3. Gonzaga

Team Page | 2003-2004 Schedule | Roster

Don't be surprised if this is the season the Zags zig their way to the Final Four

By Grant Wahl

Is there any reason that Gonzaga -- little old Gonzaga from the West Coast Conference -- can't win the national title? "I don't see why not," says senior guard Blake Stepp , one of four returning starters from a team that came thisclose to sinking Arizona in an epic second-round NCAA tournament game last spring. "We have enough talent, and everyone believes in one goal, which is to go all the way and not lose our last game."

Folly, you say? Well, the Zags are loaded up front with senior forward Cory Violette , a Wooden Award nominee, and junior forward Ronny Turiaf , a member of the French national team who may be the first player in Gonzaga history to go pro early. Add a backcourt that includes 6'7" Washington transfer Erroll Knight (the state's 2001 Mr. Basketball) and Stepp (the reigning WCC Player of the Year), and the possibilities are limitless. "We have a lot of experience, and we can go 10 deep and not have too much of a drop-off," says coach Mark Few . "Plus we can score in different ways, which is good, because last year we depended way too much on Blake."

Already adept at pushing the ball in transition, Stepp worked on his lateral quickness over the summer to improve his on-the-ball defense. It's part of a teamwide plan to cool down opponents, whose shooting improved from 38.6% two years ago to 42.5% last season. Says Stepp , "If we get back to the way we played defense a couple years ago, we could give teams trouble."

Other questions: Can the Zags, who opened the season with a 73-66 loss to St. Joseph's on Nov. 14, handle a sick nonconference schedule that includes Missouri , Maryland and Stanford ? Can Stepp minimize any conflicts that might arise on a team that has never had so much competition for playing time? And perhaps most important, will the NCAA tournament committee stop penalizing Gonzaga with a lower-than-deserved seed for playing in the RPI-killing WCC?

If the answers all turn out to be yes, then don't be surprised when the Zags make it to the Final Four.

An opposing coach's view:

"It's the best team this school has ever had.... BLAKE STEPP is very smart and can shoot it off the catch and dribble going either way. You can't give him anything in transition. Can he guard other top 10 point guards? Maybe not one-on-one, but he's a winner.... RONNY TURIAF has gotten so much better. He's an incredible athlete and is relentless going to the glass, but he's foul prone.... CORY VIOLETTE is so powerful, and he can score with his back to the basket and shoot the three.... ERROL KNIGHT has a pro body, and the coaches think he has more raw ability than anyone they've ever had. But will he be able to shoot from the perimeter?"