A Grip on Sports: A Hall of Fame weekend has unfolded in Spokane, though neither NCAA men’s semifinal games reached that level
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Where were we? Oh, yes. Celebrating an incredible spring weekend with the thought basketball rocks. And “Roundball Rocks” as the soundtrack.
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• Why not? College basketball in 2026 is, financially at least, a lot like the NBA in 1990, when John Tesh wrote and recorded his iconic basketball anthem. And right now the University of Connecticut is playing like the Chicago Bulls. Though Michigan, after what it did to Tommy Lloyd’s Arizona team Saturday night, bears a faint resemblance to the Detroit Pistons of that era.
When trying to decide who wins Monday night’s NCAA men’s title game, remember this not-so-salient fact: Detroit topped the Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals that season. Brawn over talent was the operative statement back then.
Might just be in the NCAA these days too, though the Wolverines, as Arizona and Gonzaga can attest, have plenty of talent.
Anyone notice Lloyd’s confused facial expressions last night? They also took us back. Back to Las Vegas last Thanksgiving weekend. When UM raised its record to 7-0 with a 101-61 annihilation of Hall of Famer Mark Few’s team with a whole bunch of money on the line.
And that was a Gonzaga team that was also 7-0. A team that would finish with 31 wins. A group with a healthy, hitting-on-all-cylinders roster. Sort of like the Wildcats seemed to be at the tip – though not a couple minutes in.
Dusty May’s juggernaut opened the hood, reached in and pulled out the Cats’ distributor cap. Or their heart, whichever you prefer.
The 91-73 semifinal victory came without much in the way of a contribution by Big Ten player of the year Yaxel Lendeborg, limited at first by two quick fouls and then later with a leg injury.
Which might just be the deciding factor Monday, when UConn tries to do something no one has done since John Wooden left the UCLA sidelines. Win three NCAA titles in four years.
That’s not just special, it’s historic.
Which gives us another chance to look back, though not all that far. Just to 2021. Back to Indianapolis. The Zags’ last, great one shining moment.
And back to a Lloyd-like confused look at Few’s face as he watched his 31-0 Gonzaga group struggle to find answers against a bruising Baylor team. They never did. And the Zags’ chance to become the first undefeated champion since Indiana in 1976 broke apart quickly. Decisively. Physically and mentally.
Just like last night.
• One more history lesson. If UCLA can find a way to overcome South Carolina today in the NCAA women’s final, don’t listen if anyone states it is the Bruins’ first national title.
First NCAA crown, yes. First national title in women’s hoop? Nope.
The NCAA had no interest in women’s sports until the 1980s. Ya, we know. Seems silly now, doesn’t it? But in 1978, when Ann Meyers and Denise Curry were leading the Bruins, they rolled over Maryland 90-74 to win the AIAW title. The only title that mattered in those days. The only title available, actually.
A different one can be secured today. But it would not be the Bruins’ first one.
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WSU: The Cougars traveled up U.S. Highway 195 to show off their latest football team to a Spokane audience Saturday. And with former Missouri offensive coordinator Kirby Moore installed as head coach, that side of the ball was on display at Mead’s Union Stadium. But, as Greg Woods relates in this story, who will be in charge of Moore’s offense when it is fully installed is still to be determined. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, it would seem easy to pick winners and losers in a Final Four. Jon Wilner has his in the Mercury News today. And his answers to questions, including ones about the Pac-12 and Mountain West lawsuits, in the S-R this morning. … John Canzano lays out all the work the Pac-12 has to do this spring before it launches July 1. … Washington won’t have its best local player back next season. Guard Zoom Diallo has decided to enter the portal. … Will the loss tarnish what was an exceptional season for Arizona? Certainly. It has to scrape off a little luster. But you know what shines bright in Tucson today? The fact Lloyd is staying. … Another key player is returning to UCLA. … With UCLA’s women playing for the national title today, it’s a big day for L.A. hoop. … USC is losing a couple players to the portal.
