2017–18 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team

American college basketball season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2017–18 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Gonzaga University in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Mark Few, who was in his 19th season as head coach. The team played its home games at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington. This was the Bulldogs (also informally referred to as the Zags) 38th season as a member of the West Coast Conference. They finished the season 32–5, 17–1 in WCC play to win the WCC regular season championship. They defeated Loyola Marymount, San Francisco and BYU to become champions of the WCC tournament. They received the WCC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated UNC Greensboro and Ohio State to advance to the Sweet Sixteen where they lost to Florida State.

ConferenceWest Coast Conference
CoachesNo. 10
APNo. 8
Record32–5 (17–1 WCC)
Quick facts Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball, WCC regular season and tournament champions ...
2017–18 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball
WCC regular season and tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceWest Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 10
APNo. 8
Record32–5 (17–1 WCC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaMcCarthey Athletic Center
Seasons
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More information Conf., Overall ...
2017–18 West Coast Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 8 Gonzaga †17–1 .94432–5  .865
No. 25 Saint Mary's16–2 .88930–6  .833
BYU11–7 .61124–11  .686
San Diego9–9 .50020–14  .588
San Francisco9–9 .50022–17  .564
Pacific9–9 .50014–18  .438
Santa Clara8–10 .44411–20  .355
Loyola Marymount5–13 .27811–20  .355
Portland4–14 .22210–22  .313
Pepperdine2–16 .1116–26  .188
† Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll
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The last weeks of the season were played against the backdrop of a potential Gonzaga move to the Mountain West Conference (MW), first publicly reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune on February 28, 2018. MW commissioner Craig Thompson told the newspaper that the league had discussed expansion with six schools, with Gonzaga the only school he specifically named. Thompson added that Gonzaga could potentially join as a full but non-football member as early as the 2018–19 school year.[1] A later Union-Tribune report indicated that talks were advanced enough that the conference's presidents planned a vote on an invitation to Gonzaga during the MW men's and women's basketball tournaments in Las Vegas, but decided to delay the vote until after the Final Four.[2] However, before the MW's planned vote, Gonzaga athletic director Mike Roth notified both conferences that Gonzaga would remain in the WCC for the immediate future.[3]

Previous season

Main article: 2016–17 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team

The Bulldogs team finished the 2016–17 season 37–2, 17–1 in WCC play. The season was arguably the greatest season in Gonzaga's 109-year basketball history. The Bulldogs finished with a 32–1 regular season record and did not lose a game until February. They finished ranked second in the final AP Poll, the highest final national ranking in school history. They won both the WCC regular season and tournament championships. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and a received a No. 1 seed in the West region. They advanced to the first NCAA National Championship game in the school's history—the deepest run for a WCC team since San Francisco advanced to its third consecutive Final Four in 1957, and also the deepest run by any Division I school without a football team since Seton Hall made the championship game in 1989. With a victory over South Carolina in the national semifinal, the Bulldogs tied the NCAA Division I record for the second-most wins in a season. Their run ended in the NCAA National Championship game, where they lost to North Carolina.

Offseason

Coaching changes

Departures

More information Name, Position ...
Name Position Year at
Gonzaga		 Alma Mater (year) Reason for departure
John Jakus Director of Basketball Operations 3rd Trinity International (1999) Assistant coach at Baylor
Ken Bone Special Assistant to the head coach 1st Seattle Pacific (1982) Associate head coach at Pepperdine
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Additions to staff

More information Name, Position ...
Name Position Year at
Gonzaga		 Alma Mater (year) Previous Job
Stephen Gentry Director of Basketball Operations 1st Gonzaga (2006) Director of player development at Oklahoma State
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Player departures

Johnathan Williams had entered the NBA draft but did not hire an agent, giving him the option to return to Gonzaga.[4] He withdrew from the draft on May 24, the last day he could have done so to retain NCAA eligibility.[5]

More information Name, Number ...
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Przemek Karnowski 24 C 7'1" 300 Senior (Redshirt) Toruń, Poland Graduated
Rem Bakamus 15 G 6'0" 173 Senior (Redshirt) Longview, WA Graduated
Jordan Mathews 4 G 6'4" 203 Senior San Francisco, CA Completed athletic eligibility; graduated from California in 2016
Nigel Williams-Goss 5 G 6'3" 195 Junior (Redshirt) Happy Valley, OR Graduated; declared for 2017 NBA draft; selected 55th overall by the Utah Jazz[6]
Ryan Edwards 25 C 7'1" 295 Junior (Redshirt) Kalispell, MT Graduated; transferred to Portland State[7]
Dustin Triano 55 G 6'3" 180 Junior (Redshirt) Vancouver, BC Graduated; transferred to Western Oregon[8]
Bryan Alberts 10 G 6'5" 198 Sophomore (Redshirt) Northridge, CA Graduated; transferred to Long Beach State[9]
Zach Collins 32 C 7'0" 230 Freshman Las Vegas, NV Declared for 2017 NBA draft; selected 10th overall by the Sacramento Kings[10]
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Incoming transfers

