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Gonzaga Basketball

Dave Boling: There’s many lessons to learn through ‘Odd Couple’ pairing of Mark Few and Drew Timme

By Dave Boling For The Spokesman-Review

LAS VEGAS – This is still in the workshopping phase, but I’m imagining a cross-generational, buddy-style sit-com. Let’s tentatively title it: “The Fewie and Drewie Show.”

The titular stars are a veteran basketball coach, maybe a bit tightly wound, and his free-spirited, iconoclastic All-American player, who dribbles to his own drummer and occasionally clashes with his traditional coach.

The show’s narrative is pushed by the cultural differences they overcome while in the heated crucible of elite college basketball.

Kind of “The Odd Couple” meets “Ted Lasso.”

Loosely based on the true story, of course, of Gonzaga hoops coach Mark Few and All-American Drew Timme.

The team’s success is fueled by the characters’ relationship dynamics, a steady give-and-take of strong wills melding to meet shared goals.

In the course of these guys’ actual nonfictional season, we’ve heard Few tell of hard lessons he’s had to impart to counter early struggles. Several times in the recounting, he’s qualified his statements with the revealing phrase “this generation of players.”

His tone hints that the modern Zags are differently driven than those from earlier in his decades of coaching. Of course they are, navigating a world of podcasts, social media, name, image and likeness, and transfer portals.

Timme is a national standard-bearer in this age of player freedom, independence and wealth. His income as a college player would dwarf Few’s salary when he started coaching at GU.

Few is laconic, Timme garrulous.

Timme has been a character from the start, punking the staff even when he was being recruited, chest-bumping Few (despite the rather notable size disparity), at other times patting him on the head. Relax coach, we got this.

Timme is a modern businessman with a surprisingly effective old-school game under the basket. As an insightful friend described of Timme: “He has the game that every driveway dad dreams of.”

Conflicting perspectives started early, back at a time when Timme said Few’s nickname for him was delightfully endearing: “Dumbass.”

“Pretty fitting,” Timme conceded.

Few now calls Timme the “union rep,” as he takes his labor management concerns (practice times, film study requirements, etc.) straight to Few.

Few gets it, though: “As fun, charismatic and goofy as he is off the floor, he is an elite-level competitor when the ball goes up.”

Truth.

“That’s my guy,” Timme said. “We’ve had our ups and downs, we’ve butted heads. I think that’s the best part of it, that we’ve been able to go at each other, push each other’s buttons, and love each other, too.”

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few reacts as he is hugged by forward Drew Timme (2) during the second half of a college basketball game on Saturday, Feb 19, 2022, at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash. Gonzaga won the game 81-69.  (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)
Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few reacts as he is hugged by forward Drew Timme (2) during the second half of a college basketball game on Saturday, Feb 19, 2022, at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash. Gonzaga won the game 81-69. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review) Buy this photo

Few’s lessons from Timme? Mostly matters of attitude. Timme is as carefree as a wealthy and talented college student should be. What’s not to love?

“I always respect how he comes to practice in a great mood and kind of raises the level of everybody,” Few said. With humor, “he takes an edge off the moments. Coming back from a tough loss, Drew can always drop it down a couple notches and make it feel like it’s not life and death.”

Long-time assistant Brian Michaelson identifies the core connection between the two, one which transcends age and accepted practices: an insatiable drive to win.

“There is a highly competitive streak in both of them that makes it work,” Michaelson said. “Drew is always going to be himself. A lot of times, that’s great fun. At times, it might get a little frustrating, but that’s what makes it great. It’s fun to see them together, whether it’s Drew’s chest-bumping or messing with coach’s hair. He’s going to do what he wants and has no fears.”

And Few’s lessons?

“If you’re a competitor, you’re going to get along with coach,” Michaelson said. “Drew has shown us you can be unbelievably competitive and still have a lot of fun outside that. That’s something coach has realized. Drew can kind of turn it on and off, and when it really matters, he’s as good as anybody we’ve ever had.”

As Timme became the program’s all-time leading scorer, he’s probably also the most nationally recognized Zag in history. John Stockton? Been a long time. Adam Morrison? He’s up there, co-national player of the year.

But leading the Zags to another Final Four would surely settle the matter .

What Few saw from the start was – Drew’s abundance of “swag.” (As the kids like to say).

“He always had this swag about him, even his freshman year, and it became contagious on our team. Maybe he instills a belief in the other players that they don’t necessarily have deep in their core. He thinks he’s going to win every time he walks out there.”

For good reason. The Zags have a 120-12 record in Timme’s career, and in four seasons have never lost back-to-back games with him on the floor.

Few believes that Timme’s easy-going attitude has an unexpected byproduct.

“I think people grossly underestimate the ferocious competitor that he is. I’ve been doing this at least 35 years and I think he’s one of the all-time greats in the modern era of college basketball.”

Timme’s theory on their shared success? Mutually assured annoyance.

“I think that’s why we’ve been so good together, is we’re not afraid to get under each other’s skin and push each other to do better. It’s like the perfect brotherly love. He’s the best coach I could ever ask for. I love that man.”

The two have at least one more game – the Saturday Elite Eight matchup against Connecticut – before Timme attempts to move on the NBA.

So, episodes of “The Fewie and Drewie Show” are dwindling.

A scene from the end of the recent Sweet 16 win over UCLA would be drama-filled, with video from inside the joyous locker room providing the perfect kicker.

Everybody is jumping and spraying water on each other. Few and Timme approach each other, hug and spin. Typical, sure.

But suddenly, Timme picks up the 60-year-old Few like he’s a kid brother or nephew, perhaps, and spins him around in the air, his feet off the ground.

The camera slows to half motion and closes in on the faces. Nobody’s the dumbass anymore, nobody a dour coach, just two grinning, exultant, victorious faces.

Roll credits.