The Zags Family Gets Their Final 4, but They're Not Done!

The Gonzaga Family hoisting their Final 4 trophy. (photo credit: Sports Illustrated)

The Zags did it! It took 18 years. 18 years of Cinderella runs in the late 90’s to great runs in the mid-2000’s to a #1 seed in 2013.

There have been many criticisms and sceptical takes by many based on Gonzaga’s lack of a Final 4 berth in their history and also due to the small West Coast Conference they play in.

The whole time Gonzaga has been led by Head Coach, Mark Few who has become the Godfather of Spokane, Washington building a contingent of Gonzaga Bulldog powerhouse teams consisting of unranked and/or international recruits. He had a knack for finding many diamond in the rough recruits like Dan Dickau, Adam Morrison, Elias Harris and Kelly Olynyk, just to name a few. (No Paulsen Pun intended) Few has built a culture within his past teams that have emanated to this year’s team that includes 2 McDonald’s All-Americans in Nigel Williams-BOSS and Zach Collins.

If you build it…..that is, if Few builds it the way he has, then the big name recruits will come. In the manner Few has built his program, he’s also built a family of players that remain close together and forever loyal to Coach Few.

This was evident with the many posts on social media by groups of former players watching the Elite Eight game vs. Xavier together.

Support for the culture of Gonzaga is one that can be felt from all alumni. One that is genuine and thankful for what Few has instituted.

This present team which is now historical among a history-laden program among the Casey Calvery’s, Ronny Turiaf's and Kevin Pango's . This present team is an intelligent team not only in basketball IQ but academic prowess as well. They're intelligent in being fully aware of the ramifications of Sunday’s moment in winning the game vs. Xavier to clinch the program’s and Coach Few’s first Final 4 berth.

The team cut down the nets and celebrated with their fans as they flew back to campus in Spokane.

They enjoyed the moment as they returned to the Gonzaga campus, and they quickly shook hands as they entered their training facility on campus. They came out for some encore love to the raucous Zags faithful.  You should see the clip; the crowd was absolutely bonkers. It had screaming like this was a clip from a Beatles entrance in the 60's.

But what this moment was, was just that…a moment. Gonzaga walked through that crowd, not to give long victory parade-like speeches. They were walking through the pandemonium with well-deserved smiles and their smartphones in hand to film and savour the moment. They then were walking into their facility to prepare for their games this weekend.

This is such a great feeling after 18 past trips to the Madness with no Final 4 banner.

Those 18 trips were as The Cinderella team posters children for two decades.

No more. This Final 4 run was not as a mid major high seeded team. It was as a #1 seeded national powerhouse.

The moment was savoured.

As Matt Norlander from the CBS: Eye on College Basketball Podcast said, “Gonzaga has nothing to prove and still lots to accomplish!”

The criticisms and scepticism is non-existent to Coach Few. It’s non-existent to the team and to the alumni. It doesn’t exist as Few has built a program based on class, hard work and the ever valuable process.

That process and culture dictates that the Gonzaga team sincerely appreciated the moment with their fans upon their arrival back to campus, but there is still business to attend to. A national championship!

Zags aren't done. They're just getting started.

See y'all this Saturday!!!

#ZagUp #ZagsUnite

Yours in Madness,

Commissioner Adolph