Basketball: Gonzaga-bound Arop grateful to U of A's Francis

There's a nice feature out of Edmonton today on Gonzaga-bound guard Mangisto Arop which touches upon the impact new Alberta men's hoops coach Greg Francis has had on him with the National Elite Development Agency:

"Working under Francis with NEDA the last two years has lifted Arop's game, maturity and confidence that much higher.

" 'The thing about Greg is he's been there,' Arop said of Francis, a former National men's team member. 'He played Division I at Fairfield, he's been to the tournament.

" 'He played pro in Europe and had an NBA tryout. He's played against all the top players.' "

Gonzaga also has 6-foot-10 Kelly Olynyk from Kamloops, B.C., coming in for next season. Any search for fresh info on Bol Kong seems to get Googlewhacked, although someone did leave a comment on YouTube, "all the best in Gonzaga," after watching the short film which details the talented Sudan-born swingman's struggles to gain entry into the U.S. on a student visa.

Gonzaga will beat North Carolina in the Sweet 16, by the way. That's what my NCAA bracket says, anyways.

Related:
Basketballer zigs his way to Zags; Long journey has taken Arop from Sudan to Gonzaga University (John Mackinnon, Edmonton Journal)