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12. Gonzaga Experience, toughness and hunger make the Bulldogs this year's sleeper to watch
If you assume that the Gonzaga players have enjoyed hero worship around Spokane
since their blitz through the NCAAs that ended with a 67-62 loss to eventual
champion Connecticut in the Elite Eight, think again. "I've been going to
the same Safeway my whole time here," says point guard Matt Santangelo, a
fifth-year senior. "So the people in the store should know me just because
I've been shopping there for five years. But every time I go, it's, 'Thank you
for shopping at Safeway, Mr., Uh ... [Santangelo squints at an imaginary
credit card receipt] San-tan-gel-o.' Spokane has a way of keeping you
humble."
Coming so closeto a Final Four berth also has a way of keeping you hungry. The Bulldogs hope to satisfy that craving by relying on seven players who are back from last year's team. The toughest of them is 6'8", 235-pound junior forward Casey Calvary, an already emphatic dunker and shot blocker who has added 20 pounds of muscle and increased his bench press from 270 to 370 in the off-season. Calvary, a history major who is drawn to study England's past in part because of the number of beheadings, is known for having a bit of a temper in practice. "Casey might be the strongest player in the country," says senior guard Richie Frahm, "and he takes everything personally. It's a measure of your manhood just getting on the court with him." Surviving practice with Calvary won't be Gonzaga's only test. The Bulldogs will also face the toughest schedule in their history, including road games against Cincinnati, Temple, UCLA and Washington, all within the span of nine days. "I put that schedule together when I was an assistant," says new coach Mark Few, who took over when Dan Monson accepted the Minnesota job in late July. "Now I'd kind of like to take a mulligan on it." Issue date: November 15, 1999
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