Gonzaga players get pregame inspiration from national anthem singer Andre Montgomery

It took just one fan to give the Bulldogs all the energy they needed on Saturday.

Just before the start of Gonzaga’s home finale, in which the Zags downed Pepperdine 81-67, Nine Mile Falls resident Andre Montgomery stepped onto the floor to sing the Star Spangled Banner.

Montgomery sang the song with so much enthusiasm that it drew cheers from the crowd after nearly every line. The Zags were cheering just as much, and junior guard Josh Perkins hustled to the sidelines after Montgomery was done to give the singer a fist bump.

“That (anthem) was fire. I don’t know that guy’s name, but I want to follow him on Twitter and Instagram,” Perkins said after the game. “He had us hyped up.”

Perkins turned back to the court to meet his Zags in a huddle and cheer, but Montgomery wasn’t quite ready to leave the floor. He followed Perkins back to the circle and handed out high fives to all the players.

The Zags started jumping in a circle to hype themselves up before facing the Waves and Montgomery pushed his way in to get in the center of their chants and cheers before finally stepping of the floor.

“It was awesome,” Perkins said. “He did a good job singing and getting us going. And then when he joined the huddle, it was perfect.”