Basketball Royalty in the Treasure Valley
Jordan Beasley
There are things in life that are a natural pair and automatically go together without giving it consideration or thought. Sweet and savory, soap and water, peanut butter and jelly, Tom and Jerry, and SpongeBob and Patrick are couple dynamic duos that instantly come to mind.
But, how about basketball and wall street? Does it have a ring to it? Probably not.
Though not directly connected, this is a dilemma AJ Few faced. He had to make a conscious decision between a career in basketball, a competitive game he’s been around all his life, or accounting, a field he was greatly interested in pursuing long term.
The stress, demands, time and expectations might make the choice clear, but when you’re the son of a future Hall of Fame basketball coach, the decision becomes murky. While analyzing business and financial transactions is appealing and fruitful, at the end of the day, ball is life, right?
Certainly, you’re educated on the Few family. After all, the last name is in the team photo for college basketball royalty.
AJ is the son of Mark Few, who is the longtime head men’s basketball coach at Gonzaga. At the helm for 27 seasons, Few has amassed over 750 victories, 20 West Coast Conference tournament championships, 14 WCC Coach of the Year honors, over two dozen NCAA Tournament selections and two Final Four appearances.
With that track record and level of success, it’s almost impossible to not be enamored with the game and devote your life to the profession. As a coach’s kid, there are certain challenges, sacrifices and concessions you have to make, but for AJ, he knows just how blessed and fortunate he is.
“It was a blessing to be in that environment my whole life,” said AJ. “I’ve been so blessed to have amazing parents, and amazing family, friends and opportunities. I have a decent enough world view to know how blessed I was growing up, and I truly wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
The truth is, basketball is AJ’s world, despite the significant and robust interest in numbers and finance. It’s one of the key pillars of his life, and it’s a game that’s given him moments of joy, tears of sorrow, and clarity for what he wants to do with his career.
He’s just been around it in his entire life,” Mark Few said. “He’s absorbed incredible insight being around a vast number of great coaches over the years. He’s had personal access to great players and has been able to watch situations up close and afar, whether it be collegiate or professional basketball. He’s been on bench for incredible collegiate basketball games and been behind the scenes taking it all in when I helped coach team USA.”
So, where did AJ’s love and passion for basketball develop? Easy answer—the gym, of course.
As a coach’s kid, you’re always in the gym and around the team. Any time you win, it’s the best feeling ever. When we lost, there are pictures of me crying in my mom’s arms at a young age. You certainly start to wear those wins and losses and it becomes your life.AJ Few
As proof of concept, AJ is 26-years-old and basketball has been a constant mainstay. He went from being around the Gonzaga program every day as a child to embarking on his own playing career.
In the AAU circuit, AJ and Max Rice, son of current Boise State men’s basketball head coach Leon Rice, played for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee John Stockton. AJ went on to play high school basketball at Gonzaga Preparatory School, where he lost five games in four years and won the Washington State 4A Championship as a senior.
After high school, AJ was ready to hang it up and be done with basketball altogether. He simply wanted to study finance and become Mr. Wall Street. He thought his journey in hoops was over, but stepping away from it made him realize just how much he missed it.
Some might think that Mark heavily influenced his son to continue in the profession after his playing days were over, but the decision to return to the game was 100 percent left to up to AJ.
“I did my best to try and totally leave that up to him because I knew it was important that he be all in and put his heart and soul into this coaching thing,” Mark Few said. “I did not want to influence his decision at all.”
AJ’s desire to pursue a career in basketball was organic and rooted in the love for the sport. Simply put, it was a choice that was left up to him and him only.
“My dad wasn’t adamant, but he always preached that there were other things to do in the world than coach basketball. He didn’t push me away from it, but he also didn’t encourage it. The more I was around, and the older I was, our conversations got more in the weeds with regard to dissecting the team. He started to trust me and began bouncing things off me.”
Though he wanted to pursue accounting, AJ always had an interest in coaching and basketball operations. Growing up, AJ religiously played NBA 2K with his best friend Max Rice, but unlike others, they immersed themselves into MyGM mode, where they could act as an NBA general manager for roster building and construction.
“When we were 10, we would play a college basketball simulation video game,” said Max Rice. “He would take LaSalle to the national championship every year. That’s when I knew he would be a special coach one day.”
Perhaps, he was foreshadowing.
It’s safe to say that COVID-19 and a global pandemic brought nothing positive into the world, but it served as the launching pad for AJ’s career in basketball. With social distancing and limited human contact, AJ stepped in as an undergraduate student and was used as a practice player, rebounder and student manager.
The rest, as they say, is history.
AJ wound up spending seven years at Gonzaga performing a variety of roles. Climbing the ladder under his father’s guidance and leadership, AJ went from being a student manager to graduate assistant to video coordinator.
Having grown up around the Gonzaga men’s basketball program, AJ was exposed to numerous NBA draft picks. Julian Strawther (Denver), Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City), Andrew Nembhard (Indiana) and Jalen Suggs (Orlando) are recent names that resonate with most. However, one former Bulldog in particular offered especially high praise for how AJ helped his development as an NBA draft pick.
“AJ helped me a lot during my time at Gonzaga,” said Anton Watson, who was drafted by Boston with the 54th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. “I remember many times where I stayed after practice or came back later, and he was always there helping rebound and talking through how I could improve. Through five years at Gonzaga, AJ has always been there and brought confidence to all the players he’s worked with.”
