Dave Boling: "Mark Few might be misunderstood, but he has no trouble winning"

[Radbooks]

Here's a nice article about Few from The News Tribune by Dave Boling.

Mark Few might be misunderstood, but he has no trouble winning

[ZagNative]

Dave Boling: "Mark Few might be misunderstood, but he has no trouble winning"

I really enjoyed this Dave Boling piece in the News Tribune, thugh I'm puzzled by the claim that Few is somehow unlikable. Must be the view from Lorenzo Romar country ...

Considering that Few has taken Gonzaga to 18 straight NCAA tournaments and has the Zags in the Sweet 16 again despite being a No. 11 seed this season, it amazes me that Few remains so vastly misunderstood.

Or at least misperceived.

Some in the media and public have called him derisive names and portrayed him as some kind of a jerk.

Granted, he is a picture of stern focus on the sidelines, but is not a chair-thrower who dog-cusses his players all the time. And he doesn’t display a great deal of delight during his media sessions, but I’ve never heard him be rude or condescending.

Here’s what he does: wins at a higher rate than anybody in NCAA basketball (averaging 27.4 wins per season), graduates his players, hasn’t had a hint of scandal or cheating, makes his players better and raises millions of dollars for charitable causes.

I’d say college sports all over the country could use jerks like Few.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports...#storylink=cpy

[WBM]

Nice. Thanks for the link

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[Larryzag]

I really enjoyed this Dave Boling piece in the News Tribune, thugh I'm puzzled by the claim that Few is somehow unlikable. Must be the view from Lorenzo Romar country ...

Exactly. I heard the same thing on the Brock and Salk show this morning. They were discussing Romar and how he isn't a good game coach but was likable. And then they said Few wasn't likable but he was a winner. I thought it was just Husky jealousy when I heard it this morning.

[bballbeachbum]

enjoyed the read but I too was puzzled by that claim, have never heard him described as a jerk before that piece, and then as Larryzag said...the only two times. then again, I don't follow UW sports politics

[rennis]

It's no secret that some of the Seattle area talking heads are not fans of Coach Few. I take great joy in it, because they are such unabashed UW homers and they come off exactly like what they are with their negativity towards GU.

When Brock went to GU last year and came back glowing about K2 and especially about Pangos, it was legitimately the first time in years I heard any 206 area code sports authority say something that wasn't at least subtly derisive toward GU.




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[FuManShoes]

enjoyed the read but I too was puzzled by that claim, have never heard him described as a jerk before that piece, and then as Larryzag said...the only two times. then again, I don't follow UW sports politics

Mitch Levy and his cohorts at KJR won't let go of their hatred of Few over some interview he refused or something similarly stupid. It colors all Zag coverage on that station (to the extent there is any) and I think inspires or gives comfort to similar sour grapes by Husky Nation, which, this far removed from the Heytvelt thing, seems laughably petty.

[bballbeachbum]

Mitch Levy and his cohorts at KJR won't let go of their hatred of Few over some interview he refused or something similarly stupid. It colors all Zag coverage on that station (to the extent there is any) and I think inspires or gives comfort to similar sour grapes by Husky Nation, which, this far removed from the Heytvelt thing, seems laughably petty.

right on Fu, thanks. sounds silly.......

[23dpg]

Outside of Seattle, Few is probably one of the most respected coaches in the country.
Outside of Seattle, Romar is known?

[TrueLiz]

I have friends here in Minnesota that work(ed) in the college basketball world that strongly dislike Mark Few, so it goes way beyond Washington. One who is friends with Dan Monson, and found Few dismissive when Monson introduced them. Another who covered basketball who just really doesn't like him, and listed off other former colleagues who felt the same way. I have given up trying to change their minds, but the perception is out there in some circles. Meanwhile, I recall many years ago when Doug Gottlieb & Dave Revsine were both still at ESPN, I talked to them after they called a Gophers NIT game at the Barn. When I mentioned that the Zags were my other favorite team they said "Oh, we love Fewie! Great guy. We were just up there again and always love getting to see him." and proceeded to mention other colleagues of theirs who love doing his charity events because he is such a good guy. So there are also those that love him, but for some reason, some people completely unconnected to UW just don't seem to understand his personality.

[Zagger]

Friday night, the Zags take on Syracuse in the Round of 16. They will play with great effort and smarts, and be as well-prepared as any team in the country. In that way, they will be the true reflection of their coach.

Liked this last part - especially the effort and smarts part. When you get good bb players out there playing like Mike Hart AND knowing what to do at the same time ..... you win your last two NCAA games by a combined 39 points.

When it comes to Few being liked or disliked .... per earlier thread discussion .... my take is that Few is pretty focused and doesn't care all that much for distractions. If his mind is on something or he'd rather be spending his time doing something else I can see how he could come off being impersonal. Some people can have it all in their jobs/interests yet struggle with marriages/families, etc. Few cherishes his time with family, friends and fish - as well as with his team. To also 'shine' on the social aspect end of college sports just isn't on Few's radar. Given that fact we're all very fortunate that Few bought in on the HBO series. I think that happening shows that Few is willing think outside his own box and put moving GU's program further along ahead of his own personal wants/desires/tastes. It also took guts, willing to take some risks, etc. and LOTS of faith in his team/coaches. It's been an amazing season regardless of what the score ends up being Friday night. We may be 'worried' about whether Dontmiss and/or Mt. K will return as Zags for next season but we're not worried about whether or not Few will be back. Go Zags!

