As history shows, Zags excel when doubted

I have to be honest. For the past several weeks, part of me has wanted to write off this season's Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Following the stunning defeat by Texas Tech, the gut-punching loss to Washington State and the upset by Oklahoma worthy of a double-take on that evening's SportsCenter, I was convinced that this team wasn't going anywhere. Their wins came against sub-par competition, they lost all their biggest games this season, and overall didn't have the look of a team ready to go anywhere this year.

Yet, every time I sat down and attempted to finally do it - to finally write off this season and thereby exorcise these negative perceptions and emotions - my fingers clenched together, my hands froze up and I found myself staring stone-faced at a blinking cursor on a blank screen.

I couldn't do it.

It baffled me. Why couldn't I write off this team? Then the reason became clear. More than just an epiphany or divine inspiration, the reason was so blatantly obvious I almost had to smack myself.

These are the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

You never write off the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

This is a program built on out-of-nowhere success. No one thought much of a group of partiers named Jeff Brown, Geoff Goss and Scott Spink, and then that group played their hearts out and led the Zags to their first WCC regular season title and a trip to the NIT.

Nobody thought a 5-foot-8-inch guard named Quentin Hall could make an impact, and then "Q" locked down University of Minnesota All-American Quincy Lewis to give the Zags a 1999 NCAA tourney first round win.

Nobody had the 1995 Zags on their radar, and then a bald-headed Australian named Jon Rillie brought the Bulldogs to their first NCAA Tournament.

Nobody batted an eye when the Bulldogs hired a young graduate assistant coach from Oregon in 1990, and now Mark Few has a .802 career winning percentage.

And sure, as of a few weeks ago this year's team may not have looked like contenders on the outside, but then again, neither did the 1999 Zags and they were minutes away from going to the Final Four. It doesn't matter what the Bulldogs may look like on the surface; as history shows, inside they have the hearts of winners.

Fueled by my ignorance and my disregard for the history of Gonzaga basketball, I was wrong about this year's team and its chances.

The fire that the Bulldogs have shown in the past three weeks is already conjuring up memories of those past teams. Few has coached this team back to an elite level, with his current lineups and offensive schemes totally dismantling the Bulldogs' WCC opponents. David Pendergaft has already broken his record for dives and floor burns fighting to help his team. Jeremy Pargo has let his resolve as a leader shine through, willing himself to lead his team despite an ailing back.

In short, these Bulldogs knew their backs were against the wall and they have stepped up and shown their ability to overcome.

The last time the Bulldogs lost was Dec. 29, and now, as they make their annual tear through conference play, I'm hoping - and expecting - that this team proves my original thoughts wrong. You can see it coming together: their swagger, their confidence, their efficiency. It won't be long now to see yet another Bulldog team prove its strength and snatch success amid the clouds of false doubt.

After all, that's what the Bulldogs do.