Bronco fans accept defeat?

By Bobby Philbrook

The men's basketball team will play their biggest game all season Saturday against Gonzaga. The Leavey Center will be filled to capacity with raucous fans ready to cheer on the Broncos.

But every attendee should take a second and consider why this game is such a big deal. Are you star-struck by Gonzaga's success or rightfully bitter about our own program's relative weakness?

Why is this the most anticipated game of the year, even though they aren't our rivals by any means?

Most rivalries are based on location. Eight miles of "Tobacco Road" separates Duke and North Carolina. UCLA and USC are on opposite sides of Los Angeles. Your token rival high school? Probably right down the street. Spokane is 905 miles away from Santa Clara.

What about fierce competition? Nonexistent. They've bested the Broncos 11 times in a row.

This isn't David vs. Goliath, either. Try seven Davids against a completely unconcerned Goliath. Gonzaga has won seven of the last eight WCC tournament titles. And no matter which statistic you look at, whether it be Coach of the Year awards, all-conference honorees, scoring averages or NCAA tournament berths, Gonzaga's program stands out in the WCC like LeBron James in an intramural game.

Fans and players need to stop being star-struck by Gonzaga. The allure of seeing NBA talent is understandable, but Gonzaga isn't Duke. They don't have a national title-filled tradition that automatically attracts the best recruits.

With knowledge that our program is not inherently weaker, Gonzaga's triumphs should eat away at every Bronco fan and player. So please, don't throw a party after a 13-point loss and invite the opposing team this year. It's not enough to be on the same court with Gonzaga. We should be better than them. Think about it: Would any blue chip recruit choose Spokane over the Bay Area if we had a comparable program and a commitment to winning?

Whether you enjoy gawking at Brody or are diehard enough to follow the team to the conference tournament every year, I hope every Ruff Rider brings their "A" game to the Leavey Center on Saturday. But don't accept defeat or mistakenly believe you're witnessing something extraordinary. It will be business as usual as Gonzaga defeats another lowly conference opponent. Don't acceptingly shrug your shoulders or mistakenly think we almost had them.

Envy their commitment to success.

Contact Bobby Philbrook at rphilbrook@scu.edu