Gonzaga retires Dan Dickau's jersey: 'A long time coming'

Dickau was the first Gonzaga player to be named a first team Associated Press All-American

SPOKANE - Some weren’t instant believers.

A few around Gonzaga University weren’t convinced this basketball transfer from the University of Washington would ever see the court, let alone be an impact performer.

Heck, some didn’t even believe Dan Dickau was part of the program when he arrived in Spokane in 1999.

“My redshirt year, I was going to class wearing Gonzaga basketball gear before we had the Nike Elite deal. We had sweatpants that were four years old and didn’t fit anybody,” Dickau said.

“Eric Edelstein, a friend of mine who was in broadcasting classes with me, had professors ask him, ‘Is this kid really on the basketball team?’ Professors didn’t believe I was on the basketball team.”

Everyone believes it now.

Dickau, the school’s first Associated Press All-American first-teamer who had one of the best two-year careers (2000-02) in school history, became the fifth alumnus to have his jersey - No. 21 - retired Thursday at sold-out McCarthey Athletic Center, joining Frank Burgess, John Stockton, Adam Morrison and Kelly Olynyk.

“A long time coming,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said at midcourt during the pre-game ceremony. “And so well-deserved.”

Dickau led the program to a school-record 29 victories and a No. 6 national ranking in 2001-02 by averaging 21.0 points and 4.7 assists in being named the West Coast Conference player of the year.

Photos by Myk Crawford and Erik Smith

Few noted that the guard out of Brush Prairie, Washington was the “bridge” between the Zags being considered a one-hit wonder (1999) to their extended stay on the national stage.

In his five-minute speech, Dickau, 44, said he came to Gonzaga after two seasons with the Huskies “searching for confidence” - and found it under Few’s tutelage.

“I found a home,” he told the crowd.

As far as this day arriving, Dickau - who had his wife, Heather, and their seven children standing courtside - said it didn’t really hit him until Stockton, his idol, called him at 4 p.m. to congratulate him on his honor.

Every step of Dickau’s long journey from Prairie High School to Gonzaga - and finally six seasons in the NBA - he had a basketball in tow.

During his early years living in Portland, Dickau had a basketball hoop in his driveway, a mini-hoop in his family’s basement - and a backboard nailed to a tree in the backyard.

Even though he was an all-star youth baseball player and a low-handicap golfer, basketball was always tops.

“I played all the sports, but I loved basketball more than any of them,” Dickau said. “I’d go to baseball practice, come home and put my stuff in the garage and go shoot hoops as quickly as possible.”

Growing up, he had limited exposure to the Zags, only watching them when they came to play at the University of Portland.

That began changing when childhood friend Richie Frahm started being recruited by the school out of Battle Ground High School.

And when Dickau’s stint at the UW (1997-99) was starting to close, the option of transferring to Gonzaga opened up - and the rest is history.

“It was a perfect storm of everything coming together,” Dickau said.

(Photos by Myk Crawford and Erik Smith)

Photos by Myk Crawford and Erik Smith