Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Gonzaga Fires Mark Few, Cites Poor "In-Game Coaching"
Gonzaga Fires Mark Few, Cites Poor "In-Game Coaching"
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.
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."
Were in the
heart of it. Its
not like were
tucked up in the
corner of the
country like
Seattle is.
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."
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 ingame offensive adjustments.
"He can also do a better
handstand," Roth added with a
chuckle.
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.
We knew going
into the Duke
game that an
upset would
probably be his
last.
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.