Gu’s Monson Does Quick Burn At Super Bowl
Dan Monson’s first trip to a Super Bowl was one to remember - for reasons he is still trying to forget.
Monson, Gonzaga University’s first-year men’s basketball coach, was one of the 68,912 fortunate enough to secure a ticket for Sunday’s Super Bowl XXXII at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.
He witnessed Denver’s 31-24 upset of Green Bay and all of the pageantry and craziness that is a part of the NFL’s annual showcase event alongside his father, Don. It was part of an adventure the two decided to share when they first learned that GU would be playing at the University of San Diego the same weekend the Super Bowl was in town.
And the younger Monson now admits it might have been the highlight of a lifetime had he not been carrying the weight of two heartbreaking basketball losses on his shoulders - and the glowing remnants of a stray piece of halftime fireworks in his lap.
Monson and his Bulldogs ventured into Moraga, Calif., for Thursday night’s matchup against Saint Mary’s with a 4-0 West Coast Conference record and a share of the league lead, but were upset 76-73. Two nights later they lost again, this time to San Diego, 84-83, on an off-balance, last-second bank shot by Dana White.
And the next day Monson and his dad did their best to put the two losses out of their minds and enjoy their first Super Bowl.
“The game, itself, was an incredible experience,” Monson admitted. “But I just sat there for 4 hours thinking, ‘This is one of the most spectacular events I’ve ever been to. It’s too bad we didn’t win that game Saturday night so I could enjoy it.”’
But the topper to Monson’s weekend came at halftime when, while staring in wonderment at the fireworks exploding high above the stadium, he caught a whiff of charred cotton and felt the burn begin in his upper thighs.
When he glanced down, he discovered a still-glowing piece of fireworks in his lap.
“I’m sitting there enjoying it the best I can,” Monson explained of the fireworks display, “and about 15 seconds later I’m like, ‘Ow! Ow!’ I’ve got debris from the fireworks in my lap, and it burns right through my shirts and pants and ruins them both.
“And I’m thinking, ‘Can it get any better than this?”’
Best do battle
Gonzaga’s two-game homestand against San Francisco and league-leading Santa Clara this week has lost some of its glitter, but none of its importance.
Many were hoping for a battle between unbeatens in Saturday’s 7 p.m. Martin Centre showdown between league-leading Santa Clara (14-4 overall, 5-1 in the WCC) and GU (15-6, 4-2). But those dreams died last weekend when the Broncos lost at home to San Francisco and the Bulldogs stumbled on the road against Saint Mary’s and San Diego.
Still, Monson insists Saturday’s Santa Clara game, along with Thursday’s 7 p.m. matchup against USF (12-6, 3-3) are his team’s biggest tests to date. And he expects his Bulldogs to be ready.
“We’re going to be fine,” he said. “Kids bounce back better than most people think. And ours understand that if we win two this week, we’re back in first place.”
Givens’ take
Pepperdine’s omm’A Givens returned to the Waves’ lineup in last Saturday’s 70-67 win over Loyola Marymount for the first time in almost two weeks after missing three games because of a disciplinary suspension that resulted from his punching and breaking teammate Aaron Butler’s jaw.
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