Mike Roth on Gonzaga’s unique culture: 'We’re not going to prioritize winning over the right fit'

Former Gonzaga athletic director set the foundation for the type of student-athletes the Bulldogs recruit

Mark Few, Graham Ike huddle during a Gonzaga men's basketball game against the Pepperdine Waves / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

It’s early in Mike Roth’s tenure as the director of athletics at Gonzaga. Well before the men’s basketball program took off as a powerhouse on the West Coast. Roth had made plenty of surface-level changes to the school’s branding — logos, colorways, other modes of branding that stuck out — but his philosophies and visions hadn’t yet permeated throughout the entire athletic department.

That is, until a meeting with the school’s trustees and leadership helped set the foundation for the type of people Roth wanted coaching Gonzaga student-athletes.

“Someone asked, “So Mike, what do you look for when you’re hiring a coach?’” Roth recalled. “I said, ‘I’m not looking for the best coach - that’s not what I’m looking for, I’m looking for the best person for Gonzaga University.’ We’re not going to prioritize winning over the right fit. And once we find that right fit, we have to make sure they can coach.”

It’s not a surefire method, but the hits far outweigh the busts. Mark Machtolf, a five-time WCC Coach of the Year, has been the Gonzaga baseball head coach for over 20 seasons. Pat Tyson, director of cross country and track & field at Gonzaga, is widely regarded as one of the most successful cross country coaches in the country. The women’s basketball team has flourished under Kelly Graves (2000-2014) and Lisa Fortier over the last two decades. 

"At Gonzaga, we are not going to just turn a blind eye … that’s not who we are … you look at the coaches that we have, they’re really good people first and foremost, who then also at the same time are really good coaches," Roth said.

Of course, Roth’s influence also ushered in Mark Few and the last 25 years of NCAA Tournament excellence from the Gonzaga men’s basketball program. The Bulldogs have gone dancing every season under Few, who eclipsed the 700-win mark in his career and advanced to his ninth straight Sweet 16 this past season. All while Few and his coaching staff embraced and prioritized "fit" above all else when recruiting.

“What we totally focus on when we’re in the transfer portal is finding the guy that will value that and does understand like, OK we have a track record of not only winning, and if you want to talk about growing your brand, I mean you’re at one of the most popular brands in all of college basketball,” Few said on an episode of Gonzaga Nation. “The ones that end up maybe valuing that, and that resonates and they listen, are the ones that belong at Gonzaga because that’s what we base this program on.”

“Winning is fun. Winning is what we’re after,” Roth said. “But winning with great kids, great coaches who are good people.”

Roth shared more insight on what makes Gonzaga different and much more on a new Gonzaga Nation episode.

WATCH THE FULL MIKE ROTH EPISODE:

Produced by Thomas Gallagher.

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