The last 20 plus years have been amazing.

[Zags11]

When you take a step back and appreciate what a amazing ride this has been. From Cinderella to just under 2 minutes away from a national title. From double digit seed to #1 seed. From who are these guys to Gonzaga is a powerhouse.

I remember sneaking into K1 and watching the games with my dad and brother. This has been a fantastic ride. I have been watching so many zag games over the last couple weeks and its amazing how much my life is about sports and the zags.


Share what it has meant to you with some memories so i can read it all later.

Go zags!

[gonzagafan62]

I started rooting for this team because of Ronny Turiaf. That guy amazed me and I’ve been a fan ever since. I didn’t know what life as a Gonzaga fan would be without Ronny. I believe they got their first high seed with him also lost a game that he got called bogus fouls on. I was mad but I didn’t feel heartbreak (just yet) So Gonzaga was Turiaf for me.

I decided there would probably never be another team I could root for anyway so I stuck with them. Adam Morrison was amazing in getting our team nation wide recognition as a powerhouse. With the way that was trending I was wondering if that would be the new normal. The bank shot in Seattle, Maui, the game winner vs Santa Clara, and a mobster year in 06 didn’t turn out the way we hoped, but the future was bright.

Then we got to MSG. The crowd was amazing. We took down Hansbrough and the Tar Heels. It was unbelievable. I was so pumped. We lost Josh and Bigs McGee for the year and Derek Raivio put on the Superman cape and saved the day to get us in the big dance. His incredible shooting, unheard of FT PCT kept us alive ... but we lost one of the three times we’ve ever lost in round one and we did the same in 2008 vs what nobody knew would turn into one of the best NBA players in history with Steph Curry. I sat there in disbelief. It was shocking - until we look back in hindsight - which is always 20/20.

My first year I was able to watch every single game was 2008-09 when I figured out what root sports was. I believe Craig Ehlo was the only guy with Greg before Fox and Danny D came along. The high flying act of Pargo the skin and bones but great rim protector Austin Daye,Bouldin, and a familiar face of Josh Hyetvelt worked back on the team. Micah Downs came over from Kansas, Ira Brown was a tremendous beast, who could dunk literally THROUGH anyone much like pargo. The smooth and balanced Steven Gray also became a problem for many on the wing off the bench. As I recall the biggest loss came earlier in the year when Robert Sacre got injured (I forget for what now, it’s been a decade please forgive me) and that really hurt later on. We lost to UCONN on a crazy shot that sent the game to overtime. Lost to Julius Thomas and Portland State, lost to Utah on New Years eve and I was not very happy about what was transpiring. I think we also lost to Arizona and one of their worst teams also right? We were #5 in the country. Was so mad. We went undefeated and made the sweet sixteen thanks to last second heroics by Demetri Goodson.

At this point after getting killed by UNC, and graduating many great players I was unsure about the future of Gonzaga. I didn’t think we could continue the streak much longer. I didn’t know much about Elias Harris. I knew we were returning Bouldin... Sacre was coming back. Gray was going to be a sniper. Goodson was coming back but he was better on D. So many questions. For the next few years I was going to be happy with winning a game in the tournament. And boy later would that get frustrating to think about lol

In 2010 we beat the odds and in buffalo beat Florida State. Damn near lost that one. That guard Douylkis (so?) brought that game to life for the seminoles. In 2011, my boy Marquise Carter came through and turned on the jets after starting 0-3 in conference to keep the WCC title streak alive and win the conference tournament to keep the tourney streak alive too. One of the most satisfying journeys ever. I was happy to beat St Johns even if it was without one of their best players in DJ Kennedy.

2012 I didn’t know who Pangos was. Recruiting was still hard to find back in that day. This kid came out and shot 7 threes vs Wazzou in one game. It was unreal! The hype was real for this player. Gary bell also became lights out from three. They fell short in the race for conference supremacy both times, and got sent to Pittsburgh to play Truck Bryant and West Virginia in their backyard of Pittsburgh (see what I did there?) and blew them out.

When that happened they played a tough Ohio State team and Lost, valiantly. They left everything on the court. The image of Robert Sacre crying after the loss was the first time I shed tears with this team. It made me so sad to see him weeping after losing that game. One of the most colorful zags went out fighting and damn near came back. Didn’t wanna lose. A true warrior of the sport, out in the second round. As tough as Canadians are, they do have feelings too. We were known for our Canadian pipeline by now and that also made me proud. Kelly Olynyk was also redshirting this year which made me happy because in 2011 everytime he got on the court he’d foul 2 times in a span of 20 seconds and left. Made me so mad haha

2013 we gained our first number one seed and had a great draw for the NCAA tournament. We beat Oklahoma State thanks to Gary Bells shot on an assist from Kevin Pangos on December 31, 2012. ON THE ROAD. We didn’t see many road victories against ranked opponents at that time. Was so pumped I went to Walmart where my wife was working flinging around my zags hoodie showing her how excited I was. We ended up watching “New Year’s Eve” (a movie) later that night with Pizza Hut. I didn’t care what we were doing. I was relaxed. Olynyk was the star and came back for the Clemson game at the old spice classic earlier before that. We beat Clemson (a game I couldn’t see all Of) and had to see the updates come through in text form because I didn’t have internet on my phone quite yet haha we won. We beat buddy heild (their main star was pledger though I believe) and then Davidson for the title. Mike Hart became a sensation and a legend. We were #1 and a #1 seed. Even my wife took notice and spiked my hair, made me wear sunglasses lol!!!