More information Name, Pos. ...
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous
School		 Years
Remaining		 Date
Eligible
Brandon Clarke F 6'8" 210 Junior Phoenix, AZ San Jose State 2 Oct. 1, 2018[11]
Alex Martin G 6'5" 205 Sophomore (redshirt) Overland Park, KS Johnson County CC 3 Oct. 1, 2017[12]
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2017 recruiting class

More information Name, Hometown ...
College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Corey Kispert[13]
SF		 Seattle, WA King's HS 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) May 4, 2016 
Recruit ratings: Scout: 4/5 stars   Rivals: 4/5 stars   247Sports: 4/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   (82)
Joël Ayayi[14]
PG		 Bordeaux, France INSEP 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Apr 27, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout: 4/5 stars   Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 Gonzaga Rivals Commits". Rivals. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  • "2017 Gonzaga Scout Commits". Scout. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  • "2017 Gonzaga ESPN Commits". ESPN. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  • "2017 Gonzaga 24/7 Sports Commits". 247Sports. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
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2017 returning missionaries

Jesse Wade graduated high school in 2015, but before enrolling in college at Gonzaga, he left for a 2-year LDS mission in Lyon, France, and will arrive on campus as a freshman in Fall 2017.[15]

More information Name, Hometown ...
College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Jesse Wade
PG		 Kaysville, UT Davis 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Oct 4, 2013 
Recruit ratings: Scout: 4/5 stars   Rivals: 3/5 stars   247Sports: 4/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   (80)
Overall recruit ranking:   Scout: N/A    Rivals: N/A    247Sports: #110    ESPN: N/A
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

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Future recruits

Recruiting class of 2018

More information College recruiting information (2018), Name ...
College recruiting information (2018)
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Filip Petrušev
PF		 Belgrade, Serbia Montverde Academy 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Oct 22, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout: 4/5 stars   Rivals: 4/5 stars   247Sports: 4/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   
Greg Foster
SG		 Thiensville, WI Ed W. Clark High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 174 lb (79 kg) Nov 8, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout: 3/5 stars   Rivals: 3/5 stars   247Sports: 3/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

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Roster

More information Players, Coaches ...
2017–18 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
F 3 Johnathan Williams 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)228 lb (103 kg) RS SrSouthwind
Missouri		 Memphis, TN
G 0 Silas Melson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)195 lb (88 kg) SrJefferson Portland, OR
G 20 Brian Pete (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrSouthridge Portland, OR
F 22 Jeremy Jones 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)210 lb (95 kg) RS JrEast Central
Rice		 San Antonio, TX
G 13 Josh Perkins 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) RS JrHuntington Prep Park Hill, CO
F 15 Brandon Clarke (I) Current redshirt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)210 lb (95 kg) JrDesert Vista
San Jose State		 Phoenix, AZ
G 2 Jack Beach (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg) RS SoTorrey Pines San Diego, CA
G 5 Alex Martin (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) RS SoBlue Valley
Belmont
Johnson County CC		 Overland Park, KS
F 33 Killian Tillie 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)215 lb (98 kg) SoINSEP Cagnes-sur-Mer, France
F 21 Rui Hachimura 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)225 lb (102 kg) SoMeisei Toyama, Japan
G 23 Zach Norvell 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) RS FrSimeon Chicago, IL
C 14 Jacob Larsen 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)227 lb (103 kg) RS FrFalkonergårdens Gymnasium
SISU Copenhagen		 Holte, Denmark
G 10 Jesse Wade 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)175 lb (79 kg) FrDavis Kaysville, UT
F 24 Corey Kispert 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)215 lb (98 kg) FrKing's Seattle, WA
G 11 Joël Ayayi Current redshirt 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)169 lb (77 kg) FrINSEP Bordeaux, France
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: February 17, 2018

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  • Roster is subject to change as/if players transfer or leave the program for other reasons.


