John Blanchette

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Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: For all the successes, Gonzaga remains grounded by its humble history

UPDATED: Sat., April 8, 2017

You want an idea how far Gonzaga basketball has come?

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Gonzaga’s best season sets table for possibility of better future

Tue., April 4, 2017

So where do the Gonzaga Bulldogs go from here?

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Loss puts sour end on great Gonzaga season

UPDATED: Mon., April 3, 2017

So the confetti that fell will end up in a landfill and not on some Gonzaga entrepreneur’s eBay page. So Nigel Williams-Goss’ No. 5 won’t adorn the clocktower for the next month.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Gonzaga’s ties bind like no other program

Sun., April 2, 2017

There is something almost Rat Pack-y about them, only they’re in shorts and sports shirts instead of tuxes and unknotted bow ties.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: What to make about Gonzaga? They’ll make you take notice

UPDATED: Sat., April 1, 2017

They could have made it easy. They made it hard.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Bulldogs can count on Nigel Williams-Goss, big numbers or not

Fri., March 31, 2017

One teardrop runner settled into the net, and another a few minutes later. Then a 3-pointer found home – off a kick-out pass from the big fella – and the sigh of relief could be heard everywhere between Silicon Valley and Spokane.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Final Four coaches Mark Few, Frank Martin rooted in humility

Thu., March 30, 2017

Mark Few and Frank Martin are two coaches who couldn’t seem to be less alike except that their roots were humble and their achievements have been great.

Sports

Kobe Bryant surprise appearance thrills Gonzaga players at Final Four

Thu., March 30, 2017

Kobe Bryant had a mic-drop exit from the NBA, and a jaw-dropping entrance to the Gonzaga Bulldogs on their first night at the Final Four.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Gonzaga assistant Donny Daniels knows not to take Final Four for granted

UPDATED: Wed., March 29, 2017

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Warning: Don’t even suggest to Donny Daniels that this Final Four business must seem routine by now. “Oh, no – can’t say that,” said Gonzaga’s veteran assistant coach. “Every one is special – every one. This is something you just don’t take for granted.”

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Five steps that ‘made’ Gonzaga a Final Four program

Mon., March 27, 2017

It only took 19 years – and that was just how long ago the nation first became aware Gonzaga had a basketball team – for the Bulldogs to become an overnight sensation.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: 36 reasons why Gonzaga can win it all

UPDATED: Sun., March 26, 2017

As you may have heard, Gonzaga’s 36th victory of the college basketball season on Saturday night earned the Bulldogs a spot in their first Final Four. Oregon, South Carolina and North Carolina eventually joined the party – because this is a competition, not a coronation.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: There is no monkey – Gonzaga, Mark Few are legit

Fri., March 24, 2017

By now, surely you’ve read the quote or seen the clip of Gonzaga coach Mark Few responding to a pointed inquiry the other night on what it would mean to him to reach the Final Four and “finally get that monkey off your back.” Because, you know, anything less is failure.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Gonzaga powers past West Virginia and proves tough enough

UPDATED: Fri., March 24, 2017

How tough do you have to be to sumo wrestle a stump grinder? To slow dance with gunnysack of glass shards? To endure the baleful glare of Bob Huggins and his remorseless ninjas and stare right back, and not just as survivors? To stay nothing of staring down history, cynics and silly narratives.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Jordan Mathews’ ride with Gonzaga has been short but sweet

UPDATED: Wed., March 22, 2017

Over the years, Gonzaga basketball has been the ultimate party mix. Charismatic big men, exotic imports from six continents, steady Eddie guards, second-chancers, glue guys, rock-star celebrities. And Jordan Mathews.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

Plenty of milestones for Gonzaga coach Mark Few on his way to 500 wins

UPDATED: Tue., March 21, 2017

Pick a number between 1 and 500.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Don’t blame Gonzaga for cashing in when good fortune presents itself

UPDATED: Sat., March 18, 2017

It’s official. Gonzaga is now the most hated team in America. But the referees who missed the goaltending call are a close second.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Northwestern inherits slipper from teams of Zags’ past

UPDATED: Sat., March 18, 2017

In a Northwestern locker room aswirl in joy and delirium on Thursday night, a reporter approached Wildcat sub Gavin Skelly at his locker. Skelly flashed a big grin and patted the empty seat next to him. “Pull up a chair,” he said.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Gonzaga has faced plenty of behemoths in past NCAA tournaments

UPDATED: Wed., March 15, 2017

In March of 1999 – or 1 A.D., as it’s known in the context of Gonzaga basketball – the Bulldogs’ coaching staff devised what would be the game plan to launch a dynasty, not that anyone thought about it that way at the time.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Every No. 1 seed faces possibility of being 16’s first victim

UPDATED: Tue., March 14, 2017

The evolution in insult T-shirts has been dramatic. We’ve come a long way from “I’m With Stupid.”

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

Blanchette: All giddy on the western front

UPDATED: Sun., March 12, 2017

If it wasn’t exactly West Coast Bias, it was at least ... what? A West Coast Wink? Tolerance? Grudging Acknowledgement? Hell, no. It was West Coast Love.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Evolution of NCAA seeding makes it unlikely another Gonzaga will emerge

UPDATED: Sat., March 11, 2017

You don’t hear much anymore about schools idealizing themselves as “the next Gonzaga” in the basketball universe. And that’s good.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

Blanchette: Seeding? Don’t even go there, pal

UPDATED: Tue., March 7, 2017

Dear Mr. Committee Man: Seed this.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Gonzaga absorbs Santa Clara’s best shot, primarily delivered by Jared Brownridge

UPDATED: Mon., March 6, 2017

Mark Few met Jared Brownridge in the handshake line and the two took a long moment for a hug and a handshake and some claps on the shoulder, and especially some warm words. During which, presumably, the Gonzaga coach offered up a letter of recommendation.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

GU fans volunteer to help the hungry in Las Vegas

UPDATED: Sun., March 5, 2017

It’s undeniable: Gonzaga’s experience in the conference tournament business is the envy of college basketball.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

Blanchette: Gonzaga turns aggressive in second half to reveal the Zags of first 29 games

Sat., March 4, 2017

Did a little research into how the Gonzaga Bulldogs bounced back this season after dropping a tough one and ... couldn’t find a thing.