Gonzaga Is Poised for Another Tournament Run

Maybe it’s time to remove the “mid” from the midmajor label usually affixed to that little basketball school in Spokane, Wash.

Three years in a row, Gonzaga has advanced to the NCAA men’s tournament. Each time, the Bulldogs powered their way to at least the Sweet 16, making it to the Final Eight in 1999.

While there’s no official guarantee they will do it again, they certainly aren’t frightened of anybody.

“If you ask the guys on our team, once the ball’s up, we don’t care where you’re from and what school you play for,” guard Dan Dickau said. “We’re there to win.”

With Dickau, who averaged 18.3 points and 7.2 assists last season, Gonzaga is a decisive favorite to win the West Coast Conference for the third time in four seasons.

The Bulldogs have done it by selling their program to recruits ... and then getting them to stay in Spokane.

“They don’t lose players to the pros,” Pepperdine Coach Paul Westphal said.

“The talent they get is a notch below what Arizona or UCLA get, but they get them to stay for four or five years.”

San Francisco, which was riddled by injuries last season, poses a slight threat to Gonzaga because of its powerful frontcourt.

Santa Clara gets back one of the league’s top scorers, senior forward Steve Ross, and has high hopes for sophomore guard Kyle Bailey.

Pepperdine has a new coach in Westphal, but must replace the loss of high-scoring guard Brandon Armstrong, who left after his junior season for the NBA.

Loyola Marymount, under second-year coach Steve Aggers, brings up the rear, along with San Diego, Portland and St. Mary’s.

A look at the teams, excluding Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine:

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GONZAGA

Coach: Mark Few.

2000-01 record: 26-7.

Returning starters: Three.

Top players: Guard Dan Dickau averaged 18.9 points and 6.3 assists and is regarded as the top returning player in the WCC. Blake Stepp, who averaged 10.3 points and 3.5 assists as a freshman, is a threat if he recovers from off-season knee surgery.

Outlook: Casey Calvary is no longer around, and his 19-point average will be hard to match for Gonzaga’s returning frontcourt players, but the backcourt is potent and fearless.

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SAN FRANCISCO

Coach: Philip Mathews.

2000-01 record: 12-17.

Returning starters: Three.

Top players: Frontcourt players Darrell Tucker and Hondre Brewer have been dubbed “the East Bay Skyline,” indicative of the high hopes for the Dons. Tucker, a 6-7 junior forward, averaged 16.5 points and 6.8 rebounds last season. Brewer, a 7-foot senior, set the season conference record for blocks with 114.

Outlook: The Dons’ brawn in the frontcourt could pose a challenge to smaller Gonzaga.

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SANTA CLARA

Coach: Dick Davey.

2000-01 record: 20-12.

Returning starters: Three.

Top players: Forward Steve Ross averaged 12.2 points and is one of the WCC’s top scorers. Kyle Bailey made an impact as a freshman, averaging 9.1 points and setting a school record for minutes played by a freshman.

Outlook: After accounting for nearly 42% of the offense last season, Brian Jones and Jamie Holmes are gone, leaving the scoring in the hands of Ross and Bailey. Nonconference games against California and Stanford will be good early season indicators.

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SAN DIEGO

Coach: Brad Holland.

2000-01 record: 16-13.

Returning starters: Two.

Top players: Andre Laws averaged 10.3 points and Sam Adamo 9.2 points last season in the Toreros’ guard-oriented offense. Senior forward Tom Lippold, who averaged 6.2 points and 3.1 rebounds, is the top returning post player in an unproven frontcourt.

Outlook: The Toreros slipped last season amid high expectations, finishing 7-7 in conference play. Improved play from the frontcourt is necessary to regain respect.

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PORTLAND

Coach: Michael Holton.

2000-01 record: 11-17.

Returning starters: One.

Top players: Center Coky Rochin averaged seven points last season but is the leading returning scorer on a team gutted by graduation and transfers. Adam Quick got off to a good start as a freshman with a team-high 118 assists.

Outlook: Holton was hired away from his job as a UCLA assistant and promptly collected one of the WCC’s top recruiting classes. The Pilots will need to jell quickly--their third game is at defending national champion Duke.

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ST. MARY’S

Coach: Randy Bennett.

2000-01 record: 2-27.

Returning starters: One.

Top players: Guard Jovan Harris, the lone returning starter, averaged 15.1 points and was one of few positives for the Gaels last season.

Outlook: Bennett, a former assistant at St. Louis, was hired in April to turn around a program that reached a new low last season.