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| current_team = [[Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball|Gonzaga]]
| current_team = [[Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball|Gonzaga]]
| current_conference = [[West Coast Conference|WCC]]
| current_conference = [[West Coast Conference|WCC]]
| current_record = 513–113
| current_record = 515–114
| contract =
| contract =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|12|27}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|12|27}}
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| coach_years1 = 1989–1990
| coach_years1 = 1989–1990
| coach_team1 = [[Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball|Gonzaga]] (GA)
| coach_team1 = [[Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball|Gonzaga]] (GA)
| overall_record = {{Winning percentage|513|113|record=y}}
| overall_record = {{Winning percentage|515|114|record=y}}
| tournament_record = {{Winning percentage|26|18|record=y}} ([[NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament|NCAA]])<br> {{Winning percentage|39|4|record=y}} ([[West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament|WCC]])
| tournament_record = {{Winning percentage|26|18|record=y}} ([[NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament|NCAA]])<br> {{Winning percentage|39|4|record=y}} ([[West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament|WCC]])
| championships = Regional Championship - [[NCAA Men's Division I Final Four appearances by coaches|Final Four]] ([[2017 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|2017]])<br>14× [[West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament|WCC Tournament]] Championships (2000–2002, 2004–2007, 2009, 2011, 2013–2017)<br />16× [[West Coast Conference|WCC]] Regular Season Championships (2001–2011, 2013–2017)
| championships = Regional Championship - [[NCAA Men's Division I Final Four appearances by coaches|Final Four]] ([[2017 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|2017]])<br>14× [[West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament|WCC Tournament]] Championships (2000–2002, 2004–2007, 2009, 2011, 2013–2017)<br />16× [[West Coast Conference|WCC]] Regular Season Championships (2001–2011, 2013–2017)
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| season = [[2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2017–18]]
| season = [[2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2017–18]]
| name = [[2017–18 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team|Gonzaga]]
| name = [[2017–18 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team|Gonzaga]]
| overall = 10–2
| overall = 12–3
| conference = 0–0
| conference = 0–0
| confstanding =
| confstanding =
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{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Gonzaga
| name = Gonzaga
| overall = {{Winning percentage|513|113|record=y}}
| overall = {{Winning percentage|515|114|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{Winning percentage|243|29|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{Winning percentage|245|29|record=y}}
}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
{{CBB Yearly Record End
| overall = {{Winning percentage|513|113|record=y}}
| overall = {{Winning percentage|515|114|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{Winning percentage|243|29|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{Winning percentage|245|29|record=y}}
}}
}}


Revision as of 06:19, 31 December 2017

Mark Few
Few in February 2008
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamGonzaga
ConferenceWCC
Record515–114
Biographical details
Born (1962-12-27) December 27, 1962 (age 61)
Creswell, Oregon
Alma materOregon, B.S. (1987)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1989–1990Gonzaga (GA)
1990–1999Gonzaga (asst.)
1999–presentGonzaga
Head coaching record
Overall515–114 (.819)
Tournaments26–18 (.591) (NCAA)
39–4 (.907) (WCC)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Regional Championship - Final Four (2017)
14× WCC Tournament Championships (2000–2002, 2004–2007, 2009, 2011, 2013–2017)
16× WCC Regular Season Championships (2001–2011, 2013–2017)
Awards
AP Coach of the Year (2017)
Naismith Coach of the Year (2017)
Henry Iba Award (2017)
11× WCC Coach of the Year (2001–2006, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017)
NABC Coach of the Year (2017) NCAA Tournament Achievements
Championship Game (2017)
Final Four (2017)
2x Elite Eight (2015, 2017)
7× Sweet Sixteen (2000, 2001, 2006, 2009, 2015–2017)
15× Round of 32 (2000, 2001, 2003–2006, 2009–2017)
18× NCAA Tournament bids (2000–2017)[1]

Mark Norman Few (born December 27, 1962) is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Gonzaga University since 1999.[1] He has served on Gonzaga's coaching staff since 1989, and has been a constant on the sidelines throughout a period that has seen the Bulldogs rise from mid-major obscurity to regular participants in the NCAA Tournament. He has led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in every season during his tenure as head coach, a stretch that has garnered the Bulldogs recognition as one of the closest things to a major basketball power in a mid-major conference.

