SEATTLE — Gonzaga men’s basketball coach Mark Few is taking a break from the Zags this summer while he’s at the 2024 Paris Olympics as an assistant coach for the U.S. men’s team.
"When you get an opportunity to represent your country at the Olympics, it's as big as it gets in my book," Few said.
Few, who has been the head coach at Gonzaga since 1999, is currently the winningest active NCAA Division I coach by winning percentage. He's won over 83% of the games he's coached.
Few first coached for USA basketball in 2015, when he guided mostly college players to a bronze medal at the Pan American Games.
"I think it's the highest calling you can have as a college coach," Few said.
It's common for the U.S. Olympic basketball team to hold one staff position for a college coach.
"The interesting thing is the FIBA game is more like the college game than it is the pro game," Few said.
But Few admitted the NBA players are a little different than the college players he's used to coaching.
"These guys are the best of the best,” Few said. “The ultimate pros. I walked away last year so impressed and this team is just like that, so driven, so much different than college guys."
Few won't get paid for his time in Paris. Few and the other coaches also won't get a medal like the players but he said this is an opportunity he wouldn't pass up. He's been a fan of the Olympics since he was a kid.
"When the Olympics were on, that was like the coolest thing ever,” Few said. “You're just glued to the television. It didn't matter what they were covering. It was must-see.”