I don’t wanna talk about the tournament. By this time I was dying to go to the second weekend. 2014 would spring new hope, but not for long. Josh Davis announced his decision to go to San Diego State and Gonzaga had to ride the back of Sam Dower, Pangos, Bell, Karnowski, Stockton. We beat West Virginia on the road in a game that was absolutely nuts. Kevin Pangos showed great resiliency along with Bell to stay calm. We won the game and it was huge. A game that really gets overlooked set the tone for what was to come. For some reason Santa Clara was our pain in the rear. Jared Brownridge was a PROBLEM. Sam Dower hit a MONSTER three to end the game @ Santa Clara when we were considered a bubble team. David Stockton too the ball to the rim in Vegas and spun it in to win the game. Right before that game winning shot you could tell Dower was NOT HAPPY about not getting that ball. He said the F word to few, and Few responsed with “Do your job” ... Dower set the screen and the rest was history. Another WCC championship conf, and regular season. We beat Oklahoma State in a game that Travis Ford was T’ed up. It quickly turned into a foul fest and Marcus smart was in trouble. Gonzaga prevailed with better FT shooting. Kyle Wiltjer was redshirting at this time. Byron Wesley made his decision to transfer from USC in Late May to come to Gonzaga . You knew we were a national title contender yet again after a key announcement: Domas Sabonis has committed. Josh Perkins committed as well.

2015 I think everyone had high hopes. Bell and Pangos were seniors. But even they said they couldn’t be THE best backcourt of all time without an Elite Eight appearance.

I was at Gozagswhoohoo’s House the first big game at the kennel vs SMU. Domas Sabonis LAID DOWN THE HAMMER early in this one with a massive dunk that tore the roof off the K2. It was An amazing moment. He got big boards in key situations like mike hart and was a true scorer. Wesley was smooth at the 3. It was the perfect combo to go with Shem. Perkins was gone for the season after a broken jaw that would end his season vs Georgia. A team that mugged everyone and didn’t care. This would play out okay later down the road.

But I tell you what. I talked to Gozagswhoohoo and thegloriousgoateeofKP going into the Iowa game. After seeing Werner of NDSU do everything right and make that game way too interesting I was eagerly awaiting the Iowa game. It. Took. Forever to get there. Two days. Hyperventilating. Few32 has gone overboard at GUBoards, and they just got done killing Davidson. It was wild. Sabonis Karnowski had huge passes and dunks through that game and in the UCLA game that followed. I finally have seen Gonzaga in an Elite Eight. Yes Wiltjers missed bunny vs Duke burned, but the future was bright.

...Until you got to 2016. It was a rough year. Didn’t beat anyone notable, Emac was settling in. Perkins came off of jaw surgery ...and the team was young! They did the best the could but they were swept by SMC. We beat the teams we were supposed to beat. Karnowski was done for the year so this didn’t help (again would help down the line) . Along with 2011 this was my favorite journey. We had to beat BYU twice in a week and Ryan Edwards also got injured against Portland leaving a thin bench in the front court .. but he would come back after.

We went back to sweet sixteen and had the orange right where we wanted them.

2017-2020 we’ve been absolutely blessed ... National title contenders ... I’m not getting into everything since y’all should know what happened. 3 shoulda been #1 seeds and a #4. A national title game and a final four.

We finally did it. We may not be a blue blood but this team makes me so happy and proud. I’m proud to be a zag. I wouldn’t wanna be anything else. It’s all well in zagville and we have had many streak savers like dower, Carter, Raivio, Gray, EMac, Perkins, Bouldin, and we had the studs .... from rags to riches

Oh and one more thing. The best dunker ever is still Reed Schifferman. GZ knows. Maybe JD and Bornie also.

I love reliving all of these moments AND More. I’m just so sleepy that I can’t stay awake right now. But I love this team thick and thin. I believe we can beat ANYONE and know we are on that level.

God bless

[gozagswoohoo]

I started rooting for this team because of Ronny Turiaf. That guy amazed me and I’ve been a fan ever since. I didn’t know what life as a Gonzaga fan would be without Ronny. I believe they got their first high seed with him also lost a game that he got called bogus fouls on. I was mad but I didn’t feel heartbreak (just yet) So Gonzaga was Turiaf for me.

I decided there would probably never be another team I could root for anyway so I stuck with them. Adam Morrison was amazing in getting our team nation wide recognition as a powerhouse. With the way that was trending I was wondering if that would be the new normal. The bank shot in Seattle, Maui, the game winner vs Santa Clara, and a mobster year in 06 didn’t turn out the way we hoped, but the future was bright.

Then we got to MSG. The crowd was amazing. We took down Hansbrough and the Tar Heels. It was unbelievable. I was so pumped. We lost Josh and Bigs McGee for the year and Derek Raivio put on the Superman cape and saved the day to get us in the big dance. His incredible shooting, unheard of FT PCT kept us alive ... but we lost one of the three times we’ve ever lost in round one and we did the same in 2008 vs what nobody knew would turn into one of the best NBA players in history with Steph Curry. I sat there in disbelief. It was shocking - until we look back in hindsight - which is always 20/20.

My first year I was able to watch every single game was 2008-09 when I figured out what root sports was. I believe Craig Ehlo was the only guy with Greg before Fox and Danny D came along. The high flying act of Pargo the skin and bones but great rim protector Austin Daye,Bouldin, and a familiar face of Josh Hyetvelt worked back on the team. Micah Downs came over from Kansas, Ira Brown was a tremendous beast, who could dunk literally THROUGH anyone much like pargo. The smooth and balanced Steven Gray also became a problem for many on the wing off the bench. As I recall the biggest loss came earlier in the year when Robert Sacre got injured (I forget for what now, it’s been a decade please forgive me) and that really hurt later on. We lost to UCONN on a crazy shot that sent the game to overtime. Lost to Julius Thomas and Portland State, lost to Utah on New Years eve and I was not very happy about what was transpiring. I think we also lost to Arizona and one of their worst teams also right? We were #5 in the country. Was so mad. We went undefeated and made the sweet sixteen thanks to last second heroics by Demetri Goodson.

