Thoughts on Gonzaga’s 2024 Kraziness in the Kennel

Once again, one of the most popular events on Gonzagas campus during the school year was a sellout and the line outside of the McCarthey Athletic Center was one of the longest Ive ever seen.

Safe to say that everyone is extremely excited about this seasons Zags.

Without a doubt the longest lines I have ever seen to get in to Kraziness in the Kennel.

The line wraps all the way down to the Paterson Baseball complex.

Utter insanity.

Kennel should be JUMPING today! pic.twitter.com/n1UHgj9jAo If youre looking for the most lit moment of Kraziness in the Kennel it had to be the team rocking out with the students to the Farruko hit song Pepas.

Vibes were very high and @ismad0415 was trying to teach Graydon Lemke the lyrics en espanol! pic.twitter.com/xN8tFr79eX Something new about this years version of the event is that media personality Sean Farnham was the host and he did a wonderful job emceeing.

As for the actual broadcast on SWX, it needs some work.

The season just started so Ill give the television crew the benefit of the doubt.

It has been fun watching @SeanFarnham become a part of @ZagMBB lore pic.twitter.com/7eD50VfUv0 Farnham even gave a call to a few Gonzaga legends to reflect on that special 2021 Final Four squad and their overall experience with the Zags.

Joining through Zoom was Drew Timme, Corey Kispert and Joel Ayayi.

Its always nice catching up with those who have given so much back to this community.

A few more (recorded) special guests: Drew Timme, Corey Kispert and Joel Ayayi.

pic.twitter.com/zv33xN3KKH Mark Few was honored with a signed ball from USA basketball for helping win gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

It was presented by Joe Few and the rest of his family.

After the presentation, Joe left use with the memorable words: Lets go get a natty this year.

There was a cool moment between the team and a Gonzaga student after he banked in a halfcourt shot to win free books for the semester.

You know how expensive those can get.

Michael was dog-piled by all the Zags which is a moment that he will remember forever.

GU student banks in a half court shot for free books for the semester, is immediately dog-piled by the Zags pic.twitter.com/5I1kC0QvOw Dusty Stromer beat Nolan Hickman to be crowned the Kraziness in the Kennels three-point contest champion.

Im expecting more consistent shooting marks from him this season.

He wont be a high-volume shooter, hell pick his spots and succeed.

Stromer had a lot of pressure put on him during his freshman campaign and he just wasnt quite ready for that kind of spotlight.

There was no skills or dunk competition which makes zero sense.

I feel like I say this every year with Kraziness and Gonzaga just dont want to make this event more entertaining than it can be.

Kraziness in the Kennel.

pic.twitter.com/wyPsvHe6Qh As for the scrimmage, starting for the White Team was Braeden Smith (redshirting this season), Nolan Hickman, Emmanuel Innocenti, Ben Gregg and Braden Huff.

For the Navy Team, it was Ryan Nembhard, Michael Ajayi, Dusty Stromer, Khalif Battle and Graham Ike.

One sequence that really stood out was when Ajayi led Nembhard on a fast break with a one-handed bounce pass for the easy lay-in.

That outlet had me thinking just how well those two are going to play off of each other this season.

They run the floor together like a bullet train.

Few had this to say postgame on Ajayis role: Hes also a guy that kind of get to his own shots.

When youre playing those tough, hard, road games where its just hard to find buckets and guys just got to make plays and make shots, I think hes somebody that can do that.

Ben Gregg dove for a loose ball and Khalif Battle fell on him awkwardly during the scrimmage which made all of the Kennel go dead silent.

It looked as if Gregg hurt his forearm but hes as tough as nails and was fine.

When he went to the bench, Few was just sitting back with his arms crossed next to him which was pretty hilarious to watch.

What is he going to do through these scrimmages? He lets his assistants do all the work.

Emmanuel Innocenti hit the game-winning three-pointer to give the White Team the victory in the scrimmage, 36-34.

He finished with 7 points on 3-7 shooting and 4 rebounds in his debut for the Zags.

WELCOME TO THE KENNEL EMMANUEL INNOCENTI! The stealthe SLAM @ZagMBB @Emainno04 pic.twitter.com/nSKtBBuZq4 GAME WINNER Emmanuel Innocenti hits the three with 7 seconds left to boost Team White over Team Blue 36-34!! pic.twitter.com/g6z2tkGwjy Here are some other final stat lines that stood out: (Navy Team) Michael Ajayi - 9 points on 3-5 FG, 8 rebounds Dusty Stromer - 11 points on 3-5 FG/2-4 3PT Khalif Battle - 9 points on 1-4 FG/6-6 FT, 5 rebounds, 2 assists (White Team) Ben Gregg - 10 points on 4-8 FG Braden Huff- 9 points on 3-7 FG/3-4 FT, 4 rebounds, 3 assists Its hard to really gauge anything truthful from this event but its just enjoyable to watch the Zags in action for the first time.

This years squad really has a national championship or bust vibe to it due to the veteran leadership and depth across the board.

The future is extremely bright for the university.

Later in the night, Few spoke at halftime during the Colorado State-Oregon State football game on the CW Network about the Zags joining the Pac-12 Conference.

.

@ZagMBB coach Mark Few joined @Mike_Yam to talk about Gonzaga joining the @pac12 conference.

pic.twitter.com/gvHinyxWH7 Ill leave with you this video from Kraziness that gave me goosebumps and wanting more.

The production value on this from the social media department was quite high, they always seem to do fantastic work.

Gonzaga basketball through the ages.

A pretty solid video put together for the pregame festivities: pic.twitter.com/nff6AkU6eA Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area...

Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho.

This article has been shared from the original article on slipperstillfits, here is the link to the original article.