Coaching staff

More information Name, Position ...
Name Position Year at
Gonzaga		 Alma Mater (year)
Mark Few Head coach 19th Oregon (1987)
Tommy Lloyd Associate head coach 17th Whitman (1998)
Donny Daniels Assistant coach 8th Cal State Fullerton (1976)
Brian Michaelson Assistant coach 5th Gonzaga (2005)
Ken Nakagawa Graduate Assistant 2nd Long Beach State (2014)
Stephen Gentry Director of Basketball Operations 1st Gonzaga (2006)
Riccardo Fois Director of Analytics 4th Pepperdine (2009)
Josh Therrien Athletic Trainer 2nd Washington State (2007)
Travis Knight Strength and Conditioning Coach 12th Gonzaga (2000)
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Schedule and results

Gonzaga's non-conference schedule includes matchups with Washington[16] and San Diego State on the road.[17] Gonzaga hosted Creighton,[18] Texas Southern,[19] and Incarnate Word at home.[20] Gonzaga battled Villanova on a neutral court at Madison Square Garden in the Jimmy V Classic.[21] The Zags were invited to play in the PK80: Phil Knight Invitational, where they played against Florida, Ohio State, and Texas.[22][23] The Zags played in the single-elimination WCC Tournament, which took place in March 2018 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.[24]

