1999 NCAA Tournament

[WSUfan1]

In 1999, we came with-in one missed free throw of getting to the Sweet 16. Noel Jackson went 2-3 from the line with virtually no time left in regulation. We eventually went on to loss by 8 in OT to 6 Florida. That missed FT could have changed WSU basketball forever. Had he made that FT and we won, we would’ve played against the 10 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs. That year in 1999, was the beginning of the Gonzaga Dynasty that had shaped their brand since that tournament. Had we played them, and beat them, are we the Gonzaga of today? Would we have switched the roles with Gonzaga? No one will ever know, but that one missed FT from Jackson sure makes you wonder. Maybe we would’ve gotten to the Elite 8, where eventual champion UConn waited. I like to think that was a pivotal missed FT in WSU history.

 

[DeeScott]

In 1999, we came with-in one missed free throw of getting to the Sweet 16. Noel Jackson went 2-3 from the line with virtually no time left in regulation. We eventually went on to loss by 8 in OT to 6 Florida. That missed FT could have changed WSU basketball forever. Had he made that FT and we won, we would’ve played against the 10 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs. That year in 1999, was the beginning of the Gonzaga Dynasty that had shaped their brand since that tournament. Had we played them, and beat them, are we the Gonzaga of today? Would we have switched the roles with Gonzaga? No one will ever know, but that one missed FT from Jackson sure makes you wonder. Maybe we would’ve gotten to the Elite 8, where eventual champion UConn waited. I like to think that was a pivotal missed FT in WSU history.

There are so many "what-ifs" in sports, we just can't play that game. Yes, the missed free throw would have changed that season, but I think it's impossible to say we would have/could have become the next Gonzaga. First, Gonzaga has gone all-in on their hoops program. Randy Rahe earns around $400,000. Mark Few earns around $1.6 million. Yes, that is due to their success, but they started investing like that a long time ago--in coaches, in being willing to travel anywhere and play anyone, in recruiting, etc. The Big Sky Conference has football, something the WCC does not have. Weber football is great, but it isn't a huge revenue stream, so the money is split many different ways instead of like at Gonzaga, where most of the money they earn goes directly to men's hoops. They also have a HUGE and loyal fanbase, whose donations allow the team to fly charter everywhere. Gonzaga can play on the east coast and still make it back to Spokane in time for classes the next day because they fly direct everywhere they go. We all hope that Weber could be great like that too, but there are a lot of factors that figure in to that success, and it takes many years.