Bouldin, Gray back for Zags

Gonzaga will lose stalwarts Josh Heytvelt and Jeremy Pargo next season, but has a strong core of returning starters and new players.

North Carolina ended Gonzaga's season with a blowout win last week. The Zags finished 28-6 and made their 11th consecutive NCAA tournament.

While there were hopes that this team would be the first since the 1999 squad to make at least the Elite Eight, the lack of a true low post game left the Zags too reliant on outside shooting.

But the season was a success. The Zags' 28 victories this season were one short of the school record set in 2002 and equaled in 2006. They won their ninth straight West Coast Conference title, going unbeaten for the third time in school history. They won the WCC tournament for the ninth time in the past 11 years.

Gonzaga's trip to the Sweet Sixteen was its fifth in 11 years, a rare feat.

Returning players include guard Matt Bouldin, who scored 13.6 points per game; Steven Gray, 9.1 ppg; and guard Demetri Goodson, who played in all 34 games as a freshman. They form a solid back court that should mitigate the loss of Pargo, who averaged 10.2 points and nearly five assists per game.

A big question mark is whether slender forward Austin Daye (12.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg) will take a chance on making the NBA after his sophomore year.

Coach Mark Few's name is also being bandied about for the Arizona opening, although Few has given no indication he is dissatisfied with a job in which he wins 80 percent of his games.

The loss of Heytvelt (14.9 points, 6.5 rebounds) will hurt. Also gone is shooting threat Micah Downs.

The Zags will be counting on 6-foot-10 Robert Sacre to bounce back from foot problems that sidelined him most of last season. Redshirts Andy Poling and Grant Gibbs should also be available.

New recruits include Sam Dower of suburban Minneapolis, a 6-foot-8 forward; Mangisto Arop, a 6-foot-5 wing from Sudan; 6-foot-10 Kelly Olynyk of Vancouver, B.C., and 6-foot-7 wing Elias Harris of Germany.

Gonzaga will play in the Maui Invitational, with Louisville, Vanderbilt, Maryland, Wisconsin and Arizona. The schedule will not be finished until closer to the season.