Oct. 11—Sam Funches figures it could be a long year for Gonzaga's opponents trying to convert inside against Mark Few's reconstructed frontcourt.
It was a long summer for the freshman center, who didn't get much variety during intrasquad scrimmages and individual frontcourt drills, almost exclusively matching up with Massamba Diop at a stage in the offseason when senior forward Braden Huff was recovering from a knee injury and Spanish import Izan Almansa still hadn't arrived on campus.
Funches, a 7-footer with a 7-foot-5 wingspan, didn't need much creativity or space to get his shot off playing against high school competition back home in Germantown, Mississippi, but he realized how quickly those same windows can close at the college level not long after he arrived at Gonzaga in June.
During one of his first practices, Funches thought he'd scored a rare victory on Diop, getting the 7-foot-1 Arizona State transfer to bite on a pump-fake. As Funches went to lay the ball in, Diop rebounded back off the hardwood and met his teammate at the rim to reject the shot.
"I made a good move on Massamba, I got this man in the air and as soon as I went up, he was already back in the air," Funches said. "I thought that man double-jumped. I was like, ain't no way, this finna be a long year."
While humbling now, Funches anticipates the daily duels with Diop to be beneficial in the long run. If he can find occasional success against a high-level defender who ranked second in Big 12 blocked shots last season, Funches figures things will come easier when he's matched up against opposing forwards and centers that don't possess Diop's height, athleticism or instincts.
"I've got to go against Massamba every day, who's tall, faster than me and more athletic, stronger than me," Funches said. "It's going to get me better regardless."
Whether Funches is in Gonzaga's rotation or situated on the bench, the next six to seven months will be pivotal for the freshman center, who arrives after capturing Mr. Basketball honors in Mississippi and averaging a double-double (21.7 points, 11.6 rebounds) during his senior season at Germantown High School.
Funches chose Gonzaga over LSU and multiple SEC schools in his home state with hopes of developing into the program's next NBA-caliber big man. Outside of a few exceptions, that typically doesn't happen in a year and Funches could find minutes difficult to come by as a freshman, with Huff, Diop and Almansa expected to fill out a dynamic three-man frontcourt rotation for the Zags. Things could change if Almansa's international eligibility waiver is denied, hypothetically moving Funches up one position on the depth chart.
"I think as of right now, I'm just competing for playing time," Funches said this summer. "I've got to prove to the coaches that I belong, I've got to gain Mark Few's trust and all that stuff. As of right now, I'm just trying to get used to everything and bond with my teammates. I haven't really looked that far yet."
The level of competition is just one adjustment Funches had to make after moving across the country in June. Weight training sessions with strength coach Travis Knight looked significantly different than the ones Funches had grown accustomed to at Germantown.
"It's a lot of core stuff, a lot of legs, a lot of balancing stuff," Funches said. "It's different, like I said I'm not used to it. Usually, it's just a lot of bench press I used to do. I didn't do a lot of one-leg balancing stuff, so it's different."
His favorite aspect of living in the Pacific Northwest?
"Being able to walk outside and not getting hit by bugs all the time," Funches said. "One time I was walking out in Mississippi. I was walking and my teammates were in front of me. ... I get hit by a locust in my face. I was just so confused. I just looked at it and it looked right back at me. Then we just went on about our day. I was like, 'I've got to get out of here.' "
Before moving across the country, Funches picked up valuable experience participating in Team USA's U-18 minicamp, held in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to determine which 12 players would represent the country at FIBA AmeriCup in Puerto Rico. Funches didn't make the final roster, but feels he held up well competing against the top high school players in the country.
"It was still a good experience as far as all the NBA scouts that were there," he said. "... It was a great experience and it helped. Some of the college coaches there talked to coach (Brian) Michaelson and told them I could probably be pretty good this year."
For now, Funches' role on this Gonzaga roster is still undefined. He missed both of his shot attempts and didn't score during Kraziness in the Kennel, although it's worth mentioning he was matched up with Diop — an assignment he'll be glad to hand off to Gonzaga's exhibition opponents later this month — for the vast majority of his 10 minutes on the floor.
"It's not all bad. I'm still competing," he said. "Even if (Diop) is better than me in every single way, I can still come and compete. ... But still just waiting for everything to click."