Kraziness in the Kennel sold out in record time this year, proof that even the program’s most ceremonial night continues to draw the same devotion and anticipation that defines the Gonzaga community. Sean Farnham returned as emcee, his energy still pitched somewhere between sideline reporter and vice principal at a pep assembly, and while it’s hard to read too much into anything we glimpsed tonight on the court, it’s also impossible not to. So that’s exactly what we’re going to do now.
The night began with player introductions, and the lights and smoke machines generated enough enthusiasm to make each player’s entrance matter. But it all seemed to build toward the first surge of genuine excitement when Tyon Grant-Foster appeared in a Gonzaga jersey wearing number 7. His competitive eligibility remains unresolved, yet his inclusion in any live segment of the event suggested forward movement in a process that’s already taken way too long to iron out.
The three-point contest followed with Mario Saint-Supery, Adam Miller, Braden Huff, and Steele Venters. Mario’s presence hinted at the staff’s growing trust in his jumper, Huff’s at the coaching staff’s desire to emphasize spacing in the frontcourt. Miller shot with a fluid, unhurried release, while Venters—steady and composed after two lost seasons—delivered the loudest applause of the night. When he outshot Miller in the final round, the crowd’s reaction showed just how much this community has been pulling for Steele.
Between contests, Farnham interviewed Graham Ike and Braden Huff, both relaxed and measured, before the arena lights dimmed for the premiere of Big Man U, a new hype video charting Gonzaga’s lineage of professional bigs: Holmgren, Sabonis, Timme, Rui, Collins, Karnowski. A short clip of Chet Holmgren praising Mark Few’s development of frontcourt players played while Sam Funches, one of the nation’s most coveted recruits, watched from courtside, a reminder that even the…
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