Inside College Basketball

High-Stepping  

With his scintillating all-court game, Gonzaga guard Blake Stepp shone at the Pan Am Games trials

By Kelli Anderson

Before last weekend, the last time Gonzaga junior guard Blake Stepp was on a national stage was in the 2003 NCAA tournament. There he was, on the court in Salt Lake City, anguished and drained at the end of double overtime after missing a five-foot bank shot that would have beaten top-seeded Arizona and sent the Bulldogs to the West Regional semifinals.

Stepp's passing and heady play drew raves from Izzo. John W. McDonough

On Sunday in Colorado Springs, at the USA Basketball trials for the Pan Am Games team, Stepp did, at last, advance. He was chosen as one of the 17 finalists for 12 berths to be awarded in July in Orlando for the international tournament, to be held in the Dominican Republic in August. Matched against quicker foes, the 6'4" Stepp, listed as an off-guard but also playing the point, was dazzling. In one session he had 13 points, six steals, 10 assists and only one turnover -- exhibiting the court savvy USA Basketball (and Michigan State) head coach Tom Izzo was looking for.

"He's a better point guard than I thought," said Izzo. "As a passer, Stepp has a great ability to put the ball right in front of you."

Stepp's virtuoso performance at a U.S. national team trials continues a Gonzaga guards tradition. In 1984 a Bulldogs senior named John Stockton dished his way to prominence at the Olympic trials even though he was one of the last cuts. Two years ago Dan Dickau raised his profile by making the World University Games team.

Does Stepp, the 2002-03 West Coast Conference player of the year, use that missed shot against Arizona as a motivator? "Nah," he says. "I watched that game on ESPN Classic once; I don't think I need to watch it again."

Issue date: June 9, 2003

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