KANSAS CITY—Brandon Clarke was a man without a country at the end of his high school career.

Gonzaga’s 6-8 junior forward averaged 15 points and seven rebounds for a Dessert Vista High School that advanced to the Arizona state championship game.  But nobody noticed. Most colleges saw him as a skinny kid without a position and San Jose State assistant coach Tyler Ojanen, who had two scholarships to give, wanted him to enroll in school and pay tuition.

But Clarke’s mother Whitney Triplett convinced him to take a chance. Clarke played two years at San Jose and might have still been at the school if coach Dave Wojcik hadn’t resigned prior to the 2016-17 season. Clarke put himself on the market as an All Mountain West first team and All Defensive team selection, chose Gonzaga over Oregon, Utah and Iowa as a transfer, sat out a year, and has lit up March Madness to a point where he is a likely NBA first round pick if he decides to declare.

Clarke chose Gonzaga because he wanted to play for a school that had a chance to win a national championship. He is playing a major role in the Zags’ mission, coming up huge in Maui with 17 points and six blocks- including a game tying attempt by RJ Barrett– as his team defeated Duke and Zion Williamson, 89-87, in the championship game.

He blew up Baylor with 36 points, 8 rebounds and five blocks in a second-round game, then went off for 15 points, 12 rebounds and 5 more blocks as the top-seeded Zags raced to a 38-27 half time lead and defeated towering fourth-seeded Florida State, 72-58, Thursday night in Anaheim to advance to their second NCAA tournament Elite Eight in the three years.

Clarke watched last year’s 75-60 loss Florida State game on TV. But the Seminoles quickly discovered he was a force to be reckoned with.

“It’s just me trying to play physical but also it’s like Josh (Perkins) and Zach (Norvell, Jr.) finding me
finding me in places where I’m really, really good at scoring,’ he said. “I just try not to force up bad shots.’’

 “It’s an incredible luxury to have just such a talented, high energy, high motor guy,’’ Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “You think about one follow he had. I think he ran all the way from 94 feet to follow that. Most guys assume Rui (Hachimura) is going to make that shot and he went flying in there to finish it. He’s been unbelievable on the defensive end, which we knew he would be. But he’s worked diligently and just put tons and tons of hours and he’s been so coachable.

“Those are great combinations when somebody is working hard and they’re coachable and then he’s around an accepting group who want to give him the ball and want to find him and a point guard (Zach Norvell Jr.) who can make those reads.’’

Hachimura led the Zags with 17 points.  Perkins and Norvell, Jr.  each scored 14 points for the best team in the West (33-30, which led most of the way. Florida State pulled within four with less than five minutes to play but the Bulldogs, who advanced to the national championship game in 2017, closed out the game with a 12-2 run to avenge last year’s Sweet 16 loss to the ACC Seminoles.

”It’s winning! It’s winning, man!,’’ Gonzaga coach Mark Few said  “And, oh, yeah, the older guys teach the younger guys. That’s what you do at Gonzaga. You win! There were times in the game where it’s in the first half when we’re making a run or somebody is making a run at us like Baylor did, like Florida State did and the older guys they say something and sometimes it’s their actions.’’

 Trent Forrest led the Seminoles (29-80 with 20 points. Florida State played without 6-7 senior forward Phil Cofer, who learned after his team’s first round win over Vermont that his father Mike, a former NFL player, had died after a long illness. The funeral is Saturday in Georgia and Cofer is with his family. Florida State left an open spot for Cofer when they lined up for the national anthem.    

Gonzaga came into the game leading the nation in field goal percentage with 53.2 percent but shot just 25 for 62. But the Bulldogs won the rebounding stats against the taller Seminoles, 45-36, and their defense limited the Seminoles to just 15 percent from beyond the arc.

But here is one stat to consider: Gonzaga is 246-1 in games where they led by 10 or more points at the half.