In 2016, the Zags welcomed a European big man to campus. The freshman big man was a valuable role player for a very deep team that was at one point ranked number one in the nation. He averaged 12.2 minutes, 4.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 51% from the field.

In 2012, the Zags welcomed a European big man to campus. The freshman big man was a valuable role player for a very deep team that was at one point ranked number one in the nation. He averaged 10.7 minutes, 5.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game while shooting 57% from the field.

Glancing at the stats, it certainly looks like Killian Tillie is on pace to follow a path paved by the very large shoes of Przemek Karnowski. However, as anyone who watched the Zags can attest, Shem and Tillie are very different players. For starters, the stats I didn’t list: Tillie made 35/45 free throws this season, good for 77%. Shem made 32/72 free throws, good for 44%. Tillie went 11/23 from downtown, Shem only took three in his entire career.

To me, Tillie represents one of the biggest wildcards on this team moving forward (besides Rui of course). Tillie is unlike any player we have had in this program. He brings tenacity on the glass and aggressive defense (similar to Mike Hart) with a smooth outside shot, but a very unpolished and tentative low post game (Sam Dower?). He makes a lot of freshmen mistakes (telegraphing passes into the low post, bringing the ball down, committing over the back fouls, etc.) but also showed a lot of stones to knock down the two biggest free throws in Gonzaga history, in their win against South Carolina in the final 4.

Projecting big men at Gonzaga has always been a difficult task. Elias Harris plateaued after his freshman year and Kelly Olynyk went from 0 to superstar. However, a progression similar to Shem’s seems plausible for Tillie. His growth will come in different ways since he has different skill-sets, but if he can make strides in his interior game, learn to avoid fouling on defense, and continue to shoot well from the outside, Tillie could be a very special player in this program. With Shem graduating and Collins potentially leaving, there is room for Tillie to blossom as soon as next year.

What do you all think? Is Tillie the next great Gonzaga big man? Is he destined to be a role player for the next four years?



