Mark Among Few Good Men: Gonzaga Guru Dominates Like Tark and Case
A principal reason Jerry Tarkanian became a Hall of Famer was the fact he is the only coach in NCAA Division I history to win more than 90% of his assignments for a school in a single conference including both regular season and postseason league tourney (229-19 mark in PCAA/Big West with UNLV in 10-year span from 1982-83 through 1991-92).
Among active coaches, Gonzaga's Mark Few extended his stunning string of 16 consecutive NCAA playoff appearances in as many seasons with the Zags. But what is equally impressive is his domination of the West Coast Conference not only in regular-season competition (215-25) but also in league tournament action (33-4). Buttressed by a sterling frontcourt means Few won't fall much, if any, from list of league rulers in near future. Ditto winning percentage overall through 16 campaigns as Few (.810) ranks third at this juncture in his career behind legendary Clair Bee (.847) and Adolph Rupp (.814). How in the name of James Naismith has Few never been anointed national coach of the year?
John Calipari is the only coach to win in excess of 80% of his league assignments in two conferences with different schools. But if Few remains at his present success level, Calipari would need to tack on another 105 consecutive SEC triumphs via five additional unbeaten regular seasons and league tourney titles in succession with Kentucky to surpass Few in conference domination.
Brad Stevens won 80.8% of Butler's Horizon League games in five seasons but fell just short of meeting the minimum of 100 decisions in a single conference on the following list before subsequently moving on to the Atlantic 10 and NBA's Boston Celtics. Stevens aspires to have a better pro career than Tarkanian, who compiled a 9-11 record in a brief stint with the San Antonio Spurs at the start of the 1992-93 campaign. Few ranks third, also behind North Carolina State's Everett Case, among the following coaches who have won more than 75% of their games in a single conference including participation in league tourney play:
| Coach | School | Conference | Seasons | Regular-Season | League Tourney | Overall | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry Tarkanian | UNLV | PCAA/Big West | 1983-92 | 205-17 | 24-2 | 229-19 | .923 |
| Everett Case | North Carolina State | Southern | 1947-53 | 87-11 | 20-1 | 107-12 | .899 |
| Mark Few | Gonzaga | West Coast | 2000-15 | 215-25 | 33-4 | 248-29 | .895 |
| Adolph Rupp | Kentucky | SEC | 1933-72 | 397-75 | 57-6 | 454-81 | .849 |
| Roy Williams | Kansas | Big 12 | 1997-2003 | 94-18 | 14-4 | 108-22 | .831 |
| Gregg Marshall | Winthrop | Big South | 1999-2007 | 104-24 | 19-2 | 123-26 | .826 |
| Bill Self | Kansas | Big 12 | 2004-15 | 164-36 | 24-6 | 188-42 | .817 |
| John Calipari | Memphis | C-USA | 2001-09 | 117-25 | 17-5 | 134-30 | .817 |
| John Calipari | Kentucky | SEC | 2010-15 | 82-20 | 13-3 | 95-23 | .805 |
| Rick Majerus | Utah | Western Athletic | 1991-99 | 118-30 | 15-6 | 133-36 | .787 |
| Eddie Sutton | Arkansas | Southwest | 1975-85 | 139-35 | 13-7 | 152-42 | .784 |
| Bob Huggins | Cincinnati | C-USA | 1996-2005 | 123-33 | 16-6 | 139-39 | .781 |
| Pete Gillen | Xavier | Midwestern Collegiate | 1986-94 | 83-25 | 17-4 | 100-29 | .775 |
| Vic Bubas | Duke | ACC | 1960-69 | 106-32 | 22-6 | 128-38 | .771 |
| Stew Morrill | Utah State | Big West | 1999-2005 | 91-28 | 13-3 | 104-31 | .770 |
| Charlie Spoonhour | SW Missouri State | Mid-Continent | 1984-90 | 73-21 | 9-4 | 82-25 | .766 |
| Lute Olson | Arizona | Pacific-10 | 1984-2007 | 328-102 | 16-6 | 344-108 | .761 |
| Joe Williams | Furman | Southern | 1971-78 | 67-25 | 18-3 | 85-28 | .752 |
| Denny Crum | Louisville | Metro | 1977-95 | 173-59 | 33-9 | 206-68 | .752 |
NOTES: Huggins (West Virginia), Marshall (Wichita State) and Williams (North Carolina) are active coaches currently employed by other schools. . . . UCLA's John Wooden won 81% of his games in the PCC/AAWU/Pacific-8 from 1949-75 but none of those contests included conference tournament competition.