- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 396,345
- Reaction score
- 43
Mar. 28—After 26 seasons, by almost every measure or metric, Gonzaga's Mark Few boasts a resume that would stack up with just about any in college basketball.
Few's credentials pass most of the important tests: longevity, postseason success, NBA Draft picks, winning percentage, etc.
Only six coaches in the history of the sport — one on the men's side, five on the women's — own a higher career percentage than Few (.830), and of those, just three are alive. Among those three, only two are still active.
The most distinguished name on the list — and, by many accounts, the most accomplished coach in college hoops history — got in touch with Few earlier this week.
Connecticut and Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma were headed Gonzaga's way for a Sweet 16 matchup with Oklahoma at Spokane Arena. The 11-time national champs needed to reserve some practice space.
UConn got full use of Gonzaga's facilities on Thursday, working through a practice session at McCarthey Athletic Center not long after touching down in Spokane from a cross-country flight.
It gave the revered coaches who've known each other for decades — building a relationship through Nike-sponsored coaching trips — a chance to catch up before Auriemma's staff continued scouting and prep work for Saturday's 2:30 p.m. (ESPN) tipoff with the Sooners.
"I cannot believe it's been 25 years. I remember when he was an assistant," Auriemma told The Spokesman-Review between media obligations Friday at the Arena. "They were the perennial Cinderella back then. They were the very first of the great Cinderellas.
"Even the people on our staff that travel with us, they met (Few) yesterday. I think the first thing that comes to mind after you're around him for a couple minutes is you say, what a great guy. What a down to earth guy."
Few has become a standard-setter for longevity and success in the men's game, recently completing his 26th season with Gonzaga, the only place he's ever coached. Auriemma might be college basketball's gold standard in both areas, clinching UConn's 31st straight Sweet 16 berth on Monday against South Dakota State, just one day after his 71st birthday.
In 2016, Auriemma won his 11th national championship, breaking a tie with legendary UCLA coach John Wooden for the most all-time. Auriemma's 1,246 wins also signify an NCAA record for men and women and he'll have a chance to take the Huskies to their 24th Final Four with two wins during the team's visit to Spokane.
UConn's women's coach and Gonzaga's men's coach are two of 12 coaches in college hoops history that have won better than 80% of their career games (with 10 seasons or more).
There's mutual respect from both sides, perhaps because Auriemma and Few realize they've gone about their career in a relatively similar fashion, and at similar places that just happen to be situated on opposite sides of the country.
"You can see why players want to play for him, you can see why he's never left here," Auriemma said. "It's very similar to the situation we have in Storrs, where we're kind of isolated a little bit yet that's what makes us who we are. We enjoy the support of the entire community and I think he's built something here that rivals anything anyone else has built anywhere around the country.
"I went into the practice facility yesterday with him and it's spectacular, but the most impressive thing is when I looked up at all the pictures of all the pros they've had here, oh my god. It's like so impressive. You kind of forget some of the great ones that have come here, all the way back to (John) Stockton."
When Auriemma and Few inherited their respective jobs, neither had the built-in advantages their successors will enjoy when both coaches eventually step down.
The Huskies were coming off four straight losing seasons, going 35-74 before Auriemma was hired in 1985. The Zags were in a better position when Few took over, but had made just two NCAA Tournaments when Dan Monson left for Minnesota following the 1998-99 season.
"Always been a big fan of Mark and a big fan of the program," Auriemma said. "It's refreshing when someone finds the place that fits them and they fit the place and don't go chasing the other stuff. Because I'm sure he had plenty of opportunities to go other places."
Not unlike Auriemma, who's passed up a variety of men's coaching jobs — including the one at his own school — along with other premier women's jobs, both in college and the WNBA, to keep UConn's dynasty rolling.
"I think maybe early in our careers we always thought — like Monson did, there's got to be something big and better out there," Auriemma said. "Which we all think like that. We all think like that. But then it dawns on you, it doesn't get better than this. For him, for sure."
Bueckers has followed Zags closely
Auriemma's top player, senior guard Paige Bueckers, has followed a number of Few's teams and took a special interest in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 Gonzaga squads.
The projected top overall WNBA Draft pick hails from Edina, Minnesota, and grew up with former Gonzaga standouts/fellow Minnesotans Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren, who both spent a year in Spokane before becoming top-five picks in the NBA Draft.
Bueckers followed Suggs throughout a 2020-21 season that culminated with the guard's epic buzzer beater against UCLA in the Final Four and national championship appearance. She was plugged in the following season when another childhood friend, Holmgren, led the Zags to a No. 1 seed and Sweet 16 appearance before being selected No. 2 overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2022 NBA Draft.
"I remember Jalen playing there as a freshman, it was during COVID, so he didn't get to play in that arena with the experience of having the student section, which I know, I watched games, it's pretty crazy," Bueckers said. "But I know he killed it in front cardboard fans.
"And Chet was there ... and he got that experience, so watching his games were extremely fun. They were both really great teams when they were both there. I remember Jalen's Final Four run, National Championship run, him hitting that bank shot. And then Chet just doing what he does."
Bueckers was tracking Lisa Fortier and the Gonzaga women this year to keep up with former UConn teammate Ines Bettencourt, who averaged 6.1 points and 2.1 rebounds off the bench for the Zags.
"And now we have a former teammate Ines Bettencourt who is there now," Bueckers said. "So I have a lot of friends through the Gonzaga pipeline, and it's really cool to just be there, experience that and see how much they have meant to that program so, yeah, it's pretty cool."