Biography

Early life and education

Few was born in Creswell, Oregon, the son of a Presbyterian pastor,[2] and was a star point guard[3] at Creswell High School, graduating in 1981. He originally attended Linfield College, hoping to play basketball and baseball, but he was troubled by the after effects of a dislocated shoulder he suffered while playing football as a senior at Creswell.[4] He then transferred to the University of Oregon, hoping to play baseball there, but the Ducks had dropped their varsity baseball program by the time he arrived in Eugene. He graduated from Oregon with a B.S. in physical education in 1987.

Coaching career

Assistant coach

Few entered the coaching profession even before receiving his degree, serving as an unpaid part-time assistant at his alma mater of Creswell High School starting in 1983, and advancing to a paid position from 1986 to 1988.[5] During this time, he also worked at Oregon's summer basketball camps.[5] After a season as an assistant at another Oregon school, Sheldon High School in Eugene, he moved to Spokane, Washington, joining the Gonzaga staff as a graduate assistant in 1989 under Dan Fitzgerald.[6][7] He had some familiarity with the program, as he had befriended Dan Monson, then a Gonzaga assistant and later the head coach, during his time working the Oregon basketball camps.[5] In 1990, he was promoted to a full-time assistant. As an assistant, Few helped lead Gonzaga to its first four postseason appearances—the 1994, 1996 and 1998 National Invitation Tournaments and the 1995 NCAA Tournament.

In April 1999, Monson, who had just finished his second year as Gonzaga head coach, promoted Few to associate head coach. This was immediately following the season in which Gonzaga became the nation's basketball darlings, making a run through the NCAA tournament, defeating Minnesota, Stanford, and Florida, to advance to the Elite Eight. In the West Regional finals Gonzaga lost to eventual national champions UConn by five points. When Monson left in July to take the open head coaching job at Minnesota, Few, who had been designated as Monson's successor, was promoted to head coach.

Head coach

Taking over after Monson's abrupt departure, Few was able to maintain the Gonzaga program's success from his very first season and prevent the Bulldogs from being a one-year wonder and sinking back into obscurity. He led them into the NCAA Sweet Sixteen each of the first two years. He was only the second head coach in the nation to achieve this feat since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The following year (2001–02), Few set an all-time record for NCAA Division I men's coaches by collecting 81 wins in his first three years as a head coach. The record stood until 2010 when Brad Stevens of Butler surpassed it. In 2017 Mark Few became the 3rd fastest coach to reach 500 wins in NCAA Division I history. The program's success has continued as Gonzaga has made the NCAA tournament in every one of Few's 18 seasons; indeed, he has been on hand for every postseason appearance in school history. The Bulldogs have also advanced to the WCC Tournament title game in every season during Few's tenure. They have been to every final since 1998, and all but one since 1995.

Few was named the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year for six consecutive seasons (2001 through 2006).

The 2006–07 season may well have been one of his better coaching jobs, as the team faced what could be called a "perfect storm":

  • Adam Morrison, a first-team All-America in 2005-06, chose to leave Gonzaga for the NBA with a year of eligibility left.
  • The Zags played an especially brutal nonconference schedule, with no fewer than nine opponents that would make the NCAA tournament.[8]
  • The team's second-leading scorer and leading rebounder in 2006–07, Josh Heytvelt, was suspended after being arrested on drug charges in February 2007, and did not play again during the season.

The Zags ended the regular season at 21–10, their first season with double digits in losses since 1997–98, which was also the last season to date in which they failed to make the NCAA tournament.[9] It had generally been thought that Gonzaga would have to win the WCC tournament to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament.[10] However, Gonzaga would go on to win the conference tournament, notably beating a Santa Clara team in the final that had earlier handed the Zags their first home-court loss in nearly four years. They would go out in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Indiana.

A year later, despite losing to San Diego in the conference title game, the Bulldogs garnered an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.

With Few as head coach, the Gonzaga program produced its first four first-team All-Americans in Dan Dickau, Adam Morrison, Kelly Olynyk, Nigel Williams-Goss. The first three have played in the NBA, along with Richie Frahm, Blake Stepp, Ronny Turiaf, Austin Daye, Jeremy Pargo, Robert Sacre, Elias Harris, David Stockton, Domantas Sabonis, and Kyle Wiltjer.

