Struggling to compete with programs like Kentucky, Duke and U.C.L.A. for the top prospects, Gonzaga has developed something like a Moneyball approach to recruiting, offering itself as a home to tall, talented Europeans as well as Americans who were not ideal fits at their old programs.
“To differentiate yourself, sometimes you have to find a niche in recruiting, and Gonzaga has done that,” said Evan Daniels of
Scout.com. “They may be in a midmajor conference, but they are a high-major program because they’ve been able to get high-major recruits.”
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Recruiting foreign players, particularly big men, has become something of a specialty for Gonzaga. The effort is spearheaded by Tommy Lloyd, who has been an assistant coach under Few since 2001.
“We have a good network over there of recruits we’ve gotten over the years,” Lloyd said. “It’s where we’ve been able to have success.” Lloyd cited Ronny Turiaf, who came to Gonzaga from France in the early 2000s and was drafted in the second round by the Lakers, as the team’s first major foreign star.
“Guys are able to see an established track record now,” Lloyd said. “It’s easy for them to see themselves being successful.”
Karnowski said Lloyd made several visits to see him play, including traveling to his native Poland. “That’s quite a trip,” he said.
In the case of its transfers, Gonzaga has given players second chances. Wiltjer grew up in Portland, Ore., and was heavily recruited by Gonzaga before committing to Kentucky. Nunez missed an entire season at Louisville after sustaining a concussion. Wesley got his degree and took advantage of a recent N.C.A.A. rule allowing graduates to transfer without having to redshirt a year. McClellan was
kicked off Vanderbilt’s team after an academic violation and a misdemeanor theft charge.
“They worked hard for my future,” McClellan said of Gonzaga. “There’s a lot of things they did behind the scenes that people don’t see.”
Few, who is in his 16th season as Gonzaga’s head coach, said he tried to do right by transfers.
“Much like our connection with foreign kids, any time you establish a precedent or a history of, Boy, they really served that guy well and I can relate to that guy, then that’s going to help you,” he said.
Nunez said Gonzaga “does a good job embracing everyone.”
“If you come in, you’re handed a role, and that’s your role, and everyone just embraces it,” he said.
Kelly Olynyk, a Canadian who played for Gonzaga and is now on the Boston Celtics, encouraged his countryman Pangos to give the Bulldogs a look.
“He just said he loved it,” Pangos said, “and he told me what he liked about it — what it’s all about, the family environment.”
Then, too, there is Gonzaga’s Flex offense, which emphasizes ball movement.
Wesley said he was struck immediately — in a pickup game, in fact — by “just how unselfish everyone is.” He added, “At Gonzaga, I realized right away, you always pass the ball to the open man, you always make the right play. That’s the basketball I was taught to play.”
This resonance is no accident, according to Lloyd.
“The way these guys play fits our style,” he said. “It’s a skilled style. You have to be able to think and make decisions. And the European kids are brought up that way.”
Finally, players say, integrating outsiders is easier at Gonzaga, which has the family atmosphere one would expect of a smaller school in sleepy Spokane, Wash.
“I’m from Austin, Tex.,” said McClellan. “The population is a lot more than Spokane. But being in a location that is real chill and remote is good for me.”
