FAA Probing Video of Gonzaga MCBB Team's Plane Nearly Colliding with Plane on Runway
Dec 30, 2024
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 20: A basketball sets on the court next to the Bulldogs logo prior to the start of the game between the San Francisco Dons and the Gonzaga Bulldogs at McCarthey Athletic Center on February 20, 2020 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)
The Federal Aviation Administration is reportedly investigating a situation at the Los Angeles International Airport in which an air traffic controller had to stop a chartered jet carrying the Gonzaga men's basketball team, helping it narrowly avoid another plane that was taking off in the same vicinity.
A report from NBC LA and Rob King of KXLY in Spokane, Washington, detailed the situation, noting it happened at approximately 4:30 p.m. local time on Friday when the Bulldogs were arriving in Los Angeles for a game against UCLA.
A Delta commercial plane ended up taking off on the runway near where the Key Lime Air chartered jet was taxiing following its flight.
"We understand that the incident at LAX is under investigation and we will review this information as it becomes available," Gonzaga said in a statement. "Our team members aboard the aircraft were unaware of the situation as it occurred and we are grateful that the incident ended safely for all."
The FAA said Gonzaga's plane managed to avoid the runway while the Delta plane was taking off, while a Delta spokesperson said its flight operated as expected.
UCLA ended up winning the Saturday game 65-62 after Skyy Clark made two key free throws in the final seconds and Ryan Nembhard missed a three-pointer that would have forced overtime.
The Bulldogs are 9-4 but have struggled of late following a 7-1 start.
They are 2-3 in their last five with losses to UCLA, Kentucky and UConn. They also lost to West Virginia earlier this season but figure to find their footing in conference play once their WCC schedule starts.
CBB Fans Shocked as No. 3 Gonzaga Upset by Unranked WVU in Battle 4 Atlantis
Nov 27, 2024
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 18: Head Coach Mark Few of the Gonzaga Bulldogs calls a play during the second half of a game against the San Diego State Aztecs at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on November 18, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
A week of upsets continued on Wednesday as No. 3 Gonzaga lost to West Virginia 86-78 in overtime in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Leading by double digits in the second half, Gonzaga seemed on its way to a win, but the Mountaineers came storming back behind Javon Small's 31 points and nine three-pointers to force overtime.
West Virginia outscored Gonzaga 15-7 in overtime to pick up an early-season signature win.
After the game, fans were stunned to see the Mountaineers upset Mark Few's squad.
West Virginia just picked up its biggest win post-Bob Huggins. The Mountaineers upset Gonzaga at the Battle 4 Atlantis. They are partying on Thanksgiving Eve in Morgantown!
A stunner in the Bahamas. Mountaineers trailed by as many as 10 points before coming back & forcing OT. Javon Small was terrific, finished with 31 and 7. Gonzaga’s stars struggled — Graham Ike basically sat for the final 20 minutes.
In the past two days, the team that was picked 13th in the Big 12 Preseason Poll --- West Virginia --- beat Gonzaga and the team that was picked 15th --- Colorado --- beat UConn.
The depth of this league looks better than it's ever been.
Take me home, country roads. What a win for Darian DeVries and West Virginia over Gonzaga. Javon Small was unbelievable with 31 points. Amani Hansberry imposed his will with 19 and 8. Tucker DeVries came up clutch.
EMPHATIC upset by the Mountaineers in the Battle 4 Atlantis, as they knock off #3 Gonzaga for their 1st L of the year. The Zags were up 5 with 20 seconds left in regulation, but West Virginia was able to claw back for the W.
Monster victory for West Virginia after trailing by double digits in 2H and by five with under 30 seconds to go. So many missed opportunities for Gonzaga.
Feast Week is undefeated.... less than two weeks from getting blasted by 24 at Pitt, WVU takes down a contender for No. 1.
The first year of the Darian DeVries era in West Virginia got off to a bit of a rocky start when the Mountaineers lost to unranked Pittsburgh 86-62 just a few weeks ago. Now, West Virginia has a signature win with a chance to boost its resume even more before leaving The Bahamas.
The Mountaineers will now face Louisville, which beat No. 14 Indiana 89-61 earlier on Wednesday.
West Virginia, which has made the NCAA Tournament just two times since 2018, is hoping to finally get things moving back in the right direction. While it's still early, a win over a top team is a good start.