On March 21, 2009, Few notched his 254th win as Gonzaga's head coach with a second-round victory in the NCAA Tournament, passing his former boss Fitzgerald as the winningest coach in school history.

During the 2012-13 season, Few led the Bulldogs to the #2 ranking in both major polls, the highest national ranking at the time in school history. Few broke that record a week later when the Bulldogs surged to #1 in both polls for the first time.[11] It was also the first time a WCC school had ascended to the top spot since San Francisco in 1977. Gonzaga went on to receive its first #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in school history, as well as a then school record 32 wins.[12]

During the 2014-15 season, Few led the Zags back to the #2 ranking in both major polls, along with a then school record 22-game winning streak.[13] Few guided Gonzaga to a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, his first Elite Eight appearance as head coach,[14] and a then school record 35 wins.[15]

In 2016-17, Few led the Zags to arguably their greatest season in school history. They stormed through the regular season, starting with a school record 29-game winning streak, which also broke the record for consecutive wins to start a season. By February, they had surged back to #1 in the polls. The winning streak and #1 ranking were lost when the Bulldogs lost to BYU on February 25. As it turned out, it would be the Bulldogs' only loss of the regular season. Gonzaga went on to receive a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history, and advanced to the Final Four for the first time in school history, losing to North Carolina in the National Championship. The Zags set a new school record with 37 wins, which was also tied for the second-most wins in NCAA Division I history. They also made the deepest NCAA Tournament run by a WCC team since San Francisco won three consecutive national titles from 1955 to 1957.

Mark Few was named as the National Coach of the Year by the Associated Press, Naismith, and the USBWA, awarded with the Henry Iba Award.[16][better source needed]

Awards, records and achievements

NCAA

Most consecutive tournament appearances since starting as head coach : 18

3rd Fastest Coach to 500 Games (Adolph Rupp- 1st, Jerry Tarkanian- 2nd)

2nd most wins in first 3 seasons (Brad Stevens)

2nd most wins in a season with 37 (Tied with Mike Krzyzewski twice, Bill Self, Bruce Weber & Jerry Tarkanian have one each) (John Calipari has 38, twice)

WCC Conference

Only coach to receive the Henry Iba Award in WCC

Most consecutive seasons named WCC coach of the year: 6

Most seasons named WCC coach of the year: 11

Most WCC regular season wins: 243

Most WCC regular season championships: 16

Most WCC tournament championships: 14

Gonzaga

Most wins in school history:513 Most wins in a season: 37

Most consecutive wins to start a season: 29

Most consecutive wins: 29

Most NCAA tournament appearances: 18

Most NCAA tournament wins: 26

Most final championship game appearances: 1

Most final 4 appearances: 1

Most elite 8 appearances: 2

Most sweet 16 appearances: 7

Most round of 32 appearances: 15

Most seasons ranked at least once at #1 in both basketball polls: 2

Personal

Few and his wife Marcy, married by his father in 1994, have three sons and one daughter. They have organized a charity golf tournament under the Coaches vs. Cancer umbrella. Since the tournament began in 2002, it has raised over $1 million for the American Cancer Society. Few is an avid fly fisherman. He has chosen to stay at Gonzaga in part to provide stability for himself and his family, turning away coaching offers from larger schools over the years.

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Gonzaga Bulldogs (West Coast Conference) (1999–present)
1999–00 Gonzaga 26–9 11–3 2nd NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2000–01 Gonzaga 26–7 13–1 1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2001–02 Gonzaga 29–4 13–1 T–1st NCAA Round of 64
2002–03 Gonzaga 24–9 12–2 1st NCAA Round of 32
2003–04 Gonzaga 28–3 14–0 1st NCAA Round of 32
2004–05 Gonzaga 26–5 12–2 1st NCAA Round of 32
2005–06 Gonzaga 29–4 14–0 1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2006–07 Gonzaga 23–11 11–3 1st NCAA Round of 64
2007–08 Gonzaga 25–8 13–1 1st NCAA Round of 64
2008–09 Gonzaga 28–6 14–0 1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2009–10 Gonzaga 27–7 12–2 1st NCAA Round of 32
2010–11 Gonzaga 25–10 11–3 T–1st NCAA Round of 32
2011–12 Gonzaga 26–7 13–3 2nd NCAA Round of 32
2012–13 Gonzaga 32–3 16–0 1st NCAA Round of 32
2013–14 Gonzaga 29–7 15–3 1st NCAA Round of 32
2014–15 Gonzaga 35–3 17–1 1st NCAA Elite Eight
2015–16 Gonzaga 28–8 15–3 T–1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2016–17 Gonzaga 37–2 17–1 1st NCAA Runner-up
2017–18 Gonzaga 12–3 0–0
Gonzaga: 515–114 (.819) 245–29 (.894)
Total: 515–114 (.819)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Record vs. WCC Opponents under Mark Few