• In football news, we can pass along a West Coast recruiting roundup. As we all know, recruiting never stops. … Washington has hit the recruiting trail hard even as it holds spring football practices. … Oregon State won’t be recruiting a fourth quarterback but the Beavers did add an offensive lineman from the portal. … An Oregon recruit was injured in an auto accident. … Colorado State, which held its second scrimmage Saturday, needs to keep a star quarterback. … UCLA is figuring it out one day at a time. … A USC defensive lineman revels in his toughness. … Arizona State has a crowded tight end room. … San Diego State is packing more staff into its offices.
Gonzaga: We mentioned Few pretty prominently above. And used the label “Hall of Famer.” That became official Saturday morning when this year’s class was announced. As Few’s selection was already known, and reported upon, Theo Lawson takes a bit different tack with his latest story. … But not his only one. Theo also has more on Few’s future and his thoughts on the recent past, including how Braden Huff’s injury was the defining moment of the last season. … Another Gonzaga coach was in Saturday’s news as well. Baseball coach Mark Machtolf added a descriptive line to his resume, as the Zags’ 4-3 win over visiting Pepperdine was the 638 in his career, a school record.
EWU: The Eagles’ wheelchair basketball team played for the final time Friday, losing 69-62 in Phoenix. As Cannon Barnett tells us, the school decided to cut the program at the end of the season. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Weber State picked a longtime NBA assistant as its new men’s basketball coach. … Recruiting never stops for Montana’s football team. … UC Davis scrimmaged Saturday. … The FCS is undergoing another makeover, and the Big Sky’s new additions, Southern Utah and Utah Tech, are a big part of it.
Idaho: Moscow might be the City of Brotherly Love in reputation but the Vandal football program seems to be willing to embrace that nickname in fact. As Peter Harriman documents, Idaho once again will be home to a couple of twin brothers, as Javen and Jamarion Augustus transferred in during the offseason and may just start as the defensive ends.
Preps: A great Saturday in Spokane meant a few baseball games on the schedule. We can pass along a roundup.
Indians: Spokane fell to 1-1 to start the season with a 3-2 loss to Everett at Avista Stadium. Dave Nichols was there and has this coverage of Saturday night’s game.
Chiefs: Spokane is in Prince George, trying to do the seemingly unthinkable, rally from a 3-0 deficit and win a WHL best-of-seven playoff series. A win tonight would knot the series at three games apiece and set up a win-and-move-on game Monday night in Canada.
Velocity: With ONE Spokane Stadium in use by the Seattle Reign, the men were on the road in Boise to play the expansion Athletic Club. The teams drew at one.
Zephyr: The women were also out of town, facing the Dallas Trinity in the Cotton Bowl. Dallas rolled to a 3-1 victory.
Reign: The third and final NWSL match in Spokane wasn’t as productive for Seattle, though the Reign will leave undefeated. Seattle and Denver Summit FC played to a scoreless draw.
Mariners: A 1-0 loss can be powered by a lot of things. A lack of power for one. But Saturday’s for the M’s was determined by just one thing: The power in the legs of Angels’ rightfielder Jo Adell. The veteran rose into the night three times to rob home runs for the Mariners and allow the impotent Angel offense to survive. … We agree with Matt Calkins. Robot umpires are good for the game. … Brendan Donovan has a groin injury. He’s day-to-day.
Sounders: A late Paul Rothrock goal was enough to lift Seattle to a 1-0 win in Houston in the Sounders’ return to MLS play.
Seahawks: We linked this running backs story on Friday. It is on the S-R site today.
Kraken: Another loss? To the Blackhawks? Really? Yep. It sure seems as if Seattle is doing its darndest to miss the postseason again.
Storm: Seattle lost an oft-injured guard in the expansion draft.
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• Happy Easter everyone. What a beautiful morning for it in Spokane. Our first Easter in our home of more than 40 years was anything but. The pictures of our son and niece trying to find eggs among the mud of a not-yet-landscaped yard on a cold March morning still hold a special place in our memory. Until later …