Gonzaga to Join Pac-12 in 2026, Leave WCC amid Conference Realignment Rumors
Oct 1, 2024
SPOKANE, WA - JANUARY 10: A view of the McCarthey Athletic Center basketball floor showing Gonzaga University's logo prior to the game between the Saint Mary's Gaels and the Gonzaga Bulldogs on January 10, 2013 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)
Gonzaga is leaving the West Coast Conference for the Pac-12.
Gonzaga and the Pac-12 announced on Tuesday that the Bulldogs will join the conference as its eighth member beginning July 1, 2026.
"Following discussions with Pac-12 member presidents, I believe membership will represent an opportunity to participate in building a conference that imagines new, forward-thinking ways to support student-athletes in a rapidly changing collegiate sports landscape," Gonzaga University President Thayne McCulloh said.
"Partnerships with a new group of universities can also assist in our student recruitment and enrollment efforts, create opportunities for academic collaboration with new faculty colleagues, and attract more students who value an excellent education distinctively rooted in our Jesuit identity and tradition. I am particularly excited about the opportunities partnering with this group of institutions can offer our students, faculty, and staff for multi-institutional collaboration."
Brett McMurphy of Action Network reported last week that Gonzaga was Pac-12-bound and would receive a "full conference revenue share" despite not having a football program, but Gonzaga athletic director Chris Standiford told Jim Meehan of the Spokesman-Review at the time that it was "not accurate reporting."
Ten of 12 Pac-12 member schools have departed over the past year, leaving only Oregon State and Washington State behind.
The Pac-12 got creative by negotiating a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West Conference for Oregon State and Washington State in football this season while making the schools associate members of the West Coast Conference in basketball.
While not a power conference, the WCC has been a power in basketball thanks largely to the presence of Gonzaga, although Saint Mary's, San Francisco and some other programs have had success as well.
Gonzaga has been the class of the conference, though, and it has been among the elite programs in men's college basketball for years, reaching the NCAA tournament each of the past 25 times it has been held.
That run has not yielded a national championship, but the Bulldogs have twice finished as the national runner-up.
Gonzaga will become the eighth Pac-12 member school once it is officially added, as the Pac-12 has been hard at work in recent weeks when it comes to rebuilding the conference.
The Pac-12 has also secured commitments from Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State, Fresno State and Utah State to leave the Mountain West Conference, giving the Pac-12 seven member schools in football.
While Gonzaga will be the eighth member school overall, the Pac-12 still needs at least one more member school in football to be recognized by the FBS as an official conference that is eligible for the College Football Playoff.
The Pac-12 figures to reach that threshold in the near future as it continues to add schools, but the addition of Gonzaga ensures that it will be a significant conference in basketball regardless.
Gonzaga reached the national championship game in 2021 and San Diego State did the same in 2023, meaning the Pac-12 will have two high-end basketball schools capable of contending for a national title.
That means the Pac-12 may be viewed as more of a basketball conference than a football conference moving forward, although Boise State has long been an elite Group of Five football team that could become a legitimate contender in a bigger conference.
Gonzaga will bring some instant credibility to the Pac-12 in basketball, while the West Coast Conference will be dealt a major blow with Saint Mary's likely ascending to the top of the conference in the Zags' place.
Report: Gonzaga, Pac-12 in 'Serious' Talks Amid Conference Realignment Rumors
Sep 23, 2024
HONOLULU, HI - NOVEMBER 21: The Gonzaga Bulldogs logo on a pair of shorts during a college basketball game against the Syracuse Orange on day two of the Allstate Maui Invitational at the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on November 21, 2023 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
The Pac-12's revitalization took another potential step on Monday.
According to multiple reports, Gonzaga and the conference are in discussions to have the Bulldogs join the Pac-12 as a basketball school, though an agreement isn't finalized:
The report stating that Gonzaga is headed to the Pac-12 is not accurate, source close to the discussions tells @NBCSports. Both sides have had/are having serious conversations, but nothing has been agreed upon by the parties at this point.
The Pac-12 has had discussions with Gonzaga about joining the conference and while it could lead to an agreement, nothing has been agreed to yet, per source..
Brett McMurphy of Action Network had previously reported that a deal was complete and that the Bulldogs would receive "a full conference revenue share" despite not participating in football.
