Jul. 14—There could be another Olympic medal in Mark Few's future after the Gonzaga coach was selected as one of three coaches who will work on Erik Spoelstra's staff as the United States men's national team prepares for the 2027 FIBA World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Few was selected as one of the three assistants that will serve under Spoelstra, the longtime Miami Heat coach who's replacing Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr ahead of the forthcoming FIBA World Cup and Olympics cycle.

Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault and Detroit Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff will round out Spoelstra's USA staff.

Few spent more than a decade working with USA Basketball in different capacities before Gonzaga's coach was hired as an assistant on Kerr's men's national team staff ahead of the 2023 FIBA World Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics.

A USA roster headlined by future NBA Hall of Famers LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant captured the gold medal in Paris, overcoming a 17-point deficit to bet former Gonzaga forward Filip Petrusev and Serbia in the semifinals before topping host France in the gold medal game.

During an interview at Team USA training camp in Las Vegas prior to the 2024 Olympics, Spoelstra, a former West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year at Portland, estimated he'd known Few "going on three decades."

"He's a hall of fame (coach). First ballot. Right now," Spoelstra said of Few. "And you would never know it by the way he can relate to anybody. He's just a guy that likes to coach basketball, develop programs, develop players, make them better than when they first arrived on campus."

Spoelstra's words were prophetic. Few was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame earlier this year and will be officially enshrined next month in Springfield, Massachusetts.

"He's a brilliant basketball coach," Spoelstra said. "One of the very best in this business."

Few's oldest son, AJ, a former video coordinator at Gonzaga, landed a spot on Miami's NBA Summer League staff in 2025 after connecting with Spoelstra in Paris the year prior.

Before his stint with Team USA at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and 2024 Olympics, Few served as an assistant at 2018 USA National Team minicamp and worked as an assistant for the USA Select Team in 2019 and 2021. He was also the head coach of the 2015 U.S. Pan American team comprised of college players, leading that group to a gold medal.

Few has had two other coaching assignments with USA Basketball, serving as an assistant for the gold medal-winning 2012 U-18 National Team and as a court coach for the 2009 U-19 World Cup/World University Games Team training camp.

Former Gonzaga center Chet Holmgren, who was named a 2026 NBA All-Star while playing under Daigneault at Oklahoma City, could be among the candidates for a roster spot at the 2028 L.A. Olympics. Holmgren was named to the 41-man player pool ahead of the 2024 Olympics, but wasn't one of the 12 players invited to Paris.

Jul. 14—GRAND FORKS — Brian Idalski is the new head coach at Syracuse University.

The former UND women's hockey coach will take over Syracuse after spending last season as the head coach of expansion Vancouver in the Professional Women's Hockey League.

"Brian Idalski is one of the most accomplished and respected coaches in the sport, and we are thrilled to welcome him, his wife Nicole and their boys to Syracuse," athletic director Bryan Blair said. "His track record speaks for itself — a proven program-builder who wins at every level, from the NCAA to the Olympics. Just as important, he has a track record of developing complete student-athletes who succeed in the classroom and beyond. This is an exciting moment for the future of Syracuse women's ice hockey."

Syracuse went 15-18-4 last season under Britni Smith, who stepped down in April.

Syracuse plays in Atlantic Hockey with Penn State, Delaware, RIT, Mercyhurst, Lindenwood and Robert Morris. The Orange, who have been at the Division-I level since 2008, have reached the NCAA tournament twice — 2019 and 2022.

"Syracuse women's hockey has tremendous potential, and I look forward to building strong relationships and a culture of accountability, development and relentless competitiveness," Idalski said. "Together, we will work to make the Orange a program everyone is proud of."

Idalski spent 10 seasons at UND from 2007-17, turning the program into a national contender.

He recruited Olympic gold medalists Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, Monique Lamoureux-Morando and Kristen Campbell to UND as well as Finnish stars Michelle Karvinen and Susanna Tapani.

The Lamoureux twins are in UND's Hall of Fame. Karvinen will be inducted this fall.

UND cut its program in 2017.

Since then, Idalski has made stops at the prep level (Culver Academy), NCAA level (St. Cloud State), professional level (KRS Vanke Rays, Vancouver) and international level (China, Czechia).

Jul. 12—A bit of arm twisting paid big dividends for several local senior bowlers.

Mandy Wilson recruited friends Ann Coleman and Dana Bone to compete in the recent Ohio Senior Olympics. The trio of Dayton area bowlers did more than compete, they struck their way to gold medal finishes and qualified for the 2027 National Senior Games in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

"I knew some people who had competed in this in the past, but I never had," Wilson, 67, said. "I saw flyers at some local bowling centers and basically talked the two of them into it."

The Ohio Senior Olympics include a variety of events including archery, basketball, cycling, swimming, volleyball and bowling. The event is designed to foster camaraderie, sportsmanship and healthy competition among athletes 50 and older.

Wilson opened the competition at H.P. Lanes, in Columbus, with singles play — winning the women's 65-69 age division. The singles competition, both the men's and women's, includes eight divisions from 50-54 to 90-94.

"There was a married couple in their 90s competing," Wilson said. "I hope I can keep bowling till I'm 90."

Coleman, 56, earned a singles silver medal in the 55-59 division, also qualifying for the national games.

"It really helps to come out of Dayton because of the caliber of bowlers we are used to seeing," Coleman said. "You know you have to bowl your best."

Day 2 meant doubles play and Wilson and Coleman took the gold in the women's 55-59 division.

"Our goal is always to win, but we didn't know anything about this tournament, so we wanted to at least medal," Coleman said.

Two gold medals in hand, Wilson picked up her third in the mixed doubles event with Bone in the 60-64 division.

"I am incredibly fortunate to not only be awarded the gold medal for my age group ... but also win the gold medal for the mixed doubles with my great friend Mandy," Bone said. "We have bowled many events and bowled well, but to win a gold medal with her made the results even more special."

Special, but a bit surprising.

"I did not expect to win all three events," Wilson said. "I think it will be a lot tougher in Tulsa."

Coleman also picked up a third medal at the Ohio Senior Olympics, a silver in mixed doubles with partner Norm Dendler. All the medalists qualified for the National Senior Games.

"It sounds like a true Olympic event, thousands of athletes competing in many different sports at a very high level," Coleman said. "It is kind of cool to be going."

Wilson is excited to meet some new people and, of course, try to bring home some more hardware.

"If I'm going to win something, I want it to be against tough competition," she said.

Read full article: https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/ultimate-guide-to-bucket-list-sporting-events-every-global-traveller-must-witness-for-a-once-in-a-lifetime-experience/

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