Grip on Sports: Gonzaga’s shine has a tendency to overpower the area’s other big news
A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s been sort of a complicated work week, hasn’t it? Gonzaga is in Phoenix getting ready for Saturday’s NCAA semifinal, Eastern Washington changed basketball coaches and, yesterday, the Spokane Chiefs said goodbye to the coach who has won more games for them than anyone. So any bets on what will happen today? Read on.
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• If you count the two Washington State basketball assistants who lost their jobs earlier, that makes four coaching changes in the Inland Northwest over the past week or so.
It’s not a Nixonian Saturday Night Massacre or anything, but it sure is strange for this area.
Patience is the watchword around these parts. Change comes slowly. But with Gonzaga sucking up all the light in the area the past few weeks, maybe the powers that be decided it was a good time to make changes.
Though, if you were looking for positive reinforcement in the form of media attention, that’s not happening.
Everyone who is anyone is in Phoenix.
When Eastern introduced new basketball coach Shantay Legans yesterday (pictured), none of the main television sports anchors were available. They were at In-n-Out in Peoria getting lunch.
Our Jim Allen was there, sure. But John Blanchette, who would usually put all this in perspective? He was busy trying to decipher Frank Martin’s backstory.
A high school JV basketball coach and a bouncer? At the same time? Would that even be allowed today?
That’s too bad. Legan’s rise to prominence at Eastern deserved a little more attention. He’s a guy who, not all that long ago, was the low guy on the staff at Eastern.
Craig Fortier, who had moved over to Cheney with his old Whitworth boss, Jim Hayford, was the lead assistant. Former NBA player Craig Ehlo was the guy sent out to work with poor free throw shooters at halftime. And Legans was charged with helping identify next year’s talent.
Now he’s in charge of everything.
Fortier left when his wife Lisa became Gonzaga’s head women’s coach. Ehlo left. Another assistant came and went. And another, who is headed to Seattle. Through it all, Legans persevered. And now it’s his time in the spotlight.
Unless, of course, something happens today.
• We know “something” is going to happen tomorrow afternoon. What that something is, we’re not sure. Either Gonzaga will find a way to get past South Carolina and move into Monday’s title game or its most successful season will end on April Fools’ Day.
Ironic, or appropriate, if the latter happens?
Around here we would consider you a fool if you pick the Gamecocks to win. After all, this is Zag country. Maybe not all year but this weekend for sure. Just walk around downtown or drive the arterials. The well wishes for GU are just about everywhere.
It’s a throwback to 1999, when Gonzaga made its first run through the NCAA tournament. The feeling was fresh and new back then, sort of like Ricky Martin’s music.
But in the years since, the Bulldogs’ marches through March have grown a bit stale, always coming up a hair short.
Not in 2017. Crossing the Rubicon of the Elite Eight means it’s all new again. And only two more games are possible.
The patience of the past two decades has been rewarded.
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Gonzaga: You need to have a little patience today to get through the Gonzaga stuff. Actually, you need a whole lot of time. And maybe a book. We start with John’s column on Saturday’s head coaches, two guys with similar basketball backgrounds. John also got to put together this piece on Kobe Bryant visiting the Zags (and Ducks). … Jim Meehan has so many stories I lost count, mainly because I didn’t want to take my shoes off. He has a piece on Rui Hachimura and his potential. Pieces on Przemek Karnowski and Killian Tillie’s families making the trip to Phoenix. The news Mark Few is the Associated Press’ college coach of the year. But Jim’s main story is on how the first Final Four trip has affected Gonzaga’s basketball alums. … Jacob Thorpe was able to talk with one of his heroes, Ken Pomeroy, about the Zags. And to pass along some interesting South Carolina news. … Whitney Ogden watched CBS makes some magic, looked into the price of tickets and wondered how GU T-shirts are selling. … Dan Pelle has the photo report for the day. … There are a lot of places in Spokane to watch the game while you enjoy a beverage or two, and Kip Hill lists a few, including the most famous of Gonzaga-area watering holes, Jack and Dan’s. … Paul Turner went looking for people in Phoenix who knew who Karnowski is. … The folks at D. Lish do, as Adriana Janovich explains. … Becky Kramer covers the housing aspect of Zag fans in Phoenix. … Finally, Jim Camden tells us about the usual silly politician bet on the game. … There is other stuff, of course, including ESPN writing about basketball’s historical importance to Gonzaga. … Speaking of history, it’s interesting to get others’ perspective on the program. And their perspective on the players. And the games. There are even stories about former coaches few know. But if you are going to read one story today that isn’t written by an S-R staffer, this is it: Adam Morrison’s perspective in The Players’ Tribune. Don’t miss it.
WSU: There is a Pac-12 team in the Final Four for the first time in a while but Oregon’s road to Phoenix was anything but smooth. And it was a long time coming. … The West is well represented. … Arizona’s top freshman is leaving. … So is UCLA’s second-best frosh. … Colorado is adding a local rival to the hoops’ schedule. … USC football wants to improve in an under-the-radar area.
EWU: As we mentioned above, Legans was introduced yesterday and Jim was there. He has this story on the head coaching hire, the second in a couple months in Eastern’s major sports. … Former Eastern football coach Mike Kramer suddenly retired yesterday at Idaho State, with a new coach – a former assistant who left recently for Northern Iowa – put in place in minutes.
CCS: The Sasquatch split a baseball doubleheader.
Chiefs: Don Nachbaur left the organization yesterday in one of those mutually agreed upon decisions. OK. Tom Clouse and Josh Horton combined on the story.
Mariners: The S-R’s preview of the season rumbles on with Dave Nichols looking at the infield. … The season begins for the M’s Monday, maybe the best sports watching day of the year (baseball openers followed by the NCAA title game). But the M’s have questions, some of which popped up in the past couple days. … The Seattle Times is trying to answer all of them with a whole bunch of stories. We will link this one and let you go down the rabbit hole to the rest. … An old face is headed back to the M’s minor league camp.
Seahawks: No, the Hawks aren’t trading Richard Sherman. Probably. But there was a method to their seeming madness.
Sounders: Seattle has a hole that a guy in Atlanta used to fill.
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• Hey, we are back on the radio for three hours today. (Jeez, that actually sound like work.) I’ll be in the 700 ESPN studios while Dennis Patchin hooks in from Phoenix. Poor Steve the Wingman. He has to look at me all afternoon. You can listen here if you want, starting at 3 p.m. Until then …