October 22, 2015

Gonzaga Fires Mark Few,

Cites Poor "In-Game
Coaching"
By James F. Hennessy

SPOKANE, WA Many Gonzaga fans

finally got their wish. As of Thursday
morning, Mark Few will no longer be
the head coach of the Bulldogs' men's
basketball program.
The long awaited dismissal takes place
upon the heels of an NCAA tournament
upset loss to Duke last March.
According to sources in Spokane, Fews
disappointing bronze medal
performance as Team USA head coach
in the 2015 Pan American games
served as the final straw.
"Mark gave us some okay years,"
admitted Gonzaga Athletic Director
Mike Roth in a public statement. "Ones
we hope to build upon. But at the end
of the day, we're looking for someone
to take us to the next level."
"It's about time we get GU back on the map," added Roth, who joined Gonzaga
when the program had exactly one NCAA tournament appearance. According to
Roth, Gonzaga's prominence has decayed as both an athletic and academic
institution since Few took the reins. Undergraduate admissions have stagnated as
well. "We hope to regain Gonzaga's status as a national brand, and we feel that
this move represents another step in that direction."
Roth explained that the decision ultimately came down to Few's questionable ingame coaching strategy. Zag fans grew increasingly skeptical of the 11-time WCC
Coach of the Year's decision-making over the years. His poor adjustments also
garnered attention from his peers, as he recently dropped to fourth best offensive
coach in the country, according to one 2015 NCAA coaches poll.

Whereas news of the firing may be met with shock across the nation, few in
Spokane should be surprised. For the better part of two decades, college
basketball fans grew accustomed to the national media heaping praise on Few
and his sub-.900 winning percentage. Yet while the mainstream media was busy
hoisting Few upon a national pedestal, Zag Nation hoisted him onto a hot seat.
"There was one home game against Pepperdine in 2006," remembers former
Kennel Club Board Member Austin Charles, "where Few played [former Gonzaga
forward David] Pendergraft too much." The Zags clung to a 29-point victory that

night and somehow finished the year undefeated in WCC play, despite leaving
Pendergraft on the floor for 16 minutes.
"Then there was the meltdown in Maui,"
added Charles, "where the guy refused to
call a timeout during that 8-4 Wisconsin
run." Few eventually called the timeout
and saved a Bulldogs victory over Bo
Ryans squad by a narrow 13-point
margin. Gonzaga claimed the EA Sports
Maui Invitational Championship title
that year.

We hope to
regain
Gonzagas status
as a national
brand, and we
feel that this
move represents
another step in
that direction.

Few's coaching inability particularly hurt

the Zags in bigger games. Despite
earning 12 of Gonzaga's 14 total WCC
championships, he consistently failed to
perform when it counted: the NCAA
tournament. College hoops fans have
watched the Bulldogs evolve into an
annual "March Madness" staple, having
participated a total of 18 times in
program history. Yet once Few took
over, the Zags were limited to 16
consecutive appearances, a streak stuck
at fourth in the NCAA behind Kansas
(26), Duke (20), and Michigan St. (18), and tied for the sixth longest such streak
of all time. "Few just couldn't catch up," lamented Roth.
More importantly, although Few never missed an NCAA tournament appearance
as head coach, he struggled once he got there. Although he boasts the highest
career winning percentage of any coach in the nation (he drops to fourth once
inactive coaches are factored in), Few was unable to hide from his consistently
poor NCAA tournament performances. "We knew going into the Duke game that
an upset would probably be his last," Roth remarked.
Few too often struggled to meet Spokanes expectations. Upon becoming head
coach, he quickly discovered that for Gonzaga fans, an .810 winning percentage
means absolutely nothing. Furthermore, losing a game in March is inexcusable.
Because the NCAA tournament's format ensures that the better team should
advance 100% of the time, Zags fans understandably possess little tolerance for
defeat in March. In fact, the tournament's single elimination set-up, which leaves
nothing to chance, is widely considered the best format in sports history for
determining a true champion. Under Few, however, the Bulldogs uniquely and
repeatedly fell to inferior opponents in March. And Gonzaga fans took note.
"It's like, no one gets upset in that tournament," stated current Gonzaga
sophomore and Seton sister Whitney McFadden, "except us."

Additionally, in spite of prevailing outsider opinion, true Gonzaga fans have long
understood that any credit for Few's nationally perceived "success" actually
belongs to someone else. The former graduate assistant may have captured
college basketball fans' hearts nationwide in his first three years by tallying an
NCAA record 81 wins, but locals remember the story differently.

"He's been riding [former coach Dan] Monson's coattails for two decades,"
remarked Charles. "He rode Monson's success to the sweet sixteen those first two
years; he rode it to twelve WCC Championships; and he rode it to the 2008
Wooden Coaching Achievement Award."
Monson, who ditched Gonzaga for a better job at Minnesota, now coaches at
Long Beach State University, where in just eight seasons he has already earned
two March Madness appearances and an NCAA tournament win.

Were in the
heart of it. Its
not like were
tucked up in the
corner of the
country like
Seattle is.

Operating under Monson's shadow

proved difficult for Few, whose case was
hurt further by a recent trend of lesser
mid-major programs accomplishing
what he never could: a Final Four
appearance. Butler University, for
example, made two consecutive Final
Fours before then-coach Brad Stevens
snagged the first NBA job he was
offered. Mid-Major VCU danced its way
to the Final Four before then-coach
Shaka Smart bolted to Texas. Even
George Mason University battled its way
through an NCAA regional and parlayed
that success into two additional March
Madness appearances.

