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Gonzaga will be boasting one of it's best teams in history when November rolls around, and those in charge of scheduling made sure that the list of foes would be of a caliber that would challenge the Zags at home and away, not to mention make a little history while doing so.
Opening the season will be Idaho, a new member of the WAC in 2005. Vandal coach Leonard Perry endured some defections during the offseason with assistant coaches and players, but is trying to ramp up the program for the bigger challenge of the WAC. Idaho will play at Gonzaga and be the lone "tuneup" for a holiday trip to Maui for the Zags.
That holiday trip is Thanksgiving, and the Maui Invitational has never had a field this strong in its lomg, illustrious history. In fact, every team has been a National Champion except Gonzaga and host D-2 Chaminade. The Zags will play three of Arizona, Kansas, UConn, Michigan State, Arkansas, Maryland and Chaminade. Not a bad way to guage just how much promise Gonzaga has for later in the season, not to mention a great way to build RPI.
December should prove to be one of the most exciting, diverse and challenging months in Zag history. Visits to the new Kennel will include ACC Virginia with new coach Dave Leito, PAC-10 Washington State, A-10 St. Joseph's, Big Sky Portland State with new coach Ken Bone, Ivy League *Penn, and the Battle in Seattle (played in KeyArena) foe Oklahoma State of the Big-12. The annual Spokane Arena game between Gonzaga and Big Sky Eastern Washington will round out the home portion of the nonconference schedule.
Away games include A-10 newcomer St. Louis (formerly of C-USA) in St. Louis, A-10 UMass with new coach Travis Ford in Amherst, MA., and PAC-10 Washington in Seattle.
It's tough to pinpoint one highlight when there is a loaded Maui field, an ACC team in the new Kennel or an Oklahoma State team featuring the nation's #1 incoming recruiting class.
But when something is unprecedented, an event never before hosted in the state of Washington, be it football or basketball, when it's an event that students and fans clamor to have on their campus for a big nationally hyped game on TV, with the biggest celebrities in the business showcasing the campus and stadium all day long to millions of viewers across the nation, leading up the game...well...it makes for a special "happening" that promotes a program as well as validates it like no other can.
That's what ESPN College GameDay is, and Gonzaga is the first basketball team in the west to host the star-studded event. ESPN heavy hitters Dick Vitale (with play-by-play partner Dan Schulman), Digger Phelps, Jay Bilas, Andy Katz and Chris Fowler will set up their studios on the Spokane campus for a morning-til-night broadcast with all the frills.
You've seen it before: Crazy fans in the background, the band playing; the cheerleaders doing routines; students trying to get some air time, mugging for the cameras, showing school spirit; creative placards and costumes and all things that make the college sports atmosphere uniquely special.
Oh, and the game with PAC-10 favorite Stanford should be really, really good too. The Cardinal from Palo Alto, CA, return Chris Hernandez, Dan Grunfeld, Matt Haryasz and a load of quality, young athletes like Fred Washington and Tim Morris. Second-year coach Trent Johnson has already proven he won't skip a beat replacing Mike Montgomery. February 11, 2006, is the day, so mark it on your calendars.
With the WCC Tournament held at Gonzaga at the end of the season, one wonders if it can ever get any better for the Zags and their fans and student-athletes than 2005-2006.
* Tentative.
This is a tentative overview and the schedule remains subject to change until it is officially announced with concrete dates and times. All games will be televised.