John Stockton barely recognizes the Gonzaga of today

The Utah Jazz made one of the most obscure picks in NBA draft history when they took little-known John Stockton 16th overall out of even less known Gonzaga in 1984.

Stockton - who was raised in Spokane, Wash., where Gonzaga is located - went on to a 19-year, Hall of Fame NBA career and two Olympic gold medals.

With Gonzaga finally in its first Final Four after almost two decades of knocking on the door, Stockton says not only the team, but the university as a whole has changed significantly since his college years.

"You can barely recognize it, both the school and the basketball program," Stockton told Michael Shapiro of SI.com. "The school has made such a jump from when I was there. They've got new facilities, new streets, new schools, everything. There's a real love of the game there, and its impact on the environment of the school has been huge."

It took 11 years after Stockton's departure for the Zags to earn the school's first NCAA tournament berth, and they didn't reach the Elite Eight for the first time until 15 years after he left.

Now, after 19 straight NCAA tournament appearances, Gonzaga is looking to take its place at the table with other NCAA winners.

That consistent success can be directly correlated to the work of head coach Mark Few. He started as a grad assistant in 1989, then worked as an assistant a year later, and has now been head coach for the last 18 years.

"The coaching staff goes out and recruits well every year," Stockton said. "The players who play for Gonzaga get better, and then they make the tournament. Mark is always relevant in terms of talking to people. He's on TV shows, he's on radio shows. He really does the work and keeps his name and the school's name out there all the time."

Though Stockton is the program's best player of all time based on his NBA career, he isn't particularly interested in the accolade.

"I've never considered myself that way," Stockton explained. "I had a great experience (at Gonzaga) in a different time and a different era. I was lucky enough to have some great teammates and I had a blast playing but I never got caught up in who's the best. It really doesn't matter to me. We all bring different skills to the table, and I'm proud that I get mentioned alongside some of the great players who have come through over the years."