At this point after getting killed by UNC, and graduating many great players I was unsure about the future of Gonzaga. I didn’t think we could continue the streak much longer. I didn’t know much about Elias Harris. I knew we were returning Bouldin... Sacre was coming back. Gray was going to be a sniper. Goodson was coming back but he was better on D. So many questions. For the next few years I was going to be happy with winning a game in the tournament. And boy later would that get frustrating to think about lol

In 2010 we beat the odds and in buffalo beat Florida State. Damn near lost that one. That guard Douylkis (so?) brought that game to life for the seminoles. In 2011, my boy Marquise Carter came through and turned on the jets after starting 0-3 in conference to keep the WCC title streak alive and win the conference tournament to keep the tourney streak alive too. One of the most satisfying journeys ever. I was happy to beat St Johns even if it was without one of their best players in DJ Kennedy.

2012 I didn’t know who Pangos was. Recruiting was still hard to find back in that day. This kid came out and shot 7 threes vs Wazzou in one game. It was unreal! The hype was real for this player. Gary bell also became lights out from three. They fell short in the race for conference supremacy both times, and got sent to Pittsburgh to play Truck Bryant and West Virginia in their backyard of Pittsburgh (see what I did there?) and blew them out.

When that happened they played a tough Ohio State team and Lost, valiantly. They left everything on the court. The image of Robert Sacre crying after the loss was the first time I shed tears with this team. It made me so sad to see him weeping after losing that game. One of the most colorful zags went out fighting and damn near came back. Didn’t wanna lose. A true warrior of the sport, out in the second round. As tough as Canadians are, they do have feelings too. We were known for our Canadian pipeline by now and that also made me proud. Kelly Olynyk was also redshirting this year which made me happy because in 2011 everytime he got on the court he’d foul 2 times in a span of 20 seconds and left. Made me so mad haha

2013 we gained our first number one seed and had a great draw for the NCAA tournament. We beat Oklahoma State thanks to Gary Bells shot on an assist from Kevin Pangos on December 31, 2012. ON THE ROAD. We didn’t see many road victories against ranked opponents at that time. Was so pumped I went to Walmart where my wife was working flinging around my zags hoodie showing her how excited I was. We ended up watching “New Year’s Eve” (a movie) later that night with Pizza Hut. I didn’t care what we were doing. I was relaxed. Olynyk was the star and came back for the Clemson game at the old spice classic earlier before that. We beat Clemson (a game I couldn’t see all Of) and had to see the updates come through in text form because I didn’t have internet on my phone quite yet haha we won. We beat buddy heild (their main star was pledger though I believe) and then Davidson for the title. Mike Hart became a sensation and a legend. We were #1 and a #1 seed. Even my wife took notice and spiked my hair, made me wear sunglasses lol!!!

I don’t wanna talk about the tournament. By this time I was dying to go to the second weekend. 2014 would spring new hope, but not for long. Josh Davis announced his decision to go to San Diego State and Gonzaga had to ride the back of Sam Dower, Pangos, Bell, Karnowski, Stockton. We beat West Virginia on the road in a game that was absolutely nuts. Kevin Pangos showed great resiliency along with Bell to stay calm. We won the game and it was huge. A game that really gets overlooked set the tone for what was to come. For some reason Santa Clara was our pain in the rear. Jared Brownridge was a PROBLEM. Sam Dower hit a MONSTER three to end the game @ Santa Clara when we were considered a bubble team. David Stockton too the ball to the rim in Vegas and spun it in to win the game. Right before that game winning shot you could tell Dower was NOT HAPPY about not getting that ball. He said the F word to few, and Few responsed with “Do your job” ... Dower set the screen and the rest was history. Another WCC championship conf, and regular season. We beat Oklahoma State in a game that Travis Ford was T’ed up. It quickly turned into a foul fest and Marcus smart was in trouble. Gonzaga prevailed with better FT shooting. Kyle Wiltjer was redshirting at this time. Byron Wesley made his decision to transfer from USC in Late May to come to Gonzaga . You knew we were a national title contender yet again after a key announcement: Domas Sabonis has committed. Josh Perkins committed as well.

2015 I think everyone had high hopes. Bell and Pangos were seniors. But even they said they couldn’t be THE best backcourt of all time without an Elite Eight appearance.

I was at Gozagswhoohoo’s House the first big game at the kennel vs SMU. Domas Sabonis LAID DOWN THE HAMMER early in this one with a massive dunk that tore the roof off the K2. It was An amazing moment. He got big boards in key situations like mike hart and was a true scorer. Wesley was smooth at the 3. It was the perfect combo to go with Shem. Perkins was gone for the season after a broken jaw that would end his season vs Georgia. A team that mugged everyone and didn’t care. This would play out okay later down the road.

But I tell you what. I talked to Gozagswhoohoo and thegloriousgoateeofKP going into the Iowa game. After seeing Werner of NDSU do everything right and make that game way too interesting I was eagerly awaiting the Iowa game. It. Took. Forever to get there. Two days. Hyperventilating. Few32 has gone overboard at GUBoards, and they just got done killing Davidson. It was wild. Sabonis Karnowski had huge passes and dunks through that game and in the UCLA game that followed. I finally have seen Gonzaga in an Elite Eight. Yes Wiltjers missed bunny vs Duke burned, but the future was bright.

...Until you got to 2016. It was a rough year. Didn’t beat anyone notable POC, Emac was settling in. Perkins came off of jaw surgery ...and the team was young! They did the best the could but they were swept by SMC. We beat the teams we were supposed to beat. Karnowski was done for the year so this didn’t help (again would help down the line) . Along with 2011 this was my favorite journey. We had to beat BYU twice in a week and Ryan Edwards also got injured against Portland leaving a thin bench in the front court .. but he would come back after.

We went back to sweet sixteen and had the orange rihht where we wanted them.

2017-2020 we’ve been absolutely blessed ... National title contenders ... I’m not getting into everything since y’all should know what happened. 3 shoulda been #1 seeds and a #4. A national title and a final four.

We finally did it. We may not be a blue blood but this team makes me so happy and proud. I’m proud to be a zag. I wouldn’t wanna be anything else. It’s all well in zagville and we have had many streak savers like dower, Carter, Raivio, Gray, EMac, Perkins, Bouldin, and we had the studs .... from rags to riches

Oh and one more thing. The best dunker ever is still Reed Schifferman. GZ knows. Maybe JD and Borneo also.

I love reliving all of these moments AND More. I’m just so sleepy that I can’t stay awake right now. But I love this team thick and thin. I believe we can beat ANYONE knows we are on that level.

God bless

[gozagswoohoo]

When you take a step back and appreciate what a amazing ride this has been. From Cinderella to just under 2 minutes away from a national title. From double digit seed to #1 seed. From who are these guys to Gonzaga is a powerhouse.

I remember sneaking into K1 and watching the games with my dad and brother. This has been a fantastic ride. I have been watching so many zag games over the last couple weeks and its amazing how much my life is about sports and the zags.


Share what it has meant to you with some memories so i can read it all later.

Go zags!

So true. I think about it often....how unbelievably lucky we are to have this program/coaching staff. Man...I mean...look at some other programs around the country, and the ups and downs they have. So many teams are just a 'flash in the pan', but EVERY.SINGLE.YEAR....we are RIGHT there in the thick of it. I love everything about our program and what it stands for. So much to be proud of.

And then you take ANOTHER step back...this fan base. Just incredible. I've made so many truly amazing friends through GU. #BLESSED

[GoZags]

It is true. The past 20 years or so HAVE been amazing .......

And for me, while it's true that the last couple of decades have brought me unbelievable joy .... the past 47/48 years have been amazing. The GU hoops program didn't excel on the National Stage in the earlier years ... but they DID compete, and did it the right way (lunch pail/blue collar).

20 years ago I clearly recall 2nd year h.c. Mark Few (in a breakfast conversation with Angelo and myself) recalling how it was when he got here as a $1,500/year Grad Assistant in '89. The day he arrived he was pulled aside by the Campus Elders and told ... "You will never win this league, and that's okay. Just don't finish last. Last place isn't tolerated around here." Those were his marching orders (along with Dan and Billy). And those three guys decided to change the paradigm. And change the paradigm they did. In that breakfast conversation I mentioned to Mark that since I got to Gonzaga as a freshman, I'd a) known their hoops record at all times and b) known their last score .... and it wasn't easy as in the late 70's/early 80's I'd need to get the 5 Star final edition of the Chicago Tribune or Chicago Sun-Times (they had the west coast scores in mouse type) ... and also in the late 70's/early 80's (when China was opening her doors to the West ... made 32 trips there (in 2 1/2 years) I befriended the United States Marines who were guarding our Embassy ... and they'd sneak me the sports pages. Fewie said he was glad I told him that ... that at that point ('00) it was easy to forget their were folks who'd followed the long program before it had experienced "success".

Yes ... the past 20 years have been SO awesome ... but the folks closest to me are friendships/bonds formed two and a half decades before that.

This thread reminds me of some of the awesome posts in March/April '17 .... when the Zags got to the Final Four. The comments in this older thread are some of my favorite in the history of guboards (and the predecessor boards).
http://guboards.spokesmanreview.com/...host-of-others

I'm eager to read more recaps like '62's .... and I appreciate this thread '11 ..... certainly a 5 Star-er if ever there was one. GoZags

[Zags11]

I started rooting for this team because of Ronny Turiaf. That guy amazed me and I’ve been a fan ever since. I didn’t know what life as a Gonzaga fan would be without Ronny. I believe they got their first high seed with him also lost a game that he got called bogus fouls on. I was mad but I didn’t feel heartbreak (just yet) So Gonzaga was Turiaf for me.

I decided there would probably never be another team I could root for anyway so I stuck with them. Adam Morrison was amazing in getting our team nation wide recognition as a powerhouse. With the way that was trending I was wondering if that would be the new normal. The bank shot in Seattle, Maui, the game winner vs Santa Clara, and a mobster year in 06 didn’t turn out the way we hoped, but the future was bright.

Then we got to MSG. The crowd was amazing. We took down Hansbrough and the Tar Heels. It was unbelievable. I was so pumped. We lost Josh and Bigs McGee for the year and Derek Raivio put on the Superman cape and saved the day to get us in the big dance. His incredible shooting, unheard of FT PCT kept us alive ... but we lost one of the three times we’ve ever lost in round one and we did the same in 2008 vs what nobody knew would turn into one of the best NBA players in history with Steph Curry. I sat there in disbelief. It was shocking - until we look back in hindsight - which is always 20/20.

My first year I was able to watch every single game was 2008-09 when I figured out what root sports was. I believe Craig Ehlo was the only guy with Greg before Fox and Danny D came along. The high flying act of Pargo the skin and bones but great rim protector Austin Daye,Bouldin, and a familiar face of Josh Hyetvelt worked back on the team. Micah Downs came over from Kansas, Ira Brown was a tremendous beast, who could dunk literally THROUGH anyone much like pargo. The smooth and balanced Steven Gray also became a problem for many on the wing off the bench. As I recall the biggest loss came earlier in the year when Robert Sacre got injured (I forget for what now, it’s been a decade please forgive me) and that really hurt later on. We lost to UCONN on a crazy shot that sent the game to overtime. Lost to Julius Thomas and Portland State, lost to Utah on New Years eve and I was not very happy about what was transpiring. I think we also lost to Arizona and one of their worst teams also right? We were #5 in the country. Was so mad. We went undefeated and made the sweet sixteen thanks to last second heroics by Demetri Goodson.

At this point after getting killed by UNC, and graduating many great players I was unsure about the future of Gonzaga. I didn’t think we could continue the streak much longer. I didn’t know much about Elias Harris. I knew we were returning Bouldin... Sacre was coming back. Gray was going to be a sniper. Goodson was coming back but he was better on D. So many questions. For the next few years I was going to be happy with winning a game in the tournament. And boy later would that get frustrating to think about lol

In 2010 we beat the odds and in buffalo beat Florida State. Damn near lost that one. That guard Douylkis (so?) brought that game to life for the seminoles. In 2011, my boy Marquise Carter came through and turned on the jets after starting 0-3 in conference to keep the WCC title streak alive and win the conference tournament to keep the tourney streak alive too. One of the most satisfying journeys ever. I was happy to beat St Johns even if it was without one of their best players in DJ Kennedy.

2012 I didn’t know who Pangos was. Recruiting was still hard to find back in that day. This kid came out and shot 7 threes vs Wazzou in one game. It was unreal! The hype was real for this player. Gary bell also became lights out from three. They fell short in the race for conference supremacy both times, and got sent to Pittsburgh to play Truck Bryant and West Virginia in their backyard of Pittsburgh (see what I did there?) and blew them out.

When that happened they played a tough Ohio State team and Lost, valiantly. They left everything on the court. The image of Robert Sacre crying after the loss was the first time I shed tears with this team. It made me so sad to see him weeping after losing that game. One of the most colorful zags went out fighting and damn near came back. Didn’t wanna lose. A true warrior of the sport, out in the second round. As tough as Canadians are, they do have feelings too. We were known for our Canadian pipeline by now and that also made me proud. Kelly Olynyk was also redshirting this year which made me happy because in 2011 everytime he got on the court he’d foul 2 times in a span of 20 seconds and left. Made me so mad haha

2013 we gained our first number one seed and had a great draw for the NCAA tournament. We beat Oklahoma State thanks to Gary Bells shot on an assist from Kevin Pangos on December 31, 2012. ON THE ROAD. We didn’t see many road victories against ranked opponents at that time. Was so pumped I went to Walmart where my wife was working flinging around my zags hoodie showing her how excited I was. We ended up watching “New Year’s Eve” (a movie) later that night with Pizza Hut. I didn’t care what we were doing. I was relaxed. Olynyk was the star and came back for the Clemson game at the old spice classic earlier before that. We beat Clemson (a game I couldn’t see all Of) and had to see the updates come through in text form because I didn’t have internet on my phone quite yet haha we won. We beat buddy heild (their main star was pledger though I believe) and then Davidson for the title. Mike Hart became a sensation and a legend. We were #1 and a #1 seed. Even my wife took notice and spiked my hair, made me wear sunglasses lol!!!

I don’t wanna talk about the tournament. By this time I was dying to go to the second weekend. 2014 would spring new hope, but not for long. Josh Davis announced his decision to go to San Diego State and Gonzaga had to ride the back of Sam Dower, Pangos, Bell, Karnowski, Stockton. We beat West Virginia on the road in a game that was absolutely nuts. Kevin Pangos showed great resiliency along with Bell to stay calm. We won the game and it was huge. A game that really gets overlooked set the tone for what was to come. For some reason Santa Clara was our pain in the rear. Jared Brownridge was a PROBLEM. Sam Dower hit a MONSTER three to end the game @ Santa Clara when we were considered a bubble team. David Stockton too the ball to the rim in Vegas and spun it in to win the game. Right before that game winning shot you could tell Dower was NOT HAPPY about not getting that ball. He said the F word to few, and Few responsed with “Do your job” ... Dower set the screen and the rest was history. Another WCC championship conf, and regular season. We beat Oklahoma State in a game that Travis Ford was T’ed up. It quickly turned into a foul fest and Marcus smart was in trouble. Gonzaga prevailed with better FT shooting. Kyle Wiltjer was redshirting at this time. Byron Wesley made his decision to transfer from USC in Late May to come to Gonzaga . You knew we were a national title contender yet again after a key announcement: Domas Sabonis has committed. Josh Perkins committed as well.

2015 I think everyone had high hopes. Bell and Pangos were seniors. But even they said they couldn’t be THE best backcourt of all time without an Elite Eight appearance.

I was at Gozagswhoohoo’s House the first big game at the kennel vs SMU. Domas Sabonis LAID DOWN THE HAMMER early in this one with a massive dunk that tore the roof off the K2. It was An amazing moment. He got big boards in key situations like mike hart and was a true scorer. Wesley was smooth at the 3. It was the perfect combo to go with Shem. Perkins was gone for the season after a broken jaw that would end his season vs Georgia. A team that mugged everyone and didn’t care. This would play out okay later down the road.

But I tell you what. I talked to Gozagswhoohoo and thegloriousgoateeofKP going into the Iowa game. After seeing Werner of NDSU do everything right and make that game way too interesting I was eagerly awaiting the Iowa game. It. Took. Forever to get there. Two days. Hyperventilating. Few32 has gone overboard at GUBoards, and they just got done killing Davidson. It was wild. Sabonis Karnowski had huge passes and dunks through that game and in the UCLA game that followed. I finally have seen Gonzaga in an Elite Eight. Yes Wiltjers missed bunny vs Duke burned, but the future was bright.

...Until you got to 2016. It was a rough year. Didn’t beat anyone notable, Emac was settling in. Perkins came off of jaw surgery ...and the team was young! They did the best the could but they were swept by SMC. We beat the teams we were supposed to beat. Karnowski was done for the year so this didn’t help (again would help down the line) . Along with 2011 this was my favorite journey. We had to beat BYU twice in a week and Ryan Edwards also got injured against Portland leaving a thin bench in the front court .. but he would come back after.

We went back to sweet sixteen and had the orange right where we wanted them.

2017-2020 we’ve been absolutely blessed ... National title contenders ... I’m not getting into everything since y’all should know what happened. 3 shoulda been #1 seeds and a #4. A national title game and a final four.

We finally did it. We may not be a blue blood but this team makes me so happy and proud. I’m proud to be a zag. I wouldn’t wanna be anything else. It’s all well in zagville and we have had many streak savers like dower, Carter, Raivio, Gray, EMac, Perkins, Bouldin, and we had the studs .... from rags to riches

Oh and one more thing. The best dunker ever is still Reed Schifferman. GZ knows. Maybe JD and Bornie also.

I love reliving all of these moments AND More. I’m just so sleepy that I can’t stay awake right now. But I love this team thick and thin. I believe we can beat ANYONE and know we are on that level.