More information Date time, TV, Rank# ...
Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 4, 2017*
5:00 pm, KHQ		 No. 18 College of Idaho W 96–67 
 28 – Tillie  6 – 3 Tied  5 – Tied  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Non-conference regular season
Nov 10*
6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 18 Texas Southern W 97–69  1–0
  20 – Perkins  12 – Tillie  5 – Norvell  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Nov 14*
6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 17 Howard W 106–69  2–0
  18 – Norvell  9 – Tied  6 – Perkins  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Nov 18*
7:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 17 Utah State
PK80–Phil Knight Invitational Opening Round		 W 79–66  3–0
  20 – Tillie  9 – Tied  3 – Tied  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Nov 23*
9:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 17 vs. Ohio State
PK80–Phil Knight Invitational Motion Bracket Quarterfinals		 W 86–59  4–0
  21 – Williams  11 – Tillie  4 – Tied  Veterans Memorial Coliseum (7,878)
Portland, OR
Nov 24*
8:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 17 vs. No. 7 Florida
PK80–Phil Knight Invitational Motion Bracket Semifinals		 L 105–111 2OT 4–1
  39 – Williams  12 – Williams  7 – Perkins  Moda Center (14,274)
Portland, OR
Nov 26*
10:00 am, ESPN		 No. 17 vs. Texas
PK80–Phil Knight Invitational Motion Bracket 3rd Place Game		 W 76–71 OT 5–1
  20 – Hachimura  9 – Hachimura  7 – Perkins  Moda Center (15,365)
Portland, OR
Nov 29*
6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 15 Incarnate Word W 103–68  6–1
  18 – Hachimura  8 – Larsen  5 – Norvell  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Dec 1*
7:15 pm, ESPN2		 No. 15 No. 25 Creighton W 91–74  7–1
  22 – Tillie  8 – Tillie  4 – Perkins  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Dec 5*
4:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 12 vs. No. 4 Villanova
Jimmy V Classic		 L 72–88  7–2
  22 – Norvell Jr.  5 – Perkins  5 – Perkins  Madison Square Garden (17,532)
New York, NY
Dec 10*
5:00 pm, P12N		 No. 12 at Washington
Rivalry		 W 97–70  8–2
  21 – Williams  12 – Williams  8 – Perkins  Alaska Airlines Arena (9,749)
Seattle, WA
Dec 16*
5:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 12 North Dakota W 89–83 OT 9–2
  20 – Perkins  9 – Tillie  7 – Perkins  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Dec 18*
6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 12 IUPUI W 101–71  10–2
  27 – Tillie  14 – Williams  6 – Perkins  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Dec 21*
7:00 pm, CBSSN		 No. 12 at San Diego State L 70–72  10–3
  22 – Norvell Jr.  15 – Williams  7 – Perkins  Viejas Arena (12,414)
San Diego, CA
WCC Regular Season
Dec 28
6:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 20 Pacific W 81–48  11–3
(1–0)		  19 – Hachimura  6 – Kispert  5 – Perkins  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Dec 30
4:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 20 Santa Clara W 101–52  12–3
(2–0)		  19 – Melson  6 – Tied  8 – Tied  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Jan 4, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPNU		 No. 19-t at Pepperdine W 89–59  13–3
(3–0)		  22 – Tillie  8 – Tillie  5 – 3 Tied  Firestone Fieldhouse (2,930)
Malibu, CA
Jan 6
7:00 pm, ESPNU		 No. 19-t at Loyola Marymount W 85–66  14–3
(4–0)		  30 – Williams  10 – Williams  10 – Perkins  Gersten Pavilion (2,782)
Los Angeles, CA
Jan 11
6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 15 Portland W 103–57  15–3
(5–0)		  23 – Melson  10 – Larsen  7 – Perkins  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Jan 13
6:30 pm, ESPNU		 No. 15 at San Francisco W 75–65  16–3
(6–0)		  17 – Williams  9 – Williams  3 – Williams  War Memorial Gymnasium (4,022)
San Francisco, CA
Jan 18
6:00 pm, ESPN		 No. 13 Saint Mary's
Rivalry		 L 71–74  16–4
(6–1)		  23 – Hachimura  8 – Tillie  7 – Perkins  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Jan 20
5:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 13 at Santa Clara W 75–60  17–4
(7–1)		  17 – Perkins  8 – Williams  7 – Norvell Jr.  Leavey Center (5,011)
Santa Clara, CA
Jan 25
8:00 pm, ESPNU		 No. 15 at Portland W 95–79  18–4
(8–1)		  27 – Tillie  7 – Tied  6 – Melson  Chiles Center (4,557)
Portland, OR
Jan 27
5:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 15 San Francisco W 82–73  19–4
(9–1)		  16 – Tied  8 – Tillie  4 – Perkins  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Feb 1
6:00 pm, KHQ/RTNW		 No. 14 San Diego W 69–59  20–4
(10–1)		  14 – Williams  12 – Williams  2 – 3 Tied  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Feb 3
7:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 14 BYU
Rivalry		 W 68–60  21–4
(11–1)		  15 – Hachimura  10 – Williams  7 – Perkins  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Feb 8
7:00 pm, SWX/RTNW		 No. 12 at Pacific W 71–61  22–4
(12–1)		  21 – Tillie  13 – Williams  5 – Perkins  Alex G. Spanos Center (3,453)
Stockton, CA
Feb 10
7:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 12 at No. 11 Saint Mary's
Rivalry		 W 78–65  23–4
(13–1)		  21 – Hachimura  11 – Williams  5 – Perkins  McKeon Pavilion (3,500)
Moraga, CA
Feb 15
6:00 pm, SWX/RTNW		 No. 9 Loyola Marymount W 76–46  24–4
(14–1)		  14 – Kispert  13 – Williams  2 – 3 Tied  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Feb 17
5:00 pm, KAYU/RTNW		 No. 9 Pepperdine W 81–67  25–4
(15–1)		  18 – Williams  12 – Williams  7 – Perkins  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Feb 22
6:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 6-t at San Diego W 77–72  26–4
(16–1)		  17 – Tillie  9 – Williams  4 – Perkins  Jenny Craig Pavilion (4,772)
San Diego, CA
Feb 24
5:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 6-t at BYU
Rivalry		 W 79–65  27–4
(17–1)		  16 – Williams  6 – 3 Tied  7 – Perkins  Marriott Center (18,987)
Provo, UT
WCC Tournament
Mar 3
7:00 pm, ESPN2		 (1) No. 7 vs. (8) Loyola Marymount
Quarterfinals		 W 83–69  28–4
  24 – Tillie  10 – Williams  6 – Perkins  Orleans Arena (7,279)
Paradise, NV
Mar 5
6:00 pm, ESPN		 (1) No. 6 vs. (4) San Francisco
Semifinals		 W 88–60  29–4
  26 – Tillie  10 – Williams  8 – Perkins  Orleans Arena (8,296)
Paradise, NV
Mar 6
6:00 pm, ESPN		 (1) No. 6 vs. (3) BYU
Championship/Rivalry		 W 74–54  30–4
  22 – Tillie  13 – Williams  8 – Perkins  Orleans Arena (8,030)
Paradise, NV
NCAA tournament
Mar 15*
10:30 am, TNT		 (4 W) No. 8 vs. (13 W) UNC Greensboro
First Round		 W 68–64  31–4
  19 – Williams  11 – Williams  2 – Tied  Taco Bell Arena (11,662)
Boise, ID
Mar 17*
7:45 pm, CBS		 (4 W) No. 8 vs. (5 W) No. 17 Ohio State
Second Round		 W 90–84  32–4
  28 – Norvell Jr.  12 – Norvell Jr.  8 – Perkins  Taco Bell Arena (11,686)
Boise, ID
Mar 22*
7:07 pm, TBS		 (4 W) No. 8 vs. (9 W) Florida State
Sweet Sixteen		 L 60–75  32–5
  16 – Hachimura  11 – Williams  4 – Perkins  Staples Center (19,181)
Los Angeles, CA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West.
All times are in Pacific Time.
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Rankings

Main article: 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
More information Week, Poll ...
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP181717151212122019151315141296-t768Not released
Coaches1919^1714131315191914141512118676810
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^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

Notes

References

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