Gonzaga's Mark Few on Bill Self: 'Just a huge fan. Awesome coach.'

Saturday’s matchup between the 5-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs and 4-seed Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament will be just the second time Mark Few and Bill Self square off as head coaches, but the two hall-of-fame coaches have built quite the connection over the last few decades.

The two first met in the 1997 Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, when Self was at Tulsa and Few was an assistant under Dan Monson.

“That's where I first met him, got to know him. Just a huge fan,” Few said at Gonzaga’s media availability Friday. “Big-time fan and just awesome, awesome guy. Awesome coach.”

Paths crossed again, this time when both were assistant coaches in 1998 when the Zags went to Lawrence, Kansas, to face the Jayhawks, who were already known as a blueblood program by that point. Gonzaga meanwhile had just one NCAA Tournament appearance to its name and was still considered the little mid-major from Spokane. Obviously a lot has changed since then.

“Obviously, it's been a long, hard slog for us, but a fun one at that,” Few said on Gonzaga’s growth over the last two-plus decades. “And I think Kansas can probably explain it to anybody who's ever worked there or played there or coached there: It's hard to stay really, really, really good for an extended period of time. It's really hard when everybody circles the game on the calendar and you're everybody's Super Bowl.

As the Bulldogs became a known power in college basketball, Few has been an admirer from afar, even implementing some of Self’s plays and sets at Kansas into his own playbook at Gonzaga. The Jayhawks of course have been the pinnacle of excellence throughout the Self era; two national championships, four Final Four appearances, eight Big 12 tournament championships and 16 regular season titles.

Even though they haven’t shared the sidelines very often, their career arcs have quite a few similarities.

Both have been to the NCAA Tournament every year in their current positions, which dates back to Self’s first year as the Jayhawks head coach in 2003, after rising in the ranks as young assistants. Each has been to multiple Final Fours, has won over 40 postseason games and has over 700 career wins.

Of course Self’s career has taken him at a number of different stops while Few’s coaching experience has kept him in Spokane for nearly 30 years. Even so, Self grew his status and credibility much like Few did through stints at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois. Meanwhile Few spent the last two decades growing the Bulldogs’ brand beyond that of a typical “mid-major” and into one of the winningest programs in March.

But the one thing that’s tied Few and Self together more than anything is the fact they’re able to celebrate a special day together — both were born on Dec. 27, 1962.

“That's the one pleasantry we exchange every year, is ‘Happy birthday,’” Self said on Friday.

Self didn’t get to see much of the Zags when both were at the Maui Invitational in November, but like Few, he’s kept notice from a distance.

“I don't know when it was with Mark's group, but they were never playing poorly, in my eyes,” Self said. “They played a really good schedule. And when you play a really good schedule and you don't play well certain nights, you may lose that game. But it seems like to me, since about the Kentucky game, and I don't know if that's the exact game, but it just looks like to me that's the Gonzaga team of the past playing.”

Self added that he thought the idea of the Bulldogs missing the NCAA Tournament “ridiculous.”

“I think they've tweaked some personnel changes and stuff like that, but the bottom line is they're just playing like Gonzaga is known to play this time of year.”

Mark Few, Gonzaga — Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few first faced Bill Self in 1997 when he was an assistant coach. | Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports