National Post (National Edition)
Zags zeitgeist creates culture of winning
Bulldogs reach Final Four for the first time
All throughout this U.S. college basketball season, the doubters persisted. Yes, the Gonzaga Bulldogs were bulldozing their way through the competition, beating the likes of Arizona, Florida, Iowa State — and Saint Mary’s three times. But there were also games against Quinnipiac, Bryant and Mississippi Valley State — not to mention playing in the unheralded West Coast Conference.
This wasn’t the first time the Bulldogs entered the NCAA tournament with a flashy record (32-1 on Selection Sunday). And this was far from the first time Gonzaga had a team thought to be capable of making the Final Four, only to keep falling short. Why should this team be any different?
Saturday, the Zags forcefully proved they were with an 83-59 thumping of No. 11 Xavier (24-14) in the West Region final in San Jose, a win that gave the program its first trip to the Final Four.
And what better place for Gonzaga to lose that chip on its shoulder than Silicon Valley?
It was a win that came courtesy of a disparate cast of characters: Mark Few, the dapper, mild-mannered coach who had presided over the program’s ascent into national consciousness; Przemek Karnowski, a burly, bearded centre from Poland; Nigel Williams-Goss, Jordan Mathews and Johnathan Williams, transfers from Washington, California and Missouri respectively; and Zach Collins, a highly touted freshman expected to be a first-round pick in June’s NBA draft.
Simply, the Zags’ starters made some of the most interesting journeys to the Pacific Northwest since Lewis and Clark.
Williams-Goss was dissatisfied with the Washington Huskies’ just-over-.500 record in two seasons there. He shifted to the Zags, sat out 2015-16 and scored a game-high 23 points against the Musketeers. Williams led Missouri in scoring in 201415, but the Tigers went 9-23. Williams missed a season under NCAA transfer rules before being selected most outstanding player of the West Regional after scoring 19 points against Xavier.
“Our journeys and our past made us come together and create that bond,” Williams-Goss said. “We were on our way to really good individual careers where we were at, but we had a bigger vision for ourselves and we wanted to be something bigger than ourselves and wanted to be a part of a winning culture.”
As for Mathews, he didn’t even have to miss a season. Because he had earned an undergraduate degree and had eligibility remaining, he could switch teams seamlessly, just like a pro.
“Everybody told me: You could be part of something special,” he said.
Making its 20th NCAA tournament appearance, Gonzaga has reached the Final Four for the first time — becoming the first West Coast Conference team to advance that far since San Francisco made its third straight trip in 1957.
“Our culture is just so strong. This was a culture win, and a culture statement, and I couldn’t be prouder,” Few said.
The Bulldogs will go to Glendale, Ariz., next weekend after dismantling Xavier, no small achievement.
For years, the doubters had persisted, and had lasted throughout this season even as Gonzaga had thrown aside one opponent after another. Saturday those doubters were silenced. Instead, the moment Gonzaga and its fans have waited what feels like forever for finally had arrived.
“Basically, we’ve had about five or seven minutes of not very good basketball,” Few said, referring to a 7971 loss last month. “We got away from what we’ve done against BYU, or we’d be looking at 37-0 right now.”