Gonzaga Men’s Basketball Head Coach Mark Few on Building Strong Relationships and Community for Sustained Growth

Think about everyone in your network, team, and community--that’s your Bamboo Circle.

Our guest today, Mark Few, Gonzaga Men’s Basketball Head Coach, shares how he has built deep-rooted relationships with current and former players, their families, and the community at large to build his Bamboo Circle.

Don’t miss this incredible discussion with, Mark Few, one of the best NCAA head basketball coaches of this generation and one of the greatest people in the world.

Episode Highlights: 

01:10 - What Greg said to Mark back in 1989 01:40 - Why Mark got into Coaching 03:31 - How Mark hustled to get where he is today 04:27 - The competitive fire of Mark 06:46 - What it was like getting to the NCAA championship in basketball 10:41 - Advice Mark would give his former 15-year-old self 11:34 - Support from family, and how his parents opened up their home to others 14:26 - How Mark and his teams recover from losing 15:27 - Dealing with the cancellation of the spring part of the season in 2020 16:55 - Mark’s contribution to the community with the Coaches vs. Cancer program 18:44 - Why Mark might be the best Bamboo Farmer Greg has ever known 21:08 - How the group of friends Mark had, including Greg Bell, propelled he and all their friends forward to success.

Guest at a Glance

Mark Few is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Gonzaga University since 1999. He has served on Gonzaga's coaching staff since 1989, and has been a constant on the sidelines throughout a period that has seen the Bulldogs rise from mid-major obscurity to consistent NCAA Tournament contenders. He has led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in every season during his tenure as head coach, a stretch that has garnered the Bulldogs recognition as a major basketball power despite playing in a mid-major conference.

Notable Quotes

On his growth during the tenure at Gonzaga: “It's been a grind, but it's been a blast. It's definitely been on a growth plane, much like the bamboo. It took a long time, more than bamboo does, to really start getting going, quite frankly.” On competing against his kids: “As you get older, the movement and athleticism begins to wane, quite dramatically here, but, I still find myself just turning it on sometimes and needing to back off on it, just because it's my own flesh and blood I'm playing against, but I don't want to lose to them.” On the NCAA championship: “It was a whirlwind of activity and preparation, and yet there was so much surrounding things that needed attention quite frankly, because it was a really, really big deal.” On one of the most powerful moments Mark had as a coach: “On the way out, the whole group of guys, all a hundred strong of 'em lined up and each of my guys went through and shook their hands and just thank them for building Gonzaga into what they were getting to experience now.” On advice he would give himself at age 15: “Even the disappointments and even the bad decisions probably led me to this point right now.” On preparing for a game: “We're just focused on the process of getting ready for that game and then doing everything we can to try to be successful in that moment, in that game.” On why he never leaves Gonzaga: “I think you miss out on all this stuff that we talked about, though, if you're constantly bouncing around” On instilling Water the Bamboo into the culture: “The work that they put in and, and it might not show for a while, but it eventually will show in a big way if they just hang with it.”

Learn more about Greg Bell

More than just a motivational speaker, Greg Bell is a Portland, Oregon based thought leader, business consultant, and leadership coach. His popular books, What’s Going Well? and Water The Bamboo: Unleashing The Potential Of Teams And Individuals, have inspired an array of organizations, from Fortune 500 companies like Nike, Disney, and Comcast, to the Portland Trail Blazers and Division I NCAA athletic teams like the Oregon Ducks Football and the Gonzaga Bulldogs Basketball.

Visit Greg’s website.

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