Closing a 47-year Chapter with the WCC
It’s a Zag Tale that’s as good as any fairy tale ever written.
At least to Gonzaga basketball fans, who flock to Las Vegas every March to cheer for their Zags in the West Coast Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
And this March, fans took in everything they could to honor the memory of 47 years in the WCC, wearing their Zag swag everywhere and exuding love for this event and all the people who share the joy it brings.
This was the Tournaments’ last hurrah for Bulldog fans as GU moves to the Pac-12 Conference this summer, and while it is likely they will return to Vegas for the new league’s post-season hoops gala, it will be a different animal.
For each of the 12 WCC Tournaments held in Las Vegas at The Orleans Arena, Gonzaga always had a “home crowd”, making other schools envious of the deep support from alumni and friends. Zag fans traveled from all over the country alongside many from Spokane unable to see games in the McCarthey Athletic Center because it is sold out for every men’s home game.
These fans owned the Orleans. At every Gonzaga game an estimated 80% of spectators were Zag fans, easily identified by their swag and often featured by stadium videographers for their unabashed enthusiasm. They were the active fans, dancing without embarrassment, creating an oftentimes deafening roar opponents could not match. And Gonzaga students filled two student sections in the end-zone seating, far outnumbering the students from other schools.
Opposing fans call The Orleans “The Kennel South.” Walking the concourse before GU games and during halftime was like strolling downtown Spokane.
For Jake Kaplicky (’26), a GU computer engineering senior at the WCC for the first time, it was amazing.
“The Tournament is awesome. Vegas is an interesting place, not really my style, but I’m here for basketball,” Kaplicky says. “We walk the concourse and see maybe 5 or 10 people in Saint Mary’s or Santa Clara or Oregon State clothes, and everyone else in Zag gear.”
Bob and Marilyn Walker, Spokane, weren’t going to miss this last date with the WCC Tournament. “We love having the tournament connected with the hotel, and both tournaments being played at the same time,” Bob says, he in a Gonzaga cap and Marilyn in her USF dorm shirt from a few years back. They are Gonzaga women’s season ticket holders. “When USF comes to town we sit behind the USF bench, Marilyn in her green and yellow shirt, but we both cheer for the Zags,” Bob explains.
One of the favorite aspects of tournament week is the All-WCC Mass on Sunday morning in a large Orleans ballroom. (Three of four con-celebrating priests were from Gonzaga.)
That’s quite evident every morning when three quarters (or more) of the people standing in line at the hotel coffee shop have Gonzaga across their chests.
Two longtime friends and Zag fans met in Las Vegas for the tournament and corresponding activities: Carmon Haddock from Moscow, Idaho, and Sister Elisa Martinez from Cottonwood, Idaho.
Sister Martinez shares that her monastery has an abundance of “Zaggers who are crazy about this team. Every time the Zags are on TV they ask us to change the house schedule so they can watch.”
The two ladies marveled at the preponderance of worshippers at the All-WCC Mass sporting Zag garb.
Michelle Wheatley and Chris Gill, both GU graduates and former Gonzaga employees, have become regular attendees at the tournament. “We love the connection and the community that assembles here,” says Wheatley. “And we hope to be running into some friends we only see once a year down here.”
This is a family affair for many. Joney Linton, 87, is here with her family of 16 from Priest River, Idaho. She says she’ll be back next year for the new tournament “If I still have my health.”
Joney’s son, Sonny, says many in the family have attended past WCCs and many Thanksgiving tournaments over the years. “It’s what they do.”
Robin Towne of Wallace, Idaho, who could seldom land a ticket to the games in the Kennel, is thankful for the availability of tickets for the Las Vegas tournament. “We think (Coach) Mark Few should get a crown for all he’s done for this community and become king for a day, along with Elvis.”
Darrell Jackson, a men’s and women’s basketball season ticket holder in Spokane, appreciates The Orleans Hotel, Casino and Arena for supporting the teams and fans over the years. “And I’m confident we’ll stay on top in the Pac-12,” he adds.
This isn’t the first time Gonzaga has changed leagues.
Bill Quigg played for the Zags when they were in the Big Sky Conference and witnessed the positive change that accompanied Gonzaga’s move to the West Coast Athletic Conference (later shortened to the WCC).
“We’re hoping that will continue,” says Bill’s wife Carol. She marvels at how they enjoy camaraderie with people from opposing schools and hopes for the same in the Pac-12. “We’ll still be there to root on the students and athletes of Gonzaga,” she vows.
Mike and Jeannie McDonald, Olympia, Washington, were part of a group of 16 Gonzaga class of ’71 graduates, as was Quigg.
“We’ll definitely see a higher level of basketball in the Pac-12, but we’ll still be one of the top teams,” Mike assesses. “We need our alums to keep supporting these kids through the Zags Collective to raise funds for Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).”
Fred and Teri Akins from Spokane believe the new league will be “a great one. Gonzaga won’t overwhelm anybody, but neither will the other teams,” Fred says.
Santa Clara grad Bob Higgins from Pinetop, Arizona, is sad to see Gonzaga leave the WCC and appreciates its efforts to build up the league.
“Several years back Mark Few (and Athletic Director Mike Roth) challenged the league to put more money into basketball and that has helped. I hope it’s still a competitive tournament, but we’ll miss this Kennel South,” Higgins says. “It’s been a blast and we credit Gonzaga for helping make it the show that it is.”