Somewhere along the muddy banks of the Spokane River sits a small, picturesque, 94-acre Jesuit university. About a stone's throw away from downtown Spokane, the 104 buildings dotting the lush grassland poke out innocently.
What's the big deal about this place?
The 4,000-or-so students here will tell you this is the school that produced famed crooner Bing Crosby; they will tell you about the school's rich academic tradition or the supportive religious environment.
But if you hang around long enough, especially around this time of year, you may just find out perhaps the biggest secret in college basketball-that this seemingly quiet campus is home to a budding hoops powerhouse that has made more noise than just about anyone in the last two years.
You're at Gonzaga, one of only five schools to have appeared in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament the last two seasons. You're at Gonzaga, where Cinderella has called home during the last two episodes of March Madness. You're at Gonzaga, home to a group of blue-collar Bulldogs who have surprised everyone but themselves for two years running.
"When we are old and retired, we will look back and get amazed at what we've done," resident sharpshooter Richie Frahm said. "It took until last summer to realize what we did last year. We don't plan on going home anytime soon."
For the second straight year, the Bulldogs began the tournament as a lowly 10-seed but blitzed their way through the first two rounds by upending the two-seed in the second round.
Last year, it was a Stanford team that fell victim to a sizzling 11-for-20 performance by the 'Zags from behind the arc. And last Saturday, it was guard Matt Santangelo who twisted the knife into St. John's with a 26-point performance that included the game-clinching three-pointer.
You can call them Cinderellas, those in the know call them something else-damn good.
"I think they've got a really good chance of going to the Final Four," St. John's coach Mike Jarvis said. "There is a time and a place for everything and maybe this is their time. It wasn't meant for us. Maybe it's meant for Gonzaga."
But Jarvis would be wrong.
Teams destined for the Final Four don't run out of recruiting money midway through fall recruiting, like Gonzaga did this year. Teams destined for the Final Four don't have trouble recruiting because their targets are told to stay away from 'small-time' schools, something Gonzaga head coach Mark Few and his predecessor Dave Monson are intimately familiar with.
So how does this small school playing in the West Coast Conference whose only connection to basketball is the Utah Jazz's John Stockton come within 20 seconds of the Final Four one year and look poised for yet another run one year later?
"Gonzaga is a different place," head coach Mark Few explained. "You don't eat catered meals on the road. Our locker room just got an All-Sport machine this year. You don't have the [fringe benefits]. It's a special place. Kids understand that you're going to do the deal."
And in the last few years, this special place has attracted some special kids.
First came Ryan Floyd, the plucky reserve from Harrington, Wash. Don't go looking for the town on the map though, Harrington doesn't even have a stop light.
Then came Matt Santangelo, the cold-blooded sniper who burst onto the scene last March after toiling in obscurity for two seasons.
The next two years, Australian Axel Dench would make the 6,000 mile trek to Spokane, and Frahm and Casey Calvary made the hop, skip and jump to Gonzaga from nearby towns in Washington. Both Frahm and Calvary had completely flown under the radar of Pac-10 recruiters.
And for the last two years, the kids have danced circles around those schools that had ignored them.
"I'm so happy for these kids right now," Few said. "They have worked their entire basketball careers and this is a great thing for them right now. These guys came through when the lights were on bright."
A regional semifinal matchup against Purdue awaits the 'Zags in Albuquerque, but for a moment at least, the Bulldogs are soaking in their success.
"This is a special one," Frahm said. "To be able to have an encore like this is special, no question."
And at a second or third glance, it becomes apparent this place in Spokane is also quite special.
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