Are Geno Auriemma and Mark Few friends? Exploring UConn and Gonzaga legends' relations
UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma and Gonzaga men's basketball coach Mark Few are among the nation's best coaches. The two became friends on a night out in the resort city of Cabo, Mexico.
Auriemma spoke about their friendship in "What Drives Winning" series hosted by Brett Ledbetter. The sit-down interview was filmed on May 28, 2021, and posted on YouTube in March last year.
The 11-time women's college basketball national champion and the winningest coach in the NCAA said the two've known each other for a long time thanks to the $113-billion U.S. shoe conglomerate Nike. Nike, a kit sponsor for Gonzaga and UConn, sponsors a summer get-together between coaches.
The legendary UConn bench tactician recalled a coaches' night out in Cabo. He said that the five of them had fun but only two or three returned to their rooms following that event.
Furthermore, Auriemma described Few as a low-key individual who couldn't take himself too seriously. However, the legendary women's basketball admired how the Gonzaga coach worked to keep the Bulldogs a national title contender since he set foot in the school in 1999.
"The most impressive thing I think about Mark is he was at Gonzaga when everybody said 'you don't want to play Gonzaga because they're the big upset team' and he works a certain way exactly the way he is now and from my perspective he hasn't changed one bit," Auriemma said. (1:47)
Gonzaga coach Mark Few treasures the Cabo trip with Geno Auriemma and other legendary coaches
Gonzaga coach Mark Few called his trip to the Mexican city memorable. It allowed him to get to know Geno Auriemma and other legendary coaches like John Calipari, Jim Boeheim and Jay Wright up close and share some insights on the growth of college basketball.
Few remember the card game they had, describing the moment as unbelievable despite feeling nervous. But above all the light moments, the veteran Gonzaga mentor valued the experience. He was able to share his insights and learn from his counterparts on how the game is rapidly evolving.
"Seeing everything that those guys have been through there's just been so much change in our game and to navigate through that and stay as successful," Few said (10:55).
Mark Few is in his 26th season with Gonzaga and has a record of 723-145. He's been into two national championship finals and several Sweet 16 and Elite Eight stints.
On the other hand, Auriemma is 1,221-162 and is an 11-time national champion. He is in his 40th season as UConn coach.