PORTLAND, Ore. — Gonzaga’s Ben Gregg is just a wee freshman while guard Matt Lang is a grizzled senior, but both the young and old Portland natives will see a vision realized on Thursday when the Zags play in the Moda Center.
“It’s a dream come true,” Gregg, who hails specifically from Clackamas, said. “I mean, I keep saying it, but I mean, that’s the truth, it is a dream. I always dreamed about it. Now, playing in the tournament in Portland, it’s going to be something really special.”
“It’s super exciting. My last year, just to be able to go home and have all my friends and family out to support, it’s really fun,” Lang said.
The duo says that they’ll both have pretty substantial cheering sections, but they also know that it’ll be loud regardless in the building.
“I think it’s going to be a home game,” Gregg said. “All the people from Spokane traveling down there, and there are a lot of alumni and stuff in Portland, so there’s going to be a lot of blue and red in there.”
They both would know from experience, by the way.
When they were kids, they both attended big Gonzaga games in what was formerly known as the Rose Garden.
“I was able to go to the PK80 as a fan, and there’s just a great environment when Gonzaga plays in Portland,” Lang said.
“When the NCAA tournament was in Portland awhile back, I was there as a fan, so it’s going to be really cool to be able to play, hopefully,” Gregg said.
The two have completed a journey from the stands to the court that was far away when they were spectators.
That journey will take them to the most important basketball court in their hometown, a place neither of them has played before.
“No. Never. This will be my first time,” Lang said, slightly stunned when realizing he’s never played on the NBA court. “It’s super cool. I didn’t really think about that, that this will be my first time playing there. That never has happened before, so that’s going to be pretty cool.”