Gonzaga not ‘elite’

To all you Spokane fans who thought the Gonzaga Bulldogs were going to run the table after the Old Spice Classic: Gonzaga is not an elite program. Reality check time. Once again, expectations were high for the Zags … is history repeating itself?

As things currently stand, are the Zags even a lock for the NCAA tournament?

True, the team is made up of some elite talent, but do we have an elite coach? Would this team be better than 9-9 in the Pac-10? Weren’t we better off with unknown, hard-nosed local players as opposed to guys who are preoccupied with their NBA stock? Elite programs (North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, UCLA) make deep runs into the tournament.

Fans of elite teams are satisfied only with NCAA championships, not WCC championships. Elite programs don’t lose to the likes of Texas Tech, Wyoming, Nevada and Davidson in the early rounds year in and year out.

And by the way, elite programs produce elite players. Where is Blake Stepp? For which team does Dan Dickau play? What country is Derek Raivio in? Can these guys even win a Hoopfest title? Is it true that David Pendergraft and Brian Michaelson are playing in the county “B” league?

If you want to see some elite local talent (Rodney Stuckey), I hope you were able to show up in Cheney last Sunday and watch a guy’s jersey get retired who got less ink in this paper than Gonzaga walk-ons receive.

Tucker Hall

Spokane