SPOKANE, Wash. — Gonzaga Men’s Basketball Head Coach Mark Few held a press conference Thursday for the first time since his DUI charge earlier this year.
When asked about his DUI suspension, Few remarked that he was “remorseful,” but added that he and the rest of the team have moved on from the incident.
“As I said before, you know, incredibly remorseful that it happened,” Few said. “But it’s been ten weeks now and all of us, myself, family, players, coaches, the school, fans, we’ve moved on. Now, it’s about getting ready for Texas.”
Few served a three-game suspension for his DUI arrest to begin Gonzaga's basketball season. During Thursday's press conference, Few did not answer a question about whether he was suspended without pay for the games he didn't coach.
"I'm not even getting into the whole personal thing. I'm kind of done with all that. I'm just moving on. I'm just going to talk hoops from here on out," said Few.
"I've just tried to use it as a huge jump off point for positive action and positive change. To try to make myself better and try to help as many other people as I can," said Few.
The Zags take on the Texas Longhorns on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Few described Texas as a “formidable opponent” that would be a “huge test” for his younger, more inexperienced team.
While under his suspension, Few remarked that he was happy with his team’s performance in the pre-season and in their 97-63 home opener victory against Dixie State.
“I think this year, it’s going to be a real journey of learning,” Few said. “We got six new guys that we’re counting on to play. I don’t think I’ve ever had that as long as I’ve been here. It’s making practices longer and it’s making for some bumpy times during games, but I think it will put us on a growth plain, too, I hope.”
While Few expressed confidence in his new batch of players, he did acknowledge the challenges in working with them to understand his system in practices.
“Unfortunately, it looks like a lot of stops in practice, which I don’t like,” Few said. “I like flow and playing and it seems like we’re stopping and correcting a lot. I think I have to remind everybody — staff and myself — to even just let them flow and play through mistakes a little bit.”
“It’s an awesome group though,” Few added. “They’re eager to learn, they’re easy to coach and they’re getting better.”