s list is going to need some reshuffling.