1983–84 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 1983–84 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Gonzaga University of Spokane, Washington, in the 1983–84 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by third-year head coach Jay Hillock, the Bulldogs managed a 17–11 (.607) overall record (6–6 in WCAC, 4th),[3][4][5][6] and played their home games on campus at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Pavilion.

1983–84 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball
ConferenceWest Coast Athletic Conference
1983–84 record17–11 (6–6 WCAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Bruce Wilson
  • Joe Hillock [1]
  • Rich Alvari [2]
Home arenaJohn F. Kennedy
Memorial Pavilion
1983–84 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
San Diego93 .750  1810  .643
Santa Clara75 .583  2210  .688
Saint Mary's75 .583  1216  .429
Gonzaga66 .500  1710  .630
Pepperdine66 .500  1513  .536
Loyola Marymount57 .417  1215  .444
Portland210 .167  1117  .393
Rankings from AP Poll

Without a conference tournament, Gonzaga's season was not quite enough to qualify for the 53-team NCAA Tournament, the WCAC berth went to champion San Diego (9–3).[5] In earlier non-conference games, Gonzaga met Inland Empire rival Washington State of the Pac-10 at the Spokane Coliseum in December and the Cougars made a late basket and won by a point.[7][8][9][10] Two weeks later, Gonzaga outscored WSU by a point in overtime at the Far West Classic in Portland to halt their losing streak to the Cougars at eleven games.[11][12] A week later, Gonzaga broke a four-game losing streak to the other Palouse rival, the Idaho Vandals.[13][14]

Two key senior scorers were lost to injury early in the season: swingman Bryce McPhee played in only six games due to a broken leg (right fibula),[15] and forward Jason Van Nort was sidelined in early January with ongoing issues after knee surgeries.[14] Both redshirted and returned as fifth-year seniors in the following season.

With the active roster depleted to eight players, the coaching staff dipped into the intramural ranks for help and added sophomore Gino Cerchai to the Zags' bench.[16] The 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) guard saw action in two home games and made both of his free throw attempts, met with great appreciation from the student section.[2][17]

This Gonzaga team is largely remembered for Spokane native John Stockton; the senior point guard from Gonzaga Prep was a three-year starter and the team leader throughout the season,[1] and was the conference player of the year. Despite flying well below the national radar for the majority of his collegiate career, Stockton was selected 16th overall in the 1984 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz,[18][19][20][21] where he played nineteen seasons. He was named to the NBA All-Star Game ten times, made two appearances in the NBA Finals, and was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Roster

1983–84 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 12 John Stockton 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)170 lb (77 kg) SrGonzaga Prep Spokane, WA
G 14 Jeff Condill 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)175 lb (79 kg) SoSIU-Edwardsville Barrington. IL
F 22 Jeff Reinert 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)200 lb (91 kg) JrNew Mexico Bellingham, WA
G 23 Mark Matthews 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)185 lb (84 kg) JrRicks JC Rexburg, ID
G/F 24 Bryce McPhee   6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
SrBellarmine Prep Tacoma, WA
F 25 Danny Roe 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrSt. Maries HS St. Maries, ID
C 32 Tim Ruff 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)245 lb (111 kg) JrAcalanes HS Walnut Creek, CA
F 33 Jason Van Nort   6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Sr
F 34 Dave Clement 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)220 lb (100 kg) JrHighline HS Seattle, WA
F/C 35 Blair Anderson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)215 lb (98 kg) SrBella Vista HS Fair Oaks, CA
G 11 Gino Cerchai (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)175 lb (79 kg) SoSt. Ignatius Prep San Francisco, CA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Bruce Wilson
  • Joe Hillock
  • Rich Alvari

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Source:[2][7][13][14][15]

References

  1. Hamilton, Linda (June 20, 1984). "The more you see him, the more you like him". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. G6.
  2. Closky, Evan (March 24, 2017). "The tale of Gino: How a redshirt sophomore won the hearts of Gonzaga fans in 1984". KREM-TV. (Spokane, Washington). Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  3. "Zags clip Pilots' wings in WCAC season finale". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). March 9, 1984. p. 14.
  4. "Pilots lose final game, finish in WCAC cellar". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire service reports. March 9, 1984. p. 4D.
  5. "Final college basketball standings". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire services. March 15, 1984. p. 6C.
  6. "1983-84 Gonzaga Bulldogs Roster and Stats - College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  7. Blanchette, John (December 12, 1983). "New-look GU faces WSU". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 13.
  8. "WSU faces challenge from Gonzaga guards". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). December 12, 1983. p. 1C.
  9. Blanchette, John (December 13, 1983). "Winkler's 12-footer drops GU". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C1.
  10. "Winkler's shot gives Cougars 73-72 win over Gonzaga". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). December 13, 1983. p. 1B.
  11. Devlin, Vince (December 31, 1983). "Deja vu? Not quite, Zags by 1". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 15.
  12. Sahlberg, Bert (December 31, 1983). "Cougars lose final touch". p. 1C.
  13. "Tonight's games: Gonzaga at Idaho". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). January 7, 1984. p. 19.
  14. Devlin, Vince (January 8, 1984). "Ruff gets rough with GU in tough". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C1.
  15. "Zags' McPhee out for season". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). December 29, 1983. p. 19.
  16. Weaver, Dan (February 20, 1984). "Halftime isn't the only show as Zags bite big into WCAC". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). p. 13.
  17. Blanchette, John (February 12, 1984). "Zags sprint in second half". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. D2.
  18. Blackwell, Dave (June 19, 1984). "Jazz surprise by taking Stockton". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. D1.
  19. Blackwell, Dave (June 20, 1984). "Stockton pick hailed as Jazz coup". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. G1.
  20. Blanchette, John (June 20, 1984). "Jazz sound out Stockton in first round". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 21.
  21. Cawood, Neil (June 20, 1984). "After Bowie, Blazers take Thompson and who?". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 3C.
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