God bless

I really appreciate waking up to this and reading what it meant to you.

[Zags11]

So true. I think about it often....how unbelievably lucky we are to have this program/coaching staff. Man...I mean...look at some other programs around the country, and the ups and downs they have. So many teams are just a 'flash in the pan', but EVERY.SINGLE.YEAR....we are RIGHT there in the thick of it. I love everything about our program and what it stands for. So much to be proud of.

And then you take ANOTHER step back...this fan base. Just incredible. I've made so many truly amazing friends through GU. #BLESSED

Thank you woohoo! We could be Butler or a davidson or holy. You said it right. A flash in the pan. We aren't and at times i have become even more greedy. However, when you take a step back you say whoa.

[Zags11]

It is true. The past 20 years or so HAVE been amazing .......

And for me, while it's true that the last couple of decades have brought me unbelievable joy .... the past 47/48 years have been amazing. The GU hoops program didn't excel on the National Stage in the earlier years ... but they DID compete, and did it the right way (lunch pail/blue collar).

20 years ago I clearly recall 2nd year h.c. Mark Few (in a breakfast conversation with Angelo and myself) recalling how it was when he got here as a $1,500/year Grad Assistant in '89. The day he arrived he was pulled aside by the Campus Elders and told ... "You will never win this league, and that's okay. Just don't finish last. Last place isn't tolerated around here." Those were his marching orders (along with Dan and Billy). And those three guys decided to change the paradigm. And change the paradigm they did. In that breakfast conversation I mentioned to Mark that since I got to Gonzaga as a freshman, I'd a) known their hoops record at all times and b) known their last score .... and it wasn't easy as in the late 70's/early 80's I'd need to get the 5 Star final edition of the Chicago Tribune or Chicago Sun-Times (they had the west coast scores in mouse type) ... and also in the late 70's/early 80's (when China was opening her doors to the West ... made 32 trips there (in 2 1/2 years) I befriended the United States Marines who were guarding our Embassy ... and they'd sneak me the sports pages. Fewie said he was glad I told him that ... that at that point ('00) it was easy to forget their were folks who'd followed the long program before it had experienced "success".

Yes ... the past 20 years have been SO awesome ... but the folks closest to me are friendships/bonds formed two and a half decades before that.

This thread reminds me of some of the awesome posts in March/April '17 .... when the Zags got to the Final Four. The comments in this older thread are some of my favorite in the history of guboards (and the predecessor boards).
http://guboards.spokesmanreview.com/...host-of-others

I'm eager to read more recaps like '62's .... and I appreciate this thread '11 ..... certainly a 5 Star-er if ever there was one. GoZags

Amazing story GoZags!!! I mean it. I remember 1994 for me and my family listening to the Zags on 920am I believe. Dennis patchin was on the call and I was so bummed when he called wsu instead later on. (I was too young to realize why) I remember the year before "the run", listening to the radio and being broken they lost to make march.

The stories i have read are awesome. We all need this right now.

[gonzagafan62]

I really appreciate waking up to this and reading what it meant to you.

Gonzaga is literally everything to me (besides life itself, my family and friends) literally everything. I love this team, our coaches all former and past players, the fans and the university. Seeing us pop up on Jimmy Kimmel, was hilarious also. I also went on Dickie Vs live stream on twitter about a week ago. Didn’t think he’d actually answer some 30 year old average Joe from Missouri.

But I told him “Gonzaga needs to be your preseason #1 for 2020 bay-bay, with a wink face, and he said with an upbeat tone, “Zag62, absolutely they are my number one, no question about it”

Love or hate Dickie V, you know it meant a lot for someone to talk hoops, and it meant a lot to me for him to actually think Gonzaga could lead out of the gates - whether it really means nothing in the end - that didn’t matter to me. Never thought we’d be in that situation, but here we are.

It’s a great testament for who we’ve become as a great institution for higher learning winning on and off the court

[Zags11]

Gonzaga is literally everything to me (besides life itself, my family and friends) literally everything. I love this team, our coaches all former and past players, the fans and the university. Seeing us pop up on Jimmy Kimmel, was hilarious also. I also went on Dickie Vs live stream on twitter about a week ago. Didn’t think he’d actually answer some 30 year old average Joe from Missouri.

But I told him “Gonzaga needs to be your preseason #1 for 2020 bay-bay, with a wink face, and he said with an upbeat tone, “Zag62, absolutely they are my number one, no question about it”

Love or hate Dickie V, you know it meant a lot for someone to talk hoops, and it meant a lot to me for him to actually think Gonzaga could lead out of the gates - whether it really means nothing in the end - that didn’t matter to me. Never thought we’d be in that situation, but here we are.

It’s a great testament for who we’ve become as a great institution for higher learning winning on and off the court

I love dickie V. I know some don't but he does so much charity and has genuine love for the game. Im glad he replied to you. That is awesome.

[Birddog]

I knew the Zags were ascending back in the mid 90's but info on the team was hard to come by in Oklahoma. In March of '94 they beat Stanford in the 1st round of the NIT. It was on St Patricks day so it was only fitting. I worked late the night they played Kansas St in Mahhattan Ks in round 2 of the NIT and when I got home I parked in the driveway and searched the AM band for a broadcast. To my delight I was able to pick up a faint single from some station in rural Kansas. It was maddening to listen as the broadcast faded in and out. It was a close game but the Zags couldn't quite turn the corner. Still, I was proud of them and knew they were on a good trajectory. I felt then that Gonzaga could be known as something more than Bing Crosby and John Stockton's alma mater. A few years later things got even better.

The headline on the Tulsa game prompted a great quote from Bill Self, GoZags????

[Reborn]

Gonzaga is literally everything to me (besides life itself, my family and friends) literally everything. I love this team, our coaches all former and past players, the fans and the university. Seeing us pop up on Jimmy Kimmel, was hilarious also. I also went on Dickie Vs live stream on twitter about a week ago. Didn’t think he’d actually answer some 30 year old average Joe from Missouri.

