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Gonzaga Basketball

Zag Day trivia: So you think you’re a fan?

ABOVE: Rack the halls of your brain for the answer to question No. 2 about whose missed shot let to the celebration above in 1999. (Associated Press)
ABOVE: Rack the halls of your brain for the answer to question No. 2 about whose missed shot let to the celebration above in 1999. (Associated Press)
By John Blanchette blanchettejp@gmail.com(509) 844-5558

It’s National Gonzaga Day, as declared by the home office on the north bank of the Spokane.

This is actually something of a misnomer, as there are related events occurring in places like Japan and Zambia, but “International Gonzaga Day” must have sounded too, well, showy.

In any case, this is the ripple from the university’s round-the-calendar celebration of its 125 years of service, the main event tonight being a game featuring the school’s 15-year-old basketball program.

Ha-ha! Kidding.

It simply isn’t true that today’s Gonzaga basketball fans don’t know the sport existed pre-Casey Calvary. The fact is, most hadn’t heard of Casey Calvary until he started doing car spots on TV.

Kidding again.

If Gonzaga’s hoop history isn’t as rich as that of a Kentucky or a UCLA, there is history nonetheless, beginning with a 40-5 victory on Dec. 15, 1905. The opponent? Medical Lake High School.

We’ll give you that one as a head start in this National Gonzaga Day basketball trivia quiz. But you’re on your own for the rest.

And be prepared: We’ve tried to make it as difficult as the Zags make their schedule. Click here for the answers.

1. Who scored the final basket in the old Kennel before the Zags moved into McCarthey Athletic Center in 2005?

2. Who missed the shot before Casey Calvary’s tip-in that beat Florida and sent the Bulldogs to their only Elite Eight in 1999?

3. Only four Bulldogs averaged more than 20 points per game for their GU careers. We’ll spot you Frank Burgess (28.2) and Adam Morrison (20.3), the two NCAA scoring champs. Who were the other two?

4. Gonzaga’s All-America campaign for this sharpshooter included distributing glasses with the team’s media guide, the cover of which was in 3D. Who was the player?

5. At least 10 pairs of brothers have suited up for Gonzaga. Name any three pairs. Bonus: Name the one set of three brothers who were Zags.

6. What was Gonzaga’s first victory over a ranked team? Bonus: Where was the game played?

7. Who was Gonzaga’s first African-American basketball player?

8. What was the highest-ranked team to play Gonzaga in Spokane?

9. The 78-62 victory over Montana on Nov. 21, 2004, is unique in McCarthey Athletic Center history. Why?

10. This player is the only Zag to lead the team in points, rebounds and assists in the same season. Who is he?

11. No TV play-by-play man let a game go by without informing us that Ronny Turiaf speaks five languages. What are they?

12. Who scored Gonzaga’s first basket in NCAA tournament play?

13. This is the only former Gonzaga player who’s now a Division-I head coach. Who is he?

14. Who were the tallest and shortest Bulldogs?

15. Which Zag has started the most games in school history?

16. Between the end of live mascots in the 1970s and the introduction of the costumed Spike the Bulldog in the mid-80s, what was the name of the Gonzaga mascot? Bonus: What student was the original?

17. John Stockton (12) and Frank Burgess (44) are the only Zags to have their uniforms retired. Who wore those numbers before they did?