The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The Sweet 16/Elite 8 are taking place in 4 cities around the country and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is covering all of the angles so you can look forward to a cascade of coverage in the days ahead. Jon Teitel continues our coverage from Las Vegas with a group interview of Gonzaga Bulldog Band members Sophia Morey/Gabe McDonald/Pierce Thompson.
Where are from and what made you choose Gonzaga? Sophia Morey: I am from the Bay Area in California. The Jesuit ties and the size of the school were great but what set it apart was the sense of community, which really spoke to me. Gabe McDonald: I am from Spokane so Gonzaga was definitely 1 of my top picks. There is so much spirit/cheer that the Zags bring to the city so I applied…and the rest is history. Pierce Thompson: I am from San Francisco but my parents are both from Spokane so I have lots of relatives and had traveled here many times in the past. The combination of engineering/music at 1 time in 1 place was a huge boon for me.
What instrument do you play, and how did you 1st get into it? SM: I started in 4th grade with flute and then added piccolo after that. The piccolo is mostly used in pep bands. I have met some of my best friends after joining the band and love showing my school spirit. GM: I started in 5th grade and chose band over orchestra. I knew someone who played trumpet so I gave it a shot and have done it ever since. Being a part of the Bulldog Band has been a great way to make friends/build relationships and the chance to travel around the country has been a really cool experience. PT: The 1st instrument I learned was the piano…but it is hard to have that in a pep band! I picked up the electric bass later on and spent a lot of time practicing, especially during COVID. I joined the band as a baritone but whenever a bassist could not make it to a game I would sub in. I have a great view of the game and get to play with really great drummers, which is a joy to me. I am in the middle of everything so I get to hear the chatter from all of our different groups.
What are you majoring in, and what is the post-graduation plan? SM: I did psychology and communication studies for undergrad but am getting my masters in Communication & Leadership, which should take me another year, so I get to spend a little more time on campus with these great people! GM: In high school I did some work with social media and really enjoyed it so when I got to college I chose Communications Studies and have done a bunch of marketing/communication internships. I really fell in love with it and I also get to do it for the Bulldog Band. PT: I have been interested in Engineering since the start of high school so I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Physics. I am interested in aerospace/nuclear engineering so I would like to either go straight to grad school or spend a couple of years working in the industry.
Some of your hobbies include golf/tennis: how does the NCAA tourney compare to the Masters/Wimbledon? SM: Something really fun about the NCAA tourney is how involved we can get. The band IS the student section at the games, while the crowds at a golf/tennis tourney are a bit quieter.
1 of your hobbies is photography: will you have a chance to take any cool photos in Vegas? GM: I think I will have the opportunity to take some photos during the NCAA tourney, as I did 2 weeks ago when we were here for the WCC tourney. We were contacted by Pringles about the Drew Timme mustache so we will do some creative stuff with that as well (www.pringles.com/content/dam/global/pringles/pdf/Pringles_Show_Your_Stache_Sweepstakes_Full_Rules.pdf).
You are president of the band: how crazy has your life been this month? PT: There is not too much pressure/chaos: the “presidential” role is just about helping out where I can with logistics. I try to stay hands-off and make sure the pep stays up.
Coach Mark Few has now won 23+ games for the 24th year in a row: has it reached a point where you just expect your team to win every time that they step onto the court? GM: I think there definitely is an expectation that we will win. We did have a 1-PT home loss in January to Loyola Marymount, which was really a shocker. We had a very tough schedule this year but it has helped the team to learn from its mistakes.
In the 2021 Final 4 Jalen Suggs made the game-winning 3-PT shot at the buzzer in a 3-PT OT win over the Bruins: what are your memories of 1 of the most famous shots in NCAA tourney history? SM: I was in The Kennel viewing the livestream of it. Even though we could not travel with the team it was just the highest of highs and we were so pumped. It was a great way to end that game.
How does your school decide who gets to go to the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? PT: The travel band is based mainly on attendance so you get points for attending men’s/women’s games. There is a bit of mixing/matching to make sure we have good instrumentation for our 30-person band. We are the student section and will represent Gonzaga by being rowdy/excited for our team…plus playing on national TV is always fun!
Last weekend you beat GCU/TCU in Denver: how was it? PT: Both games were slightly nerve-racking but it just makes the high even higher when you win. A close game really gets your adrenaline going and there were some killer dunks toward the end of the TCU game where we all went crazy.
Any predictions for the Bulldogs on Thursday vs. UCLA in Las Vegas? SM: Well, my bracket DOES have the Bulldogs going all the way! We are pretty hopeful since the Bruins have a couple of injuries and we will bring as much spirit as possible to support our team and will all put forth our best effort to get this win.