Gonzaga athletic director Chris Standiford denied a deal was done, per Jim Meehan of the Spokesman-Review:
"That is not accurate reporting." Gonzaga athletic director Chris Standiford on Brett McMurphy's report on X that GU is leaving the WCC for the Pac-12.
The Pac-12 still needs two more football schools to join Oregon State, Washington State, Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State and San Diego State. The conference has until 2026 to have eight football members to be eligible for a potential automatic bid to the College Football Playoff.
The potential alignment comes in the wake of a number of reported Pac-12 targets, prominently Memphis and Tulane, announcing on Monday that they were remaining in the American Athletic Conference:
Both the Pac-12 and AAC were dealt a blow for their own expansion plans, meanwhile, after Air Force recommitted to the Mountain West Conference, per Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports. Air Force is "signing or expected to soon sign a new grant-of-rights deal with financial incentives," according to that report.
With Memphis, Tulane, South Florida, UTSA and Air Force now off the table for the Pac-12, the conference may turn to UNLV and Utah State, as both programs have "already seen the league's expansion presentation," per Dellenger.
The race to either add football programs or retain them has been prompted by two factors: the Pac-12 trying to remake itself after losing all but two members ahead of the 2024 season, and a number of conferences trying to strengthen themselves as much as possible given the College Football Playoff's automatic bid for the five highest-ranked conference champions.
Generally, four of those berths will go to the two powerhouse conferences (SEC, Big Ten) and the two strongest conferences behind them (Big 12, ACC). With that fifth bid up for grabs, however, conferences like the Pac-12, Mountain West and AAC would benefit from stacking themselves with strong football programs in an attempt to ensure a playoff berth each year.
The Pac-12 already raided the Mountain West of their four strongest football programs, but efforts to add some of the top remaining schools on the board have thus far been rebutted.
As for Gonzaga, the Bulldogs would be a fantastic addition on the basketball side of things, though that would do little to aid in the efforts to establish the Pac-12 as the fifth-strongest football conference in the country.
ESPN's Kyle Bonagura added that the Pac-12 and Saint Mary's have had preliminary discussions as well, a potential move that would add another strong basketball program to the conference.
Gonzaga's Mark Few Names Brian Michaelson as HC Replacement When He Retires from CBB
Sep 9, 2024
LAS VEGAS, NV - NOVEMBER 23: Gonzaga head coach Mark Few looks on with assistant coach Brian Michaelson during the Empire Classic tournament college basketball game between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the UCLA Bruins on November 23, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Gonzaga men's basketball head coach Mark Few announced his successor on Monday, tabbing assistant coach Brian Michaelson to eventually replace him.
"Michaelson will be the guy that takes over for me," he said on the College Hoops Today Podcast. "That's the great thing about Gonzaga. We always have the next guy up in line."
While Few knows who he wants his successor to be, he didn't specify how much longer he plans on coaching.
"I don't spend a lot of time on that," he said. "I don't have a five-year plan or 10-year plan."
Michaelson will have big shoes to fill whenever the time comes. Under the 61-year-old Few, Gonzaga has gone 716-143 in 25 seasons, reached the NCAA tournament 24 straight times (it wasn't held in the 2019-20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and has reached a pair of Final Fours. Gonzaga has gotten past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament 13 times under Few's watch, though a national championship has eluded them.
Under his watch, the Bulldogs have won at least a share of the regular season title 22 times and have claimed 19 conference tournament championships. He was named the Associated Press' Coach of the Year in 2017 and has seen a number of his players reach the NBA, including Domantas Sabonis, Jalen Suggs, Brandon Clarke, Chet Holmgren, Corey Kispert, Kelly Olynyk, Rui Hachimura and Adam Morrison, among others.
Michaelson is himself a former walk-in for the program and has served on Few's staff since the 2013 season. The current head coach had previously tabbed Tommy Lloyd as his next-in-line, but Lloyd took the Arizona Wildcats' head-coaching position in 2021.
Few himself succeeded Dan Monson after being on his staff for 10 years.
Gonzaga Has CBB Fans Eyeing Final Four Run After Rout of Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
Mar 23, 2024
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 23: (L-R) Dusty Stromer #4, Ben Gregg #33 and Anton Watson #22 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs react during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Delta Center on March 23, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Gonzaga and Kansas were playing what looked like it might be a classic game for the first half of Saturday's second-round showdown in the NCAA men's tournament, with the No. 4 seed Jayhawks taking a 44-43 lead into the break.
