Like Clockwork: Gonzaga’s Big Ben Gregg is ready for his time in the spotlight

A few weeks ago, during the Kraziness in the Kennel scrimmage, I found myself gasping and jumping to my feet. It wasn’t Emmanuel Innocenti’s game-winning three-pointer or Michael Ajayi’s ridiculous stat line that did it. It was the moment when Ben Gregg got tangled up and hit the floor, clutching his elbow, grimacing in pain.

Granted, watching Gregg hit the deck hard is nothing new for Gonzaga fans. The guy plays incredibly tough and takes more gnarly hits than any player I’ve seen in a Zag uniform. No loose ball is safe when Ben Gregg is nearby. But, no Ben Gregg is safe when a loose ball is nearby, either.

Ben Gregg is exactly the kind of player who would get injured playing too hard in a season-opening exhibition scrimmage.

As I held my breath, waiting to see if he was okay, it dawned on me just how much the upcoming season hinges on Gregg’s health and hustle. He only has one speed: full throttle. It’s what’s made him a fan favorite, that shot of adrenaline when things get sluggish, the screaming straight-armed flex after a vicious dunk, the clutch dagger of an outside shot when its most vitally needed.

So as he’s done countless times before, Ben took a few breaths, got back on his feet, shook it off, and downplayed the whole thing after the game. It looked bad, but fans have seen Gregg take far worse. “It’s always something with me,” he said after.

Gregg’s Evolution: From Role Player to Core Leader

It’s hard to believe Ben Gregg is now a senior. The Clackamas, Oregon native, who joined Gonzaga early due to his high school’s COVID-shortened season, was a 4-star recruit with offers from nearly every school in the Pac-12. But for Gregg, signing with Gonzaga was a literal dream come true. “I’ve looked up to the Gonzaga men’s basketball team since I was a little kid,” he said. “To put on the Bulldog uniform is going to be surreal.”

There’s never been any doubt about Gregg transferring—he’s always been a Zag at heart, and now he’s in his final year with his dream school. The surreal part of his time a at GU is, for me, realizing that it’s nearing its end.

Like many young players under Mark Few, Gregg’s early years saw limited minutes—averaging less than 10 per game in his first two seasons. But by midseason last year, Gregg had earned a starting spot, a testament to his hustle, heart, versatility, and willingness to do whatever his team needed to win. His first start came on January 18 against Pepperdine, stepping in for freshman Dusty Stromer. Though Gregg typically played the 4, the team needed someone who could shoot from outside, and despite his size, Gregg fit the bill.

It quickly became clear that Gregg’s time as a “spark off the bench” would be coming to an end. In that game, Gregg stepped into his new role as the missing piece necessary to revitalize the team’s sluggish pace and inconsistent cohesiveness. In his starting debut, he played 30 minutes, led the team in rebounds with 10, and finished second in assists. It was among the best the Zags had looked up to that point, and from then on, the Bulldogs were rolling.

With Gregg in the lineup, Gonzaga went from being unranked for the first time in years to a Sweet 16 team with legitimate Final Four aspirations. They finished the season ranked 15th in the AP Coaches Poll and boasted the nation’s 5th-best offense, according to KenPom.

By the Numbers: Gregg’s Elite Efficiency

Gregg averaged 9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game last season. Solid numbers, but not necessarily eye-popping for a key piece of a top 10 offense. He only led the team in scoring once, a game against University of San Diego in which he didn’t even start. However, his basic stats don’t tell the full story of his impact.

Despite averaging fewer points per game than Braden Huff, Gregg’s offensive efficiency was remarkable. He wasn’t going to be the MVP on paper, but a closer look at his efficiency metrics reveals that he might actually have been the most valuable player on the floor, at least when it mattered most.

Gregg shot 54% from the field last season and finished with an incredible 77.3% 2-point shooting percentage—the 5th-best among all D1 players. For comparison, Chet Holmgren, in his one season at Gonzaga, averaged 73.7% from inside, the 2nd-best in the country that year.

At 6’10”, Gregg is often the biggest guy on the court, but his versatility is what sets him apart—he can shoot, dribble, work off the dribble, and post up in the low post. He can score from all three levels, and opponents are often flummoxed as to how to contain him.

Ben Gregg doesn’t take a ton of shots, but he also misses exceptionally few, especially inside.

One metric we could use to measure Gregg’s value is perhaps his KenPom offensive rating (an individual stat calculated by dividing points produced by possessions used). By the season’s end, Gregg had a rating of 133.7, the 10th-best in the country, ahead of UConn’s Donovan Clingan, Alabama’s Mark Sears, and even National Player of the Year Zach Edey from Purdue. A rating north of 130 is considered “stellar” by KenPom standards, and Gregg hit that mark or better in 16 of 35 games, peaking at an astonishing 202 against Loyola Marymount on February 15.

What truly sets Gregg apart is how he consistently stepped up in Gonzaga’s toughest, closest, and ugliest games. When his teammates struggled, Gregg was usually a lone bright spot, leading the charge on his own, willing his team to a competitive edge through sheer guts and hustle. He posted the highest individual offensive ratings on the team in several key matchups last season: against Kansas in the NCAA Tournament’s second round (185), against St. Mary’s in the WCC Championship game (160), and even in hard-fought losses to UConn and Washington (165 and 188, respectively).

The true measure of a player’s value is not how they perform when things are going well, but how hard they play and how much they contribute when things are at their worst. When the chips are down, Ben Gregg is all in. In the words of Buster Scruggs: “looks like when they made this fella they forgot to put the quit in!”

“Mr. Zag”: The Emotional Core of Gonzaga

Coach Mark Few is effusive when talking about Gregg: “He’s Mr. Zag. His leadership, toughness, and ability to stretch the floor are crucial. But even more important is how much his teammates love him.”

On a team that only found its stride midway through last season and that may face challenges establishing its identity without veteran Anton Watson, Gregg’s grit and leadership could prove to be this year’s secret weapon this year.

Rising to the Occasion

In all my years as a Gonzaga fan, I can’t remember preseason expectations for a team being this high. Last year’s team was spectacular, and most of its key players are returning for one more run. They’ve spent the offseason further developing their on-court chemistry, and beyond those who have elected to return the team has added even more depth and versatility through the transfer portal. This Gonzaga squad has more skill, talent, and potential than any team I’ve seen before, a true embarrassment of riches. But skill alone won’t be enough to take the Zags all the way.

Like the Gonzaga teams who have made it the furthest in the preseason, this team will need heart, grit, hustle, and leadership. Adam Morrison, Nigel Williams-Goss, Gary Bell Jr., Domantas Sabonis, and Corey Kispert all come to mind as exceptionally skilled players whose presence on the court made everyone around them better whether they stuffed the box score themselves or not. And here’s what makes this year’s Gonzaga team particularly special: its emotional center—the heart and soul of the team—doesn’t belong to a National Player of the Year candidate, a McDonald’s All-American, or a potential NBA draft pick. It doesn’t even belong to the team’s projected leading scorer. It belongs to Ben Gregg, the kid from Clackamas, Oregon, who always dreamed of being a Bulldog.

As Coach Few put it simply, “He’s Mr. Zag. He’s the heart and soul of our squad.” This season, Ben Gregg will have the chance to show the world exactly what that means.