But I told him “Gonzaga needs to be your preseason #1 for 2020 bay-bay, with a wink face, and he said with an upbeat tone, “Zag62, absolutely they are my number one, no question about it”

Love or hate Dickie V, you know it meant a lot for someone to talk hoops, and it meant a lot to me for him to actually think Gonzaga could lead out of the gates - whether it really means nothing in the end - that didn’t matter to me. Never thought we’d be in that situation, but here we are.

It’s a great testament for who we’ve become as a great institution for higher learning winning on and off the court

I know those are the true words of Dick V. because you quoted him exactly the way he'd say those words...great job...

Some great posts here to awaken my heart and mind about my love for the Zags. For me it did begin in '99. I recall being in a restaurant in Tacoma with my son Demian and grandson Isaiah. Isaiah was just a baby. They had the radio (or TV) on and I heard that Gonzaga beat Minnesota. I knew that that was huge, as Minn. is in the Big 10. I heard them say some of Minn's players didn't play and were making excuses for their loss, and I kind of felt that maybe that that was why Gonzaga beat them. I hadn't followed them closely, but close enough to know that a Gonzaga team couldn't beat a Big 10 team.
But then they beat Stanford, who was a team in the PAC 10 who had been to the final 4 the year before and I believe were a #2 seed. Gonzaga was a 10 seed I think. So I decided to watch the game with Florida. And what a game it was. And what a special and great team Gonzaga was. I loved Matt Santangelo, I guess because I was a guard. He's still #1 Or #2 best point guards who ever played at Gonzaga in my book. What a winner. And Frahm was a great 3 point shooter which as a wing player in high school I always appreciate good outside shooters. The thing I loved most about this team was that most of them were from Washington. Eaten from Richland, Frahm from Battleground, Skinner I think from Bellingham area, I think Gorde was from Washington too? Who else? Casey Calvary was from Tacoma, and went to an all boys school just like I did. I was in a Resturant the following year in Tacoma and watched an NCAA game with Casey's brother The back up point guard played at Yakima valley College before going to Gonzaga. I live in Yakima, so had that association. I am not sure but I think his coach at YVCC went to Gonzaga along with him. Was that Tommy? ANYWAY after Calvary tipped the winning shot in and the team tackled him at half court and slimed around on the hardwood floor hugging and kissing him and everyone else who was nearby, that was when I became a Zag.

I also remember after that game with Florida ESPN had live shots of the students at Gonzaga who were outside going crazy, and I mean going crazy. ha ha ha I was laughing my buns off...The guys were so funny. And then all week long a few of the Zag players were on ESPN doing interviews, and the players (I think Frahm and Santangelo) were so dang funny. It was like they were two little kids in a candy store and the candy was free. I mean these guys were so funny. AND all the ESPN guys couldn't pronounce Gonzaga right and that was a long long story. But no one could believe this little Jesuit Catholic school in Spokane Wa could be in the Elite 8.

AND THEN the near miss against UCONN, who won the whole thing. What a heartbreak. But what a team. And then after that we had the same team again as most all of them were back, but this time they only made it to the Sweet 16. I haven't missed many games since. AND maybe my favorite years were the years ADAM Morrison played. He was such a great player with a huge heart for the game, and he hated to lose. He's my all time fav Zag and I was fortunate to be able to see him in Key Arena as he hit that game winner against Oklahoma STATE. Yes. He did call that bank shot. That's how confident Adam was. And him lying on the floor bawling after the UCLA loss will be etched in all of our memories forever.

Most all of my Zag favorite players are from the State of Washington and or Oregon. That's the kind of fan I am. I love all of these Washington players. My love for them comes from my playing days at Gonzaga (1966-'70) when all of the players from California had the opinion that there were not any good players from the state of Washington....and the '99 and 2000 teams sure proved those Cali players wrong. I loved Steven Gray because I saw him play in the class A state Tournament in Yakima Sun Dome when he was a junior, and he had the prettiest jump shot I had ever seen at that time. And then Pedo, who also played in the state tournament in Yakima a few years later. He played for a very small school named Brewster in no where land. AND Gary Bell who along with Kevin Pangos formed one of the best back courts at GU up to that time. I think Bell was from KEnt Of course Morrison from Spokane, and Sean Mallon who ws also from Spokane and I believe played against Adam in Spokane league, and now Watson from Spokane. Kyle Dranginis from Idaho. There was Josh Hevtvelt from little Clarkston Wash a 2A school south of Spokane on the Idaho border. Then there was Erroll Knight from Seattle, and Raivio from Vancouver, Wa. There was Dan Dickau and Matt Santangelo from Portland, Oregon and Dickau played in Washington at the UW for one year.

Go Zags!!!

You see association is important. hahahaha

This is long enough....sorry! But you knw me, lol.

[RenoZag]

Few has done more with lower rated recruits, per this article

Story Link: https://heatcheckcbb.com/2020/03/31/...g-nba-players/

Mark Few has coached the most sub-100 recruits who have reached the NBA with 11, including Ronny Turiaf, Adam Morrison, Kelly Olynyk, Rui Hachimura, Zach Norvell and Brandon Clarke. More sub-100 recruits have reached the NBA (11) than top-100 recruits (7) under Few.

The GU program develops the talent it signs.

[Midwestzag]

I knew the Zags were ascending back in the mid 90's but info on the team was hard to come by in Oklahoma. In March of '94 they beat Stanford in the 1st round of the NIT. It was on St Patricks day so it was only fitting. I worked late the night they played Kansas St in Mahhattan Ks in round 2 of the NIT and when I got home I parked in the driveway and searched the AM band for a broadcast. To my delight I was able to pick up a faint single from some station in rural Kansas. It was maddening to listen as the broadcast faded in and out. It was a close game but the Zags couldn't quite turn the corner. Still, I was proud of them and knew they were on a good trajectory. I felt then that Gonzaga could be known as something more than Bing Crosby and John Stockton's alma mater. A few years later things got even better.

