Why Mark Few says Domantas Sabonis changed Gonzaga basketball

The Gonzaga Bulldogs received a substantial gift from NBA All-Star Domantas Sabonis, resulting in a ceremony on Thursday to name the 'Sabonis Family Strength and Conditioning Center' in his honor.

Sabonis, who played at Gonzaga from 2014-2016, spoke about his love for the university in front of an invited crowd of donors, alumni, student-athletes, and former teammates - including Kevin Pangos, Silas Melson, and Drew Barham.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the important role Gonzaga has played in my life and the opportunities the University has given me,” Sabonis said. “My time here helped shape who I am, not only as a basketball player but as a person. My family and I are honored to make this gift because we believe in Gonzaga’s commitment to developing student-athletes on and off the court each and every day.”

Sabonis' head coach at Gonzaga, Mark Few, also got behind the mic to thank the Lithuanian big man for his gift, while praising his tremendous career at Gonzaga and over the last decade in the NBA.

"If anybody really epitomizes what being a Zag is, it's Domantas," Few said. "He only had a two-year run here, [but] it was an incredible run with how he set the tone for all of us. I mean, to this day we talk about him to our own players, his work ethic, his toughness, his loyalty, and we also talk about him to future players, recruits, on what it takes to be a Zag."

Gonzaga head coach Mark Few speaks during Thursday's dedication of the new Sabonis Family Strength and Conditioning Center inside the Volkar Center for Athletic Achievement. | Photo by Myk Crawford

Sabonis was part of Gonzaga's Elite Eight run in 2015 as a freshman, and returned as a sophomore in 2015-16 to average 17.6 points and 11.8 rebounds, while carrying Gonzaga to the Sweet 16 as a No. 11 seed, with a dominant performance against No. 3 Utah that ranks among the program's most memorable moments.

The big man is 11th in program history with 694 rebounds - despite playing just two seasons in Spokane - and his 63.2% field goal rate is the best in program history.

Team first attitude

While the individual accolades are great, Few was quick to praise Sabonis for his willingness to do whatever it takes to win.

"The things that really come to mind for me were just the values he has," Few continued. "He really truly values team over everything and he showed that throughout his entire career here and he continues to show that in the NBA...the next one is winning. He's just all about winning. It wasn't his personal stats. It was just about winning. These are things our program has always stood for, but he just hammered them home stronger than anything I could say with his actions."

Domantas Sabonis shares a moment with current Gonzaga men's basketball players after the dedication of the Sabonis Family Strength and Conditioning Center on Thursday. | Photo by Myk Crawford

While specific figures were not revealed, Sabonis' gift is said to be the largest ever given by a former student-athlete and will help Gonzaga stay competitive in the new NIL landscape of college athletics.

"Being a Zag just means everything to me," Sabonis said. "I learned so many life lessons on and off the court being here...It's been 10 years in the NBA and I wouldn't be here without this special program."

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