Gonzaga men's basketball coach Mark Few finalist for Basketball Hall of Fame

From wire and news services

Gonzaga men's basketball coach Mark Few is one of 17 finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday at NBA All-Star Weekend. 

Few was named a first-time nominee in December.

The selection of 17 finalists came from the following committees: North American, Women’s, Men’s Veterans, Women’s Veterans, International, and Contributors. The finalists will then be put forward to the honors committee to be considered for election as members of the Class of 2025. The new class will be announced in San Antonio on Saturday, April 5, at the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

“Being nominated for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is something I never thought was in the realm of possibility, but I am incredibly humbled and honored," Few said when he was named a nominee. “It's just a great testament to be surrounded by unbelievable people my whole career. I thank all the great players that have allowed us the privilege to coach them. I'm grateful for our tremendously talented hard-working coaches, and an administration that has worked so well with us. Most importantly, I'd like to thank my family that has been supportive of everything throughout all these years. This honor would not be possible without all these great people, as it's something we've accomplished together.”

Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard are one step closer to going into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

If all goes well, they might get in twice.

Anthony and Howard were among the other finalists announced Frida. They both made it as individuals — and for their roles on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team that won gold at the Beijing Games, the so-called "Redeem Team" that also is now one step from induction.

Also announced as finalists on Friday: women's basketball greats and Olympic gold medalists Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles, Maya Moore and Jennifer Azzi. Bird won five Olympic golds, Fowles won four, Moore won two, and Azzi was part of the team that won gold at Atlanta in 1996.

Along with Few, the other finalists as picked by the North American committee were Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan (a two-time NCAA champion coach at Florida); retired NBA referee Danny Crawford; NBA legends Marques Johnson and Buck Williams; and Jerry Welsh — who coached Potsdam in upstate New York to NCAA Division III titles in 1981 and 1986.

Miami Heat managing general partner Micky Arison is also a finalist for enshrinement. Arison was put forward by the Contributors Committee, as was longtime Maccabi Tel Aviv star Tal Brody.

The Women's Veteran Committee put forward Molly Bolin, who was the first player signed by the Women's Professional Basketball League. And the International Committee selected as a finalist former Serbian professional player and longtime coach Dusan Ivkovic — already a FIBA Hall of Famer.

The finalists have one more step to go: the Hall's Honors Committee will meet in the coming weeks, with 18 votes from that 24-person panel needed for election. 

Enshrinement weekend is Sept. 5-6 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, and the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Media, lifetime achievement awards

Detroit Pistons play-by-play announcer George Blaha, CBS analyst Clark Kellogg, women's basketball writer Michelle Smith and influential NBA journalist Adrian Wojnarowski were revealed Friday as the winners of this year's Curt Gowdy Media Awards by the Hall of Fame.

The Gowdy awards, the Hall said, are "presented to members of the print, electronic, and transformative media whose efforts have made a significant contribution to the game of basketball."

Also honored Friday was longtime Boston Celtics vice president of media and alumni relations Jeff Twiss, who received the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award. That award, the Hall said, is "the most prestigious award presented by the Hall of Fame" other than enshrinement.

Blaha has been the voice of the Pistons since 1976. Kellogg joined CBS Sports in 1993 and has been a part of its NCAA Tournament coverage for more than three decades. Smith has written for ESPN, the San Francisco Chronicle and AOL Fanhouse, among others. Wojnarowski was a news-breaker for ESPN and a New York Times best-selling author who retired from journalism last year to become the general manager of the men's basketball team at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure.

Twiss has been with the Celtics since 1981, and Boston has won four NBA titles in that span.