![]() ''Mark has always been convinced we could do it.''įew began building well before he was named head coach after Monson left for Minnesota in 1999.Īs an assistant under Fitzgerald, Few used his own money to upgrade to nicer rental cars so recruits didn't think the school had no money. ''You saw it happen with other schools, so it just didn't seem sustainable,'' Monson said. Other West Coast teams like Santa Clara, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount had faded after making March magic, so Monson figured the Zags were headed for a similar fall. He had a more ambitious future in mind.Įven after the program reached the regional final in 1999, Monson didn't see continued success as being feasible at such a small school. The Zags had struggled for so long, Fitzgerald used to joke with his assistants that they were wasting their time and the school's money.įew wasn't buying it. When Few joined Dan Fitzgerald's staff as a graduate assistant in 1990, Gonzaga basketball was an afterthought in the regional scene, much less nationally. ''It's so cool to see it go from ground zero all the way up to where it is,'' Few said.įew has been the engineer, turning a small Jesuit school in eastern Washington into a national powerhouse by thinking big and refusing to shrink from his convictions. Beat UCLA on Saturday and they'll play for a national championship and a chance at history. ![]() They've mauled four straight opponents in the NCAA Tournament to reach the Final Four for the second time in five years. ![]() The Zags (30-0) led the nation in scoring by more than six points per game and have yet to be tested, winning a Division I-record 27 straight games by double figures. Gonzaga's offense has been unlike anything college basketball has seen in decades, maybe ever. They've gotten here with an offense that's evolved into a hardwood orchestra through years of honing, talented parts fusing to make beautiful basketball music. The Bulldogs are two wins from becoming Division I's first undefeated team since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers. ![]() Gonzaga enters the final weekend of the college basketball season on the cusp of history. And this whole program, his offense, everything has been an evolution of 20 years, kind of brick-by-brick building.'' ''He's a very accomplished fly fisherman, but he didn't start out that way. ''They're both kind of an artform,'' former Gonzaga and current Long Beach State coach Dan Monson said. ![]()
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