Mark Few, former Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd among 15 finalists for Coach of the Year

Mark Few is still in the running for Naismith Coach of the Year, but one of his former colleagues is also making a strong case for college basketball’s top coaching award.

Few and former Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd were two of 15 finalists announced on Friday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Few has won the award twice, in 2017 and 2021, while Lloyd is eligible for the first time as the first-year coach at Arizona.

They’re joined by Texas Tech’s Mark Adams, Kentucky’s John Calipari, Providence’s Ed Cooley, Baylor’s Scott Drew, Wake Forest’s Steve Forbes, Wisconsin’s Greg Gard, Wyoming’s Jeff Linder, Davidson’s Bob McKillop, Murray State’s Matt McMahon, Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, Houston’s Kelvin Sampson, Marquette’s Shaka Smart and Illinois’ Brad Underwood.

In his 23rd season, Few has led the Bulldogs to a 22-2 record with three regular-season games remaining. Gonzaga has spent a total of five weeks at the top of the Associated Press Top 25 poll. It’s the 25th straight season the Zags have won at least 20 games in a season and they’re also on track to win 25 games for the 14th consecutive season.

Under Lloyd, Arizona has gone 23-2 with a 13-1 record in the Pac-12 Conference. The Wildcats, ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25, have a three-game lead over UCLA in the Pac-12 standings.

Arizona is projected to claim a No. 1 seed at the NCAA Tournament by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.

The Naismith list will be narrowed to four finalists in March and the winner will be announced in April.