Surprises and smiles on Zags' senior night

Yep, the Zags know how to throw a party.

Senior night festivities on Saturday included all kinds of surprises, thrills — and emotion.

Of course, in between the festivities before and after the game, pesky Jordan Ford and his Saint Mary’s pals had to be ushered off the premises.

And this was not the Gaels bunch that Gonzaga thrashed 90-60 down in Moraga.

“We knew it wouldn’t be,” said Corey Kispert (4 for 5 from 3-point range, 20 points) after the Zags hung on to win 86-76.

“This is who they really are.”

The quicksilver Ford tossed in 28 points and, at times, he seemed unguardable.

But down the stretch, Admon Gilder did a great job of denying Ford the ball as the Zags got their business done.

Other than Saint Mary’s creeping within five points with a couple of minutes left before trouble was averted, the entire evening was simply a Gonzaga lovefest.

THE SURPRISE appearance of Rui Hachimura — whose Washington Wizards are camped a little south in the Bay Area — brought ear-splitting roars from the crowd.

Even louder, though, was the ovation for Mac Graff, a senor manager who lost the use of his legs in an accident while hunting when he was 17.

Everyone around the Kennel is used to seeing Graff hustling around in his wheelchair, fetching rebounds during warmups.

It’s like he’s part of the furniture.

But when the senior managers were introduced, Graff appeared wearing leg braces with his arms on a rolling device — and he walked to center court.

“It was unbelievable,” Coach Mark Few said. “Mac Graff — I’ve never seen Mac Graff walk in four years. “That was almost as powerful a moment as I’ve ever seen in this building.”

Meanwhile, Hachimura’s cameo got the rafters shaking, and he and Killian Tillie must have posed for a thousand photos.

“This is what being a Zag is all about,” Kispert said. “It’s a sense of family, of being part of something more than just yourself.

“You can see it every day, with all the people who are here now and have been here.”

That, of course, included, senior players Ryan Woolridge, Gilder and Tillie.

Woolridge and Gilder, the two grad transfers who each carry 4.0 GPAs in addition to what they’ve meant to the Zags’ eighth consecutive WCC title, both used the phrase that it was “an honor” to join the Zag family.

All three seniors’ families attended the ceremonies — and Gilder’s 4-year-old daughter Kailey wound up running around with the players as the net was cut down to signify another conference championship.

THE CROWD went bonkers every time Tillie even waved his hand.

The Frenchman was the last to take the microphone after the game, and eventually he shoved it to Hachimura — who was totally unprepared.

“I had to do it,” Tillie said. “I really like hearing his English.”

In fact, Hachimura’s command of the language, which was zero four years ago, now makes him sound like a candidate for Congress.

One hilarious moment came when the mic was passed to Woolridge.

The transfer from North Texas has been an invaluable point guard for the Zags this year, and he’s also become known for carrying the same court presence as Gonzaga legend John Stockton — no emotion, either good or bad, and the hint of a look that suggests he’d cut your throat.

“My father taught me that,” Woolridge said earlier in the year. “Just play the game hard, and don’t be letting people know what’s in your mind.”

I’ve kidded Woolridge all season that he MUST have a funny side, and though he’s polite and easygoing, he never admitted to anything except being a student and a ballplayer.

But when it was Woolridge’s turn to address the crowd, he was a different person. He sounded like Vegas comedian, and the audience absolutely loved it.

Woolridge seemed for a second like he might thank everyone in the building — by name — or wrap up the night with a song.

“I should have said, ‘I’ll be here all week,’ “ Woolridge joked afterward.

And by the way, it turns out he DOES have a spectacular smile, even if rival point guards never see it.

“Why wouldn’t I smile?” he said. “I got to be a Zag.”

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns for The Press appear on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He also contributes the “Zags Tracker” package on Gonzaga basketball each Tuesday.

Steve’s various tales from several decades in sports — “Moments, Memories and Madness” — run on Sundays.