Below is an official Press Release dressed up with some clips from the upcoming sports series. If you know Gonzaga or love college basketball and March Madness check it out.
HBO SPORTS AND IMG ANNOUNCE NEW SERIES
GONZAGA: THE MARCH TO MADNESS,
DEBUTING FEB. 16, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO
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Five-Part Series Chronicles 2015-16 Season Of College Basketball Powerhouse,
narrated by Liev Schreiber
HBO Sports, a tra
ilblazer in sports reality programming, is teaming up with IMG’s Original Content unit for an unscripted five-episode series chronicling the men’s basketball team of Gonzaga University during its 2015-16 season. The series debuts TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16 at 10:00pm with other episodes debuting subsequent Tuesdays at the same time. The finale debuts March 15, the first day of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Championship Tournament.
GONZAGA: THE MARCH TO MADNESS joins the team at the start of the season in November 2015, chronicling hard work and high expectations game-by-game in the highly competitive West Coast Conference, with the goal of a berth in the 2016 NCAA
Men’s Championship Tournament. The series features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, offering a unique look at the personalities behind the powerhouse program and revealing how a small college nestled in Spokane, Washington has achieved success against all odds, capturing the hearts of America each March. The Gonzaga Bulldogs (the Zags) are consistently one of college basketball’s leading programs, with last season being their winningest (35-3). In his 17th season at the helm, head coach Mark Few has been instrumental in building and maintaining this incredible success, leading the Zags to 16 consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
The Zags have appeared in 17 consecutive NCAA Tournaments overall, placing them fourth in active streaks behind Kansas, Duke and Michigan State, and tying them for sixth all-time, behind such other major programs as North Carolina and Kentucky. The Zags have also won the West Coast Conference Tournament 13 times since 1999 and are 13-3 this season, with a 5-0 West Coast Conference record.
Rick Bernstein, executive producer, HBO Sports states –
“We are always looking for fascinating stories that will appeal to our subscribers, and this project will shine a spotlight on one of the most successful basketball programs in America. Gonzaga University has built a tremendous program, but so many of its accomplishments and backstories are largely unknown.”
Notes Mark Shapiro, Chief Content Officer, WME | IMG.
“Every March, Gonzaga rallies the global basketball community around them. The Zags are a team with incredible leadership, dedicated players and a history like no other. Having spent months documenting their journey, we could not be more excited to share this unique, all-access story in partnership with HBO.”
For more than a decade, HBO Sports has been responsible for some of the most compelling unscripted sports programming, with a stylish and contemporary approach keyed by unrestricted access. HARD KNOCKS launched in 2001 in partnership with NFL Films, has won 12 Sports Emmy Awards, and the groundbreaking all-access reality franchise 24/7 has earned 18 Sports Emmy Awards. GONZAGA: THE MARCH TO MADNESS marks the first HBO Sports reality series featuring a collegiate sports program. The show will also be available on HBO Now/Go, HBO On Demand. GONZAGA: THE MARCH TO MADNESS is executive produced by Rick Bernstein.
