Everyone who loves the ZAGS has their own personal story about ZAG passion, ZAGmania, ZAG adoration---you name it.
And, they are all usually worth the listen.
Here's mine for this year.
I read the early reports/predictions about this year's team and came up with this conclusion: looks like they're about a B+ team BUT they have good coaches.
So, ya never know.
In the fall, I went on my usual dutiful mission to Spokane and McArthey Athletic Complex, plunked down my donation to the Bulldog Club (now named something else) and asked for about 25 posters.
The posters have become what I like to call my annual Santa Claus project where I'll show up and hand them out to a growing list of ZAG fanatics back here in Sandpoint.
This year, one poster was added to the list. That would be for Erroll in Chicago who, last year while driving us from downtown Chicago to Midway Airport, immediately asked for a ZAGS T-shirt.
Erroll collects those college basketball shirts and had never yet owned a ZAG tee. So, with a few mailing glitches, Debbie and I eventually got Erroll his shirt(s).
We figured the fact that the ZAGS have Zach Norvell, Jr. from Chicago on the team this year would heighten Erroll's interest. It has. He checks in from time to time to let us know he's keeping track.
Throughout the season, I've held several heart-to-heart talks about current ZAGdom at the end of the driveway with my neighbor Colleen, who's pretty darn analytical about the ZAGS---every game.
There were visits of frustration and visits of hope and often an overall conclusion that the team had talent but needed consistency and a sense of cohesiveness.
I also occasionally chimed in that they had something to prove since all predictions put them as almost also rans.
Regardless of the predictions, we as family ZAG fans have hung with them through the good, the bad and the ugly AND there were a few really ugly games this season.
As the WCC season wound down, however, we were starting to see that essential ingredient gradually evolve. They were making few mistakes, some had stepped up to the plate and cohesiveness became consistent.
While we were concentrating publicly on the ZAGS men, Bill was the ever faithful follower of the ZAGS women. Birthday presents the past few years have been season passes. This year I accompanied him to one game and Willie and Debbie to a few more.
The ZAGS women were consistently moving forward, winning and getting better by the game, especially after some injured players at the beginning of the season started playing.
And, so, yesterday, we devoted our afternoon and evening to watching both the women's and men's teams play for their championships.
And, win they did, in fine style, as years and years of ZAGS have done before them.
It's about talent. It's about having something to prove to the skeptics of the world. It's about coaching----very fine coaching. It's about the wide scale community of those two teams with their ardent followers---each with ZAGS stories of their own.
It's about the best "morning after" that anyone here in the Northwest or around the world who has ever loved the ZAGS could ask for. These teams, with their coaching and their Jesuit influence, embody so much more than winning basketball games.
Their values, their teamwork and their sense of doing the job right and with integrity shines. Both the men and the women teams have won their well-deserved championships in exemplary fashion, as ZAGS have done so many years before.
And, because of that, we love them all the more.
It's a beautiful day here in North Idaho and it's once again a GREAT DAY to be a ZAGS FAN.
Congratulations to the teams and their coaches.
Also, enjoy the photos below which show that we may be into the March Madness zone, but it may be a while before we're touting March Gladness. Plus, that's a lovely cat down there at the Filipowski barn.
Happy Tuesday. Erroll, are ya happy back there in Chicago?
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