LAS VEGAS – Omar Samhan warmed up for a West Coast Conference Tournament semifinal game against the Portland Pilots Sunday night to chants of "Spo-kane hates you!"
The jeers came from straggling Kennel Club fans, enthused over a 77-62 Gonzaga win against Loyola Marymount and berth in the tournament championship game.
With ties to Gonzaga during his recruiting process, and several run-ins with the Gonzaga fan base via heated on-court exchanges, Samhan has for some time been Gonzaga's most popular – or unpopular – WCC opponent.
"They always get on me," Samhan told the Contra Costa times. "I expect them to be how they always are, getting on me and everything else. They always have something special. I love playing in that kind of environment."
Samhan gets the chance to play in that environment again, as the No. 2 seed Saint Mary's Gaels drubbed third-seeded Portland 69-55 Sunday night.
Samhan's numbers certainly seem to indicate he likes playing against Gonzaga. The senior center leads the WCC in scoring at 21.5 points per game, but is averaging 26 points and 11.5 rebounds against Gonzaga this year.
"Tomorrow night is all about who is excited to play," Samhan said after the semifinal game. "We played tonight, [Gonzaga] played tonight, it's a quick turnaround. It will be different because we have improved defensively which is huge and we are playing sharp right now. I'm excited for it."
The Gaels, who have won four straight, are not the only ones playing sharp right now.
Gonzaga has won its past five games, and has also won its past six against Saint Mary's. Not to mention, Gonzaga is pursuing its 10th WCC Tournament title in 12 years.
"Our crowd travels so well, I mean from Maui to here to everywhere we go it seems like we have a good contingency of fans," Gonzaga guard Steven Gray said. "And coming down to Vegas is one of the most exciting things that we get to do. Especially when you have a conference tournament and a conference championship right there in front of you."
Saint Mary's may have extra incentive heading into tonight's game, however, as the Bulldogs have all but punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament and Gaels may be fighting for their postseason lives.
"There is a lot of ifs and buts with the bubble watch and everything else but there is only one fact," Samhan said Sunday. "The fact is: if you win tomorrow you're in, and that's the only thing we are worried about."
Gonzaga, meanwhile, could end up with a higher NCAA Tournament seeding with a conference tournament championship on its resume, which could mean playing in Spokane during its first round games.
"I learned a lesson as a young coach, I got too hung up on seeding one year, when we got sent to Albuquerque with the altitude and all that," Gonzaga Head Coach Mark Few said. "We have a saying in our program, ‘control what you can control,' you know that you can't control the other crowd, you can't control the officials, you can only control how hard you play and how smart you play."
The Bulldogs know the one thing they can control as far as NCAA seeding goes is their performance in the WCC Tournament title game.
"We come into this every year and want to win it," Gonzaga's Matt Bouldin said. "We want to be playing our best game going into the NCAA tournament. Winning this thing is everything."
Gonzaga and Saint Mary's will play tonight at 6 in the Orleans Arena. The game will be televised on ESPN and radio broadcast at Sports Talk 1510 KGA (Spokane); 101.1 KEYF-FM (Spokane).
STARTING LINEUPS
| Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Demetri Goodson | 6.5 | 2.0 | 1.7 |
| Steven Gray | 13.5 | 4.1 | 2.6 |
| Matt Bouldin | 16.0 | 4.7 | 4.1 |
| Elias Harris | 14.9 | 7.4 | 1.2 |
| Robert Sacre | 10.2 | 5.3 | 0.5 |
| Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Omar Samhan | 21.3 | 11.1 | 1.0 |
| Mickey McConnel | 13.3 | 2.2 | 5.3 |
| Matthew Dellavedova | 12.6 | 3.4 | 4.5 |
| Wayne Hunter | 11.0 | 3.0 | 1.4 |
| Ben Allen | 10.5 | 7.6 | 2.1 |
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A. Peterson: If you can't spell, don't hurt Gonzaga's academic reputation by saying you're an alum. Gracias!
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Another Jesuit school that has completely lost its Catholic identity. Thankfully, these "liberal" Jesuits are on their way out.
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St. Ignatius Loyola would be very disappointed to see what has become of the Jesuits in the United States and what has become of their schools. You are leading astray impressionable young people and will be held accountable for that before God. As priests and educators, you carry a greater burden and will be punished more harshly for causing others to stumble.
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I am so saddened to read this article. Looks like Gonzaga (my father's alma mater) is no different than the state school I attended when it comes to morals and values. At this point I will not even consider sending my kids there. However, I will pray for the students who are attending now - for those who follow the Catholic faith, and for those ignorant in the beauty of its teachings.
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Thank you to all contributors for sharing this. It must have been difficult, but it is necessary. You do have supporters at this school. Some people do care.
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When I read this article I was wondering why you were so upset at these two organizations...but now I know it is just because you are still burned from not being president! Get over it, ZagUp!
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I love the Zag's .. everyone of them ! But I never knew WHY they were not playing Kelly O. We only became baseball fans during Adam Morrison's time so we have a lot to learn. Win or lose you are our favorite team.
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"For we cannot tarry here,
We must march my darlings, we must bear the brunt of danger,
We, the youthful sinewy races, all the rest on us depend, Pioneers! O pioneers!" -
You do know the current Kennel Club President is a woman, right? Also, things have vastly changed for both Kennel Club and GSBA since you have graduated. Neither group feels any entitlement and are all extremely helpful and nice. Before writing this article I would have had researched a little harder because you sound like a bitter Zag.
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Next time you write an article to the editor make sure you do your research. Maybe talk with people who are actually on Kennel Club or GSBA because you have no factual evidence to back up anything you said.
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