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By Mark Alewine The United States Basketball Writers Association welcomed four greats of the sports writing industry into its Hall of Fame. It was a Hall of Fame class for the ages, headlined by a giant in world of sports media. Frank Deford of Sports Illustrated is a six-time Sportswriter of the Year recipient by …

By Colton Bennett Sports Capital Journalism Program GLENDALE, Ariz. — It was not pretty. At all. The game lacked any flow. The statistics reflected North Carolina’s struggle. The Tar Heels shot 35.6 percent from the field and went 4-for-27 from the 3-point line. At the end of a season in which rebounding became a signature, …

By Mark Alewine Sports Capital Journalism Program GLENDALE, Ariz. — Nigel Williams-Goss crouched in the south end of the court, staring at the floor. He was alone, his freshly-sprained ankle throbbing in pain, while North Carolina celebrated on the opposite side of the floor. Just 7.2 seconds remained in Gonzaga’s magical season, and in a …

It was the size that got me. I was comfortable with writing the story. The terrain was different and I had a lot to learn, but I knew I could follow the game, get the quotes, and tell the story. The size, however, stunned me. With over 77,000 people in University of Phoenix Stadium for …

By Mark Alewine Sports Capital Journalism Center GLENDALE, Ariz. — The McCarthey Athletic Center is the 148,000 square foot home of Gonzaga Bulldogs basketball on the campus in Spokane, Wash. When the Zags are in town, it needs every square inch to contain the Kennel Club. “Most of the fun stuff we do involves half …

By Mark Alewine Sports Capital Journalism Program GLENDALE, Ariz. — When Przemek Karnowski fell to the floor, holding his head with both hands, Gonzaga’s hope for a national championship, at least for a moment, appeared to fall with him. Freshman Zach Collins, however, was there to catch it. The Bulldogs held off a resilient South …

Editor’s Note: When Gonzaga University reached the 2017 Final Four, Sports Capital Journalism Program graduate student Mark Alewine explored the process that elevated the program to a national championship contender. He discovered the dramatic rise could be traced to a commitment made years earlier by a university president with a bold vision. By Mark Alewine …

I still remember the day fondly, sitting on my couch on one blazing Arizona summer day. Fall courses of the final semester of my undergrad career at Arizona State University were set to begin. I was coming to a crossroads, not sure where to go or what to do next.  Grad school was a thought …

Although the 2016 Final Four in Houston was my first experience as a member of the media during the event, it was not my first encounter at the Final Four. That was back in 2006, when I was a 13-year old basketball fanatic. The Final Four came to Indianapolis, and as a basketball-crazed boy in …

By Jay Smith |@_SmithJ_ Sports Capital Journalism Program HOUSTON – Thirteen and one-half seconds. Two miracle shots. One national champion. Those 13.5 seconds will forever live in college basketball folklore. As the buzzer sounded, Kris Jenkins’ 3-point shot sent the Villanova Wildcats into a frenzy, their 77-74 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels one …