In the late 1980s, Jim McElwain was starting to get his feet wet by coaching as an assistant at Eastern Washington. Around the same time, he was approached with an opportunity that could have altered the course of his career.
McElwain, a lifelong basketball fan, enjoyed attending games at Gonzaga University just 30 minutes north of EWU, and over time he developed a relationship with then-Bulldogs head coach Dan Fitzgerald.
In 1988, Fitzgerald had an opening on his staff and contacted McElwain, asking if he was interested in coaching basketball.
“It was one of those deals,” McElwain said.