On the eastern border of Washington lives one of college basketball's most stable programs. Spokane is the home of Gonzaga University, whose men's basketball team is led by head coach Mark Few.
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Few has been at the helm for over 20 years, which is quite the tenure for an American college basketball coach. Under his tutelage, the Gonzaga Bulldogs have grown from mid-major to powerhouse. Ask any college basketball fan about Gonzaga basketball and they'll tell you, that the Bulldogs are for real.
While Few was building a program, he was congruently building his family with Marcy Laca-Few, the Gonzaga head coach's wife.
Who is Mark Few's Wife?
Mark and Marcy Few dropped the puck before tonight's game as a part of Coaches vs. Cancer. #cvc #gochiefsgo pic.twitter.com/GH5zdjhC
— Spokane Chiefs (@spokanechiefs) January 26, 2013
Gonzaga Coach Mark Few was a three-sport star at Creswell High School in Creswell, Oregon. He attended the University of Oregon and earned a physical education degree in 1987.
The basketball coach took at graduate assistant role at Gonzaga in 1989. It was in his early days on the job when he met his wife Marcy Laca, who was a student working the front desk at the university's athletics facility.
In 1994, Few and Laca were married. Few's father, Presbyterian pastor Norm Few, was the officiant at the ceremony.
Mark and Marcy Few have four children: son Austin James (AJ) born in 2000, son Joseph Dillon born in 2002, daughter Julia Ann Elizabeth born in 2006, and son Colt Walker born in 2009. Joe Few even plays for his father on the Gonzaga roster.
“He’s always willing to make time for us. He’s a great dad.” - Joe Few
Take a look inside how Mark Few balances coaching @ZagMBB and spending time with his family in the next episode of “NCAA Men of March” on CBS Sports Network. Tune in this Sunday at 6 PM EST pic.twitter.com/mYRWONUp5Z
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) December 18, 2019
Few and his family love exploring the outdoors. To take his mind off of basketball, he partakes in fly fishing.
The Fews hold a Coaches vs. Cancer charity golf tournament every year. The event has raised over $6.7 million since its inception in 2002.
Few also has a close relationship with North Carolina head coach Roy Williams. When the two squared off in the 2009 Sweet 16 in Memphis, the opposing coaching staffs took an excursion to a casino in Mississippi to play craps together.
Mark Few's Coaching Career
Photo by: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
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Few was made a full-time assistant coach at Gonzaga in 1990. He served in that position until 1999, when he was promoted to associate head coach.
Following a run to the 1999 Elite Eight, head coach Dan Monson left to take the head coaching job at Minnesota. Few was promoted to head coach and has been in that role ever since.
— NCAA Division I Regional - Final Four (2017)
— 16x WCC Tournament Champions
— 19x WCC Regular Season Champions
— AP Coach of the Year (2017)
— Henry Iba Award (2017)
— NABC Coach of the Year (2017)
— Naismith Coach of the Year (2017)
— 14x WCC Coach of the Year
The college basketball coach was the head coach of the United States national team for the 2015 Pan American Games. The team took home the bronze medal. Few was an assistant coach of the national select team in 2019, a squad that helped prepare the senior national team for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Several stars have played under Few, including Adam Morrison, Kelly Olynyk, Rui Hachimura, Domantas Sabonis, Zach Collins, and Brandon Clarke. Point guard Jalen Suggs will be a lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
The Bulldogs have dominated the West Coast Conference under Few. With 16 conference titles, the team is a virtual lock to secure the league's automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
The Zags were a mid-major darling in Few's early days. They have since ascended to the top of the sport.
A Sweet 16 appearance isn't a feat, it's an expectation.