And then the fifth-seeded Bulldogs went Super Saiyan.
Gonzaga reeled off a 37-9 run to start the second half en route to an 89-68 blowout win. The Bulldogs opened the half by hitting on 11 of their first 12 field goals, while Kansas missed 15 shots in that span.
Sometimes, a tourney game is decided by one team getting hot. Other times, a team going cold seals their fate. Both happened simultaneously in the second half on Saturday.
Anton Watson paced the Bulldogs with 21 points and six rebounds, while Nolan Hickman added 17 points. Hunter Dickinson (15 points, five boards, four assists) did what he could for the Jayhawks.
But this was all Gonzaga, and social media gave the team its deserved flowers after the contest:
Yeah man. If IF Purdue gets past Utah State, they aren’t getting past Gonzaga. Their offensive efficiency the last month and a half has been off the charts good.
Wow what a great display of offensive efficiency by @ZagMBB in the 2nd half vs @KUHoops . The Jayhawks led by 1 at half but Gonzaga totally dominated 2nd half & win 89-68.Mark Few & his Zags r SWEET SIXTEEN bound . 9 straight Sweet Sixteens for Gonzaga . Yes Kansas will…
Make it nine straight Sweet 16 appearances for Gonzaga. That level of consistency is very impressive in the age of one-and-done recruits and the transfer portal, and Mark Few was praised after the win, too:
For Gonzaga to be back there like this in what was supposed to be a down year, where they lose Venters in the preseason with a knee injury, and don't quite look like they're going to gel around midseason?
Mark Few is such a ridiculous coach. Unbelievable teacher of the game.
Ninth straight Sweet Sixteen for Gonzaga. Incredible run of sustained success in a tournament where the first weekend always has land mines. Zags dominating Kansas today.
Gonzaga will make its ninth-straight @MarchMadnessMBB Sweet 16 appearance -- a remarkable feat. Conference affiliation means nothing in March. The Zags continue to win when it matters most. Period.
Saturday's result doesn't come as the biggest surprise. Gonzaga was only one seed lower than Kansas, has won 11 of its past 12 games and the Jayhawks were without star guard Kevin McCullar Jr. due to a bone bruise on his knee.
But does anybody want to see this Gonzaga team right now? Purdue is the top seed in the Midwest region, but a potential Sweet 16 matchup with the Bulldogs would be a formidable test.
Kansas ran into an absolute buzzsaw in the second half, a reminder of what this Gonzaga team is capable of when it's hitting on all cylinders.
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Report: Gonzaga, Big 12 Resume 'Top-Level Discussions' About Conference Realignment
Oct 9, 2023
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 21: A general view of the Gonzaga logo on the court prior to the start between the Northwestern State Demons and the Gonzaga Bulldogs at McCarthey Athletic Center on December 21, 2020 in Spokane, Washington. Gonzaga defeats Northwestern State 95-57. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)
The Big 12's efforts to make itself into a basketball powerhouse have reportedly focused in on Gonzaga.
Seth Davis of The Messenger reported the Big 12 and Gonzaga have had "top-level discussions" about the school joining the conference. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is reportedly the driving force behind the potential move, as he's recently met with school presidents and athletic directors to pitch his vision.
Gonzaga has not had a football team since 1941, so its addition to the Big 12 would largely be centered on its men's basketball program.
The Bulldogs have not missed the NCAA tournament since Mark Few took over the program in 1999. They have reached the Final Four twice and are a 19-time champion of the West Coast Conference tournament and 22-time champion of the conference's regular season under Few.
While the legendary coach built his resume by winning games with players who did not receive Power Five offers, Gonzaga has increasingly become a player on the recruiting trail. Gonzaga has landed 5-star prospects Jalen Suggs, Chet Holmgren and Hunter Sallis in recent years. Suggs and Holmgren went on to become first-round NBA draft picks, while Sallis failed to make an impact before transferring to Wake Forest.
In past years, Gonzaga was seen as a Cinderella beating up on a weak conference before taking on the big boys come March. A move to the Big 12 would instantly give the Bulldogs program regular-season legitimacy and potentially open the road for more high-profile recruits to join the team.
The Big 12 will already add Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah starting in 2024.
