Few joins 500 Club

Column by John Blanchette/SR on Gonzaga coach Mark Few’s 500th win:

Pick a number between 1 and 500.

You like 51? So did Alex Hernandez, whose defense on Virginia scoring machine Roger Mason Jr. in the final 8 seconds preserved an 86-85 Gonzaga victory in the 2001 NCAA Tournament – the 51st for Mark Few as a head coach.

Or 130? That was a romp past Santa Clara to clinch the Bulldogs’ first unbeaten West Coast Conference season – 14-0 – in 2004.

What about 275? Elias Harris’ off-balance bucket made Few and the Zags overtime winners over Illinois in the House that Michael Jordan Filled in 2009. An even 400? David Stockton’s twisting layup held off Santa Clara in the 2014 WCC tournament, on the same night his sister won a state title with Gonzaga Prep.

Or maybe you like No. 500 best, just because it allowed the Bulldogs to play another day this week.

That was the biggest distinction in Gonzaga’s 79-73 escape over Northwestern last Saturday in the NCAA second round. The footnote: it was Few’s 500th victory as a college head coach. More here.