Nate Bittle Meets Mark Few: Oregon Star’s Bold Move

It was the kind of snapshot that defines a rivalry - Oregon’s Nate Bittle, left, meets Gonzaga coach Mark Few courtside after the Northwest Elite Showdown game at the Moda Center in Portland Dec. 21, 2025, and for a split second, the basketball world stopped spinning. Bittle, still glistening with sweat after a hard-fought 28 minutes, leaned in to share a word with the Zags’ living legend. The handshake happened right after the final buzzer sounded on a night that had the entire Pacific Northwest holding its breath.

Gonzaga took the game 89-78, but the real story wasn’t just the scoreboard. It was the image of two programs colliding in Portland’s biggest basketball showcase, with a sellout crowd of 19,842 roaring through every single possession. The Moda Center was electric - the kind of atmosphere that makes you remember why you fell in love with this game in the first place. For Duck fans, that night was bittersweet. Bittle posted a solid stat line - 12 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks - a performance that showed fight, but not enough firepower to topple the Zags.

For Gonzaga faithful, it was another chapter in Few’s absolute dominance over Oregon, bumping his career record against them to a staggering 14-3. But what exactly was said in that brief exchange? Media reports from the time simply called it a “postgame courtesy.” No fireworks, no trash talk, no lingering beef. Just two legends of the West Coast game respecting what the other brought to the floor.

That single handshake, though, carried more weight than anyone knew at the time. It was, in hindsight, a portal between two drastically different futures - one headed for the bright lights of the NBA, the other staying put in Spokane for the long haul. And less than a year later, both paths have crystallized in ways that make that moment feel even more significant.

📊 19,842 fans packed the Moda Center - A sellout crowd witnessed the Northwest Elite Showdown that became a defining moment for both programs.

Nate Bittle’s Wild Ride to the G League

Let’s fast-forward to now, because Bittle’s journey since that December night has been an absolute rollercoaster. He declared for the 2026 NBA Draft, and by June 25 - 26, the dream hit a snag - he went undrafted. Ouch. But the basketball gods had a Plan B waiting in the wings. On July 1, 2026, he inked an Exhibit 10 contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, landing him on their Summer League squad.

Across five games in July, he averaged 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in just over 14 minutes per game - while knocking down a crisp 38.5 percent from deep. Promising numbers, but not quite enough to crack Portland’s final 15-man roster. Then came the pivot. Flash to Aug. 28, 2026, and the next chapter is officially written: Bittle is now on a two-way contract with the Rip City Remix, the Blazers’ G League affiliate.

As of today, September 2, he’s projected to be the Remix’s starting center when the 2026-27 season tips off in November. It’s not the NBA stage he imagined, but it’s a runway. For a big man with his shooting touch and rim-protecting instincts, this is exactly the kind of developmental situation that can launch a comeback story. The Blazers are watching, the system fits his skill set, and the hunger is clearly still there.

Few’s Forever Legacy and What’s Next

Meanwhile, Few has done what Few does - cemented himself as the immovable object of college basketball. In April 2026, he signed a lifetime contract extension with Gonzaga, locking him in as head coach through at least the 2035-36 season. If you think that sounds like a coronation, you’re not wrong. The man has built an absolute machine in Spokane, and the preseason AP Poll released Aug. 15 backs it up: Gonzaga sits at No. 2 overall heading into the 2026-27 campaign.

📊 Few’s record vs. Oregon stands at 14-3 - The Dec. 21, 2025 win extended his dominance over the Ducks in emphatic fashion.