Although he will likely play a limited role for the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the 2025-26 season, 18-year-old Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa is gaining more competitive experience on the international stage.
The 6-6 guard suited up for France at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket competition, hosted in Slovenia during July. France went 5-2, eventually falling to Spain in the third-place match. Ekanga-Ehawa flashed promising traits and tools that drew the Zags to him, while also showing areas where he needs improvement before he can become a regular rotation contributor in Spokane.
There were plenty of mixed emotions when Inês Bettencourt walked off the Williams Arena hardwood in Minnesota back on March 20. The starting point guard for Gonzaga women’s basketball had presumably played her final college game after four seasons split in Spokane and Storrs as a member of UConn.
But with the NCAA’s recent rule change, which adopted an age-based eligibility model that grants student-athletes five years to complete five seasons, Bettencourt has become one of many vying for a fifth and final collegiate season.
Joining a California lawsuit that includes at least 45 other athletes, Bettencourt searches for another year of eligibility in the NCAA because the new “5-in-5” rules don’t grandfather in the most recent graduating class. This 2022 recruiting class is filing for an injunction, and if granted, Bettencourt and the Zags could seek a reunion for the upcoming season.
With hopes of earning solidified spots on NBA rosters later this fall, five former Gonzaga Bulldogs competed in the NBA Summer League that wrapped up this past week. Three of them were Zags as recently as this past season, while the other two are now more than a year removed from the last time they suited up in Spokane.
Because of the lack of draft pedigree in this group – all but one of them went undrafted – playing time fluctuated between them. Although some yearned for better showings in what they could bring to the floor, others left notable impressions during the two-week slate, including two that played big roles in their respective teams stacking victories.
How did each of these ex-Bulldogs fare during the offseason circuit?
Although it can be easy to initially brush off a member of Gonzaga head coach Mark Few’s staff moving on to a different program, you would be hard-pressed to find an assistant as impactful as Jorge Sanz was to the Zags.
Sanz, who has been in Spokane for the last eight years, announced that he is leaving GU on social media. First reported by House of Krause, Sanz will join head coach Michael Malone’s staff at North Carolina. Serving as both an assistant coach and director of basketball operations, Sanz played an imperative role in Gonzaga’s international recruiting, nonconference scheduling, player development, and analytical advancement.
The Bulldogs have experienced several significant departures this offseason, notably losing commitments from their intended starting backcourt, Jack Kayil and Mario Saint-Supéry. But Sanz’s exit hurts both the program in its current timeline and in the future, and his role will be hard to replace.
Clearly recognized for their First Team All-WCC campaigns, former Gonzaga Bulldog baseball players Mikey Bell and Justin Feld each received long-awaited calls this past week.
Bell, who transferred to the University of Georgia this offseason, was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 19th round, 568th overall, of the MLB Draft. Although he will likely suit up for UGA for his final year of college eligibility, Bell’s production in the middle of the Zags’ order got him on the radar of major league organizations. With Bell drafted, GU now boasts one of its players being taken in every full MLB draft since 1999.
And despite going undrafted after his senior season in Spokane, Feld inked a deal with the Chicago White Sox shortly after the draft’s conclusion.
Just when it seems college athletics couldn’t get any crazier, they somehow find a way.
On Friday, Judge Charlotte Sweeney granted a preliminary injunction for the entire high school class of 2022, while handling a Colorado lawsuit that originally involved 11 student-athletes. The ruling declared all vying players eligible for a fifth collegiate season, making them available to play in the upcoming 2026-27 season.
It all seems like a perfect storm for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, which has experienced several unpredictable roster developments this offseason. So with this wave of experienced, decorated players back in the talent pool, what are the next steps for the Zags, who still have clear personnel holes as the calendar flips to August?