For the entire series records for the Gonzaga men's basketball team against current West Coast Conference opponents, see Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball § Record vs. WCC Opponents.

With Mark Few as head coach, the Gonzaga Bulldogs lead the all-time series vs. all of the nine other current WCC opponents.

Opponent Overall
Record 		As a WCC
Member 		Home Road Neutral Last 5
Meetings 		Last 10
Meetings 		Current
Streak 		First
Meeting 		Latest
Meeting
BYU GU, 11–6 (.647) GU, 11–5 (.688) TIED, 3–3 (.500) GU, 4–2 (.667) GU, 4–1 (.800) GU, 3–2 (.600) GU, 6–4 (.600) L 1 L 67–89
(March 19, 2011)[17] 		L 71–79
(Feb. 25, 2017)[18]
LMU GU, 37–3 (.925) GU, 37–3 (.925) GU, 19–0 (1.000) GU, 15–3 (.833) GU, 3–0 (1.000) GU, 5–0 (1.000) GU, 10–0 (1.000) W 16 W 103–56
(Feb. 5, 2000)[19] 		W 90–60
(Feb. 9, 2017)[20]
Pacific GU, 10–0 (1.000) GU, 9–0 (1.000) GU, 5–0 (1.000) GU, 4–0 (1.000) GU, 1–0 (1.000) GU, 5–0 (1.000) GU, 10–0 (1.000) W 10 W 85–67
(Dec. 1, 2012)[21] 		W 82–50
(Mar. 4, 2017)[22]
Pepperdine GU, 37–2 (.949) GU, 37–2 (.949) GU, 18–0 (1.000) GU, 16–2 (.889) GU, 3–0 (1.000) GU, 5–0 (1.000) GU, 10–0 (1.000) W 33 W 62–57
(Feb. 3, 2000)[23] 		W 96–49
(Jan. 28, 2017)[24]
Portland GU, 35–2 (.946) GU, 35–2 (.946) GU, 17–1 (.944) GU, 17–1 (.944) GU, 1–0 (1.000) GU, 5–0 (1.000) GU, 9–1 (.900) W 8 W 84–66
(Jan. 26, 2000)[25] 		W 83–64
(Jan. 23, 2017)[26]
Saint Mary's GU, 40–9 (.816) GU, 40–9 (.816) GU, 16–2 (.889) GU, 13–5 (.722) GU, 11–2 (.846) GU, 4–1 (.800) GU, 8–2 (.800) W 4 W 90–60
(Jan. 20, 2000)[27] 		W 74–56
(Mar. 7, 2017)[28]
San Diego GU, 40–4 (.909) GU, 40–4 (.909) GU, 18–1 (.947) GU, 19–3 (.864) GU, 3–0 (1.000) GU, 5–0 (1.000) GU, 9–1 (.900) W 6 W 84–79
(Jan. 22, 2000)[29] 		W 96–38
(Feb. 23, 2017)[30]
San Francisco GU, 34–4 (.895) GU, 34–4 (.895) GU, 18–0 (1.000) GU, 14–4 (.778) GU, 2–0 (1.000) GU, 5–0 (1.000) GU, 10–0 (1.000) W 11 W 96–73
(Jan. 13, 2000)[31] 		W 96–61
(Feb. 16, 2017)[32]
Santa Clara GU, 39–4 (.907) GU, 39–4 (.907) GU, 17–1 (.944) GU, 16–3 (.842) GU, 6–0 (1.000) GU, 5–0 (1.000) GU, 10–0 (1.000) W 15 W 97–67
(Jan. 15, 2000)[33] 		W 77–68
(Mar. 6, 2017)[34]
vs. All Current
WCC Opponents 		GU, 283–34 (.893) GU, 282–33 (.895) GU, 131–8 (.942) GU, 118–23 (.837) GU, 34–3 (.919) GU, 4–1 (.800) GU, 9–1 (.900) W 3 vs. USF[31] vs. SMC[28]
*As of March 8, 2017.[35][36]

