Mark Few's Gonzaga team is ranked 14th in the preaseason coaches' poll. (USATSI)
Mark Few's Gonzaga team is ranked 14th in the preaseason coaches' poll. (USATSI)

Mark Few has made Gonzaga the standard for all mid-majors in college basketball. The veteran coach has led the Bulldogs to 15 straight NCAA Tournaments and boasts a unit this year that was ranked 13th in the Preseason USA Today Coaches Poll. Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports Network and CBSSports.com sat down with Few to discuss Gonzaga's excellence, Kentucky transfer Kyle Wiltjer, and who on his roster may emerge this season from the shadows.

Jon Rothstein, CBSSports.com: What do you think your reaction would have been in 1999 if someone told you that you were going to take Gonzaga to the next 15 NCAA Tournaments?

Mark Few: A hearty laugh. A real hearty laugh. It's been pretty crazy and a lot of fun. A lot of great memories. It's different every year. Maintaining and growing has been so much more difficult than that first magical run. You have to fight the thought that things are just going to happen every year. Fans expect that, but players and coaches know that things happen because of hard work. It's a journey and it's a long process. Looking back, you just think about how many high quality guys we've had here. We've had some really tough, hard-nosed guys and some big-time winners.

CBSSports.com: How does it make you feel when other mid-major programs -- like VCU, Wichita State or Harvard -- have success and people say "they're becoming like Gonzaga"?

Few: That's a nice compliment but I think that's tough for them because I believe every situation is unique. I was able to find this space and take full advantage of it and the university jumped on board. We've really seen that we can grow this product and the impact that it's had on the school. We had 2,800 students enrolled and we've got 7,800 enrolled now. There's 15 or 16 new buildings on campus. GPAs and test scores have went up too. The flood gates have kind of opened. We've had great continuity on the staff and I've had the same athletic director the entire time and that's obviously very important. It's a spot where everyone is pulling the rope in the same direction and that's rare today in college athletics.

CBSSports.com: You've spent a quarter century in total at Gonzaga. What would it mean for you to eventually break through in the NCAA Tournament and get this program back to the event's second weekend and in position to make a Final Four?

Few: We've been to the second weekend a few times. It's everybody's goal to advance as far as they can and hopefully you can get to a Final Four and win a national title but it's not the only goal. The tournament is such a fickle deal. Whoever thought that UConn would win the title last year? I've always just said that it's really, really shallow to put all your eggs in one basket. These seasons are six months long and they're long arduous journeys. Issues come up and you've got to power through those. Here we have expectations of winning our league title and we really have to be on top of things to pull that off. Going to a Final Four would be great but from my standpoint, getting every team to reach its full potential is my only full goal. Getting the team you're coaching now to max out is the only thing that's important.

CBSSports.com: All coaches strive to have the right blend of balance in their life. How have you been able to achieve that and how much of that has to do with being in Spokane?

Few: I think it goes hand in hand. Where I live and where I coach and where I'm from and all that is all tied in. I think that most coaches at high levels struggle with balance. I think they may talk a good game about it but they don't have it. These jobs can be all-encompassing. You might think about these jobs 24 hours a day but for me, my family has always been my number one priority. My kids are always at practice and we sometimes schedule practice not just around my kids' practices but my staff's kids too. I think you can still be a good father and a good husband and still be a head coach at a highly successful college basketball program.

CBSSports.com: You've had several great teams at Gonzaga but where does this group rank in terms of its potential ceiling?

Few: I don't know. It would be a lot easier for this team to be the worst team we've ever had because we've had so many good teams. It would be really difficult for this team to be the greatest team we've ever had because we've had so many great ones. We have a really, really deep team so it's going to take a high level of sacrifice. Guys are going to have to give up shots and other things. We could seriously play 11 guys and there's not that much separation between one and 11. Of the 13 kids on scholarship, they all could help us win a game or several games for that matter this season.

CBSSports.com: Your program has had a history of having success with transfers and you add another key one this year in Kyle Wiltjer. What's the biggest difference in his game now vs. when he arrived from Kentucky?

Few: Two things. One, he's changed his body so therefore I think he's moving a little better. He's got less body fat and a little more strength. Two, he's beginning to value that he can be a better player around the basket in addition to being a good player from the outside. We're trying to get him to attack the rim, be a good free-throw shooter, and not just shoot threes. He's got really good post moves and he's really crafty in that area of his game.

CBSSports.com: Your perimeter adds several newcomers including an immediately eligible transfer in former USC wing Byron Wesley. Who out of this incoming group has a chance to make the biggest difference down the line for this team this season?

Few: In the scrimmage on Saturday, it was Josh Perkins. Prior to that, it was Silas Melson from Portland. Right now, my guess is Wesley because of his experience and because of what he's able to do. He's also a guy that's competing at a spot that doesn't have a senior or an experienced guy in his spot. Another guy is Eric McClellan who has had some really good days. He's just so fast in the open floor. We've really got a lot of options.