Search

ARCHIVES
CONTACT US
WORLD NEWS

I'm zigging for upstart 'Zags

The grass is a bit greener, the sky is a shade bluer, and I'm signing a happy tune.

You see, I have fallen in love.

You might say she's a dog---a bulldog, perhaps. I think she's cute, soft in the right spots, charismatic, and awe-inspiring.

That's right, I have fallen head-over-heels in love with the Gonzaga basketball team. Here are a few reasons why I'm a second-round victory away from tattooing Axel Dench's face on my arm: Before I start, let's get one thing straight---the team's name is pronounced GONE-ZAGG-AH ("zag" as in "bag").

The school is named after St. Aloysius Gonzaga, the patron Saint of youth.

Fortunately for the Bulldogs, youth is well served for the tiny, Catholic school. The team's players make the team easy to love.

Gonzaga is led by a trio of players (I haven't decided whose pictures to put on my wall yetˇit's like choosing between Dawson and Leo) with some of the most, hmm.., unique styles on this planet.

Matt Santangelo is a plucky point guard and perhaps the best clutch shooter in the west.

"Matt is athletic for a point guard," GU head coach Mark Few said. "He has a bounciness to him that is rare in a point guard."

In Thursday's 77-66 victory over Louisville, the senior had sixteen points, ten of them coming in the second half.

Santangelo may be the team's quirkiest player.

Prior to Thursday's game, the guard went into Louisville's shoot-around, a definite no-no.

"I go down and try to intimidate everybody," he said, laughing. "Actually, Louisville was shooting on both baskets and I went to the basket with less players."

Richie Frahm, who had 31 points against the Cardinals, is the angry one in the group, although "angry" at a Catholic school is hardly offensive.

"We have a chip on our shoulder," he said. "We're fighting for a little bit of respect."

Rounding out the trio is Axel Dench, a senior center from Australia. Dench is suprisingly mobile despite his 6-foot-11 frame.

Plus, who doesn't like rooting for an underdog?

GU is located in tiny Spokane, Washington, and is a member of the West Coast Conference. Among the team's annual opponents include San Diego, Santa Clara, and Pepperdine---hardly Duke or UCLA.

Despite the team's humble beginnings, the Bulldogs have risen to become one of the nation's premier programs.

Finally, GU exhibits humility rare for such a talented team. The team's Catholic morality tends to keep even the most egotistical players in check. "We need to stay grounded," Few said. "The (team) believes in themselves and is winning."

Few, a first year coach, even showed respect for the enemy following the game. "I could only hope to accomplish the things (Louisville coach) Denny Crum has accomplished," he said.

I'm gonna buy the Zags a ring---given their talent, attitude, and humility, the marriage between team and fan should last a long time.

And maybe, given some luck, we could honeymoon together in Indianapolis. Ryan Finley is a junior majoring in Journalism