Gonzaga’s Mark Few named candidate for Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025

Posted by Admin December 19, 2024 Basketball

Spread the love

Mark Few is one step closer to reaching basketball immortality in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The head coach of the Gonzaga men’s basketball program was among the several high-profile names featured on the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s list of eligible candidates for the Class of 2025. Few is one of a dozen notable first-time nominations and is joined by men’s college basketball icons Carmelo Anthony (2003 national champion and All-American as a freshman at Syracuse) and Billy Donovan (won back-to-back titles as head coach of Florida). Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Dwight Howard, Doc Rivers, Sylvia Fowles, Chamique Holdsclaw, Lisa Bluder, Marc Gasol and Micky Arison are also in consideration as first-timers.

In Few’s 26 seasons at the helm, the Bulldogs have emerged as a perennial powerhouse in college basketball. With a pair of national championship appearances and an unrivaled streak of nine consecutive Sweet 16 trips, Gonzaga has long operated at a top-10 level nationally year after year. The Zags have never missed the NCAA Tournament and have won or shared 22 West Coast Conference regular season league titles with Few in charge.

Heading into the 2024-25 season, Few boasted the highest winning percentage of any Division I head coach at .834 (715-143). He also ranks in the top 15 among active head coaches for most 20-win seasons with 25, never having won less than 20 games in a season. Few’s first for most consecutive 20-win seasons among active coaches with 25.

In addition to wins, Few has collected some serious hardware to show for it. He’s been named the Naismith Coach of the Year twice, has a pair of NABC Coach of the Year awards, one AP Coach of the Year honor and has been crowned the WCC Coach of the Year a whopping 14 times.

Outside of college hoops, Few’s basketball expertise has gained the respect of those in USA Basketball and NBA circles as well. This past summer, Few helped Team USA prepare for its quest for a gold medal at the Paris Games as an assistant coach on Steve Kerr’s staff, alongside Tyronn Lue (Los Angeles Clippers) and Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat). Few was also an assistant coach for Team USA on the 2023 FIBA World Cup — which featured the same staff as the 2024 Olympics — and was named an assistant coach for the 2019 USA Men’s Select Team, which helped prepare the USA World Cup Team prior to playing in China.

The Class of 2025 will be unveiled during a nationally televised broadcast at the NCAA Men’s Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, on April 5.