Gonzaga Basketball: Bulldogs officially championship contenders for next season

A few days after one NBA Draft prospect announced his return to the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Killian Tillie followed suit. The WCC won’t be the only title they’re going after now for next year.

Testing the NBA Draft waters couldn’t have worked out any better for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Coach Mark Few received welcome news on Wednesday, with forward Killian Tillie revealing his intention to stay in school for another year. The decision came after Rui Hachimura did the same, solidifying the team’s status as a contender next year.

That was before Tillie made his own call.

Last season, the forward averaged 12.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game; each of those marks ranked second on the team. Tillie went on to be named to the All-WCC team. An injury prevented him from playing in the team’s Sweet Sixteen loss to Florida State.

The French forward will form a lethal frontcourt. Along with Hachimura, the Bulldogs also count San Jose State transfer (and former First Team All-MWC) Brandon Clarke among their big men.

In fact, Gonzaga lost very few impact contributors from last year’s squad, which may have survived the Seminoles with a healthy Tillie. The only two seniors on last year’s roster were Johnathan Williams and Silas Melson – both great players, but losses Few was prepared to cope with, as he always tends to be.

For starters, Clarke will be able to fill in the gaps immediately. Guard Zach Norvell Jr. also showed a ton of potential during his freshman year, as did center Jacob Larsen. Meanwhile, point guard Josh Perkins is more than ready to be the senior leader of the team.

Nobody knows how far last year’s team would’ve gone in the postseason. The year before that, however, the Bulldogs made the National Championship Game for the first time in program history.

Next: Oregon the Pac-12 favorite

Right now, it’s looking as if they won’t have to wait long to accomplish the feat again.