‘Snacks’ hitting sweet (16) spot
Gonzaga’s Norvell has team-leading 21.5 points over his last two games.
Twenty years ago, Zach Norvell Sr. was a hardcharging guard at Northeastern Illinois who fancied baked sweets. Cookies, cupcakes, honey buns — he loved them all, especially when paired with chocolate milk.
His teammates always found him indulging in some sort of sugary treat.
“I used to walk in the crib with snacks all the time, so they used to always call me Snacks,” Norvell said Wednesday by telephone from Chicago. “When I had my son with me, they would say, ‘Man, it’s Snacks and Little Snacks.’ That name stuck with him all the way through to college.”
Zach Norvell Jr. shared his father’s name, nickname and love of treats upon his arrival at Gonzaga. Only his feasting on snacks had largely subsided a few years earlier out of necessity.
“I felt I was getting a little bit fleshy,” he said.
Now he just fattens up on other teams.
The redshirt freshman shooting guard has become one of the breakout stars of the NCAA tournament, leading the fourth-seeded Bulldogs (32-4) into a West
Regional semifinal against ninth-seeded Florida State (22-11) on Thursday night at Staples Center.
A player who averaged 12.3 points during the regular season has upped his production to a team-leading 21.5 points over his last two games. Norvell made the tiebreaking three-pointer with 20.8 seconds left in the first round against North Carolina Greensboro before logging his first double-double with 28 points and 12 rebounds during a come-frombehind victory over Ohio State in the second round.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few has already likened Norvell’s clutch gene to that of Bulldogs legends Adam Morrison and Dan Dickau. Over the final five minutes of games this season, Norvell has scored a team-high 93 points while making 59% of his shots and 54.5% of his three-pointers.
His teammates have learned that one made shot in those situations will likely be followed by another.
“As soon as that one goes in,” guard Josh Perkins said, “I always look for him like, ‘Hey, I’m coming to you.’ ”
Norvell’s fearlessness is a product of his familiarity with pressure situations. After his father transferred to New Mexico State for his final three collegiate seasons, he would trot out his son as part of a child dribbling troupe that performed at halftime. The kids bounced the ball between their legs while running down the court in front of crowds that pushed five figures.
Zach Jr. later accompanied his father to his job at DuSable High in Chicago, where as a fourth- and fifthgrader he competed against varsity players and often took their money in shooting competitions.
“They saw a little kid coming in shooting,” he recalled, “and they’re like, ‘I have no chance.’” Swish. The younger Norvell also delighted his father with his similar taste in sweets.
“Oh, cupcakes, cookies, wine candy,” Zach Sr. said of his son’s preferences. Wine candy? “The little hard candy that you suck on,” he explained. “We call it wine candy in Chicago.”
The son also strongly considered Florida State out of Chicago’s Simeon Career Academy, the same school that produced NBA players Derrick Rose and Jabari Parker. But he said the family vibe and tradition of Gonzaga made him want to become a Bulldog after his official visit.
He sat out last season while rehabilitating a knee injury and being buried on the depth chart as the Bulldogs advanced to the national championship game, where they lost to North Carolina. Norvell came off the bench to start this season before guard Corey Kispert injured his ankle in November, creating an opportunity that Norvell seized with abandon.
He’s become the team’s third-leading scorer and emotional spark plug, prone to scoring outbursts that have prompted some to dub him the Microwave, among other nicknames.
“I call him Snacks, I call him Zach, I call him Little Ugly Dude,” Perkins said with a smile. “I mean, I call him everything; that’s my guy.”
No one can call the 6foot-5, 205-pounder fat. He became a pescatarian last season after some ribbing about his weight from Few.
“I was only eating seafood and trying to stay away from pop and all that type of juice,” Norvell said, “and it’s helped me out.”
Being Snacks, of course, means that he’ll occasionally give in to the temptation of his favorite treat: chocolate-chip cookies. He doesn’t pretend that he bakes his own.
“You just kind of buy them,” he said. “Gas stations are real simple. Nothing crazy.”