Gonzaga’s Dusty Stromer on Mark Few with Team USA: ‘He’s coaching some of the greatest players to ever play’

'It’s pretty cool because he does treat the players the same way that he treats us, and he looks at them the same as he looks at us ... that’s super cool to see,' Stromer said

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few has spent the last month preparing some of the best basketball players in the world with USA Basketball at the Paris Olympics, and while his duties are slightly different as an assistant under Steve Kerr, Few’s style and approach hasn’t wavered a bit.

Whether it’s a defensive drill he’d lead at Gonzaga or a certain formation on offense, Few’s had his fingerprints all over Team USA’s pursuit of a fifth consecutive gold medal. As he helps guide LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant through Olympic competition, his Gonzaga players have been following their coach’s journey intently from back home in Spokane.

“We all watch the games together and it’s funny to see coach Few sort of … do exactly the same things he does with us,” said Dusty Stromer. “It’s pretty cool because he does treat the players the same way that he treats us, and he looks at them the same as he looks at us so I think that’s super cool to see.”

Stromer, coming off a freshman year in which he started 15 of the Bulldogs’ first 16 games of the season, has paid close attention to Phoenix Suns wing Devin Booker, who’s also listed at 6-foot-6 with a comparable frame. The rising sophomore has taken a liking to Booker’s elite shotmaking and his ability to get to his spots on the floor, two areas he hopes to add to his game as he readies for his second season of college basketball.

Stromer’s introduction to Division-I hoops got off to an unexpected start. He was thrust into the starting lineup after Eastern Washington transfer Steele Venters went down with an ACL injury just days before the season opener. That put Stromer in a role he didn’t quite envision for himself when he first arrived on campus, though the Sherman Oaks, California, native embraced the challenge head-on.

“Going into the year I knew if I was starting, if I wasn’t starting, I knew I just wanted to make an impact,” Stromer said.

The journey wasn’t without growing pains. On a team that had as much experienced talent as the Zags did, Stromer’s path to playing time consisted of doing all the little things, hustling for rebounds and playing sound defense.

“I had to figure out other ways to make an impact and to stay on the floor as long as possible and help my team win,” Stromer said. “So just watching film with the coaches, figuring out where I can get cuts and offensive rebounds and just different opportunities to score and help the team win was super important for me.”

When the coaching staff opted to swap Ben Gregg into the starting lineup midway through the season, Stromer approached the reassignment with the same spirit he had when he was named a starter just a few months earlier. The results spoke for themselves — the Zags won 16 of their final 19 games and reached the Sweet 16 for the ninth straight time, all while Stromer excelled in his new role off the bench and even provided a spark in the first-round win over McNeese State with 10 points.

“It was definitely tough at times to look at the bigger picture of things, but I’m so grateful for the opportunity to kind of get thrown out there just because I learned so much that year, more than I’ve ever learned in my entire [career] of playing basketball, so I’m just super grateful for my freshman year.”

Stromer shared more about his experiences as a freshman last season, what he’s seen in summer practices and much more on a new Gonzaga Nation episode.

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE BELOW:

Produced by Thomas Gallagher.

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