There is a marquee matchup coming to Bridgestone Arena on Friday night, and it carries more weight than just Gonzaga vs. Kentucky. Mark Few, the face of Gonzaga basketball for a quarter century, sits at 749 career victories. One more, and he joins one of the sport’s most exclusive coaching clubs.
Few enters the game with a career record of 749-153, an absurd 83 percent winning rate. Even more ridiculous: he has won nearly 90 percent of his conference games. That dominance will be put to the test soon, as the Bulldogs prepare to leave the West Coast Conference for a more demanding league.
A Program Built on Consistency
Few’s track record almost defies belief. Gonzaga has won at least 26 games every season since 2011–12. The only reason the streak doesn’t start earlier is because the Bulldogs happened to “only” win 25 the year before. Since Few took the reins in 1999, Gonzaga has never finished with fewer than 20 wins. Not once.
The postseason resume is just as impressive. Few has taken Gonzaga to two Final Fours, most recently in 2021, and he has piled up regular-season and tournament titles at a rate that may never be replicated. Gonzaga has claimed 22 conference regular-season championships and 20 tournament crowns under his watch. He has been named conference Coach of the Year 14 times, and in 2017 he earned the AP National Coach of the Year honor.
Few’s Reach Goes Beyond Spokane
The 62-year-old Oregon native has also made his mark on the international stage. Few was part of the staff that brought home the bronze medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, and he helped Team USA win gold at the 2024 Olympics in Paris…