USD MEN'S BASKETBALL: It's Grier's time in the spotlight

USD's coach knows a thing or two about the NCAAs

By TOM SHANAHAN - For the North County Times | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 6:35 PM PDT ∞

USD men's basketball coach Bill Grier waves the net in the air after his team beats Gonzaga in the Championship game of the West Coast Conference. JAMIE SCOTT LYTLE?Staff Phott

SAN DIEGO ---- Maybe the day will arrive when University of San Diego men's basketball coach Bill Grier lives out a scene reminiscent of his old boss at Gonzaga, Dan Monson, during an NCAA tournament press conference.

Perhaps Grier, who guided the Toreros to the NCAAs in his first season, will take the microphone and create ESPN sound bites and national headlines just like Monson did when Gonzaga reached the Sweet 16 in the 1999 tournament.

Monson, whose Bulldogs were fresh off upsets of Minnesota and Stanford in the first two rounds, was getting tired of hearing his previously little-known school's name mispronounced. He finally got up in front of the microphones and said: "It's Gon-ZAG-ah, not GON-zawg-ah."

The 'Zags went national ---- a status they've maintained ever since.

"If you get to the Sweet 16, you can multiply by 1,000 times the national media attention from that first week when you got in to the next games," Grier said. "The first week is great, but that next week is greater."

The first week has turned out great for Grier, who agreed to a contract extension on Tuesday as he prepared the Toreros for their first-round West Regional game against fourth-seeded Connecticut on Friday at Tampa, Fla.

Grier has been trying to impress upon his players the special opportunity that awaits 13th-seeded USD, which is making its first NCAA trip since 2003.

As for his sound-bite moment? Maybe it will involve correcting the school's name in the media.

Grier recently heard USD referred to as "San Diego University" during an interview with an out-of-town radio station.

"You correct them and make sure they understand," Grier said.

He might have to explain what a Torero is.

"One my friends thought it was a salsa," Grier said.

All humor aside, Grier's ride with the Bulldogs during 10 NCAA trips was electric.

It started with Gonzaga's first NCAA appearance in 1995 under then-coach Dan Fitzgerald. The Bulldogs lost 87-63 to Maryland.

"It was the first time in the history of the school in the tournament, and we were elated," Grier recalled. "When we got to the game, it was, 'Oh, my God!' We didn't play well."

But the Bulldogs' coaching staff learned from the experience.

"The next time, we made sure we were focused and went in aggressive with a chip on our shoulder to win games," Grier said. "That started our first run."

Now coached by Monson, Gonzaga opened the 1999 tournament in Seattle with a 75-63 win over a Minnesota team that had been rocked during the weekend by an academic scandal. Two days later, the Bulldogs scored a stunning 82-74 upset of Stanford, which had been ranked No. 1 in the nation until a late-season loss.

The two victories sent Gonzaga to the Sweet 16 and ignited national attention, but the Bulldogs weren't done.

First, Gonzaga beat Florida, 73-72, to advance to the Elite Eight. Then, the Bulldogs nearly staged another upset before falling 67-62 to Connecticut ---- the same Huskies team which would win the national title the next weekend with a monumental upset of Duke.

"We were a game from the Final Four against a great Connecticut team," Grier said. "We were down by one point with 30 seconds to go. That's about as close as you can get to the Final Four."

When Monson left to coach Minnesota, Mark Few was promoted to head coach, and Grier was elevated to his top assistant. Few and his staff followed up the 1999 tourney with two more Sweet 16 appearances in 2000 and 2001. By then, Gonzaga was established nationally ---- and found itself to be a hunted team that suffered some first- and second-round losses.

Another benefit of the Bulldogs' run of NCAA trips: A kid named Adam Morrison was watching as he grew up in Spokane, Wash. Morrison went on to work as a Gonzaga ball boy in middle school.

When it came time for the future All-American to pick a college, Morrison said he never considered any school but Gonzaga.

"Getting on TV in the NCAA tournament is always great exposure for your fans and potential recruits," Grier said. "At Gonzaga, we were able to build on those things and get more local kids interested. Hopefully we'll grow here and get more San Diego kids interested and wanting to play for USD."

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