Mark Few on coaching Team USA in Paris Olympics: ‘It’s the highest honor’
Last summer Steve Kerr, Mark Few and Team USA learned valuable lessons at the FIBA World Cup. The American team, which featured a roster of young NBA talent, went home without a medal after losing to Lithuania, Germany and Canada.
Despite boasting some of the world’s greatest athletes, the stark differences between the international game and NBA game were glaring.
“We all came to the conclusion that the FIBA game is way more like the college game than it is the NBA game,” Gonzaga men’s basketball coach Few said. “[The NBA] is totally leaning toward offense … anything in the paint in FIBA was nothing, no fouls. So it’s very difficult sometimes to generate post-ups and post-play. There are no 3 seconds in the key defense like you have in the NBA, so there’s help side … in college you can just jam the lane if you want so there are not a lot of those free drives to the rack.”
For these reasons and many others, Team USA head coach Kerr of the Golden State Warriors selected Few to be on the coaching staff for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this summer. Few will serve as an assistant alongside Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat and Tyronn Lue of the Los Angeles Clippers.
“When you get asked to represent your country at the highest level of basketball, that’s as good as it gets,” Few said. “To me, it’s the highest honor.”
Team USA's roster will look much different this summer. LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry headline what some have dubbed the “Redeem Team 2.0,” which features 12 NBA All-Stars, four NBA MVPs and six NBA champions. The team headed to Paris boasts plenty of experience on the world stage too — a combined 10 Olympic gold medals and three FIBA World Cup titles.
“He’s going to get to coach the best players in the game today,” said Gonzaga assistant coach Brian Michaelson on an episode of Gonzaga Nation. “Future hall-of-famers, some guys you could argue might be up there with the greatest players of all time. To be the only college coach associated with any U.S. Olympic team is really special.”
As Gonzaga’s representation in the NBA continues to expand, so does the program’s level of respect.
“There’s a healthy respect from all the guys who coach at that level. A lot of the players watch our games,” Few said.
Few discussed the honor of coaching Team USA in the Olympics, what it’s like watching his former players in the NBA and so much more on a new Gonzaga Nation episode.
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Produced by Thomas Gallagher.
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COLE FORSMAN
Cole Forsman is a reporter for Gonzaga Nation, a member of Sports Illustrated’s FanNation network. Cole holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.