The evening ended with a thud as Gonzaga fell to Santa Clara 103-99, but it started out with rousing standing ovations for Domantas Sabonis, one of the best players in school history.
Sabonis was on hand with wife Shashana and their young children, Tiger and Eleven “Elle,” as his No. 11 jersey was displayed on the McCarthey Athletic Center wall alongside the numbers of Frank Burgess, John Stockton, Adam Morrison, Kelly Olynyk and Dan Dickau from the men’s program.
“It was great and I’m so happy for him,” Zags coach Mark Few said. “It was great to see his family, his kids running around. That was a pleasant moment on the evening — the rest not so pleasant.”
Sabonis showed off his trademark intensity, protesting a no-call in the first half when a Santa Clara player appeared to travel near his seat on the baseline.
Sabonis called it “amazing” to be back in the Kennel for the first time for a regular-season game since he entered the 2016 NBA draft following his sophomore season.
“My wife has heard me talk about Gonzaga so much,” he said. “To finally bring her here and see why this place is so special and how much I love it, it’s really cool.”
Sabonis remains Gonzaga’s all-time leader in career field-goal percentage at 63.2. In just two seasons, he scored 1,002 points and grabbed 694 rebounds, the latter 11th in school history.
“They sold me with all the international bigs that had been here, how they succeeded, which players made the NBA,” Sabonis said. “They had a full plan for me. They wanted to play through me and that’s what a player wants to hear. On top of that, they showed me the videos of the Kennel and I’m like, ‘I’m sold.’ “
Sabonis, a three-time All-Star in his ninth NBA season, spent long hours inside the McCarthey Athletic Center during his two seasons as a Zag, diligently working on all aspects of his game.
“Lived in this gym,” he said. “There were a couple nights I slept in the locker room.”
His hard work paid off as the Zags reached the Elite Eight in 2015 and the Sweet 16 in 2016, starting the program’s current run of nine straight trips to at least the Sweet 16.
The 2015 squad lost to eventual national champion Duke in a regional final, ending a five-year streak of going 1-1 in March Madness. The Zags were a No. 11 seed in 2016 but knocked off Seton Hall and Utah before losing a late lead against Syracuse.
“I remember that second-round game (Utah) my freshman year, it was like a party for the whole school,” he said. “We finally broke through … to make a Sweet 16.”
Sabonis has spent offseason time in Spokane in recent years. He was invited to show some moves to Zags players at a team workout prior to this season.
“Coach (Few) wanted me to come out and teach them some of the things I do with the pick-and-rolls and freeing up the guards,” Sabonis said. “I talked to ‘Snacks’ (assistant coach Zach Norvell Jr.) and he said, ‘Man, whatever you did in the summer helped. These guys are definitely showing it.’ That’s awesome that previous players come back and give back anyway they can.”
Sabonis is in his fourth season with the Sacramento Kings. He leads the NBA in rebounds (14.1) and 3-point percentage (47.8). He’s fourth in win shares, behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Karl-Anthony Towns, and ninth in player efficiency rating.
“We’re really finding our groove right now,” Sabonis said of the Kings, who have won eight of their past 10. “We’re playing with a lot of energy and there’s a lot of confidence in every single player. We just have to keep stringing these wins together.”
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