Grip on Sports: Gonzaga’s continuing perfection is helping to build memories in the Inland Northwest

A GRIP ON SPORTS • However Gonzaga’s basketball season ends up, nights like Thursday are the answer to the question. What question, you may reasonably ask. Why is college basketball so fun, we answer, smiling. Read on.

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• A long, long time ago in a world far, far away, I can remember sitting on the floor of my family’s living room, the TV sound turned down to near-nothing. My face was inches from the screen. Dick Enberg’s voice was wafting from the tinny speaker, so low as to be barely audible.

It had to be. My parents were asleep.

And the Bruins were playing. Maybe Lewis was still the center, or Steve Patterson. I’m not sure. All I know was a local Los Angeles TV station – Channel 11 in my not-so-perfect memory, because the Google machine tells me it actually was Channel 5 – was broadcasting a replay of the UCLA game. I was eight or nine or 10. It was around midnight. I was supposed to be asleep. School beckoned in the morning.

But the game beckoned even more. And there I was, breaking the most sacred rule of our house. Bedtime. All because I wanted to watch the Bruins win. Again.

I wonder if such things play out in Spokane these days?

Gonzaga is undefeated. Ranked No. 1. And its game last night at BYU began at 8 p.m. It didn’t finish until well after 10. On a school night.

Are there young ones out there who fly beyond the bounds of bedtime – and common sense – to stay up late and watch their beloved Zags? Were they still awake as BYU made a second-half run, hoping to snap GU’s school-record winning streak? Did they hear their parents, or maybe even the neighbors, use words usually reserved for after-hammer-slip incidents?

Or have times changed enough the wee ones are allowed to cuddle down on mom or dad’s lap, blanket encased, and just fall asleep to another Nigel Williams-Goss Euro-step finish?

Back in the late 1960s, a weeknight game wasn’t televised live. The radio was there, sure, with Fred Hessler making the UCLA hometown call – think Dick Wright on steroids if you are a longtime Gonzaga follower.

But TV was not part of the equation – live. UCLA was lucky enough to have the late-night replay and this pre-teen decided one year he had to see the games. Did he ask? Nope. Being a Catholic school kid, he subscribed to the theory it was better to ask forgiveness later when he knew he wouldn’t be granted permission now.

And he knew there was no chance he would earn his parents’ seal.

So there he was, watching, quietly, biting his hand when the Bruins did Bruin things.

Then it happened. A squeal, or a suppressed cheer was just a bit too loud. The bear awoke from hibernation and lumbered into the living room.

If I remember right, the exact words had to do with what, followed by a the, and then the place the nuns told me I would end up if I lied to my parents.

Busted.

But like last night’s game for Gonzaga fans, there is a happy ending to this story.

My dad was surprisingly calm and considered – if you knew him, you would understand why I used the word “surprisingly.” We talked the next day, he explaining why I had been forced to sleep on my stomach due to a really sore butt and me, yawning, telling him of my love for UCLA basketball.

He understood. We came to an agreement. Homework had to be done early. I had to be in bed, asleep, by 7. I could set an alarm. But as soon as the game was over, I had to go back to bed.

Like everything associated with John Wooden’s teams, it was a win for everyone.

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Gonzaga: The Zags won again last night, their 23rd consecutive win this season, and Jim Meehan was courtside to see it. I know because I saw him – around our house, it’s called a “David Aldrich moment,” and if you don’t know what that means, I understand – live on the ESPN broadcast. Jim has the game story, a story on the defense against center Eric Mika, the game keys and a piece on dealing with adversity. John Blanchette was there as well, though we didn’t see him on TV, and has his column. I chipped in with my thoughts on the broadcast and there are numbers galore from the game. … The win – or loss, from this point of view – was also covered in depth by the Salt Lake City newspapers, despite the game starting at 9 in Provo. And there is more, including coverage of the No. 1 team in the land from a bunch of different sources. … The Gonzaga women shot down BYU in McCarthey, hitting a school-record 17 3-pointers. Whitney Ogden has the game story, Michael Gulledge has a sidebar on a student who probably is now ineligible to compete for any of the school’s athletic teams, and Colin Mulvany has a whole bunch of pictures. … Around the WCC, 18th-ranked Saint Mary’s kept pace with GU by winning 74-70 at Pacific, though it wasn’t easy. … Portland has lost nine consecutive games, falling 60-45 to Santa Clara last night. … Loyola-Marymount traveled to San Diego and routed the Toreros, 72-53. … USF pounded host Pepperdine, 77-56.

WSU: It was a busy night in the Pac-12, except in Pullman, where the Cougars were busy getting ready to face USC this weekend. There is Cougar news, though, as Husain Abdullah, the former WSU defensive back, wrote an opinion piece concerning the immigration situation. … California and Utah played a double overtime game in Berkeley last night, with the Bears winning 77-75 on a last-second lob dunk. … No. 13 Oregon and Dillon Brooks held off Arizona State’s upset bid, 71-70. … Oregon State had Arizona’s attention after the first half, and got the Wildcats’ best effort in the second in a 71-54 loss. … Colorado is on a roll, winning 81-74 at Stanford. … In football, California is losing its starting left tackle. The Bears’ future may be set in the next year. … Stanford’s David Shaw had a few things to say. … Larry Stone has a few things to say about signing day.

EWU: The Eastern men got a sterner test than expected from 7-13 Sacramento State and Trevis Jackson, but thanks to Jake Wiley’s 38 points, got past the Hornets, 77-72. Jim Allen has the game story. … The Eastern women also won, defeating the Hornets on the road. … Jim also has a story on Reilly Hennessey (pictured), the former Eastern quarterback who is transferring to Central Washington. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Idaho State rallied from 20 down to get past visiting Northern Arizona, 91-90 in overtime. … Weber State won the battle of Utah, rolling over visiting Southern Utah 90-74. … Montana State has a not-so-large center doing big things. … North Dakota and Northern Colorado will meet in a huge women’s game Saturday.

Idaho: Victor Sanders decided to take care of Portland State himself. His 40 points powered the Vandals 89-72 win over the Vikings in Moscow. Jacob Thorpe has the game story. …  The Vandal women also won, defeating PSU in Portland.

Indians: A former Spokane outfielder has died. Jim Price has the obituary.

Chiefs: Josh Horton has a couple of stories on the Chiefs, including a piece on Kailer Yamamoto and another on Alex Mowbray. … Spokane also extended the contract of assistant coach Scott Burt.

Preps: The basketball regular season is winding down, with Central Valley clinching another GSL girls crown, though the undefeated Bears were tested by Mt. Spokane. Greg Lee has the story. … We can also pass along a GSL boys roundup and girls and boys roundups from around the area.

Seahawks: The Hall of Fame voting will be announced Saturday in Houston. Kenny Easley hopes to be one of the guys called. … NFL games have too many breaks from the action.

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• As I look back on it now, I was either a Wooden fan or a frontrunner, because after he retired I slowly lost my infatuation with UCLA basketball. Either that or I grew up. Until later …