Keeping The Faith Gonzaga Fans Crowd Tavern To Root On Bulldogs

Tomson Spink is the ultimate Gonzaga University basketball fan.

He’s the fan club president.

Spink was the first of the faithful to grab a TV-viewing seat Monday night at Jack and Dan’s, a favorite campus watering hole, to anxiously watch the Bulldogs play.

“This is it, we don’t have another one,” he said of the game.

For seniors like Spink the game carried a special significance. The Bulldogs were playing the University of Portland in Santa Clara for a chance to win their second straight automatic NCAA Tournament berth.

The night ended in disappointment for the Bulldogs, who lost 76-68.

At 7 p.m. Monday, two hours before game time, Spink and Shawn Phelps, the Kennel Club’s vice president, claimed their table at Jack and Dan’s.

The Gonzaga students ate sandwiches and pored over statistics textbooks as they waited for the game to start.

About a half-hour later, Gonzaga fan Jon Neill and two of his buddies came looking for their favorite seats.

“This is a basketball-oriented tavern. This is the place to be,” Neill said.

They waited patiently and by tipoff, they captured their “lucky” seats at the bar.

“We’re a little superstitious, so we want to make sure everything’s right,” Neill said.

Despite slick roads and heavy snowfall, 50 other fans crowded into the campus bar. Beginning with the tipoff, hoots and hollers, and silent anticipation between points filled the tavern.

Gonzaga fans quickly became worried as the Portland team grabbed an early double-digit lead.

“There’s plenty of time,” said Joe Wagele, a 22-year-old senior, during the rocky first half. “We weren’t expecting a blowout.”

Nearby, a rare Portland fan focused on his own game.

Dan Davey, a 25-year-old Portland graduate, played pool, sometimes looking up at a TV.

“It’s no stress to me. Portland’s got nothing to lose,” Davey said. “Portland had the longest losing streak in NCAA history while I was there.”

Still, Davey promised to show more school spirit as the game progressed.

“Later on in the game when we’re up by 20, I’ll take this baby off,” said Davey, lifting up his sweatshirt to reveal a Portland T-shirt. “I don’t want to jinx the team yet.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo