sean brendan

I decided that this countdown should be personal, as any schmuck can do a top 10 wins in school history. These are MY top 10 moments in the modern era of Gonzaga basketball (since 1985).

January or February of 1987. Doug Spradley goes off for 35 points in a big Gonzaga win. His performance and something about that game was very impressionable for a 7 year old kid in his first season of YMCA basketball.

This is actually my earliest vivid memory of Gonzaga basketall, and it sticks in my mind for a couple of reasons. My parents took me and my brothers to a few basketball games this season and Doug was my favorite player. After the game, my mom encouraged me to write a letter to Doug telling him how much I enjoyed watching him play basketball and congratulating him on his big game. My mom, who worked at Gonzaga then and continues to work at Gonzaga today, kindly passed my note along through the campus mail system.

In one of those simple efforts that means a lot more than one person might ever realize, Doug sent me a letter back with an autographed picture and tickets to the next Zag home game within the week. I couldn’t tell you how excited I was about getting a personal letter from the Zags star player. I quickly forget about the tickets as we just walked right into the gym in those days, but it was a nice gesture none-the-less. A life-long zag fan was born…