When talented players leave high school, they often visit the best programs available. For a long time, Mark Few’s Gonzaga Bulldogs weren’t on anyone’s wish list. Geno Auriemma of UConn, on the other hand, has a completely different experience.
During their conversation on “What Drives Winning” in 2023, Few was asked by Coach Geno about the transition that Gonzaga made. Auriemma wanted to know when that switch happened and how he felt about it. Mark Few said:
“Gosh, coach, like everything with the program, it was just a step-by-step, year-by-year, layer-by-layer process. I think that piece was probably the last thing that came. Even after we were in a Final Four in 2017, we still probably weren’t that school that could go out and get that kind of guy.”
Regardless of how players saw the Bulldogs program from the outside, Few was running a successful program. It took some time, but people eventually started seeing the success of his students in college and the NBA. Few believes that’s when the shift started happening. Even then, he was cautious about signing new players.
“There’s a danger in falling into that trap, too. I want to continue to get the type of player you talked about earlier, the one that comes here and then gets better and better. And I think it’s also important, and I think you can attest to this, that you want your teams to be older too and not fall into just having all young, talented guys,” he added.
Few said it has always been important for him to keep the right balance of experience and young talent on his team. Even today, he recruits players based on that blueprint.
Mark Few used Geno Auriemma as an example in his recruiting process
When asked about his ability to say no to players, especially when he can now access a bigger talent pool, Few referred to Auriemma.
“Geno knows that game better than anybody. UConn basketball, I mean, they pretty much get the pick of the litter there over the years.”
Few noted that every young player has UConn basketball on their wishlist. And when pressure mounts on the program to make the right call, which includes saying no to some really talented players, Auriemma knows and understands that problem better than most coaches.
As for Few’s way of dealing with that problem, he said that over the years, as Gonzaga has gained a better reputation, he has gotten better at figuring out which players to take in. While it remains a difficult call to make, saying no to a player, Few has figured out what works best for his program.
It’s a result of his decades of toil that Gonzaga now stands tall in the college basketball talent pool. Their success in recent years, including making the NCAA Division I regional Final Four twice, is a testament to that.
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