Gonzaga-Warner Pacific rewind: Bulldogs get look at another starting lineup in exhibition rout of NAIA squad

Oct. 31—With the amount of depth and versatility on Gonzaga’s roster, coaches could probably toss eight rotational players into a hat, blindly pick out five names and emerge with an effective starting lineup.

The Bulldogs have already used two different starting units in exhibition games against USC and Warner Pacific, and neither of those resembled the one many thought Gonzaga would open the year with.

The odds-on favorite, in all likelihood, was a group that included four returning starters — Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman, Ben Gregg and Graham Ike — along with one newcomer, Michael Ajayi, who was expected to replace Anton Watson at the small forward spot.

Gonzaga coaches went with another combination for Saturday’s exhibition against USC, starting Nembhard, Khalif Battle, Ajayi, Gregg and Ike.

Another changeup was in store Wednesday. Three of the same five players — Nembhard, Battle and Ike — started against NAIA Warner Pacific, but Ajayi and Gregg were replaced by Hickman and Braden Huff.

As for how Gonzaga will open things up Monday, when the college basketball world shifts its attention to a highly-anticipated matchup between the sixth-ranked Bulldogs and eighth-ranked Baylor Bears at Spokane Arena?

That’s still unclear at the moment, but something Mark Few would advise the general public not to get too hung up on, reiterating on Wednesday the Zags will experiment with a handful of different lineups until they have a better feel for which ones they’ll be able to lean on during a long, unpredictable 31-game regular season.

“Sort of like I talked about, the guys are kind of bunched together and depending on what night, everybody’s level is different,” Few said after Gonzaga’s 109-52 exhibition rout of Warner Pacific. “We’re just trying to reward them for all their hard work and all that.”

Gonzaga’s starting unit on Wednesday featured a fairly unconventional look in the frontcourt, with the 6-foot-10 Huff playing alongside the 6-foot-9 Ike. Both were effective for the Zags last season, but their minutes rarely overlapped, with Huff taking Ike’s place when the starting forward checked out of the game.

Additionally, Gonzaga’s five-man unit to open the second half was different than the one that opened the game. The second-half lineup was a smaller, guard-oriented group that included Nembhard, Hickman and Battle, along with Ajayi and Ike.

The Zags couldn’t go wrong in a game where eight players finished plus-22 or better in the box score, but a lineup consisting of Nembhard, Hickman, Dusty Stromer, Ike gave GU separation when it was still a one-possession game midway through the first half.

A layup from Warner Pacific’s Trevon Cason trimmed GU’s lead to 21-19, but the Zags scored the next 12 points and effectively took over the game from there, going on a 59-8 run to lead by as many as 58 points in the second half.

“They’re all going to play in some way, shape or form for the most part,” Few said. “Keep kind of just trying to figure out who’s having a good night and who maybe isn’t having a good night.”

Dunk-ish

Nembhard supplied nine points, seven assists and two steals in a vintage performance for Gonzaga’s senior point guard.

He also supplied one of the game’s top highlights … nearly.

Late in the first half, Nembhard raced into the open court after a Warner Pacific turnover, receiving an outlet pass from Stromer before streaking toward the basket. Once he got there, Nembhard elevated, but Gonzaga’s point guard didn’t get the lift-off he needed to clear the rim.

His dunk attempt was thwarted, but Nembhard was still credited with a layup in the official play-by-play stats after the ball ricocheted off the rim and into the air before falling through the net.

“Two points is two points,” Ike said.

“I ain’t mad at it,” Hickman said. “We know he’s up there.”

Dunks from Nembhard may not be a regular occurrence, but teammates confirmed the 6-foot senior has thrown down in practice on more than one occasion.

“Oh, he’s dunked on people,” Ike said.

“He’s punched on somebody in practice,” Hickman added.