Continue reading...
Few's credentials pass most of the important tests: longevity, postseason success, NBA Draft picks, winning percentage, etc.
Only six coaches in the history of the sport — one on the men's side, five on the women's — own a higher career percentage than Few (.830), and of those, just three are alive. Among those three, only two are still active.
The most distinguished name on the list — and, by many accounts, the most accomplished coach in college hoops history — got in touch with Few earlier this week.
Connecticut and Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma were headed Gonzaga's way for a Sweet 16 matchup with Oklahoma at Spokane Arena. The 11-time national champs needed to reserve some practice space.
UConn got full use of Gonzaga's facilities on Thursday, working through a practice session at McCarthey Athletic Center not long after touching down in Spokane from a cross-country flight.
It gave the revered coaches who've known each other for decades — building a relationship through Nike-sponsored coaching trips — a chance to catch up before Auriemma's staff continued scouting and prep work for Saturday's 2:30 p.m. (ESPN) tipoff with the Sooners.
"I cannot believe it's been 25 years. I remember when he was an assistant," Auriemma told The Spokesman-Review between media obligations Friday at the Arena. "They were the perennial Cinderella back then. They were the very first of the great Cinderellas.
"Even the people on our staff that travel with us, they met (Few) yesterday. I think the first thing that comes to mind after you're around him for a couple minutes is you say, what a great guy. What a down to earth guy."
Few has become a standard-setter for longevity and success in the men's game, recently completing his 26th season with Gonzaga, the only place he's ever coached. Auriemma might be college basketball's gold standard in both areas, clinching UConn's 31st straight Sweet 16 berth on Monday against South Dakota State, just one day after his 71st birthday.
In 2016, Auriemma won his 11th national championship, breaking a tie with legendary UCLA coach John Wooden for the most all-time. Auriemma's 1,246 wins also signify an NCAA record for men and women and he'll have a chance to take the Huskies to their 24th Final Four with two wins during the team's visit to Spokane.
UConn's women's coach and Gonzaga's men's coach are two of 12 coaches in college hoops history that have won better than 80% of their career games (with 10 seasons or more).
There's mutual respect from both sides, perhaps because Auriemma and Few realize they've gone about their career in a relatively similar fashion, and at similar places that just happen to be situated on opposite sides of the country.
"You can see why players want to play for him, you can see why he's never left here," Auriemma said. "It's very similar to the situation we have in Storrs, where we're kind of isolated a little bit yet that's what makes us who we are. We enjoy the support of the entire community and I think he's built something here that rivals anything anyone else has built anywhere around the country.
"I went into the practice facility yesterday with him and it's spectacular, but the most impressive thing is when I looked up at all the pictures of all the pros they've had here, oh my god. It's like so impressive. You kind of forget some of the great ones that have come here, all the way back to (John) Stockton."
When Auriemma and Few inherited their respective jobs, neither had the built-in advantages their successors will enjoy when both coaches eventually step down.
The Huskies were coming off four straight losing seasons, going 35-74 before Auriemma was hired in 1985. The Zags were in a better position when Few took over, but had made just two NCAA Tournaments when Dan Monson left for Minnesota following the 1998-99 season.
"Always been a big fan of Mark and a big fan of the program," Auriemma said. "It's refreshing when someone finds the place that fits them and they fit the place and don't go chasing the other stuff. Because I'm sure he had plenty of opportunities to go other places."
Not unlike Auriemma, who's passed up a variety of men's coaching jobs — including the one at his own school — along with other premier women's jobs, both in college and the WNBA, to keep UConn's dynasty rolling.
"I think maybe early in our careers we always thought — like Monson did, there's got to be something big and better out there," Auriemma said. "Which we all think like that. We all think like that. But then it dawns on you, it doesn't get better than this. For him, for sure."
Bueckers has followed Zags closely
Auriemma's top player, senior guard Paige Bueckers, has followed a number of Few's teams and took a special interest in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 Gonzaga squads.
The projected top overall WNBA Draft pick hails from Edina, Minnesota, and grew up with former Gonzaga standouts/fellow Minnesotans Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren, who both spent a year in Spokane before becoming top-five picks in the NBA Draft.
Bueckers followed Suggs throughout a 2020-21 season that culminated with the guard's epic buzzer beater against UCLA in the Final Four and national championship appearance. She was plugged in the following season when another childhood friend, Holmgren, led the Zags to a No. 1 seed and Sweet 16 appearance before being selected No. 2 overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2022 NBA Draft.
"I remember Jalen playing there as a freshman, it was during COVID, so he didn't get to play in that arena with the experience of having the student section, which I know, I watched games, it's pretty crazy," Bueckers said. "But I know he killed it in front cardboard fans.
"And Chet was there ... and he got that experience, so watching his games were extremely fun. They were both really great teams when they were both there. I remember Jalen's Final Four run, National Championship run, him hitting that bank shot. And then Chet just doing what he does."
Bueckers was tracking Lisa Fortier and the Gonzaga women this year to keep up with former UConn teammate Ines Bettencourt, who averaged 6.1 points and 2.1 rebounds off the bench for the Zags.
"And now we have a former teammate Ines Bettencourt who is there now," Bueckers said. "So I have a lot of friends through the Gonzaga pipeline, and it's really cool to just be there, experience that and see how much they have meant to that program so, yeah, it's pretty cool."
Continue reading...
