Gonzaga basketball: 2019-2020 season review and 2020-2021 early preview

Top players

Corey Kispert, Wing, Junior

In his third season with the Bulldogs, Kispert exploded. Long just a spot-up sharpshooter, Kispert became far more of a go-to option in 2019-20, scoring 16.8 points per 40 minutes, up from 12.3 the prior season. Kispert upped his three-point efficiency from a nice 37.4 percent mark as a sophomore all the way up to 43.8 percent this year while also taking an additional triple every night. The junior also made an effort to get to the rim more consistently, and more than doubled his free-throw attempts.

Joel Ayayi, Wing, Sophomore

It isn’t enough for Filip Petrusev to sit back and anchor the defense. For a system like that to work, teams need pesky perimeter defenders as well, and Ayayi turned in an incredible performance in that role for Mark Few. The sophomore put up a nice 2.4 percent steal rate and had the highest Defensive Box Plus-Minus of the starters, which shows the impact he had on the opponents’ offensive efficiency when he was on the floor.

Filip Petrusev, Center, Sophomore

Somehow, it always seems like Gonzaga’s underclassmen are ready to step into larger roles when the moment demands it. Last year was probably a difficult adjustment for Petrusev, as the team’s style did not fit his game and he played only about 10 minutes per game. In a more traditional starting lineup, Petrusev excelled in 2019-20 as a mismatch-busting post scorer, defensive anchor, and great rebounder. With Petrusev having two more years of eligibility, college basketball fans will probably grow to lovingly hate him as they did former Bulldog big man Przemek Karnowski.