Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

A Grip on Sports: Gonzaga may not be right for the Pac-12 but where do the Zags fit in the new order of college athletics?

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Conference realignment and expansion has been a mostly football-driven enterprise thus far. As it should be, with that sport supplying a lion’s share of the money that flows into college athletics. But the biggest names have been courted and seduced, so there is little action left for the football brethren. What’s next? Basketball-centric schools.

•••••••

• On what has been an exceptional basketball weekend for our local universities, it seems appropriate Gonzaga’s conference future has bubbled to the surface once again. After all, the Jesuit school on the Spokane River’s banks has become the most-successful basketball power in the West during Mark Few’s 20-plus-year tenure.

There has been so many rumblings about the Zags, in fact, the most-respected Pac-12 expert, Jon Wilner, decide it was time to examine whether the school is a fit for the conference under the new world order.

His conclusion? Not really. And he’s probably right, considering the fading conference’s inability to see beyond a lineup that made sense in 2003 but probably doesn’t in 2023.

Fine. The Pac-12, struggling to survive, tried out-of-the-box thinking with now-despised former commissioner Larry Scott. That’s not going to happen, it seems, under the new regime. Ten years ago, radical change was too soon. Now it may be too late.

But what of Gonzaga? What should the future hold for the school?

There is a simple answer. Whatever Few sees as the best fit for the all-powerful men’s basketball program is the school’s future course.

After revamping the course of modern college hoops and turning a school that had no reason being in the national conversation into a national power, he has earned the right to make those decisions. The 60-year-old coach has taken Gonzaga to a place no one ever expected, no one 25 years ago ever thought possible and no one should ever discount.

However, no one coaches forever, even if Few’s buddy, 78-year-old Jim Boeheim, is trying to disprove that truism. And if the Zags want to avoid the fate that is confronting Boeheim’s Syracuse program, the school must plan for what’s next. Does staying in the West Coast Conference better position Gonzaga for success down the road? Or would becoming an adjunct program in a football-first conference bring in future-solidifying riches?

It’s a tough question. One without any precedent to inform the decision. Athletic director Chris Standiford, school president Thayne McCulloh and, yes, Few, have to try to navigate a new world with less certainty than a 15th-century ship captain.

Whatever decision they make comes with its set of dangers. Money is nice, but after the initial courtship by the Big 12 or the Pac-12 or the Big East, what will the day-to-day reality look like?

Take the other sports out of this for now. Basketball is the bus driver. What location serves its purposes best?

Our knee-jerk reaction is the West Coast Conference hasn’t held back GU in the past, why should it in the future? Stay the course. But that assumes the world is the same place it was in 2010. It isn’t, as the Pac-12 discovered last summer when UCLA and USC jumped ship.

Will the Zags have the resources to keep up as, say, Ohio State throws untold millions into basketball facilities, coaches and, yes, NIL resources?

Becoming relevant on the national stage is one thing. The Bulldogs reached that point years ago. Winning a title is the next step and if the past couple years have shown us anything, they’ve shown the Zags aren’t going to get it done unless they can attract the highest-end players.

Without the resources the newest mega-conferences will be able to provide, can Few and whomever follows him be able to attract those players as the landscape changes? And is there really an option out there which will allow the basketball program to continue its upward trend?

That’s the trick, isn’t it? Identifying the right option. The past two decades, Few and the Zags have made a million basketball-related choices. Most have been the right ones.

The next one? It just might be the most important.

The potential is there to reach the next level, to win a national title or two. But the wrong pick could lead to becoming the next Syracuse or Georgetown, once key national players now fighting for the occasional upset that earns a mention on Sports Center.

•••

WSU: The Cougars had an extra day to prepare for Oregon, who comes to Pullman today (4 p.m., FS1) knowing another loss in the state will doom any at-large chances. … The baseball team ran its record to 3-0 with a doubleheader sweep in Peoria, Arizona. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college basketball, Washington finished a home-weekend sweep, topping Oregon State 61-47. … UCLA had no trouble with California, winning 78-43, which allowed Mick Cronin to make fun of the NCAA selection committee’s preliminary seeding of the Bruins. That seems smart. Make fun of the folks that hold your postseason fate in their hands. … USC rode Boogie Ellis’ offensive explosion to an 85-75 home win over Stanford. … Arizona pulled away from Colorado to hand the Buffs another road loss, 78-68. … Arizona State popped any bubble hopes Utah may have held with an 67-59 victory in Tempe.

Gonzaga: It wasn’t as easy as Thursday night, but the Bulldogs doggedly pulled away from last-place Pepperdine late to earn a 97-88 victory. Jim Meehan has the game story. … Rasir Bolton complimented Drew Timme’s 34 and Julian Strawther’s 28 points with some late buckets, leading to this Theo Lawson story. Theo also has a look at the difference makers. … Tyler Tjomsland was in Firestone Fieldhouse as well and he has the photo gallery. … The folks in the office put together the usual recap with highlights. … Before the game, Jim covered two announcements. The first was from the NCAA selection committee, which had the Zags as a four seed in their preliminary picks. The other came from ESPN, which announced Game Day is headed to Spokane next Saturday prior to the Saint Mary’s game. … The women had some announcements of their own, led by four seniors who made it official before the game they would return for their COVID-allowed seasons in 2023-24. Jim Allen has that story as well as the coverage of the 65-51 win over Saint Mary’s that followed. … Elsewhere in the WCC, Saint Mary’s maintained their one-game lead in the standings with a 71-65 win over visiting BYU.

EWU: The Eagles cut down the nets following their 17th consecutive win, an 89-77 rout of visiting Northern Colorado. Colton Clark filled in for the coverage and has this game story. The win assured Eastern, at 15-0 in Big Sky play, of at least a share of the league crown. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Montana State kept its hopes mathematically alive with a 72-68 win over visiting Montana. … The MSU women also won their matchup with the Griz. … Weber State got past Portland State 65-57.

Idaho: The Vandals struggled with Northern Arizona’s defense all night, losing to the visitors from Flagstaff 72-50. Peter Harriman has the story.

Whitworth: The Pirates defeated Willamette 98-75 to ensure their second-place spot in the Northwest Conference playoffs at Whitman.

Preps: A lot was going on Saturday. Over in Tacoma, Madison McCord put together two stories on the Mat Classic, and also has this photo gallery. There is this piece on local girls who won state titles (and the small-school results). There is this story on Mead winning a second consecutive 3A team title (and other big-school results). … It was also a busy night in basketball, with two North Idaho schools winning State girls titles in Nampa. Dave Nichols has this roundup of Coeur d’Alene’s 5A victory and Sandpoint’s 4A one. … Dave also has coverage of Gonzaga Prep’s 4A District victory over visiting Chiawana and a roundup of the other action.

Chiefs: The winning streak is over, victim of host Tri-City’s two early goals.

Mariners: A new year, a new hope for success for outfielder Jarred Kelenic.

Kraken: Home is sweet for Seattle, as it won a second consecutive time. This one came at Detroit’s expense.

Sounders: Seattle won a preseason scrimmage, as expected.

•••       

• We’re not afraid of making decisions. Make them often. But the ones facing Gonzaga over the next year or so are well-beyond our pay grade, we’re glad to say. In fact, you could not pay us enough money to make them. Well, the Big Ten and SEC probably could. But no one else. Until later …