Zach Norvell on Gonzaga's standard: 'Coach Few, he just expects excellence out of everybody, every day'

'Coach Few knows when he walks into the gym, everybody’s watching him ... how he carries himself just kind of reflects on the whole program,' Norvell said.

Credit to Gonzaga Nation

Former Gonzaga men’s basketball guard and current assistant coach Zach Norvell Jr. had the rare opportunity to be around some of the NBA’s greatest players in his brief stint in the association.

After going undrafted in 2019, the Chicago native’s first professional experience teamed him up with superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, as well as other season veterans like Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee and Danny Green on the Los Angeles Lakers. Though his stint in LA was short, the time spent around the experienced players opened Norvell Jr.’s eyes to what’s expected from a pro even when they’re not in the gym.

“You don’t want to be in practice for two hours a day when you got 82 games,” Norvell Jr. said. “So, just learning, OK if I’m only going to get a limited amount of reps in practice, what am I gonna do after practice? Am I gonna watch film? Am I gonna go get treatment? More shots?”

Norvell Jr. was a standout with the Bulldogs in his two seasons from 2017-2019, as he earned West Coast Conference Rookie of the Year honors in 2018, followed by an All-WCC first team nod in 2018-19. He welcomed the bright lights on the big stage with clutch performances in the NCAA Tournament, including a go-ahead triple in the first round against Greensboro, followed by a 28-point, 12-assist game against Ohio State just two days later in the 2018 tournament.

Norvell Jr. wound up going undrafted after an even better sophomore campaign, though he didn’t have to wait long until the Lakers came calling with a two-way contract that summer of 2019. Six days after being cut from the main roster in December, he joined the G League affiliate South Bay Lakers.

From one superstar teammate to the next, Norvell Jr. signed a 10-day contract with the Golden State Warriors in February 2020, teaming him up with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Like what he had experienced in LA with James, Norvell Jr. saw a similar level of dedication and preparation from Curry. And before that, at Gonzaga under head coach Mark Few.

“Coach Few, he just expects excellence out of everybody, every day. And you would hear the same about LeBron and Steph,” Norvell Jr. said. “You could walk into a practice and you’d probably see those guys in there 3-4 hours before you even get there because they know, everybody in the gym is watching them. Coach Few knows when he walks into the gym, everybody’s watching him ... how he carries himself just kind of reflects on the whole program.”

Norvell Jr. credited Few’s autonomous approach to player development for his level of preparedness as a pro.

“Just figuring out how to still be a pro off the court, and I feel like Gonzaga kind of helped me do that a lot cause around here, it’s all basketball,” Norvell Jr. said. “You’re figuring out ways to add to your game and perfect your craft so I feel like the biggest eye-opener was like, OK, this is the real deal. Not only are you a pro in this practice but when you leave here, how good are you gonna be?”

Norvell Jr. shared more about his time in the NBA, why he came back to Gonzaga as an assistant coach and much more, on a new Gonzaga Nation episode.

WATCH THE FULL ZACH NORVELL JR. EPISODE

Produced by Thomas Gallagher.

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