Still early in his career, there’s no denying how impressive it is to have a young man be as trusted and well respected as AJ is amongst those he’s encountered and poured into. Is that something you can teach and learn over time? Maybe. But for AJ, there’s something special about him that most young men his age don’t have.
“He has a gift that’s hard to quantify with words,” his dad said. “In the coaching profession, we use the term “feel,” and he has that—not only for the game of basketball, but for evaluating prospects. He also has a great “feel” for people. He’s a good listener and doesn’t react without thinking first, which are all great coaching qualities.”
Sporting a plethora of intangibles, AJ’s accension in the coaching profession was inevitable. With immense success and immeasurable results, the easy choice would have been to stay in Spokane and continue learning under his dad.
That, however, was not the goal for AJ. The end game was simple: branch out and blaze his own trail.
“As much as I loved my time at Gonzaga and in Spokane, it was time for something new in order for me to grow and get away from what was comfortable. After last season, I told my dad, ‘I’m grateful for everything and I love you to death, but it’s time to try blaze my own path and try something new.’”
Following a 26-9 record and falling to Houston in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, AJ stuck to his word. Experimenting with different levels of basketball, AJ interviewed with NBA clubs and was afforded an opportunity to work with the Miami Heat for Summer League.
At its conclusion, AJ was still in search for a permanent opportunity. Though the natural hiring cycle for college men’s basketball concludes before the academic school year commences, AJ received an offer in August 2025 he simply could not pass up.
Enter Boise State.
In an effort to keep up with the new pay-for-play landscape in college athletics, Boise State men’s basketball had a need for a director of player personnel/general manager. The role provided AJ with his first full-time job away from Gonzaga, but as an added bonus, it allowed him to work for Rice, whom he’s known all his life.
Spanning nearly three decades, the Rice and Few families have built an inseparable bond. Serving as an assistant on Mark Few’s staff for over a decade (1999-2010), it made perfect sense for Rice to create a full circle moment and bring AJ aboard.
“Our families are intertwined with a lot of history,” Rice said. Our kids were raised together, so when I took the job at Boise State, it was like a divorce because they’re family (laughs). When I hired AJ, I found this article about Mark hiring me 25 years earlier. The only difference is I made a better hire than Mark did (laughs).”
“We would always talk about how we wanted to grow up and be coaches just like our dads, so it’s pretty surreal to see him sitting next to mine 15 years later,” Max Rice said. “I think it would be a crazy story if I could work for Mark Few next year at Gonzaga when the teams play each other in the Pac-12.”
In his role, AJ is the primary liaison between the men’s basketball program and BroncoPRO, a turnkey NIL and revenue-sharing service entity established for Boise State student-athletes. Additionally, he assists with roster construction, salary cap and analytical analysis, and talent evaluation.
Though AJ gets to put some of his accounting education and financial prowess to good use, there’s one thing about the current opportunity that stands above the rest. He’s not pigeonholed.
“Coach Rice is great because he doesn’t put guys in boxes,” AJ said with a smile. “I still help out on the basketball side, whether it’s scouting, video or analytics to better our performance in lineups, rotations and shot selection. It’s all encompassing, which is awesome.”
The insight and value AJ brings to the men’s basketball program can’t be understated. Taking after his dad, his feel for the game and what to do in certain moments is a strength that stands out to those who have been in the profession for decades.
With a slew of seasoned, veteran assistant coaches, AJ is the one who sits directly next to head coach Leon Rice. Why, you ask? For Rice, the answer is simple.
“We all have our jobs, and there are a lot of moving parts. As a head coach, you can’t have information overload, and he knows how to communicate with a head coach in a simple, concise way. He’ll say, ‘If you want an offensive sub, do this; if you want a defensive sub, do this.’ I want to know what’s the best thing I can do in a given moment, and he has a way of giving great clarity and doing it in a concise way.”
He’s got a really good feel for the game as it’s going on. He can assess what’s really working and what isn’t. He’s great at game-time adjustments, which is huge to have in an assistant. As a head coach, those type guys are invaluable and really help with great input during games.Mark Few
There’s plenty of conjecture about escaping your comfort zone and challenging yourself despite outside noise and opinion. More times than not, the tough thing to do is the right thing to do. Destined for his own success, the decision AJ made was going to be the right one.
“AJ has sacrificed a lot to come work at Boise State,” said Max Rice. “He had a great job at Gonzaga, but wanted to learn from a different program. He also turned down a well-paying business job to continue his dream of becoming a future head coach. Look at his dad—if your last name is Few, you know how to win basketball games.”
It’s in his blood. He’s been around the game of basketball his whole life and knows how things work in the coaching/front office world. I know he’s working hard to reach his goals, but I believe he is going a great leader in whichever route he decides to go.Anton Watson
Speaking of winning basketball games, there’s one that may seem far away, but will be here for before you know it. With Boise State and Gonzaga both joining the Pac-12 next season, AJ will have the unique pleasure of coaching against his dad, which Mark is not looking forward to.
“It still feels so far away,” AJ said. “The first time it happens, it’s going to feel surreal and weird. After that, it will be fine and great to compete. We’ve always competed, and this will be no different.”
Until then, AJ has one goal in mind.
“I want to keep working as hard as I can and learn as much as I can to see where I can take it. In the past, I’ve been more focused on a finish line and having mile markers set, but as I’ve gotten older, I don’t think that’s the right way to go about it. You can have goals, but what’s the process? I want to make an impact and pour into this team, this program, this university and community.”
From the Evergreen State to the Treasure Valley. From a Bulldog to a Bronco. From one unbreakable culture to another. AJ Few is a rising star. He’s Boise State’s rising star.