The fans in the Kennel had waited for hours in line to witness this moment. Finally, during the pregame player introductions, that moment came, and the throng of Zags fanatics in the crowd let out a thunderous ovation.
But these cheers were not for a returning superstar. These cheers were not for a highly touted freshman recruit. No, the biggest ovation of the night was for the smallest guy on the court, junior walk-on from Quincy, Wash., Chris Pontarolo-Maag.
"P-Maag!"
"It was an awesome experience," a smiling Pontarolo-Maag said after the scrimmage. "I was stoked, and a little nervous, more than a little nervous!"
In a Bulldogs season that features storylines about redemption, leadership and expectation, perhaps the best one of all is Pontarolo-Maag's story of triumph.
Friday's scrimmage was the culmination of three years of work for Pontarolo-Maag. He had attempted to make the Bulldogs as a walk-on in each of the past two years. Both times, he met rejection.
He was an afterthought, a footnote. They never even knew his name, but P-Maag was going to make sure they learned it.
Pontarolo-Maag continued to work hard every off-season, determined to improve his game despite the odds against him.
"When you first talk to them, they give you some pretty serious statistics about how few people make it," he said.
Nevertheless, he wasn't about to give up on his dream just yet, and his resolve made an impression on junior Andrew Sorenson, an acquaintance-turned-teammate.
"I had assumed that he was probably going to be one of the guys who were going to try out," Sorensen said. "He was the one guy you would have thought could make it, because he works so hard."
Sorensen himself made the team as a walk-on two years ago in a tryout in which Pontarolo-Maag was cut, a fact P-Maag took to heart during his journey to become a Bulldog.
"It showed me that someone can actually make it as a walk-on," he said. "That gave me a little boost right there to just keep working."
Finally, on his third attempt as a walk-on, Pontarolo-Maag was rewarded for his efforts with that long-coveted roster spot.
"I was glad that all the work paid off," he said. "Eventually, if you keep working on something, you can achieve your goals."
Now, he finds himself alongside the players he watched from a distance in years past, but his passion for Gonzaga basketball and his drive for so many years to join those ranks have kept him humble. For a guy who will see little if any playing time this season, Pontarolo-Maag still gives his all every opportunity he has, all in the name of the team.
His team.
"This program has always been about hard-working guys, guys who are about doing whatever it takes to get the job done," Sorensen said. "He is another one of those guys who will give up his body for the team. He fits right in."
And when Pontarolo-Maag finally took the court for the first time in the team scrimmage, he couldn't help but feel a few butterflies at the power of it all.
"I actually messed up on the drill! I was supposed to take the next pass on the layup drill, but I just followed behind Andrew and looked stupid!"
But for those in attendance, all they saw was a Bulldog.
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