For Three Coaches, A Final Four First Brings Uncertainty and Opportunity

By DENNIS CHAMBERS

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The final stage of this college basketball season is bringing in a slew of firsts for most of those involved.

This edition of the Final Four features just one program with championship head coaching experience. That distinction belongs to blue-blood North Carolina and their lead man Roy Williams. Through his time at Chapel Hill, and previously at Kansas, Williams has made it to nine different Final Fours, winning championships in 2005 and 2009.

After that, though, Mark Few, Frank Martin, and Dana Altman combine for a whopping zero coaching appearances during college basketball’s final two contests. In fact, the programs they represent — Gonzaga, South Carolina, and Oregon, respectively — have just one Final Four appearance between them, Oregon’s 1939 championship during the inaugural NCAA event. In comparison, this latest trip marks the 20th time North Carolina has been one of the final four teams remaining.