G&T Blog matters: Jim Hayford’s EWU vision comes into focus; ‘Colorful’ Robert Sacre addresses Zags; Ernie Kent on trip to Oregon
2: Want more? In the men’s room before the game, I overheard three guys talking about going to their first EWU basketball game – ever. “You guys are students?” I asked.
Friday: Former Zag and current Los Angeles Laker Robert Sacre was back in town with the NBA on All-Star break. The big man took his seat a few rows behind the Zags’ bench and the Kennel Club promptly began chanting his name.
Gonzaga has had several postgame/practice visitors this season, including ex-Zag Ronny Turiaf, avid Zag fan and PGA golfer Kyle Stanley and former GU and MLB star Jason Bay. Sacre addressed the team after Thursday’s win in, well, Sacre style.
“It’s like Elvis is in the building,” coach Mark Few said. “Definitely colorful, that’s how I’d describe that talk he just gave” the team.
Domantas Sabonis had never met Sacre but came away impressed.
“He’s a great dude, very funny,” the 18-year-old freshman said. “It was awesome, different than the other speeches. It was funny.”
Jim Meehan
Cougars
Thursday: Ernie Kent on his first trip to Oregon as the WSU coach:
“It was neat to be back because, again, I think as coaches we’re so driven and sometimes you have to get off the merry-go-round and stop and take a look back to understand what you’ve accomplished with different programs and players at points of your career.
“Being let go at Oregon gave me a chance to do that. I will never forget my sister calling me on Father’s Day one year in the midst of my four-year leave of absence and say, ‘Do you realize what you’ve accomplished and all that you’ve done?’
“… It’s a good feeling that you were able to accomplish all of that for Eugene, you’ve given them a beautiful building, all of those support staff people have a great building to come to work in versus that old run-down Mac Court building that we did a good job putting lipstick on it. But probably the biggest thing was to help the young guys in this program.”
Jacob Thorpe