[TexasZagFan]

I have friends here in Minnesota that work(ed) in the college basketball world that strongly dislike Mark Few, so it goes way beyond Washington. One who is friends with Dan Monson, and found Few dismissive when Monson introduced them. Another who covered basketball who just really doesn't like him, and listed off other former colleagues who felt the same way. I have given up trying to change their minds, but the perception is out there in some circles. Meanwhile, I recall many years ago when Doug Gottlieb & Dave Revsine were both still at ESPN, I talked to them after they called a Gophers NIT game at the Barn. When I mentioned that the Zags were my other favorite team they said "Oh, we love Fewie! Great guy. We were just up there again and always love getting to see him." and proceeded to mention other colleagues of theirs who love doing his charity events because he is such a good guy. So there are also those that love him, but for some reason, some people completely unconnected to UW just don't seem to understand his personality.

Texas loves the Zags. Rarely hear a discouraging word, as Texans love the heart from a small school that has joined the giants of the world of college hoops.

[GoZags]

Liked this last part - especially the effort and smarts part. When you get good bb players out there playing like Mike Hart AND knowing what to do at the same time ..... you win your last two NCAA games by a combined 39 points.

When it comes to Few being liked or disliked .... per earlier thread discussion .... my take is that Few is pretty focused and doesn't care all that much for distractions. If his mind is on something or he'd rather be spending his time doing something else I can see how he could come off being impersonal. Some people can have it all in their jobs/interests yet struggle with marriages/families, etc. Few cherishes his time with family, friends and fish - as well as with his team. To also 'shine' on the social aspect end of college sports just isn't on Few's radar. Given that fact we're all very fortunate that Few bought in on the HBO series. I think that happening shows that Few is willing think outside his own box and put moving GU's program further along ahead of his own personal wants/desires/tastes. It also took guts, willing to take some risks, etc. and LOTS of faith in his team/coaches. It's been an amazing season regardless of what the score ends up being Friday night. We may be 'worried' about whether Dontmiss and/or Mt. K will return as Zags for next season but we're not worried about whether or not Few will be back. Go Zags!

You have hit the nail on the head vis a vis Fewie (particularly in light of the post directly above yours which mentions Monson and Minnesota). Mark Few is an intensely private guy with a very public job. At Gonzaga he's able to get away with things he'd never be able to do at a "typical" basketball power. At the start of this "cute little run" Dan Monson was the gregarious guy ... the personal glad hander that made EVERYBODY feel good. And Dan is a great coach. Few was the quiet, behind the scenes "architect". When Dan left for Minnesota, suddenly Few was in the spotlight.... and there was a definitive paradigm shift for him. He was suddenly the spokesperson ... the man ... the head coach. But he was still Norm's son ... the guy with fire in his belly yet not really personable (to those outside his inner circle). Remember ... his first day on campus he was pulled aside by the campus elders and told "You will never win this league and that's okay. Just don't finish last. Last place isn't tolerated around here". Those were his marching orders.

Mark Few has alienated some of the press (particularly radio/print media in Seattle) because he doesn't rush to the mic ... Former SID Oliver Pierce knew this. He also isn't Mr. "Warm and Friendly" with the Alumni base. It isn't because he's a jerk ... it's because in his core he ISN'T a huge, outgoing guy.

He knows himself and he knows what's important. Family. We saw what happened with Ronny's heart situation. Everyone came off the road and made it down to Stanford Medical Center. There was a very real possibility that the last faces Ronny would see in this lifetime was Tommy, Mark and Billy's.

But back to the way he "handles" things ... like the press. He does the absolute minimum himself and delegates his Assistants to do the rest. The post game radio? His assistants. The fact of the matter is "The Mark Few Show" exists for one reason ... to generate extra revenue to ensure his staff is well compensated.

The Purple Gang at Montlake (in the UW Athletic Department and their fan base) have done their best to sully Mark Few's reputation in the Seattle area. There have been subtle and overt accusations of a horrific nature concerning Fewie and what was really behind the UW/GU "feud". But the fact of the matter is this ... there is jealousy on the part of UW as GU has taken what UW believes is rightfully theirs ... i.e. respect on a national level. This hasn't been published or posted anywhere ... but when Bob Bender left UW and Quin Snyder turned them down they reached out to Mark. It is my belief that in 17+ years, the only face to face Mark Few has had with another school was in the living room of a "mutual" friend (of GU's and UW's). Few took the meeting out of respect and met with Barbara Hedges (UW AD at the time). Early in the meeting Mark told her that ... he appreciated the consideration but wasn't interested. Surprisingly Hedges got agitated and actually gave Mark a warning .... "We will bury you" she said. I "think" we all know how that worked out.

Twice we've publically seen the "curtain" pulled back. A decade ago on ESPN "The Season" and this year with HBO. I think those that follow Gonzaga basketball have a pretty good idea about who Mark Few is and what he's all about.

Those that follow from afar ... those that don't "know" Mark may believe he's "misunderstood". But the misunderstanding isn't anything that Few has done (other than him just being himself).

[zag944]

The guys on ESPN radio here seem to be ok. Brock and Salk both give us a fair amount of praise on the radio and through their twitter accounts. Grosby seems to talk about us nice and fairly. KJR is not very nice. Must have heard that weasel sound effect a dozen times on my morning drive yesterday.


Question on Boling. Sorry it is a little off topic, but at least he mentions his book in the article.

Is Tales from the Gonzaga Bulldogs Locker Room the same book as Tales from the Gonzaga Hardwood, but with an introduction from Few?

[DZ]

In any profession, the way to get a sense of what a person is all about is to look at how he/she is viewed by colleagues in the same profession.

Few is extremely popular with other coaches, from Boeheim, Izzo ne' Heathcoate, Huggy Bear, hell - even Calipari, etc etc

It's not something that should keep anyone up at night.