Mark Few helped Gonzaga make its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1995.
At the time, Few was an assistant coach on Gonzaga’s staff rather than the team’s head coach. The Bulldogs earned the program’s first NCAA tournament berth by winning the West Coast Conference tournament during the 1994–95 season.
Gonzaga entered the tournament as a tenth seed in the West Regional and lost to Maryland in the first round. Although the result was brief, the appearance marked the beginning of the program’s transformation into a consistent national contender.
Few became Gonzaga’s head coach in 1999 after serving on the staff for a decade. Under his leadership, the Bulldogs reached the NCAA championship game in 2017 and 2021.