Gonzaga Bulldogs Are Turning Kyle Wiltjer Into a NCAA Star

Can Kyle Wiltjer become the primary go to scorer for the Gonzaga Bulldogs during this upcoming season?

Breaking up is always difficult to do. But what happens when you leave your beautiful ex girlfriend to take on a woman who is better suited for you? The current Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Kyle Wiltjer did this when he transferred to their program after his sopohomore year at the University of Kentucky. After missing out a year because of (stupid) NCAA college basketball transfer rules, Wiltjer is attempting to turn himself into the first round pick that he once could’ve been.

Firstly, let me say with all the talent that Kentucky brings in every year, I don’t blame any player leaving that program. How can anyone develop under their system if every season a new highly touted NBA lottery pick comes in to take your spot (ask Alex Poythress & Marcus Lee) ?

During his two seasons at Kentucky, Wiltjer played great for a student that barely got any minutes. During his freshman year he was a part of the 2012 NCAA National Championship team and connected on 35 three pointers that season. While thinking he was in a position to get a starting spot within the lineup, Wiltjer’s services were appointed off of the bench.

Though his hope of starting got crushed, it never affected his play. Wiltjer worked hard and became the SEC Sixth Man of the Year. He averaged 10.2 points per game, 4.5 rebounds and shot 36 percent from the three-point line. After realizing that the talent disparity at Kentucky was only growing larger, Wiltjer left to a school that wanted him to play there from the beginning of his high school recruitment, Gonzaga.

In order to help his development as a basketball player, the coaching staff at Gonzaga had to work on his conditioning and his body. When Wiltjer first arrived at Gonzaga his body was stiff and not fluid. He wasn’t athletic, nor was he strong. Talent on the basketball court can only go so far. To compete in this era, a player has to have athleticism and that’s what the training staff went to work on during Witljer’s time redshirtting.

In an interview with Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo Sports, The Dagger strength coach Travis Knight said this:

"“Nothing was easy or smooth or natural. Everything seemed to be held back, whether his knees bothered him or his hips or his back. He moved like a guy that was a lot older than he was. To see him go from that to now where he’s making hard cuts to the basket and finishing with ease with a dunk on every play, that’s his biggest improvement. He just looks so smooth, natural and effortless now.”"

Next season with Gonzaga, Wiltjer is going to take on a larger role than what he ever would have had at Kentucky. The 10.2 points that he averaged during his last season in Lexington should increase because of the shot attempts he will get. In addition, having starting point guard Kevin Pangos doesn’t hurt either. In Pangos junior season the point guard averaged a career best in scoring, three-point percentage, free throw percentage, rebounds per game, and assists per game. 

These two are going to create one of the best one two punches in the West Coast Conference. For a team who made it to the third round of the NCAA Tournament the expectations should not dwindle a bit. Gonzaga returns three starters who averaged more than 10 points a game including Pangos, guard Gary Bell Jr, and the 7’1 center Przemek Karnowsi. Adding Wiltjer to the starting line up with a tall center will give him the spacing that he needs to have a productive season. 

The best comparison to Wiltjer’s game is the Los Angeles Lakers power forward Ryan Kelly. At Duke Kelly didn’t have the best two seasons playing inside of Cameron Indoor Stadium. In fact a lot of people thought that he under performed and didn’t live up to expectations. However after his sophomore year, Kelly turned his Duke career around and averaged double figures for his last two remaining years at Duke.

Similar to Kelly, Wiltjer is a stretch power forward. Though he may lack athleticism and strength, he makes up for it with his shooting ability. There are very few players in the country who can shoot as well as he can (don’t believe me). Because of his ability to stretch the floor, he can give his teammates the spacing they need on the court to attack the lane. His innate ability can get used in a variety of creative ways to help Gonzaga rack up a lot of victories in the West Coast Conference (as they do every season).

A lot of people also look at the development of Kelly Olynyk as a reason why Wiltjer will turn out in a very good NCAA player and a decent NBA Draft prospect. Olynyk similar to Wiltjer had to redshirt a season in order to get stronger and have an inside post game. If Head Coach Mark Few and the Gonzaga training staff have gotten Wiltjer more quicker, stronger during his time spend as a redshirt, then Gonzaga has a true gem on their hands. Tapping into that potential, and making Wiltjer a more all around player is crucial if Gonzaga wants a chance to win the 2015 NCAA National Championship.

I don’t expect Wiltjer to start off the season with a slow pace. I do expect him to take sometime to get the rust off from not playing collegiate basketball for a year. This season at Gonzaga we will see how much he has developed.

Leaving Kentucky was the best decision even if Wiltjer doesn’t have the best season.

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