Getting to know: David Stockton's famous footsteps

• David Stockton followed his father%2C Basketball Hall of Famer John Stockton%2C by going to Gonzaga
• Stockton averages 3.8 points and 3.2 assists per game
• While he grew up in Salt Lake City%2C Stockton spent his summers in Spokane

SPOKANE, Wash. — Even with a long family history of ties to Gonzaga — dating to a great-grandfather who played halfback at the school in the 1920s — David Stockton wasn't a slam-dunk to join the Bulldogs.

In fact, after his high school years at Gonzaga Prep, he thought he'd want to go to college far away from Spokane. But when the Zags — the only Division I school that showed interest in him — reached out, Stockton listened. He redshirted in 2009-10, came off the bench in 2010-11 and earned a scholarship by late January of that season.

Stockton, the son of retired Utah Jazz star and Basketball Hall of Famer John Stockton, is the third in his immediate family to attend Gonzaga. His father played basketball (of course), and his mother played volleyball. Stockton and his brothers grew up around basketball, watching their dad and learning to play themselves. Despite having an All-Star father, Stockton said he never felt pressure to play the sport, love the sport or be successful in the sport. To this day, his father won't offer criticism of his play unless Stockton asks for it.

This season, the point guard is playing significant minutes for the No. 3 Bulldogs, averaging 3.8 points and 3.2 assists in 18.3 minutes a game. USA TODAY Sports' Nicole Auerbach recently caught up with Stockton:

On my iPod

Everything. There's country, hip-hop, R&B. A lot of old stuff, actually. I don't update my iPod usually. Kelly (Olynyk) is the guy who usually plays music in our house.

Any music before a game?

I don't listen to music. Everybody (else) does.

My "welcome to Division I college basketball" moment

It was our first day of practice. We were just doing rebounding drills, and the point guard who was there at the time, I had to box him out and he basically broke my rib on the first one. I was like, "Oh my goodness."

Current NBA players I admire

Tony Parker and Chris Paul are fun to watch. I play the point guard position as well, so (I watch) how they pass and score, get in there against big guys.

DVD I can't live without

Iron Man. You've got to have Iron Man.

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7 up, 7 down

1. You have family ties to the area. Did you grow up in Spokane?

All the summers were spent in Spokane, but I grew up in Salt Lake City.

2. Did you think you'd always end up at Gonzaga?

No, I didn't. I always wanted to when we lived in Salt Lake, but when we moved here, I really didn't want to be so close to home. It worked out.

They were the only Division I team to talk to me, so I said, "Might as well try."

3. Did your dad ever give you any basketball tips/pointers?

For sure. Just by watching him, you can pick up things. He doesn't really say much unless you ask him, but when you ask him, he knows what he's talking about. He's been helpful throughout my career…I have to be like, "What do you think?" to get his opinion. Otherwise, he won't say anything.

4. Was there pressure growing up in that family to play basketball and be good at basketball?

No. I just loved it. I never thought about that, and I still don't.

5. With this Gonzaga team, it seems like there's a lot of balance. Is the offense working the ideal way?

We're so balanced. It makes everything fluid and everything easy for me. So many people can do so many different things. It's hard to defend for opponents. … We can score in a variety of ways.

6. What do you do besides play basketball?

Take care of my dog and clean our house.

(My dog is) a German short. It's a pointer. He's like 65 pounds. … He's a year old. Name is Disco.

7. Besides The Kennel, what is your favorite place to play a game?

BYU. So close to home for me, and it's a huge atmosphere. It's always a big game, because they're always good.