Mark Few named Naismith Coach of the Year

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few was named the Naismith College Coach of the Year on Sunday, April 2.

Few beat out Chris Collins (Northwestern), Bill Self (Kansas) and Jay Wright (Villanova) for the honors, and rightfully so, because if you take a look at what he inherited, no one did a better job.

In a press release, Few responded in his typical humble fashion:

“It’s truly an honor to be chosen for the Naismith Award. It takes a village to have a season like this. I’m blessed to have the best coaching staff in the country and a phenomenal group of players that are a joy to coach. This has been such a special year and I am grateful to be recognized by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.”

The Zags opened the season with a lot of promise, but also just as many question marks. The squad lost Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis to the NBA, and had almost as many new faces on the team this year as returning players. Somehow, Few and the rest of the coaching staff got that to gel into a one-loss team that will be playing for the NCAA title tomorrow.

Chris Collins run to bring Northwestern to its first NCAA appearance was great. Jay Wright and Bill Self had a lot of expectations on them to succeed. But if you have to look at surpassing expectations, that distinction belongs to Few. He already won the AP Coach of the Year, and the Naismith Award is yet another stellar piece for the mantle.

Congratulations to Mark Few and the rest of the coaching staff.