Growing up a Gonzaga fan while living in the Portland area, Ben Gregg was already plenty familiar with the Chiles Center from his many trips to see the Zags play the Pilots when he was a kid.
Now the junior forward is making his presence felt on the floor, instead of on the sidelines, after dropping 13 points and four rebounds – most coming in the first half – in an 86-65 win for Gonzaga on Thursday evening.
It is the fifth straight win for the Zags and gives them a 21-6 record ahead of a huge trio of remaining conference games: first at home against Santa Clara on Saturday followed by a Bay Area road trip to face San Francisco at the Chase Center and then a huge game in Moraga against the St. Mary’s Gaels, the nation’s only undefeated team in conference play.
Gonzaga got off to a pedestrian start this season, with a trio of new starters including freshman Dusty Stromer, who filled in when presumed starter Steele Venters tore his ACL just two days before the team’s opener.
However, Mark Few’s club has gotten back on track in large part because of Gregg, who replaced Stromer in the starting lineup on January 18 – a stretch in which the team’s offensive efficiency and rebounding dramatically improved.
Gregg is averaging 10.1 points and 6.9 rebounds since entering the starting lineup, and Thursday was just another example of how impactful he is – now that he’s the one on the court wearing the uniform, instead of sitting in the crowd.
