Elias Harris in Ankara for the Efes Pilsen World Cup

[cjm720]

ZN, more pics please

[Zag 77]

Aaaaarrrrrggggghhh!

Jiminey Christmas darn it all.

[ZagNative]

cjm720, I would not have pegged you for a letch. Obviously, your bad companions on guboards have let you astray ..

I haven't been able to get that game online tv, probably due to my incompetency. If anyone else does, a shout out would be appreciated.

In the meantime, livestats are up and show the score tied at the end of the first quarter 24-24, elias with three points, (2+1) in 5:59

[BobZag]

I'd rather see a pic of Elias on campus now, than any cheerleader.

[ZagNative]

The game can be seen here, though it's really choppy on my fairly fast broadband connection.

Germany leads 36-30 with 4:20 left in the half.

[ZagNative]

Box score at the half, with Germany ahead 41-37:



Definitely getting lots of minutes. Only one foul for Elias so far, but aside from the three points, not much else showing up in the box score.

[Goshzagit]

I must admit, watching Elias log 15 mins a game, 4 pts a game in a random bball tournaments every week is tiring. i think its probably time to honor your committment, Elias.

Elias has his entire playing career to represent his Country in numerous World Cups, Int'l Championships, Olympics, EuroSeries, ProBall etc etc. He needs to get his butt on a plane to Gonzaga in order to help ease the already difficult transition to the States. At this point, he's missing new Student Orientation, meeting teammates/classmates, acclimating to being a student, potentially 1st week of classes, and other critical aspects of being a college athlete at D-1 School. He missed the entire Summer Session of workouts as well. If he somehow manages to arrive on Monday before classes, everything will probably feel rushed and overwhelming for him.

For the first time, I'm starting to question how committed Elias is to being a college athlete in the US and playing for Gonzaga? He appears much more interested in playing in a new Int'l tournament every week instead of preparing to be a Zag THIS season. Maybe the last-minute arrival isn't his decision, but you'd think he'd do anything to get ready for the biggest change/experience of his life. I hate to be presumptious, yet his absence feels much different than Bol's. It just feels like Elias would prefer to just show up and play rather than embrace the overall experience.

[ZagNative]

Looks like he took two shots and made one, plus a free throw and a rebound.

Zag fans are apprehensive and losing their sense of humor ....



Germany did win, though, 74-67.

Elias got lots of minutes early but sat for most of the last half, even after Benzig fouled out.

[CaliforniaZaggin']

I'd rather see a pic of Elias on campus now, than any cheerleader.

I'd rather see a pic of Elias on campus now w/ a cheerleader, but I'll settle for one w/o the cheerleader

[VaBeachZAG]

Given where we now are on the calendar, I frankly have ceased to have any interest in Harris' European exploits. Whether he scores 0, 10 or 50 points in any of the Euro games mean nothing to me at this point. From now on the only thing I will be looking for on this board concerning Harris is a thread stating that HE IS ON CAMPUS!!

[Bejay]

i hate to say this but I do not believe anymore that elias will be on campus before the 9th of september.

All these tournaments the german team is playing are just for one single reason, preparing for the european championship. At first the German roster had 20 players and most people thought Harris is only in the group of these 20 players to gain experience, however this phase of the preparation is long over. The coach is probably only having players on his roster he would like to take to the european championship. Now he only wants to see who would help the team the most and Harris is playing each game a little better, so his chances of being among the 12 best, which will make it to the european championship are pretty good. At least I would assume so.

For a european playing for the senior national team is probably the biggest thing you can achieve in sports. So I believe for Elias playing those games for Germany is probably the best experience in his life. Making the 12 man roster and playing the european championship would be even better...

btw what will happen if he is not on campus before the 9th of september. When will he be eligible to play again?

Consider, I am only telling the bad news, I am not the bad news itself. ;-)

[Baldwinzag]

i hate to say this but I do not believe anymore that elias will be on campus before the 9th of september.

All these tournaments the german team is playing are just for one single reason, preparing for the european championship. At first the German roster had 20 players and most people thought Harris is only in the group of these 20 players to gain experience, however this phase of the preparation is long over. The coach is probably only having players on his roster he would like to take to the european championship. Now he only wants to see who would help the team the most and Harris is playing each game a little better, so his chances of being among the 12 best, which will make it to the european championship are pretty good. At least I would assume so.

For a european playing for the senior national team is probably the biggest thing you can achieve in sports. So I believe for Elias playing those games for Germany is probably the best experience in his life. Making the 12 man roster and playing the european championship would be even better...

btw what will happen if he is not on campus before the 9th of september. When will he be eligible to play again?

Consider, I am only telling the bad news, I am not the bad news itself. ;-)

Well, while this is certainly devastating news for GU's upcoming season, I understand what type of decision Elias is currently faced with. I imagine being selected for the SR National Team is an achievement similar to College players being selected as a potential Lottery Pick or an early selection for the USA Olympic team. I wish Elias the best of luck and the good news is more PT for players such as Sam Dower and Co.

[ZagNative]

btw what will happen if he is not on campus before the 9th of September. When will he be eligible to play again?

Bejay, I think most of us have assumed that he has to be in class by September 9th to be considered enrolled and eligible to play this fall, under NCAA rules. I feel confident Gonzaga would be flexible, but the NCAA? Not so much. If Elias is not considered as timely enrolled for the first semester, then I assume that he could enroll and be qualified to play as of the start of the next semester, which begins the second week in January.

It is important to note that the most difficult portion of Gonzaga's schedule (aside from the NCAA championship tournament in March) is played during the first semester - November and December, when we have games scheduled against some of the best college programs in the country, including Michigan State, which played North Carolina in the Championship game in the tournament last March.

Those November-December games are important in establishing our ratings index, which affects Gonzaga's seeding in the NCAA tournament, and could determine whether or not we get an at large bid if we do not win our conference championship thereby earning an automatic bid.

Gonzaga's roster this year is loaded with enormously talented kids, but eight of them have never played in Division I competition before - five true freshmen (including Elias), a sophomore transfer from a Canadian junior college (who has had problems getting his student visa and may not be on board this fall), two second-year players who took a redshirt last year and so will be playing their first D-1 competition this year.

We need Elias eligible this fall.

[CaliforniaZaggin']

We need Elias eligible this fall.

Absolutely. Elias not being eligible to play until January worries me more than (allegedly) losing Bol to visa issues.

[ZagNative]

From today's game: