SPOKANE — Guard Kevin Pangos was slowed last season by toe and ankle ailments, but still managed to be named to the all-West Coast Conference team.
This year, the senior is healthy and anxious to lead deep and talented No. 13 Gonzaga to its 17th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.
“I took a lot of time off in the summer,” said Pangos, who was diagnosed last year with turf toe, which made it extremely painful to make his quick moves. “My feet are feeling great and it feels good to run properly again.”
Gonzaga has won 80 percent of its games in 15 seasons under coach Mark Few. But hopes are higher than normal for this team, which boasts several returning starters and some intriguing newcomers.
“We’ve got a lot of talent, but we’ve got to put it all together now,” said Pangos.
Few’s expectations revolve around getting each athlete to play at his full potential, and getting the most out of the team.
“If we can do that, we have enough in the stable that we’ll have a phenomenal year,” Few said.
Few noted that last year’s team, which went 29-7 and lost in the third round of the NCAA tournament, “tapped out at their full potential.” The biggest losses from that team are forward Sam Dower and guard David Stockton.
Two years ago, a Gonzaga team led by Kelly Olynyk and Elias Harris reached No. 1 in the nation and earned a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. But that team was knocked out of the tournament in the third round, continuing a string of early exits for the Zags.
“We don’t want to say that if we are not No. 1, then the season is a failure,” Pangos said. “Everyone on the team is competitive and we want to win every single game we play. The only pressure we feel is the pressure we put on ourselves.”
The talent this year starts in the backcourt. Pangos averaged 14 points and 3.6 assists a game last year. Gary Bell Jr., also slowed by a broken hand last year, averaged 11 points and is back at full strength.
“We’ve been close since our freshman year,” Pangos said. “I couldn’t ask for a better on-court partner.”
Pangos and Bell have shown amazing consistency in their careers, Few said.
Also back is center Przemek Karnowski, who averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds last year.
Role players Kyle Dranginis and Angel Nunez also return.
Few is leery of any hype.
“We really haven’t had a bad team in 16 years … so it will be way, way more difficult for this to be the best team we’ve ever had,” Few said. “It’s certainly possible, but the bar has been set high.”
