For the first time in nine years, Gonzaga didn’t make it to the Sweet 16 in 2024-25.
Head coach Mark Few expects excellence. He expects a West Coast Conference championship at the least. High on the priority list is making it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
The Bulldogs will have some returners next year, namely the big-man duo of Graham Ike and Braden Huff. However, some key guard production will be lost, such as those of Ryan Nembhard and Khalif Battle.
How can Few go about replacing this production? What types of players does he need in the portal?
Find a wing with length
Steele Venters hasn’t played in two years after transferring from Eastern Washington. Emmanuel Innocenti only averaged 1.7 points last season. These two are the only players projected to get significant minutes at the forward spot next year. Needless to say, a wing is needed.
There are a few players still available that fit the mold. One is Basheer Jihad from Arizona State. The forward out of Detroit is 6-foot-9, providing size in the frontcourt. He averaged 12.7 points per game for the Sun Devils last season.
Another name could be Terrance Arceneaux, a 6-foot-6 guard/forward from Houston. Arceneaux doesn’t provide as much scoring as Jihad might, but his length is a problem for an opposing offense.
Find some 3-point shooting
Even if Battle (34.7%) or Nolan Hickman (44.5%) came back, it isn’t like Gonzaga would be an amazing 3-point shooting team. With those two in 2024-25, they ranked 97th in the nation from deep.
Gonzaga could look at a guy like David Green from Rhode Island. Green was one of the most productive shooters in the A-10 last season with the Rams, making 42.9% on 4.8 attempts.
Find a guard or two or three
As of Friday, two guards are on the roster for the Zags: Braeden Smith and Jalen Warley. Gonzaga will need to add guards to fill out the rest of the roster.
If Gonzaga wants to improve its 3-point shooting, PJ Haggerty could fill that role. As a First-Team All-American last season for Memphis, Haggerty averaged 21.7 points per game, shooting 36.4% from 3. He ranked third in the country in scoring and will command a high NIL dollar amount, but he would give Gonzaga an instant playmaker.
Malik Thomas, a 6-foot-4 guard from WCC foe San Francisco, shot close to 39% last season in an All-WCC performance. PJay Smith, a smaller 6-foot guard from Furman went 41.3% from 3.
