Rout caps long road to Final Four
Finally, as his starters triumphantly strolled off the court with 44 seconds left, Gonzaga coach Mark Few exhaled. He smiled, wrapped guard Nigel Williams-Goss in a warm hug and savored his program’s crowning, longawaited achievement. Gonzaga is going to the Final Four.
Those words, an utterly preposterous concept when Few joined the school’s coaching staff 28 years ago, became reality Saturday in San Jose. The Bulldogs, after nearly two decades as a rising power and perpetual NCAA Tournament tease, steamed past Xavier 83-59 in the West Regional final at SAP Center.
So with the outcome decided and Gonzaga’s throng of fans roaring, Few let down his guard. He’s typically stoic and
businesslike, the even-handed leader of a hoops machine with a 187-29 record over the past six seasons.
Now, after all these years of winning and winning and winning — but not reaching college basketball’s mecca — it really was happening. Few exulted and cried, all at once.
“Absolute tears of joy,” he said of his emotions at that moment.
Few opened his postgame news conference with a similar sentiment, reflecting on Gonzaga’s improbable trip to Saturday’s scene. The Bulldogs are the first WCC team in 60 years to make the Final Four, since USF in 1957.
“Just an incredible feeling of elation and satisfaction,” Few said. “It’s been a long, hard journey to get this program here. …
“Everybody in the locker room and all the former players (who) put on the Zag jersey, I just couldn’t be happier for all those guys.”
The Zags won exactly four games against Division I opponents in Few’s inaugural season as a graduate assistant. As he bluntly put it, the Final Four was “not even possible” in those long-ago days.
But Gonzaga took baby steps, then giant steps, to reach this point. Now the Zags are so established that they can attract a nimble, 7-foot-1 center from halfway across the planet (Poland’s Przemek Karnowski).
And two transfers from Pac-12 schools (Williams-Goss from Washington and former Cal guard Jordan Mathews). And one transfer from the SEC (ex-Missouri forward Johnathan Williams).
None of those players suited up for Gonzaga in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. Karnowski missed all but five games last season with a back injury; Williams-Goss and Williams sat out after transferring; Mathews played at Cal (as a graduate transfer, he was eligible to play immediately).
That’s why Few was skeptical when his team gathered to begin preseason practice. The top players hadn’t spent any time on the court together in meaningful games.
“They deserve all the credit in the world,” Few said. “They’re as connected as any team we’ve had that has played together for four years.”
This showed Saturday, as the Zags whipped the ball around the court, Warriors-like, to find open shots. Not coincidentally, they made 12-of-24 attempts from three-point distance.
Williams-Goss led the way with 23 points and Williams added 19 as Gonzaga (36-1), the West’s top seed, advanced to the national semifinals next Saturday. The Zags will face the winner of Sunday’s Florida-South Carolina game.
J.P. Macura’s 18 points led Xavier (24-14), which fell short in its bid to become the fourth No. 11 seed to reach the Final Four.
The Zags mixed many elements into their stampede. Karnowski deftly passed out of double-teams. Williams harassed Xavier star Trevon Bluiett into an uncommonly poor shooting effort (3-of-14).
And off went the Zags, convincing Xavier coach Chris Mack of their Final Four worthiness.
“They’re big, and they play disciplined defense,” Mack said. “Sometimes you just lose to a better team. … Their record is their record for a reason.”