SPOKANE, Wash. — What a joyous night it was in The Kennel on Thursday.
Yes, the Zags pummeled Pacific, but that wasn’t the reason why.
"Man, it feels so good to feel the embrace, to feel the love," Jalen Suggs said.
The NBA point guard returned to his old stomping grounds on Thursday night and finally got the full Gonzaga experience, just a year later than he originally anticipated.
"The Kennel Club is great. I’ve gotta go hit the other half this half," Jalen said with a chuckle. "It sucks I didn’t get to experience them and experience this atmosphere that’s here tonight-- that’s here every night, to be honest-- but it is what it is."
It is what it is means the NBA rang last year and Jalen, understandably, answered the call.
A finger injury sidelined Jalen for a few months, but it may have given him the perspective he needed as he has steadily shown progress in his play since his return.
"It’s been great," Jalen said of his first year in the league. "There’s been ups and downs, of course, as there is with everything in life, but I’ve definitely grown as a player, and I think even more as a person."
He credits Gonzaga for helping him prepare for life as a pro.
"Taking everything I’ve learned from here, like off the court work habits from Corey and Joel being my vets here and then the rest of the staff, what they’ve implemented it me and then just the game of basketball. Me and Coach Few talked about it before the game. The pick and roll reads have been something hasn’t stopped me at all, hasn’t troubled me, just because of how many I was in while I was here," said Jalen.
The next Zag to follow in Jalen’s steps will be his former high school classmate Chet Holmgren. He, like Jalen in the NBA this year, started quieter than some expected, but they both are now surging.
"What I see with him was a lot with me. Coming in early, it’s a tough transition. It’s different, a lot different than high school, but I think he’s adapted to it real well. We’ve had a couple conversations about it and about how my adjustment went and giving him tips and things like that. Just to see how he’s been playing once he’s gotten comfortable has been great. He’s a terror on defense, and he’s a hard guard on offense," said Jalen.
It’s not just Chet that Jalen is keeping track of. He’s still very much plugged into his former squad.
"I’ve been tuned in to pretty much every game, and if not every game, when I can, I’ll watch the first half, I’ll watch the first couple minutes before our games, I’ll tune into the end after our games, but I’ve been following them all year. All the hype and all the talk and recognition is deserved because this is a special group they have in here. I’ve got supreme confidence in these guys, and y’all know I’m rocking with the Zags seven days a week," said Jalen with a huge smile.
And the Zags, are most certainly, rocking with him.
"To know that I can come back to the warm welcome and the love that I did means the world, and it’s just another reassurance that I made the right choice," said Jalen.