INDIANAPOLIS — Having just watched their son Drew drop a career-high 30 points and pull down 13 rebounds and carry top-seeded Gonzaga over Oklahoma and into the Sweet 16, Matt and Megan Timme walked outside of Hinkle Fieldhouse. They were headed home, back to Texas for the week, and wanted to see Drew before they departed. They walked along a circumference of cones set up in the Hinkle parking lot, skirting a wide berth from the bevy of buses parked inside the cones, winding their way to a sidewalk directly in front of the lead Gonzaga bus, joining a collection of fans stationed there. Matt and Megan perched there, underneath a tree, until Drew finally came to the bus. He waved. They waved back, and seconds later the 18 motorcycle police officers revved their engines and moved into formation. While Megan and Matt turned and left, Drew and Gonzaga rolled off in the opposite direction, back to the hotel and back to their bubble.
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There will be no helicopter parenting in this NCAA Tournament. Like everything else here, parenthood is socially distanced. After hundreds of carpool rides to games and practices, hours plopped on uncomfortable bleachers and years living the joys and heartache of basketball, moms and dads arrive here, their boys’ NCAA Tournament dreams realized, with no access to their kids for three weeks. They aren’t complaining. They’ve all endured some version of worse, either the cancellation of last year or a regular season relegated to their sofas, and are thrilled to be here, even if from afar. “I’m just so happy we’re playing,’’ Megan Timme said. “And thank God for Steve Jobs. FaceTime saves us.’’
On Monday afternoon, Section 223 of Hinkle Fieldhouse was Gonzaga Mom and Dad Central. Deri and Craig Kispert, parents to Corey, sat on one end of Row 1, the Timmes at the other. A few rows back, Larry Suggs, Jalen’s dad, leaned against a pillar, while Jalen’s mom, Molly Manley, sat in the middle of the third row. Dressed in various degrees of Zags fandom — Megan, Molly and Deri sported their sons’ jerseys, Craig and Matt went with quarter zips, and Larry played it cool, entirely gear-less — they greeted one another warmly and were happy to report their boys had not called in fits of loneliness or panic because they had forgotten Something. PlayStation apparently solves many ills. (Later, in fact, Drew Timme called The Athletic to report, among other things, that the Bulldogs are in a furious FIFA battle.) “They’re really fine,’’ Deri said. “So I’m fine.’’
Mark Few has remarked more than once how easy this team is to coach. They don’t get rattled, even in a season that has tried most everyone, and genuinely enjoy one another. Ordinarily, that compatibility is little more than a bonus; this year it could be a legitimate competitive advantage. The national champion might not be the best team so much as the one that doesn’t drive each other nuts. “I ask Drew all the time, ‘Who’s your best friend on the team?’” Megan said. “He says, ‘Mom, they all are.’’’
The Zags are as near to rock stars as this tourney has, undefeated and ranked No. 1 all season, and on a quest to become the first undefeated national champion since 1976. But they are more like cover band stars than rock stars. This is still Gonzaga, not Duke or Kentucky. There is no entourage — no Nation — trailing them even remotely. They are quaint in their popularity. Along with the families, a collection of happy and friendly fans who all seemed to know one another sat in the Hinkle seats. Drew Timme says the Zags are underdogs, which is outrageous, but his point isn’t invalid. People still like to figure out what’s not with Gonzaga, rather than discuss what is. It’s like a chronic “yeah, but.”
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But as this tournament pushes on, there are no buts about the load Gonzaga carries. If Tony Bennett shrugged off a monkey after Virginia won its national championship, the Zags are toting a pack of elephants, especially as this tourney unfolds in a hot mess of mayhem. Before the second round had ended, the tournament already had broken the record for most upsets (by a team seeded at least five sports below its opponent). Seconds before Gonzaga took the court to face Oklahoma, a tearful Luka Garza exited the floor after second-seeded Iowa lost to No. 7 Oregon. Would Gonzaga be next?
“I’m not nervous,’’ Larry Suggs said prior to the tip. “But that’s how things go in this tournament. That’s why I tell him all the time, ‘next game.’ You can’t think too far ahead, not in this tournament.’’
The Zags might have been guilty of doing a little of that in the second half, allowing the Sooners to turn a 19-point hole into a nine-point deficit. But just as soon as it threatened to get interesting, the Bulldogs remembered they’re really good. Timme caught a Suggs bobble, scored and was fouled, pushing the lead back to 11. That was essentially that.
As Gonzaga rolled, Section 223 celebrated. The players walked over to just beneath their parents’ section, looking up, pointing and waving. The moms waved furiously while the dads played it cool — although Larry did break out a small handheld video camera, recording Jalen as he exited the court. “In 20 years what are we going to have to remember all of this otherwise?” he said. “They’re making memories. I want to make sure we have something to remind us.’’
The Suggs would roll back to Minnesota for the rest of the week. Youngest daughter Jennica is a basketball player and in the state playoffs, and Larry helps coach the Minnehaha Academy varsity team, which is also trying to win a state title. There’s also the little matter of Minnehaha senior Chet Holmgren and his college decision, but Larry has told Holmgren repeatedly to make the decision on his own time.
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The Kisperts are staying in Indy as long as the Zags will have them. The commute to and from Washington is too long (even though beloved bulldog Stu had to stay behind with neighbors), so they’ve turned an Airbnb into their temporary home.
The Timmes will double back from the Dallas area, and despite threats to the contrary, Megan will not be packing a razor and shaving cream for her return. She is not necessarily a fan of her son’s fu man-Drew but at this point is willing to ride out the mustache for the tournament. “He’s definitely not shaving it after this performance,‘’ Matt said with a smile as he stood outside Hinkle.
After the game ended and the players left the court, the parents spilled outside with everyone else. There was no waiting in the hallway for a hug or a quick conversation. While the players doused Few with a water bath in the locker room, the parents waited for a wave. “It’s hard,’’ Megan said. “But I’m more than willing to wait until the end. Hopefully, when we get together again, we’re celebrating a national championship.’’
(Top photo of Drew Timme: Gregory Shamus / Getty)