References

  1. ^ a b "Coach Bio: Mark Few - Men's Basketball". Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  2. ^ Withers, Bud (2002). BraveHearts: The Against-All-Odds Rise of Gonzaga Basketball. Chicago: Triumph Books. p. xviii. ISBN 1-5724-3499-6.
  3. ^ Withers, BraveHearts, p. 52.
  4. ^ Withers, BraveHearts, pp. 52-53.
  5. ^ a b c Withers, BraveHearts, p. 53.
  6. ^ Withers, BraveHearts, p. 42.
  7. ^ Gonzaga lists his first season as 1990, but both its official basketball website and basketball media guide consistently refer to seasons by the calendar year in which they end.
  8. ^ "Gonzaga puts difficult season behind". Associated Press. March 20, 2007.
  9. ^ "Drug bust shakes Gonzaga and Spokane". Associated Press. February 15, 2007.
  10. ^ Glockner, Andy (March 2, 2007). "Drive to 65: Bubble fans unite to root on Winthrop's Eagles". ESPN.com. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ "Gonzaga tops in AP poll for 1st time". March 4, 2013.
  12. ^ "Wichita State Shoots Down Gonzaga, And The Inquisition Begins Anew". Retrieved March 31, 2013.
  13. ^ "BYU beats No. 3 Gonzaga, ending nation's longest home win streak". February 28, 2015.
  14. ^ "Gonzaga handles UCLA, reaches Elite Eight for 1st time since '99". March 27, 2015.
  15. ^ "Freshmen-led Duke pounds Gonzaga to earn Coach K's 12 Final Four". March 29, 2015.
  16. ^ "Gonzaga Bulldogs Men's Basketball season-by-season results". March 27, 2017.
  17. ^ "Gonzaga's Tourney Dance Ends With 89-67 Loss To No. 10 BYU". March 19, 2011.
  18. ^ "No. 1 Gonzaga falls to BYU, 79-71". February 25, 2017.
  19. ^ "Gonzaga Men's Basketball Routs LMU 103-56 To Go 8-0 In WCC". February 5, 2000.
  20. ^ "Gonzaga MBB Rides Hot Shooting to Win at LMU". February 9, 2017.
  21. ^ "Tigers Fall At No. 12 Gonzaga". December 1, 2012.
  22. ^ "No. 4 Gonzaga routs Pacific, 82-50". March 4, 2017.
  23. ^ "Gonzaga Men's Basketball Rallies Past Pepperdine, 62-57". February 3, 2000.
  24. ^ "No. 3 Gonzaga poised for top spot after thumping Pepperdine". January 28, 2017.
  25. ^ "Gonzaga Pounds Portland, 84-66". January 26, 2000.
  26. ^ "Gonzaga MBB Opens WCC Tourney With 92-67 Win Over Portland". January 23, 2017.
  27. ^ "Another Lopsided Win for Gonzaga Men's Basketball, 90-60". January 20, 2000.
  28. ^ a b "No. 4 Gonzaga beats No. 19 Saint Mary's 74-56 in WCC final". March 7, 2017.
  29. ^ "Gonzaga Men's Basketball Wins In Overtime, 84-79". January 22, 2000.
  30. ^ "Top-ranked MBB Remains Perfect, Beats San Diego 96-38". February 23, 2017.
  31. ^ a b "Gonzaga Men's Hoops Blows Past San Francisco, 96-73". January 13, 2000.
  32. ^ "MBB Cruises Past San Francisco, 96-61". February 16, 2017.
  33. ^ "Gonzaga Rolls Past Santa Clara With Big Second Half". January 15, 2000.
  34. ^ "No. 4 Gonzaga tops Santa Clara, into 20th straight WCC final". March 6, 2017.
  35. ^ "2016-17 Gonzaga Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  36. ^ "2015-16 West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Record Book". November 12, 2015.[permanent dead link]
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