page_title: Sports in Spokane, Washington
section_title: College basketball
hierarchical_section_title: Sports in Spokane, Washington / Basketball / College basketball
caption_attribution_description: English: Courts set up on West Spokane Falls Blvd next to Riverfront park in downtown Spokane, June 2014.
context_page_description: Spokane, Washington has a rich sporting culture and the area residents are active in many spectator and participant sports. Although Spokane lacks any major, nationally recognized professional sports team, Spokane has a sports friendly atmosphere, and was recognized and rated #99 in the Sporting News 2006 "99 Best Sporting Cities" list. In 2009, Sports Business Journal rated Spokane as the fifth best minor league sports market in America out of 239 markets.
  Spectators may attend sporting events around the Spokane area, including professional and collegiate sporting events. Participants enjoy activities from running the annual Lilac Bloomsday Run and playing in the annual Hoopfest. Spokane is associated as being home to some sports teams that have gained recognition in their respective arenas. Spokane's notable sports teams include the Spokane Chiefs, the Spokane Indians who play their home games in nearby Spokane Valley, the Spokane Shock, and the Spokane Shadow.
context_section_description: In sports, Spokane is arguably most notable for being the home of the Gonzaga Bulldogs and their NCAA Division I college basketball program that competes in the West Coast Conference (WCC). Although the WCC is often considered a “mid-major” conference, the Gonzaga basketball program is often considered a major program. Gonzaga regularly makes it to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament which includes an appearance and runner-up finish in the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game. They have made it to the tournament every time since Gonzaga's rise to national prominence in their Cinderella run to the Elite 8 in the 1999 tournament. Gonzaga has produced many NBA players, including John Stockton, Frank Burgess Dan Dickau, Richie Frahm, Ronny Turiaf, Austin Daye, Jeremy Pargo, and Adam Morrison. When the college basketball season begins, the Bulldogs regularly sell out their home games in the McCarthey Athletic Center on the Gonzaga University campus, just north of downtown.
caption: Hoopfest games being played on Spokane Falls Blvd
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