Gonzaga’s Mark Few is one of the greatest coaches that the sport of basketball has ever seen. One of the smartest dealing with X’s and O’s as well. He put a small, private Jesuit university in little-known Spokane on the map and has changed the landscape of college basketball when it comes to non-conference scheduling, recruiting and dealing with the transfer portal.

He ranks as the winningest active NCAA Division I coach by a winning percentage at 83.2 percent with an overall record of 724-146. The legend has also coached over 28 former Zags and counting to have played in the NBA.

Since taking over the head coaching reins for the Zags way back in 1999, Few has had accomplishment after accomplishment. Here are a few, no pun intended:

Few’s work with the rotation lately and the defensive adjustments have been some of the best coaching moves seen from his legendary career. The run towards another Sweet Sixteen appearance and beyond is in the back of the mind of many Gonzaga fans but first, the second matchup with the Saint Mary’s Gaels and a Bay Area road trip are on the horizon.

The 17 finalists for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 include Few, 2008 US Olympic Men’s Basketball TeamCarmelo Anthony, Danny Crawford, Billy Donovan, Dwight Howard, Marques Johnson, Jerry Welsh, Buck Williams, Jennifer Azzi, Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles, Maya Moore, Molly Bolin, Dušan Ivković, Micky Arison, and Tal Brody.

The 2025 class will be announced in San Antonio on April 5th at the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area... Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho