22 • November 2012
Sports
The Current
A capacity crowd showed up for Gonzaga’s annual “Craziness in the Kennel” season kickoff event held Oct. 20 at the McCarthey Athletic Center on the Spokane campus.
Current photo by Craig Howard
FEW Continued from page 21
came a Husky. Why have you stayed? A: I think it just speaks volumes of how I feel about this place and what I think we’re capable of here. The school, the community, all of the above. I think this is a great place for me and my family. From a basketball standpoint, I think it has as much potential as any of those schools. Q: This year’s team includes a former walk-on named Mike Hart who some say epitomizes the Zags’ approach to basketball. If your entire team played with that sort of effort, how good could you be? A: The sky would be the limit if you could get everyone to play like Mike Hart. That’s his gift. That’s his talent just as much as running fast or jumping high or shooting the ball. Q: What are some of your impressions of local high school basketball and a conference like the Greater Spokane League? A: We scout the GSL, most definitely. I think in the Spokane area, not just the GSL, we have some of the better coaching groups in the country. The coaches are really sound in all aspects. The most impressive thing is how much time they spend improving their programs. Q: People have said the Gonzaga basketball players and coaches might be the most effective ambassadors for Spokane and the Inland Northwest. How much has that recognition factor changed over the years?
Zags in November Photo courtesy of Gonzaga University Athletics
Gonzaga Head Coach Mark Few addresses the media at an NCAA press conference. A: It’s tough to go anywhere now and not have someone know about Gonzaga. It’s pretty amazing — but it’s still a process to get them to know where Gonzaga is or how to pronounce Spokane. Q: When it comes to the local sports scene, we have the Spokane Indians, the Chiefs in hockey and the Spokane Shock, but there’s never really been that majorleague presence on the national map, other than the Zags. Does that put more pressure on your program, just because the attention is never really dispersed? A: I think that’s what makes this job so special and unique. That’s one thing we really sell recruits on. I mean here’s this metropolitan area that extends all the way out to Coeur d’Alene and yet we’re the only game in town, at least on a national level.
It makes for a really good situation from an athlete’s perspective. Again, it’s a real selling point for us — this community’s support and love for the Zags. Our crowds and our atmosphere and how guys are received in the community — it’s a real selling point. Q: The Zags are ranked in the preseason Top 25 again this year. How good can this team be? A: This team does not have the most talent of any team we’ve had here, but it does have a nice balance. It has a lot of guys of equal ability and a lot of depth. We should be a very skilled team. They have great chemistry and they’re enjoyable to be around. The polls are really pointless right now. No one’s played any games, so it’s based pretty much on what you did last year and what you might be capable of this season.
The 2012-13 season opens this month for Gonzaga’s men’s basketball team, who will play the following games. Nov. 9 6 p.m. Southern Utah University Nov. 12 9 p.m. West Virginia University Nov. 18 1 p.m. University of South Dakota Nov. 22 6 p.m. Clemson University (at Old Spice Classic) Nov. 23 TBA TBD (at Old Spice Classic) Nov. 25 TBA TBD (at Old Spice Classic) Nov. 29 6 p.m. Lewis-Clark State College