Gonzaga Basketball: Key storylines for 2019-20 battle against Alabama State

Will Joel Ayayi push Ryan Woolridge to start?

The Gonzaga Bulldogs were long known as Guard University – in part thanks to their iconic guard play early in their dynasty, with guys like Matt Santangelo, Dan Dickau, Blake Stepp, Derek Raivio and Jeremy Pargo leading the way, but also because the small WCC school struggled to recruit capable big men.

That could not be more different now. While Gonzaga still has great guard play, they have most recently been dominant thanks to big men like Kelly Olynyk, Kyle Wiltjer, Domantas Sabonis, Zach Collins, Przemek Karnowski and even more recently, Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke.

This year’s team is no different. Filip Petrusev and Killian Tillie are Gonzaga’s two anchors, with freshmen Anton Watson, Drew Timme and Pavel Zakharov three of the team’s highest-rated recruits ever.

The point guard position, however, is one that could make or break this team. Ryan Woolridge is the starter, a grad transfer out of North Texas University. Woolridge averaged 11.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game in his final season with the Mean Green, a true do-it-all guard who excelled with the ball in his hands.

However, Woolridge is a poor shooter (33.3% from downtown, 58.1% from the line) which could limit his ability to contribute down the stretch, especially against higher quality opponents.

Woolridge’s ability to get to the hole and finish around the rim should still translate against better teams, but he could get exposed if the shooting doesn’t improve.

Joel Ayayi

Enter Joel Ayayi. Ayayi is the backup point guard. Entering his third season with the Zags, Ayayi has patiently waited his turn to contribute. He is a pure shooter and at six-foot-five, will create matchup problems on both the offensive and defensive side of the floor.

We haven’t seen enough of him to know what kind of playmaker he will be, especially when he is on the floor alongside combo guard Admon Gilder and the rest of Gonzaga’s frontcourt, but we know he can shoot.

If Ayayi proves capable of leading this offense, getting to the rim and holding his own defensively, will his superior shooting lead to more minutes in crunch time? That’s not a question we will be able to answer in this game – unless something goes horribly wrong for the Zags – but it is a question that will come up again this season.

With freshman point guard Brock Ravet away from the team for undisclosed personal reasons, the Zags are going to have a battle between Woolridge and Ayayi to split the point guard minutes. How they shoot the rock from downtown will be a big determining factor in who gets those minutes down the stretch.