Or, We Could Call It Fantastic

In a pre-game story Saturday, San Francisco Chronicle sports writer Jack Curtis described Gonzaga University as “a quirky little school from Spokane.”

Then, he added: “A win today over Stanford - and there are those who think it’s possible, especially with the large Gonzaga rooting contingent expected - might make the Zags America’s postseason darlings. It would at least force people to learn how to pronounce the school’s name (the second syllable rhymes with “bag,” not with “bog”).

Gonzaga, of course, did beat Pac-10 Conference champion Stanford later that day, 82-74. And GU did become one of a handful of postseason surprises that toppled Goliaths around the country to reach the NCAA tournament’s final 16 teams, or Sweet 16, in college basketball parlance. But the country still can’t pronounce its name. In his game coverage Sunday, another northern California writer provided this phonetic guide: Gon-zye-ga.

Oh well, that’s a small price to pay for fame. If Gonzaga’s luck holds and the three-pointers keep falling, Coach Dan Monson and his players won’t mind hearing their school’s name butchered for two more weekends, beginning today in Phoenix when they take on the University of Florida (CBS, 4:55 p.m., PST).

Locals, however, shouldn’t be too hard on outsiders for manhandling the university’s name. If the truth were known, many Inland Northwesterners didn’t know much about the team before Fox Sports Network televised the recent West Coast Conference tournament. Then, the wins over Minnesota and Stanford in Seattle last weekend riveted the region’s attention unlike anything since Washington State’s trip to the 1998 Rose Bowl.

The Zags’ tie to the Northwest makes them special.

Monson is following in the steps of his father, Don, a Coeur d’Alene native and Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Famer. In five years at Idaho, Don Monson coached the Vandals to two conference championships, three postseason appearances and a Sweet 16 appearance, in 1982. He proudly watched his son from the stands at the western regionals.

Then, there are the Zags themselves. Nine are from Washington, one from Portland. Guard Quentin Hall came from the Bahamas, after playing at North Idaho College. Only one received much attention from major college recruiters: Matt Santangelo. Others chose Gonzaga over Eastern Washington, Nevada and Portland. Three walked on. Together, these blue-collar underdogs compiled the best record in Gonzaga basketball history, 27-6 - and counting.

A few more wins and everyone will be pronouncing Gonzaga properly.