Although none of the foregoing

programs have ever climbed atop the national polls like Gonzaga, and although
none have retained their head coach, each boasts an achievement that eluded the
Bulldogs under Few. "In a heartbeat," Roth responded when asked if he would
trade all of the Zags' regular season success for George Mason's 2006 Final Four
run.
"Look, this is Gonzaga," explained current GU senior, social media marketing
major, and Orange County native Bryson Callaway. "Any non-Final Four season
is, like, not really chill." Callaway, whose class has waited for a Final Four since
he enrolled in 2012, confirmed that his patience is finally wearing thin. "I've been
waiting for three years now, and I can barely hit up the Kennel anymore, seeing
those empty rafters where some dope banner should hang."

Aside from lousy in-game coaching, many point to poor recruiting as a basis for
Few's failed tenure. Spokane, a city that lures elite recruits with its mild winters,
cosmopolitan feel, and proximity to Idaho, has always served as the ideal
destination for young athletes dying to attend a Catholic school.
Yet despite the Lilac City's inherent recruiting advantages, Few's program
managed to attract just 11 NBA players, 10 All-Americans, and 1 National Player
of the Year during his 16 year stint. The recruiting shortfalls forced the program
to smuggle players into the country from places like Europe and Canada.

"It's a mystery," added Roth, "why we've resorted to international projects while
guys like [University of Washington Head Coach Lorenzo] Romar land quality,
home-grown talent. We're in the heart of it," he added. "It's not like we're tucked
up in the corner of the country like Seattle is."
To make matters worse, Few
struggled to develop players once
he got them. His program often
failed to get the most out of its
talent, notably with regard to
NBA prospects like Kyle
Bankhead, Zach Gourde, and
Mike Hart. When asked if he
could recall a player who
developed or improved under
Few's regime, Roth responded
matter-of-factly, "Not a single
one."

Mark gave us some

okay years, ones we
hope to build upon.
But at the end of
the day, were
looking for
someone to take us
to the next level.

In his statement, Roth also

suggested that Few's dismissal
should not come as a surprise to
those with ties to the region,
adding that the Creswell, Oregon
native was "just never an Inland Northwest guy." Few, having been with the
program since 1989, often seemed a bit too focused on fishing, mountain biking,
and spending quality time with his family. According to Roth, that type of lifestyle
just doesn't work in Spokane.
In fact, the athletic department eventually concluded that the only reason Few
remained at Gonzagadespite the poor fitwas because he was never offered a
job anywhere else. "We're pretty sure he was applying," Roth speculated, "but
kept getting rejected. So we resolved to take matters into our own hands."

The search for Gonzaga's new leader will begin immediately. Although no
decisions have been made, Roth confirmed that the athletic department has
narrowed its hunt to less than a handful of candidates: Michigan State head
coach Tom Izzo, 3-time NBA coach of the year Gregg Popovich, 9-time NBA
champion Phil Jackson, and current University of San Francisco head coach Rex
Walters.
Because the small, Jesuit university offers the best coaching job in basketball,
Gonzaga will surely have its pick of the litter. But Roth has made it clear that
Walters is probably their guy.
A proven recruiter, Walters also possesses what Roth terms "a gift" for in-game
strategy. In 2013, for example, he led the WCC in most timeouts called, while
ranking third in best in-game offensive adjustments. "He can also do a better
handstand," Roth added with a chuckle.

Apparently, Gonzaga became fixated on Walters after other candidates seemed

less enthused about the opportunity. "Izzo and Popovich laughed when they got
the call," Roth stated, "and Jackson claimed to have never heard of us."

We knew going
into the Duke
game that an
upset would
probably be his
last.

Walters, on the other hand, pledged

fierce loyalty to the Zags in a media
statement, moments before he was
heard off-camera intimating that
Gonzaga should provide a "great
stepping stone" toward his dream of
coaching in a power conference.

In fairness to Walters, Gonzaga's future

looks bright no matter who Few's
successor may be. A winning
infrastructure has been established,
based primarily upon revenues
garnered from the universitys lucrative
WCC membership. In particular, the
self-proclaimed "ACC of the West" recently signed a cable television broadcasting
agreement, which increased Gonzaga's basketball revenue by a margin
unparalleled by any other program. More importantly, the deal bolstered
Gonzaga's national reputation, allowing East-coasters to tune in and watch the
Zags tip-off against conference foes like LMU and Portland on ESPN 2 at
11:45PM, unless the prior televised game goes into overtime.
WCC cashflow notwithstanding, Gonzaga has always been destined for success,
because it's Gonzaga. The reason lies deeper than its wide-reaching alumni base,
massive endowment, elite conference status, and prime location. The Catholic
university has been entitled to a transcendent basketball program since its 1887
founding, despite the fact that the sport was invented in 1891, simply because
success is the only thing Gonzaga basketball has ever known.
Furthermore, with an X's and O's guru like Rex Walters at the helm, some college
hoops analysts predict that Gonzaga will never get upset in the NCAA tournament
ever again. Spokane media pundits forecast that, with Few out of the picture, a
Final Four each year is not out of the question. Many current Gonzaga students
have taken it a step further, predicting that Gonzaga may never lose another
game.
"I mean, I don't see why not," stated McFadden, briefly glancing up from her
iPhone.

A rare October sun peaked through the clouds and over the banks of the Spokane
River Thursday morning, as if to signal the dawning of a new era in an already
rich Gonzaga basketball history. An era defined by excellent in-game coaching,
Final Fours, and getting the types of recruits that UW gets.
Without Few holding the program back, the nation will soon find out what
Spokane has known for generations. That Gonzaga won in spite of Mark Few for
16 years, not because of him. That winning NCAA Championships is Gonzaga's
birthright, its destiny.
That Spokane deserves better. That Gonzaga deserves better.
"The time is now," Roth concluded, "for Gonzaga to prove that there is always a
place for success in college basketball for a small, private, Catholic, humanistic
university from the Logan Neighborhoods south side.