It is a basketball season anew, once again. And once again, the No. 14 Gonzaga Bulldogs enter the campaign with their eyes set on March.The season opener for Mark Fews Bulldogs comes against the Utah Valley Wolverines on Friday. It will be the first time the two have met, with the Wolverines facing a Gonzaga roster that was both depleted and replenished over the course of the summer.The Bulldogs two leading scorers from a year ago, wing Kyle Wiltjer and forward Domantas Sabonis, are both on NBA rosters.Wiltjer, who led the team with 20.4 points per game, was signed by the Houston Rockets as an undrafted free agent. Sabonis, who averaged 17.6 and added a team-high 11.8 rebounds per game, went 11th overall in the NBA draft to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Guard Eric McClellan, the Zags third-leading scorer, also graduated.Gonzaga, however, brings in a trio of well-regarded transfers from Division-I programs and returns center Przemek Karnowski, who was granted an extra year after missing the entire 2015-16 WCC season with a back injury. When healthy two years ago, Karnowski averaged 10 points and seven boards with limited playing time.I think (last season) was a huge life lesson for me, for the appreciation of things that you have every day, Karnowski said, via the Associated Press. It was hard to do any daily activities when I was injured.Joining Karnowski on the Zags new-look squad are former Pac-12 guards Nigel Williams-Goss and Jordan Matthews, from Washington and California, respectively, and forward Jordan Williams, from Missouri. All three, plus Karnowski and returning backcourt starter Josh Perkins, should be expected to compile a starting five for the Zags, whose biggest strength may reside in their depth.We have depth at pretty much every spot, Few said. Were really balanced; the guys are kind of equal ability across the board. I dont know if any one guy is going to play 35 minutes every night and we cant live without him. That hasnt been the case in many of the years prior.That depth could play an especially potent role in the nonconference season.Karnowski, while expected to be ready for Fridays season opener, is still recovering from back surgery he had at the end of December.Perkins was cited for physical control of a vehicle while under the influence three weeks ago, with his pretrial hearing set for Thursday. Few hasnt indicated a disciplinary decision.Fridays season opener will likely feature a pair of patchwork teams.Utah Valley has undergone even more offseason turnover than the Zags, bringing in 11 newcomers, made up of eight transfers and three freshmen -- and a new coach.This is going to be a tough test for us, coach Mark Pope said, via The Deseret News. Gonzaga is a national brand for a reason. They win a lot of games and are led by one of the top coaches in the nation. They are big and athletic. They have a lot of depth.Gonzaga will be shooting to make its 18th consecutive NCAA tournament this season. The path to that goal begins Friday at McCarthey Athletic Center. Cheap NFL Jerseys . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer. Authentic Jerseys Cheap . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. http://www.cheapjerseybiz.us/ . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. Cheap Jerseys Authentic .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. Authentic Jerseys China . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record.I dont begrudge any of the Blue Jays going to the All-Star game next week at Citi Field in New York, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, Brett Cecil and Steve Delabar have all put up solid and in some cases great numbers. I can even see John Gibbons being a coach on the AL staff, since he once played for the Mets. Still, the realist in me says the Blue Jays are a last place team. The last time they put this many in the mid-summer Classic was 2006 when five Blue Jays made it including Roy Halladay, B.J Ryan, Troy Glaus, Alex Rios and Vernon Wells, and yes John Gibbons was a coach on that team as well. However, the 2006 Jays went 87-75 on the season and finished in second place, their first time above third since the World Series years and best record since Tim Johnsons crew finished with 88 victories in 1998. Gibbys crew in 06 finished up with an 18-10 September and actually looked like a budding contender. What Im saying is, being an All-Star should in some way equate to team success. Grant you , the rosters were smaller then, but the Blue Jays only had three All-Stars in 1992, Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter and Juan Guzman. Tom Henke and Duane Ward didnt make it although they gave the Blue Jays a devastating one-two punch in the bullpen. In 1993, after winning their first World Series, the Blue Jays got full All-Star recognition for how great a team they truly were. They put a franchise record seven players on the American League squad including Alomar, Carter, Pat Hentgen, Paul Molitor, John Olerud Devon White and Duane Ward, and Cito Gaston was the American League skipper. The 2006 squad put the second most Blue Jays on the All-Star team ever with five. This years team which has greatly underachieved has four, tied for third in franchise history with the 1994 team. Without getting too caught up in winning and losing, check out these numbers, The Blue Jays began as you would expect any expansion would with six straight losing seasons. They followed that up with 11 straight winning seasons, five division titles, two American League Championships and two World Series victories. Then from 1994 thru 1997, they had four straight losing campaigns. Right now they are threatening to get into that chronic losing state again. In four of the last five seasonns, if this one continues as is, the Blue Jays will have finished at .dddddddddddd500 or below. As I said off the top, its great to be an All-Star, but even better if winning goes along with it. Amazing Grace Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers continues to amaze with offensive feats. He has 29 home runs , already breaking Prince Fielders club record for home runs before the All-Star break. Hes batting .366 and has driven in an incredible 94 runs. Dustin Pedroia was my choice as the first half MVP, based on what hes meant to the Red Sox rise to the top of the AL East and the fact he played through a torn thumb ligament injury. The Orioles Chris Davis deserves consideration as well, but if Cabrera somehow wins a second straight Triple Crown, I cant see anyone denying him The Big Hit This one fell under the radar this week. The Red Sox David Ortiz came up with his 1,688th hit as a designated hitter tying former White Sox star Harold Baines for the all-time record. Power Outage The Yankees in desperate need of a power bat right now, and apparently dangling right hander Phil Hughes as bait, may be regretting they let Raul Ibanez walk as a free agent in the off-season. Ibanez has a shot at an obscure record this year with Seattle. Ibanez who serves as DH and still occasionally plays left field for the Mariners has hit 22 homeruns. The "Immortal" Ted Williams slugged 29 homeruns at 41 for Boston in his final year in the "Bigs". Thats the most ever hit by a player of that age. Ibanez has a legitimate shot at it, with 71 games left to play. Six Shooter Youve got to give congrats to former Blue Jays outfielder Alex Rios. He tied the American League record, by getting six hits in a game this week against the Tigers at Comerica Park. Though I supposed that wont stop Jays fans from getting on his case again next year, when the White Sox hit town. A Star Is Born? The Blue Jays seem to have a Triple "A" version of Yasiel Puig at Buffalo. Since coming up from Double "A" New Hampshire 21 games ago, Kevin Pillar subbing in right fielder for the injured Moises Sierra is hitting .373 with four homers and 15 runs batted in and has a 1.085 OPS. The 23-year-old right hand hitter was a 32nd round draft pick in 2011. Cheap Authentic Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys Cheap NFL Autographed Jerseys China Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Store China Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Throwback Jerseys Cheap Stitched Jerseys China NFL Hoodies Cheap Authentic Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Camo China NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China ' ' '