All you need to know about the Zags

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS | The Associated Press • Published March 18, 2008

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SPOKANE — As No. 24 Gonzaga prepares to play Davidson in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday, here’s an alphabetical guide to the Zags’ 2007-08 campaign: A: Abdullahi Kuso, the Nigerian Nightmare, a 6-foot-9 center whose emergence off the bench helped Gonzaga (25-7) win eight of its last nine.

B: Bob Knight, who handed the Zags their first loss of the season at the Great Alaska Shootout, a few months before his abrupt retirement.

C: Connecticut, the No. 16 Huskies are the highest ranked team the Zags beat this year.

D: Downs, Micah, sharp-shooting forward with a buzzcut who shoots .388 from 3-point range.

E: Elongated Will Foster, little used 7-foot-4 giant whose entry into games is always met with a roar.

F: Fabulous freshmen seeing plenty of minutes this season, including Austin Daye, Steven Gray and Robert Sacre.

G: Grier, Bill, the longtime Gonzaga assistant who became head coach at San Diego this year and led his team to an upset of the Zags in the West Coast Conference title game.

H: Heytvelt, Josh, junior forward whose promising career has been sidetracked by a drug possession arrest, foot surgery, and sluggish play. Once considered an NBA prospect, now he’s riding the bench.

I: Inspired play by Davidson (26-6) in winning its past 22 straight games, longest streak in the nation.

J: Jeremy Pargo, the WCC player of the year and a hard-nosed Chicago guard who is at his best against top opponents.

K: Kennel Club, Gonzaga’s raucous student body, which provides the main spark in the perpetually sold out McCarthey Athletic Center, where the well-heeled crowd is mostly occupied with the main see-and-be-seen scene in Spokane.

L: Las Vegas, next year’s site of the WCC tournament, which could lead to a sudden emptying of frozen Spokane in early March.

M: McKillop, Bob, Davidson coach who is 337-224 and making his fifth trip to the NCAAs with the Davidson, N.C., team.

N: Northridge and Northern Colorado, which both went south in consecutive games at the MAC in December.