The headline on the Tulsa game prompted a great quote from Bill Self, GoZags????

Birddog: What was the quote from Bill Self after the Tulsa game?

[Birddog]

Birddog: What was the quote from Bill Self after the Tulsa game?

I can paraphrase, but GoZags will no doubt have it verbatim. Patience!

[GoZags]

I can paraphrase, but GoZags will no doubt have it verbatim. Patience!

Weak effort on my part, and while I remember the game (78-40 Zags) and some of the details .... I'm not sure I have that money quote.

I know the Zags were up big at halftime and had held Tulsa to 7 points before they buried a late 3 to end the half with 10 points. I know when Tulsa scored back to back buckets midway through the 2nd half that Bill Self quipped "We're on a roll now, boys". I know when Illinois beat Minnesota in '02 to keep the Gophers from post season that Bill Self told Dan Monson "I could beat you 10 times in a row and it wouldn't make up for the thumping you gave us in Alaska".

So please, Birddog ... help us out an paraphrase ....

[gozagswoohoo]

Few has done more with lower rated recruits, per this article

Story Link: https://heatcheckcbb.com/2020/03/31/...g-nba-players/



The GU program develops the talent it signs.

POSSIBLY more of a testament to our incredible recruiting, than it is Few's amazing coaching! But definitely a bit of BOTH!

[bdmiller7]

POSSIBLY more of a testament to our incredible recruiting, than it is Few's amazing coaching! But definitely a bit of BOTH!

I wish they would have broken it down a little further, maybe top 10 recruits, top 25, top 50. Its a lot easier to get the number 5 player to the NBA than the number 95 recruit. Coach K and Calipari have class after class of top 10 - 20 recruits who are destined for the NBA in a year wherever they play college ball. Players in the 50 - 100 range are borderline NBA prospects at best coming out of high school when you consider 60 players get drafted each year and probably 25% of those are foreign players. Foreign players do help Few's numbers in this, as most won't be in the RSCI top 100 since most scouting sites dont rank them, but they would be in the US.

[Reborn]

I believe the data in the article about coaches who have players reach the NBA is misleading. The players who make it into the NBA are broken down into two groups. 1. The players who were ranked in the top 100 coming out of high school, and 2. The players who were higher than the top 100 coming out of high school. The coaches were ranked according, and of course the coaches that were ranked highest were coaches from the Blue Blood Universities: Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA and Michigan...You get the picture. Gonzaga is actually ranked #10 which I think is pretty good, and like what was said he had the most players go into the NBA that were ranked higher than 100 coming out of high school. Gonzaga has 11, which is at least twice as many as the Schools ranked ahead of Gonzaga. The school that comes closest to GU in this category are Rick Barnes (Texas) with 8, Tony Bennett (Virginia and WSU), and Romar (UW) Both of them had 7. Here are some of the players from Gonzaga that were ranked above 100 out of HS and made it to the NBA: Ronny Turiaf, Morrison, Olynyk, Hachimura, Clarke, Norvell. There were 5 others who were not mentioned.

Now I must disagree with Woohoo because he thinks that these stats show that Few is a better recruiter than coach,. I think the stats show just the opposite. The success that Gonzaga has had comes with recruits who are mostly ABOVE 100 coming out of high school. And honestly most of them ranked in that category did not make it to the NBA. So MARK Few and his staff have built one of the best programs in country with players ranked above 100, and some ranked from 75-100. AND a few ranked in top 20 or top 50.

Here is my point. Of coarse the Blue Blood coaches are going to have more players who were ranked in the top 100 BECAUSE they got the top recruits. These are the coaches who got players ranked in the top 10 and top 20 and so on and so forth, up to the top 50. They got the cream of the crop of high school players coming out of high school. So of course they are going to have the most players go into the NBA. And most of them went after one or two years. Gonzaga, on the other hand, rarely got a recruit ranked in the top 50, and when we got someone even ranked between 60 and 70 we thought we got a dang good recruit. Honestly, I'm surprised that Gonzaga was ranked that high. Gonzaga had 43% of players listed in top 100 make it into the NBA. Right ahead of Gonzaga at #9 is Michigan State. And we know that Michigan St gets more players ranked in the top 50 than Gonzaga ever dreamed of.

I think that these stats show that Few is the best coach in the country, and does develop the players he recruits. The stats show his talents clearly as a coach because he has developed 11 players ranked above 100 coming out of HS who reached the NBA, and those numbers show that he has more than twice as many players in that category. Few is winning more games with players who are ranked much lower than the Blue Bloods. So his success IS NOT based on the quality of recruits, but the quality of his coaching.

Go Zags.
AS WAS mentioned Gonzaga has the most players who were ranked above 100 coming out of high school go into the NB

[Birddog]

Weak effort on my part, and while I remember the game (78-40 Zags) and some of the details .... I'm not sure I have that money quote.

I know the Zags were up big at halftime and had held Tulsa to 7 points before they buried a late 3 to end the half with 10 points. I know when Tulsa scored back to back buckets midway through the 2nd half that Bill Self quipped "We're on a roll now, boys". I know when Illinois beat Minnesota in '02 to keep the Gophers from post season that Bill Self told Dan Monson "I could beat you 10 times in a row and it wouldn't make up for the thumping you gave us in Alaska".

So please, Birddog ... help us out an paraphrase ....

This was Self's 1st season as a head coach after taking over a Tulsa team that had been in the tournament the year before under Tubby Smith. TU in those days was a pretty good team on a consistent basis though this particular year was not their best.

At some time during the drubbing, Self reportedly leaned over to an assistant coach (probably the one that was responsible for scouting GU) and borrowed the classic line from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and said "Who ARE these guys?". Self had probably never heard much if anything about Gonzaga. IIRC, That season should have merited Gonzagas 2nd NCAA appearance but they wilted in the WCC Tournament and then got snubbed as an at large.

[Zags11]

Great stories everyone! Keep em coming!