Good Gonzaga Article From G. Parrish

[bigblahla]

I think it's a good read...

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24839994/talk-centered-on-gonzagas-lack-of-final-fours-misses-larger-point

Go!! Zags

[gu03alum]

I think it's a good read...

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24839994/talk-centered-on-gonzagas-lack-of-final-fours-misses-larger-point

Go!! Zags

Very good, thanks for sharing!

I totally agree with the point of the article.

[SWZag]

I think it's a good read...

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24839994/talk-centered-on-gonzagas-lack-of-final-fours-misses-larger-point

Go!! Zags

Great find. Thanks for sharing. My thoughts exactly.

[jagwalkley]

The best I have read for a long time.You (we) are already winners in my book,every year.Learn to look at the BIG PICTURE.Go Zags.

[TheZagPhish]

Nice one.

"We have so much experience, and then some newcomers who are playing like veterans," said Pangos who has recorded 23 assists and zero turnovers this season, heading into Wednesday's game with Georgia. "We have so much depth, and everybody is pretty well-rounded. We're not just shooters. We're not just drivers. Everybody can do lots of things, and we can all pass. So that makes us tough to prepare for, because we can just swing the ball and know that anybody can shoot it at any time, which makes it kinda cool."

And kinda dangerous.

[gonzagafan62]

Thanks for the share and good read. This article shows another huge reason why I love Few as our head coach. Its not that he doesn't try to win in the tournament. He really does, but look at what Parrish said. People dog on Few for not making the final four. People were knocking Calipari, and Roy Williams for not winning titles, LeBron not winning a title, and Bo Ryan not making a Final Four.

It will happen at the right time. This could be it. But you have to look at the bigger picture too. We are a small school from Spokane. I bet anyone would take our success if you never made the tournament from the start of your existence to 1995.

Go!! Zags!!!

[sittingon50]

Thanks blah. Nice article.

The comments aren't very predictable, are they?

[WBM]

But, like Few, I also believe judging programs based on how those programs perform during a three-week, single-elimination tournament, as opposed to how they perform over, say, the span of a four-month season, is among the silliest things people do in sports, if only because the three-week, single-elimination tournament is just so random.

The best team doesn't always win the title.

And the best four teams almost never make the Final Four.

I agree with the message of this article, and I am enjoying every minute of this season -- I refuse to count down to the tournament as the end-all be-all. But there is something in the back of my mind that disagrees with the notion that the tournament is such a total crapshoot. The best four teams don't always make it to the final four, true, but the overwhelming majority of national champions are one of the best teams.

Part of me questions if Mark Few wants it badly enough to actually win it -- It's clear it isn't the only measure of success in his mind (rightly so). If he tells himself that the tournament is a crapshoot, that it's so random, could he just not have enough fire for the tournament to push through the tough games, to will a win in a nasty trap game? How does Few's point of view regarding the tournament reconcile with history showing that some coaches/teams find a way to win? If he did want it more, would GU have already seen a final four berth?

[DZ]

I agree with the message of this article, and I am enjoying every minute of this season -- I refuse to count down to the tournament as the end-all be-all. But there is something in the back of my mind that disagrees with the notion that the tournament is such a total crapshoot. The best four teams don't always make it to the final four, true, but the overwhelming majority of national champions are one of the best teams.

Part of me questions if Mark Few wants it badly enough to actually win it -- It's clear it isn't the only measure of success in his mind (rightly so). If he tells himself that the tournament is a crapshoot, that it's so random, could he just not have enough fire for the tournament to push through the tough games, to will a win in a nasty trap game? How does Few's point of view regarding the tournament reconcile with history showing that some coaches/teams find a way to win? If he did want it more, would GU have already seen a final four berth?

I think he wants to win it as bad as anyone out there. I think the stuff we see here is just the words of an adult, secure enough in himself and his program that he can put it all in perspective. But, I'll bet he wants to win it as much as Izzo or K or certainly as much as Cal.

If anything, I think he wants to win so bad that he tightens up a bit in the tourney. But, I just appreciate how he can put all things in their place in the world.

[WBM]

I think he wants to win it as bad as anyone out there. I think the stuff we see here is just the words of an adult, secure enough in himself and his program that he can put it all in perspective. But, I'll bet he wants to win it as much as Izzo or K or certainly as much as Cal.

