THE FRONT ROW with Mark Nelke, July 7, 2013

Some of the best ideas are the ones that come out of the blue - the ones that make you go, "Man, I wish I had thought of that."

Like the surprising announcement the other day that the Boston Celtics had lured Brad Stevens away from Butler to coach their NBA team.

Who knew?

I don't even like when college kids leave early for the NBA - most are not ready for that level of play, but I long ago accepted why they would leave early.

Money.

Success as a college coach has not necessarily meant success in the NBA - Rick Pitino and John Calipari are two that immediately come to mind.

College kids have to leave eventually. College coaches, in theory, can stay on campus forever.

In this case, money aside, why would a coach leave a cuddly situation like being at a mid-major for the cutthroat world of the NBA?

REMEMBER BACK a few years, after another successful Gonzaga season, coach Mark Few's name would constantly come up whenever a job at a high-profile school opened up?

He and/or the Zags pooh-poohed those rumors so quickly that, after a few years, nobody bothered to list him as a potential candidate anymore. People just assumed he wasn't interested.

And I don't think his name has ever been linked to an NBA job.

If Few was interested in a "bigger" college job, or taking a stab at the NBA, he would have been gone by now. The fact two of his trusty lieutenants (Bill Grier, to San Diego, and Leon Rice, to Boise State) left in recent years for other head gig was probably enough of a hint that Few had decided to make it a career in Spokane.

And who could blame him?

Gonzaga has achieved almost hero-worship status since reaching the NCAA Elite Eight in 1999 - the start of a still-going string of 15 straight trips to the NCAA tournament. Few was an assistant under Dan Monson in '99, and took over as head coach the following year.

It's probably OK to call Butler a mid-major, but Gonzaga has resisted being called that for years - the Zags, with the national schedule they play in the preseason, figure they've outgrown that.

But both are similar in that they are small schools that have come up big on the national stage.

Of course, Stevens led Butler to back-to-back national championship games in 2010 and '11. Last we checked, Gonzaga is still seeking its first trip to even the Final Four - though if the natives are getting restless, they're not making a whole lot of noise.

AS GREAT a job as Butler is, Indianapolis is a bigger pond than Spokane. The Colts are a big deal there, as is Indiana basketball. Butler might be a bigger story nationally than locally.

Meanwhile, the Zags are pretty much it in Spokane (and North Idaho) in the winter - along with the Chiefs. In the fall it's WSU football, and in the spring and summer it's the Shock and the Indians.

And, speaking of ponds, Few is an avid fisherman - another reason to stay in this area.

Also, unless someone else finally figures out how to step up, Gonzaga is always going to be one of the top two or three teams in the West Coast Conference.

Few, 50, is 374-93 (.801) in 14 years as the Zags' head coach. Say he coaches Gonzaga another 20 years. At the current rate of return (26.7 wins per season), he would win 534 more games, giving him an astounding 908 wins at age 70.

By comparison, the Division I leader in wins, Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, has 957 wins.

Butler had success long before Stevens, and probably will after. Stevens went 166-49 in six seasons. Before that, Todd Lickliter went 131-61 in six seasons, including two trips to the Sweet Sixteen.

Thad Matta, now the Ohio State coach, went 24-8 in his lone season at Butler (2000-01). Butler's current athletic director, Barry Collier, was 196-132 in 12 seasons (1989-2000).

Grier, then Rice, were considered "coaches in waiting" at GU; now it's assistant Tommy Lloyd. But just like with Butler losing Stevens, you would think Gonzaga's success would likely continue should Few leave for some reason.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at CdAPressSports.