Gonzaga coach Mark Few named finalist for Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

Few is joined by Kelvin Sampson as active college coaches on the Class of 2026 ballot

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Erik Smith

Gonzaga head coach Mark Few was named a finalist for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, one of 21 selected for consideration in the Class of 2026.

The 21 finalists are broken up into six categories; North American Committee Finalists, Women's Committee Finalists, Women's Veteran Committee Finalists, International Committee Finalists, Contributors Committee Finalists, and Veterans Committee Finalists.

10 candidates join Few on the list of North American Committee Finalists, including current Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, former NBA forwards Blake Griffin and Amar'e Stoudemire, and Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers.

Few began his career as the head coach at Gonzaga in 1999 and has led them to unprecedented levels of success, making the NCAA Tournament every single year since taking over - a remarkable feat that is even more impressive when considering the lack of success the program had prior to his arrival.

Few currently boasts a career record of 766-154, good for an 83.3% win rate - which is second all-time among coaches with 10+ years of experience. Sam Burton, who coached at West Texas A&M from 1921-1933, is in first place with an all-time record of 210-42.

The Gonzaga head man also ranks 19th all-time in career wins at 766 after passing the legendary Jerry Tarkanian a few weeks ago. The only active coaches ahead of Few are Rick Pitino (St. John's), John Calipari (Arkansas), Rick Barnes (Tennessee), Bill Self (Kansas), and Dana Altman (Oregon). Pitino, Calipari, and Self are already in the Hall of Fame, along with Michigan State's Tom Izzo - who is just behind Few with his 757 career wins. Barnes is currently on the ballot, but was not selected as a finalist this year, while Altman has yet to land on the ballot despite approaching 800 career wins.

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Myk Crawford

Few's influence on Gonzaga, and college basketball, boils down to much more than just wins and losses. He single-handedly brought the Zags into the national spotlight, catapulting a schol that was on the verge of shuttering athletics at the Division I level into a university that has now accepted an invitation to join the Pac-12 conference ahead of the 2026-27 season.

The 63-year-old was twice named Naismith Coach of the Year, earning the honor in 2017 and 2021 after leading Gonzaga to the national championship game each season. Few was also AP Coach of the Year in 2017, and has been named West Coast Conference Coach of the Year a record 14 times.

Few's coaching career includes representing Team USA on the highest stage in 2024 as an assistant coach for the Olympic Team that won Gold in Paris, France.

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Myk Crawford

The Honors Committee will now review the finalists and cast votes, with a minimum of 18 votes needed among the 24 committee members in order to gain enshrinement.

The Hall of Fame class of 2026 will be announced on Saturday, April 4 at 9:00 AM ET on ESPN.

Coach of the Gonzaga Men’s Basketball team, a Class of 2026 Finalist, Coach Mark Few. #26HoopClass pic.twitter.com/sg9bwVIbgp

— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) February 11, 2026

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