A Grip on Sports: Mark Few’s belief in Gonzaga’s future not only led the program to a place among the nation’s best, it led him to basketball’s Hall of Fame

A GRIP ON SPORTS • When the news broke Tuesday morning Mark Few was headed to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, the first person I immediately thought of was Ted Lasso. Weird, I know. But the best college basketball coach the Inland Northwest has ever seen and a fictional English soccer manager have one important aspect in common. Belief.

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• I was a little late to Lasso-mania back in the youthful part of this decade. But I quickly became an acolyte. Not just for Jason Sudeikis’ humor, though that was the sugar that made the show’s medicine go down. No, what hit hard was Lasso’s unwavering belief in the future. His realization you can will success into existence. It’s not easy. But it can happen.

And that’s why the show, and its main character, always made me think of Few.

The man who believed.

Mark Few saw something possible. Saw something no one else did. Saw a Gonzaga University men’s basketball program as it exists today.

And willed it into being.

He didn’t see it first in 2000 or 2005 or even 2010. He saw it in the early 1990s, when the Zags were West Coast Conference also-rans, long before anyone east of Liberty Lake knew how to properly pronounce the schools’ name. Saw it as Dan Fitzgerald’s program began to slowly ascend, powered by a group of young assistants who somehow talked the right players into believing in something that hadn’t happened yet.

Few saw the future. And believed in it.

Believed the Bulldogs could become a big dog in college hoops. Be something that had never existed before. Believed a small Catholic university in the middle of nowhere, without benefit of any connection to college basketball’s power structure, could break through and join the sport’s elite.

But the greatest feat Few ever pulled was convincing everyone else connected to Gonzaga that future could exist. It was, and is, his super power. And why he belongs in the Naismith Hall of Fame along with Dr. James himself.

The Zags made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 1995, with Fitzgerald at the helm. The response from the school and the Spokane community was overwhelming. And quickly faded. With Dan Monson in charge four years later, the Bulldogs earned a second bid. Their Elite Eight run not only hit home but hit homes across America as well. Then Monson left for the University of Minnesota. The glow seemed destined to fade again.

Except athletic director Mike Roth had become a Few believer. He had been converted. He immediately promoted Few.

From there, Few’s belief in the future became the energy that powered a program, a university and a community.

It wasn’t easy. Nothing great ever is. There were power surges and brownouts over the first years. But Few’s belief never wavered, or if it did no one outside the basketball offices knew it. There were incremental jumps, tear-inducing setbacks. Finally, in 2017, Few, the son of an Oregon minister, led his program to the Final Four in Phoenix. Viewed the promised land. And invited everyone who ever had helped turn his belief into reality to join.

The happy ending didn’t happen that year. Nor in 2021, in the Indianapolis Covid bubble. Nor any year since. That Few’s Zags have twice been stopped one win short of a national title is, in reality, immaterial. Not that those who have never believed can see it. They are blind to what Few has accomplished, despite the evidence.

It’s not really the numbers, the 773 wins, the .832 winning percentage, best in NCAA history, the 44 WCC titles, the 19 NBA draft picks, the 11 consensus All-Americans.

None of that is why the label Hall of Fame Coach is about to be attached to Few’s name. They are just byproducts of the real reason.

Mark Few believed. Believed in what Gonzaga could be. Would be.

And made it happen.

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WSU: The Cougars were back in Pullman for their third spring practice Tuesday and one thing seems to be clear. The offense will have speed on the outside. The receiving room will be able to stretch the defense. Greg Woods talked with the newest speedster, Missouri transfer Daniel Blood, for today’s report. … The number of men’s basketball players who have said they will enter the transfer portal in less than a week grew to seven yesterday. Greg has this story on ND Okafor and Ri Vavers announcing their intentions Tuesday. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, CBS decided to name an All-transfer All-American team. … Sports Illustrated decided to name the top 25 college basketball coaches of this century. Three of them have deep Inland Northwest connections and a fourth has a peripheral one. … Ben Jacobson has been courted many times over his tenure as men’s basketball coach at Northern Iowa. Why did he decide to say yes to Utah State? … Recruiting never stops, even when, like the Arizona Wildcats, you are playing in the Final Four. … A couple Boise State players, with no eligibility left, will enter the transfer portal. Why is that? … Washington is not immune to the transfer portal buzz. … The UCLA women are confident they can turn the tables on Texas in the Final Four.

• In football news, Washington took the field Tuesday. We can pass along quite a bit of coverage. … Oregon and USC have been sparring over recruits on social media. Dan Lanning isn’t joining the fray. … How has Utah performed in the first couple weeks of spring practice? … Arizona State expects to have running back depth. … An Arizona transfer defensive back had a good Tuesday.

Gonzaga: We shared our thoughts above concerning Mark Few’s reported election to the Naismith Hall of Fame. But we waited until here to add links to the S-R coverage. There is Theo Lawson’s story that covers the news and there is Dave Boling’s column that shares Dave’s views on the election. … Few is part of a larger Hall of Fame class that will be officially announced Saturday. But the names are already leaking. … Elsewhere in the WCC, which is something I will not be typing much longer, Jon Wilner looks at the conference’s future with GU and Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett leaving.  

EWU: The Eagles opened spring football yesterday in Cheney. Dan Thompson was at Roos Field to watch. And shares his thoughts in this story. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Montana State’s best women’s basketball player, and the best in the Big Sky last season, is not entering the portal. That’s big news in Bozeman. … The Idaho State men are already trying to rebuild their roster.

Preps: It wasn’t raining Tuesday, which might not be the case today. The lack of moisture allowed for a full day of spring sports, all of which are covered in Cheryl Nichols’ roundup.

Mariners: So far in 2026 Logan Gilbert has made two starts. In both the opposition scored five runs in less than six innings. That’s not Gilbert-like. The result? A couple of Mariner losses, including last night’s 5-0 one to the Yankees and Max Fried. … There was big off-field news before the game. The M’s decided to go all-in with Colt Emerson, signing the infielder to an eight-year, $95-million contract extension. Before Emerson has played a single inning in the major leagues. Is it a good deal or a bad one? … The idea of extending players early is catching on around MLB. … I have come to the conclusion baseball’s ABS challenge system is just a bridge. It was put into place to ease the transition among umpires, players and the public to full-blown computer-called balls and strikes. To allow umpires like CB Bucknor to stay around with less impact on the game.

Seahawks: Yep, the Hawks will be on “Hard Knocks” this summer. Will it be a distraction as they try to repeat as NFL champions? Yes. But will it be the reason if they don’t repeat? No. … Their pending sale will also not have any lasting impact on this season’s success. … There will be changes though. They might have an impact. … A fired official is suing the NFL.

Kraken: Playoffs? Playoffs? Ya, I heard Jim Mora’s voice too. And I think Seattle’s chances of getting to the NHL playoffs are slipping away after a shutout loss to Edmonton.

Sounders: Midfielder Nikola Petković, on loan from Charlotte FC, tore his ACL during training Saturday and will miss the rest of the season.  

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• Basketball fans constantly argue over Xs and Os and time outs and behavior – and their coaches’ ups and downs in all those regards. Judge them based on much of that. Never seem to be satisfied. Always have an opinion. Great. It’s part of what being a fan is about. But success comes from so much more – and less. Especially long-term success as Few has enjoyed. Until later …