Yale coach James Jones on Gonzaga: 'It's got to be one of the craziest environments I've ever seen'

Gonzaga hosts Yale in 2023-24 season opener on Friday

The McCarthey Athletic Center has been deemed one of the best atmospheres in college basketball, and Yale head coach James Jones is well aware of the venue's reputation.

Jones, who's been the head coach at Yale for as long as Mark Few has been at the helm at Gonzaga, noted that The Kennel will be unlike any environment his Bulldogs will see in the Ivy League. Jones called Gonzaga's home "one of the craziest environments" he's ever seen and should present quite the challenge for his experienced program.

Yale, which was voted to win the Ivy League in a preseason poll, brought back four of five starters from last season's team that shared the Ivy League's regular season title. The returning group is headlined by 6-foot-6 forward Matt Knowling, a unanimous first team All-Ivy selection in 2022-23 who averaged a team-high 13.6 points on 62.5% shooting.

Another notable returner is Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Bez Mbeng. The 6-foot-4 guard had multiple steals in 11 games last season for a squad that finished atop the Ivy League in adjusted defensive efficiency by KenPom.

Jones broke down the matchup against Gonzaga in a new episode of the Gonzaga Nation podcast with former All-American Dan Dickau.

Produced by Christian Pedersen.

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