Jun. 20—After a disheartening freshman season at the University of Washington tested Jeff Brown's love for basketball, he was lured back to Spokane to play for Gonzaga.
At the time (1990), if anybody had tried to call Spokane "Hooptown USA," it would have evoked quizzical looks.
Yet by the time Brown was done at GU, he was MVP of the West Coast Conference and had led the Zags to a 22-8 record and their first postseason tournament appearance. That success set in place a foundational cornerstone for a program that would become a national sports phenomenon.
The swelling fanbase during Gonzaga's streak of success (27 consecutive NCAA Tournament bids) contributed to Hoopfest becoming the world's largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament — generating the self-applied ******* le of Hooptown USA.
His role in the early stages of regional basketball fanaticism leads to Brown's induction into the Hooptown USA Hall of Fame this week. It's a fine honor for a player who was on the verge of giving up the game before ever scoring a point for the Zags.
At the time (1990), if anybody had tried to call Spokane "Hooptown USA," it would have evoked quizzical looks.
Yet by the time Brown was done at GU, he was MVP of the West Coast Conference and had led the Zags to a 22-8 record and their first postseason tournament appearance. That success set in place a foundational cornerstone for a program that would become a national sports phenomenon.
The swelling fanbase during Gonzaga's streak of success (27 consecutive NCAA Tournament bids) contributed to Hoopfest becoming the world's largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament — generating the self-applied ******* le of Hooptown USA.
His role in the early stages of regional basketball fanaticism leads to Brown's induction into the Hooptown USA Hall of Fame this week. It's a fine honor for a player who was on the verge of giving up the game before ever scoring a point for the Zags.
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