A compliment to Zags

As a Spokane native who has lived for many years in California, I asked my parents, who still reside in Spokane, to send me The Spokesman-Review sports section so I could enjoy the coverage of Gonzaga’s dramatic 83-81 victory over Western Kentucky to move on to the Sweet 16.

When reading the letters in that particular sports section, however, I was dismayed to see J.P. O’Shaughnessy (Letters, March 22) state that he has been “following the Zags for a few years” and he “cannot recall another team that is so consistently overrated.”

I would submit it’s actually a compliment to the men’s basketball program that has been built at Gonzaga that someone’s expectations would be so unrealistically high. Overrated? I think not. As I have followed the Zags from afar, this former citizen of Spokane has admired what they have been able to accomplish and the class exhibited by head coach Mark Few.

I am married to a University of Kentucky graduate. I’ve told her repeatedly of my amazement at how Gonzaga has been more successful in recent years than the storied UK Wildcats. (Despite such comments on my part, we are still married.) For those inclined to be disgruntled that the Zags did not go further in the NCAA tournament this year, I say to them that it could have been a lot worse. Just ask any Kentucky fan.

Jon White

Monrovia, Calif.