Souhan: Former DeLaSalle star Geno Crandall now 40 minutes from Final Four with Gonzaga
How does a Minneapolis native who played for DeLaSalle’s dominant basketball program make it back to Minneapolis for the Final Four?
Turns out the GPS route Geno Crandall followed recalculated a couple of times. He played for three seasons at North Dakota, where he earned his degree, became one of the country’s most sought-after graduate transfers, elicited interest from the Gophers, Xavier and Gonzaga, and deciding to head West.
Crandall is Gonzaga’s senior point guard. He wasn’t as productive as usual in the Bulldogs’ 72-58 Sweet 16 victory over Florida State on Thursday at the Honda Center, but he moved one step closer to playing in the Final Four at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Which is why he transferred to Gonzaga, college basketball’s oddest powerhouse — the private school in Spokane, Wash., that routinely wins 30 games and earned a No. 1 seed in this year’s tournament.
Asked which DeLaSalle teammates he remains closest with, Crandall said, “Everybody, really. That’s what drew me here, the community and togetherness is very similar to what I was comfortable with in high school. And we’re all still really tight. When I check my phone, I’ll probably have all those guys texting me and reminding me that I’m 40 minutes away from coming home.”
Crandall was a go-to scorer with North Dakota. Playing for a powerhouse meant seeing his scoring drop from 16.6 to 5.3 points per game and his minutes from 33.4 to 19.2.
Lean and quick, capable of spearheading the Bulldogs’ press, Crandall did not score in eight minutes of playing time Thursday, as starting point guard Josh Perkins played 36 minutes, scoring 14 points and jawing with Florida State’s physical players.
http://www.startribune.com/former-d...nutes-from-final-four-with-gonzaga/507816332/
Go Gophers!!