If anything, I think he wants to win so bad that he tightens up a bit in the tourney. But, I just appreciate how he can put all things in their place in the world.

Well, one of his former players -- it may have been Dan Dickau on his show -- commented that Few wants it bad, but I never see it. I don't need to see it, but I wonder if the team gets to see that desire. It doesn't help the team at all if Few takes one step toward the Calipari "40-0" hubris publicly, but I do hope he's more fired up about it in the locker room than he is in front of the media/fans.

To be clear, I enjoy GU basketball not just because they are successful as a team, but also because I feel good about supporting the people who make up the program; I don't feel like anyone on the team or on the staff is someone I wouldn't be proud to associate with. I can't say the same about every other team out there. So if GU never makes a final four, I will still be a proud supporter and fan. You better believe though, I would LOVE to see them "break through".

[Zag79]

Nail meet head... That being said, of course we want a Final Four including Few himself. Great read!

[gonzagafan62]

Well, one of his former players -- it may have been Dan Dickau on his show -- commented that Few wants it bad, but I never see it. I don't need to see it, but I wonder if the team gets to see that desire. It doesn't help the team at all if Few takes one step toward the Calipari "40-0" hubris publicly, but I do hope he's more fired up about it in the locker room than he is in front of the media/fans.

To be clear, I enjoy GU basketball not just because they are successful as a team, but also because I feel good about supporting the people who make up the program; I don't feel like anyone on the team or on the staff is someone I wouldn't be proud to associate with. I can't say the same about every other team out there. So if GU never makes a final four, I will still be a proud supporter and fan. You better believe though, I would LOVE to see them "break through".

I worried about the same desire WBM, but it long went behind me after they started working their arse of in the international front of things. If they didn't have that desire you wouldn't be seeing him very frustrated on the sidelines and coaching his players during the tournament. You could also see the reaction in his face of defeat after the Wichita State game. It looked like the same Few, but if you looked at his eyes, you could tell heartbreak. Its not the end all be all by any stretch, but I do feel that in some capacity, Few says that to sleep better at night and keep his balance between fishing and kids, and work. Nobody works harder at building a program than Few. The other guys that may work harder, are just sustaining their program.

Few knows the ceiling of this program has not been met. I honestly think that's why he is sticking around here. The Little engine that could is soooo close to writing the end of a fairy tale novel. It really does remind me of the stories that start with immediate success, then have disappointment time after time after time, and then at the very end, they finish the book with a spectacular and beautiful ending. That's how I see Gonzaga. I see a great ending coming.

And I bet Few does too.

Go Zags!

[WBM]

This forum doesn't have a "Like" or "Thank" feature, but I like that post, gonzagafan62.

[RenoZag]

Know How You Feel. . .

Part of me questions if Mark Few wants it badly enough to actually win it -- It's clear it isn't the only measure of success in his mind (rightly so). If he tells himself that the tournament is a crapshoot, that it's so random, could he just not have enough fire for the tournament to push through the tough games, to will a win in a nasty trap game? How does Few's point of view regarding the tournament reconcile with history showing that some coaches/teams find a way to win? If he did want it more, would GU have already seen a final four berth?

To be clear, I enjoy GU basketball not just because they are successful as a team, but also because I feel good about supporting the people who make up the program. . .

So on the one hand you wonder if the head coach 'wants it' bad enough and on the other hand, you're proud of the support you provide the program ?

I suspect many have had the same mixed feelings, WBM. I know I have. Thanks for putting your thoughts out there and adding to the discussion.

[zagamatic]

This article makes me think of a great question. If it ends up as Kentucky and the Zags in the championship game and Gonzaga wins, what do you think will be the knee jerk reaction of the media? I'd lay odds of 70% in favor of the Zags got lucky. Or that they blame it on the officiating somehow handcuffing Kentucky's obviously superior talent. And if they do give the Zags credit, it'd be a backhanded compliment. Unless, of course, the Zags take Kentucky to the woodshed and leave no doubt or room for speculation. I know. I know. It's all speculation. And it's rather unlikely that out of 300+ teams vying for the title that these two teams will meet. BUT! I WANT to play Kentucky in the title game so that if we are lucky enough to win it all that nobody can say that "they wouldn't have beat Kentucky".