Mar. 27—DETROIT — The advancement of the Gonzaga men to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 effectively quashed recent warnings of a nosediving trajectory for the Zags’ program.
They face No. 1 seed Purdue on Friday in the regional semifinals, a streak of success unimaginable in mid-January when the Zags had dropped out of the Top 25 rankings.
The big-picture questions that arose at the time were fair. Would GU continue to compete on the name, image and likeness (NIL) front with wealthier universities with broader alumni bases? Could the veteran coach, Mark Few, adapt to this unsettled environment and be willing to engage in Wild West shootouts for prospects?
I would offer this argument: As the college sports landscape has reached the stage of seismic volatility, the appeal of Gonzaga basketball is only heightened by its rare, rock-solid stability.
The single constant, the bedrock upon which it is all built, is Mark Few, of course.
For 25 years, in the face of annual offers of sultanic riches, Mark Few has responded: No thank you.
Who does that? Mark Few. And that’s about it.
Many have suggested this season has been the finest example of Few’s coaching skills, meshing new talents and shifting manpower when necessary. I’d add that his patience and positivity have been crucial in preventing anything from flying off the rails.
But even beyond that, most important, has been his permanence.
When this man commits, he’s not kidding. It gives the entire program a sense of gravity and substance.
A number of programs of lesser renown have flashed briefly in the past only to slip back in the ranks.
Under Few, the ever-present Few, the Zags have risen and sustained.
Imagine how effective that can be when selling the program to recruits, or to transfers entering the portal.
Who else can almost guarantee not only staff loyalty, but also a trip to the Sweet 16 every year?
Where can a prospect find that in college sports?
Alabama football? Nick Saban won seven national championships, but retired, apparently put off by players’ attitudes, now that they’re finally sharing in some of the income. Every kid who signed at Alabama expected to be coached by Saban. Gone. How does that feel?
Michigan football? Jim Harbaugh won a national title and goes back to the NFL.
Kentucky basketball? John Calipari (six Final Fours and three-time national coach of the year), is under fire for having suffered early ousters in the NCAA Tournament.
In our region, Washington State has had three football coaches since 2019, and in the past week lost basketball coach Kyle Smith to Stanford and athletic director Pat Chun to Washington — just as the Cougars attained benchmark basketball success.
Meanwhile, so much of the University of Washington’s staff and administrative personnel has been disrupted — moved on or been cashiered.
Gonzaga, though? Mark Few. Same as he ever was.
Come to Gonzaga. Mark Few will be there.
And when Mark Few is there, they win.
Think about leaving Gonzaga via the portal? Are you going somewhere that will get you to the second weekend of the NCAAs?
This is the way of college sports. Coaches must recruit a new team every year. And then rerecruit the ones who are already there. Maybe the process weakens some coaches’ time-tested leverage of using the bench and playing time in the player-development process.
Few’s story of persistence at GU has been told many times. He’s a rare coach with a degree of self-awareness to know that personal wealth is not always measured by dollars.
In keeping with the necessity to constantly refill the coffers, the Zags have just received a commitment from Pepperdine transfer Michael Ajayi — a 6-foot-7 wing who made All-West Coast Conference while hitting 47% of his 3-point attempts.
Some tout him as an NBA-quality talent. Join the club, Michael.
If all the players who can return actually do, (and, again, they might all want to) the Zags could easily be a top-five team at the start of next season. This season isn’t even over, and next year is already shaping up to be exceptional.
There are few guarantees in college sports these days.
But this is as close as one can get: The Zags will again be loaded, and Mark Few will be there to coach them.
