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Zags return home to Spokane

A giant banner thanking Spokane welcomed the Zags home from Phoenix as seen during a homecoming welcome for the Gonzaga basketball team on Tuesday, April 4, 2017, at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
A giant banner thanking Spokane welcomed the Zags home from Phoenix as seen during a homecoming welcome for the Gonzaga basketball team on Tuesday, April 4, 2017, at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)Buy a print of this photo

The Gonzaga men’s basketball team has returned to Spokane this afternoon after its championship-game run in the NCAA Tournament.

The Zags touched down at Spokane International Airport around 3:30 p.m., returning home from the Final Four in Glendale, Arizona. The team buses left the airport around 4:20 p.m. escorted by a compliment of local law enforcement.

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When they arrived at McCarthey Athletic Center on the Gonzaga campus, where hundreds of fans had been gathering for more than an hour to welcome the team home, the crowd erupted.

First there were chants of “We are GU” then the “Go Gonzaga” chant. And when the players began exiting the bus, the crowd was loud.

Zach Collins was one of the first off the bus, immediately heading to the fans that lined both sides of the sidewalks heading into the Kennel. The fans and the team exhanged high fives.

Then Coach Mark Few came out, and it all started again.

After a few minutes of quiet, the players came back outside and signed autographs for everyone, and even took selfies.