Report: UConn Has 'Stronger' Momentum Than Gonzaga to Join Big 12 for Basketball
Jun 6, 2023
COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 11: A view of the UConn Huskies logo on their uniform during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center on December 11, 2022 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is continuing to explore potential avenues toward expansion amid the ongoing era of conference realignment, and two storied basketball programs are being eyed.
According to CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd, Gonzaga and UConn are under consideration by the Big 12, but one school is more likely to be added to the conference than the other.
"There has been 'mutual admiration' at the presidential level between Gonzaga and the Big 12; however, there is stronger 'momentum' for UConn to join the league than Gonzaga at the moment," Dodd stated.
UConn, which won its fifth men's basketball national championship this year, reportedly would be added as a full member, while Gonzaga would be added for basketball only.
Nothing is imminent, as Dodd pointed out that the Big 12 "continues to wait for the Pac-12 to reveal a new media rights figure to its members before taking the next step in that pursuit." The Bulldogs are also being pursued by the Pac-12, which would make more sense for them geographically.
Yormark has lofty goals for Big 12 basketball, as Dodd noted he's seeking separate media rights contracts for basketball and football, which has never been done before in the modern era of Power Five conferences.
"We're going to consider all options," Yormark said at last week's Big 12 spring meetings. "We do see the upside in basketball for all the right reasons. We think it is undervalued and there is a chance for us to double down as the No. 1 basketball conference in America, but football is the driver. We all know that."
While adding a pair of powerhouse basketball programs would be an unprecedented move, Dodd said the local view of UConn joining the Big 12 "has been described as mixed." The Huskies would be sacrificing some of their ties to the Northeast in favor of playing in the South and Midwest. They would likely lose many of their longtime Big East rivalries.
Also, UConn would owe the Big East at least $30 million in exit fees if it departed before its seventh year as a member, and the school is about to enter its fourth.
Report: Big 12 Talking Expansion; UConn, Gonzaga 'Certainly Talked About' in Meetings
Jun 2, 2023
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MARCH 24: The Big XII logo on the floor during the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament game between the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes and the Houston Cougars at T-Mobile Center on March 24, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
In the ever-changing college athletics landscape, the Big 12 is potentially looking to shake things up again in terms of expanding its membership, according to ESPN's Heather Dinich.
The conference had its spring meetings in West Virginia this week and a source told Dinich that while there were no votes on new memberships, there were plenty of talks regarding different scenarios to grow the league.
One of those scenarios is adding blue blood basketball programs like Gonzaga and UConn to the mix as basketball-only schools, according to Dinich. And Commissioner Brett Yormark confirmed as much when asked about the possibility of adding a team like the Bulldogs.
"We do see the upside in basketball moving forward for all the right reasons," Yormark said without specifically mentioning either program. "We think it's undervalued and there's a chance for us to double down as the No. 1 basketball conference in America, but football is the driver and we all know that.
"As we think about the future and ways to create value," he added, "there is always that option to decouple basketball from football to see if there's further value we can create for the conference."
Set to lose a couple of heavy hitters to the SEC in 2024 with Oklahoma and Texas both leaving the conference, the Big 12 has been extremely quick in trying to create what Yormark has been calling a "national conference in our makeup from coast to coast."
Joining the conference in 2023 are a few well-known commodities in BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF, which all have proved their worth, in both football and basketball, over the last several seasons.
If it's able to add Gonzaga and/or UConn in the coming years, the Big 12 will turn itself into the undisputed, best college basketball league in the country.
However, the Big 12's president and chancellors are waiting for the Pac 12's media deal to be announced before making any moves. They also have a number of priorities they are taking into consideration as expansion talks continue.
"Our institutions share the same high academic standards and we compete at a very high level athletically, so naturally those sort of criteria enter into our considerations, but also I think we have to open to this changing landscape of athletics," Texas Tech president Lawrence Schovanec said on the same call as Yormark. "That's one of the skills and perspectives Brett brings us. We're taking a very open attitude, weighing all the different issues that are presented, and when the timing is right and the situation is right, we'll make a decision."
While Gonzaga has been a longtime member of the West Coast Conference, a non-football league, UConn, the reigning men's national champions, is coming off a very recent switch back to the Big East.
After several years playing in the AAC, the Huskies rejoined the Big East ahead of the 2020 season, and it'd be hard to envision another move happening so soon.
