SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Phil McCarthey said it started with a ham sandwich. He now calls it the most expensive ham sandwich he ever consumed. Conversation over lunch led to a visit in Salt Lake and that led to a new arena for Gonzaga basketball.
"One day Father Spitzer and Mark Few came down to Salt Lake and knocked on the door and said, 'Would you guys be interested in helping out with a new arena?'" Phil's brother, Tom McCarthey said. "We told them, 'Whatever we can do, we will."
It was after Gonzaga's historic run to the Elite Eight in 1999 that the McCarthey brothers really became excited about Gonzaga basketball and a little more than a decade McCarthey Athletic Center now plays hosts to one of the best venues in college basketball.
"I would put our place up against anyone in the country, including Duke," Tom McCarthey said. "It makes me feel proud that I was able to help out and contribute something to help make this program work. The beauty is every time I walk in there I get a rush and I think, 'wow, this is something special."
The McCarthey brothers have called Salt Lake City home for most of their life and now the Gonzaga Bulldogs are coming to them in the first round of the NCAA tournament. They brought the Zags a new arena and now the Zags are bringing them an NCAA tournament bid to their hometown.
They call it one of the most exciting times of their lives when it comes to their involvement with GU. The Bulldogs are set to take on Southern Thursday at 1:10 PST at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City.
