John Blanchette: This version of Zags just downright lovable

PORTLAND – These were the Gonzaga Bulldogs who believers and non-believers alike – and maybe even their coach – found most difficult to like.

How do you like them now?

How do you like the way they took a basketball season that had been thrown into an emotional blender – by a disheartening losing streak at Christmas, by great achievements followed by maddening indifference, by a sensationalized drug bust involving one of their lead players and by the doubts of their March worthiness – and turned it into one of the best of the Bulldog bedtime stories?

How do you like Gonzaga back in the Big Dance – with no committee to cajole, no computer to counter program?

Like them?

The guess here is it’s grown way past that.

And more important than ever, that’s unconditionally the case among the Zags themselves.

Never was it more apparent than in the wake of another unlikely chapter Monday night – Gonzaga’s 77-68 victory over Santa Clara in the West Coast Conference tournament championship game at Chiles Center. Riding a remarkable performance by senior guard Derek Raivio – playing the game of his life in the building where his father’s name is prominent on a hall of fame banner – the Zags booked passage for a ninth straight NCAA tournament voyage.

And though they did indulge in their traditional echo applause for their fans who made up the bulk of the crowd of 4,621, it was brief and almost token. They saved their most heartfelt appreciation for themselves.

This Gonzaga team may not have had what all their predecessors had. But they had each other.

“That’s the most satisfying win and accomplishment I’ve ever been a part of,” said coach Mark Few. “It’s been an amazing season with this group and an even more amazing last three or four weeks – whatever it’s been. It just shows the character of these guys in the program and what the program is all about.”

That’s no small tribute. Few was an assistant on the first team that kicked in the NCAA door in 1995 and on the Elite Eight team of 1999 – and the head coach of all the teams since.

And there were plenty of occasions this season when he didn’t think he’d be able to say it.

But he certainly could Monday night – and not only for what happened against the Broncos, though that was certainly enough. Down nine points late in the first half, the Zags rallied back to even in just two minutes – sparked first by a Raivio jumper, then by drawing three charges (two by Sean Mallon). A Raivio steal and 3-pointer gave them a 40-35 halftime lead, but the tone was being set on defense – Santa Clara would make only 10 of its last 40 shots. And though the Bulldogs had to survive a tense free-throw shooting contest the last two minutes, the last momentum swing was delivered with about five minutes to play when GU’s Abdullahi Kuso blocked a Sean Denison layup and David Pendergraft drilled a 3-pointer at the other end for a 61-52 lead.

But the genesis for what transpired in Portland dates back to the jarring arrest and suspension of forward Josh Heytvelt back in February, the loss to Santa Clara that broke a 50-game home winning streak and a thrilling, courageous loss to then-No. 8 Memphis that Few called “our guys drawing a line in the sand.

“Right then and there, we knew we could play with anybody.”

But it required adjustments, obviously – in approach and confidence as much as style, though that adjustment was considerable, too.

“It took a guy like Pendo saying, ‘My time is now – I can’t just be a role guy,’ ” Few explained. “And Micah Downs was able to play through mistakes where before he was trying to fit into a group and was a little tentative. Now he’s got a longer leash. But the biggest thing was trying to instill confidence.

“There was an adjustment period. But you could see them get it in practice. David and Micah were more aggressive and their teammates could see we’re having success with Pendo picking and popping, or Micah coming off a down screen. They could see: This is working.”

They could also read the headlines and hear the doubters, and somehow found it therapeutic.

“All the adversity we’ve been through and troubles and negative attention we’ve received – especially not knowing if we were going to make it to the (NCAA) tournament if we didn’t win this game,” said Pendergraft. “The feeling that this team was close like brothers and all came together – especially through that tough time a month ago – it’s an amazing feeling.”

But one a long time coming.

Few acknowledged there were times both early and in the middle of the season – despite some of Gonzaga’s high-profile victories – when he wasn’t sure this team had these championship qualities.

“I was worried about leadership and I think there were times we didn’t have great leadership,” he said, “but when it mattered the most, we had it. When it really mattered, the character of a Pendergraft shown through. Sean Mallon holding everything together. And Derek just doing his thing – and the best thing he does is just play.

“They were also accepting of a new guy like Micah coming in (in mid-season). That’s hard for a lot of teams, but because of who they are they accepted him and we really grew because of that. It’s just one of the things I really like about them.”

And you – how do you like them now?