Sports in brief: GU’s Few district coach of year

College basketball: Gonzaga University coach Mark Few has been named the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District 9 Coach of the Year.

The 11th-year head coach, who spent 10 years as a Bulldog assistant, is tied with Hank Anderson as the winningest coach in Gonzaga men’s basketball history with 290 victories. Few’s career record of 290-72 for a winning percentage of .801 makes him the winningest active coach in the NCAA Division I ranks.

It’s the third NABC honor for Few, who was the District 14 selection in 2002 and 2006. The NABC has since re-aligned its districts.

Cougars decide not to play

College basketball: Washington State University said this weekend it had decided not to pursue a postseason basketball berth, ending the Cougars’ season at 16-15.

First-year coach Ken Bone said after the Cougars’ 82-80 overtime loss to Oregon at the Pac-10 tournament the team would continue to practice while awaiting news of a possible postseason bid.

But after considering many factors, he decided it was in the best interest of the team to call it a season, according to a university spokesperson.

The Cougars were under consideration for a berth in the College Basketball Invitational.

Vince Grippi

Beckham out of World Cup

Soccer: David Beckham will miss the World Cup and most if not all the Los Angeles Galaxy season after tearing his left Achilles tendon Sunday while playing for AC Milan.

His international career for England is all but over. It remains to be seen how much he’ll have left for the Galaxy and Major League Soccer.

“He will miss the World Cup for sure,” a person familiar with the injury told the Associated Press.

Beckham was injured without getting hit during AC Milan’s 1-0 Italian League win over visiting Chievo Verona.

While Beckham has not been a starter for England in recent matches, he was likely to make the World Cup roster as a reserve.

Associated Press