How Significant is Departure of Gonzaga Assistant Jorge Sanz?
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.
Prior to joining Few’s bench in 2018, Sanz spent eight seasons at Florida Atlantic University. He started as a video coordinator with the Owls before being promoted to an assistant position. During his time on the staff, FAU won a Sun Belt regular season title and punched its first-ever ticket to the NIT in 2010.
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Hailing from Zaragoza, Spain, Sanz also has been a coaching figure for his native country. He has held positions as an assistant and defensive coordinator for several Spanish youth national teams, including the U17 2022 FIBA World Cup group and the 2023 U17 squad that competed in the European Championship, each of them earning silver medals. Sanz also received the Entrenador Superior certification, which is heralded as the highest coaching qualification for Spanish hoops.
Malone, who was the head coach of the Denver Nuggets for 10 years and is an NBA champion, is entering his first season at the helm for UNC after replacing Hubert Davis in April. He is attempting to turn a storied Tar Heel program around that has lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for two consecutive seasons. So in just his first few months commanding a collegiate program, Malone clearly prioritized the invaluable skills Sanz possesses, poaching him from Gonzaga.
Arguably, Sanz’s biggest badge of honor was being a key bridge for the Zags landing international recruits. Recent examples include his fellow Spaniards Saint-Supéry and Izan Almansa, whose status is pending approval of eligibility. Sanz was also big in bringing Arizona State transfer Massamba Diop, who played a couple of seasons with Spain’s Gran Canaria and Liga ACB, to Spokane. Other non-American recruits include Nathan De Sousa and Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa, two French products that each committed to the Bulldogs this offseason. Also, according to House of Krause, Sanz was recently in Slovenia to scout and recruit other prospects that could fill holes on the roster left by Saint-Supéry.
Landing commitments from highly touted high schoolers has become increasingly challenging, so picking up overseas prospects who are not only extremely talented but also carry professional experience has been a game-changer for Gonzaga. However, this avenue comes with its own obstacles, including cultural barriers and differences in the players’ respective development paths. Having someone like Sanz in the fold eases some hesitancy and nervousness on the player’s end and can be a separator when deciding between programs, like in the cases of Saint-Supéry and Diop. This pipeline is paramount to GU’s sustained success, and limiting any lost ties to Europe with Sanz leaving is very important moving forward.
Although Gonzaga started as a mid-major, the program is now held to much higher expectations due to work over time to prove itself worthy of being in national championship conversations. At a point, some outsiders will always doubt the Zags, no matter the talent of their personnel or an uber-impressive record. So the best thing GU can do is schedule games against the best competition it can manage, hoping it can rack up statement wins that will be remembered when March rolls around. Moving to the Pac-12 from the WCC still won’t do the Bulldogs much justice in having a strong resume during conference play, but building a difficult nonconference schedule and holding their own in that stretch will do wonders for tournament seeding purposes.
Last season would be a poor example to point to. Heralded as another difficult non-con slate before the year, Gonzaga could only boast Michigan and Alabama as dangerous opponents by the postseason, beating the Crimson Tide by 10 before being trounced by the Wolverines in a 40-point defeat. Still, the Zags largely handled business against their opposition, going 30-3 before the NCAA Tournament and wound up with a No. 3 seed on Selection Sunday. This year, there’s confidence in the Zags’ opposing strength of schedule prior to Pac-12 play being vastly improved.
In his lasting scheduling sessions with GU, Sanz helped book matchups this fall with UConn, a program that perennially gets to the Final Four; Purdue, which has made three straight Sweet 16 appearances; Michigan State, a team that is always in the mix under Hall of Famer Tom Izzo; and Duke, arguably the biggest blue blood in college basketball. And that doesn’t mention the Zags returning to the Players Era Tournament in Las Vegas, where they will play Kansas State and could run into Michigan or Alabama again. Prioritizing marquee matchups in nonconference play will likely always be paramount for Gonzaga, and maintaining that high level of competition is non-negotiable for Sanz’s successor.
Player development and applying advanced analytics figure to be more replaceable traits, but the fact that those are secondary things that Sanz brings to the table illustrates the full magnitude of his value. The Zags’ stash of assistants is still solid, with Brian Michaelson, R-Jay Barsh, Stephen Gentry, and Zach Norvell Jr. still in-house. But this is another face leaving the building, following Tommy Lloyd in 2021, who was also great in international recruiting and just led Arizona to the Final Four in his fourth season as the Wildcats’ head coach.
In hiring a replacement, finding a viable assistant is deeper than just who Few deems fit. He is nearing the end of his road at the helm in Spokane, and Michaelson, the next head coach in line, is ready whenever Few decides to step down. The two will likely be more collaborative on who joins the program in replacement of Sanz, believing he will continue to be on staff after Few retires. This month, USA men’s basketball announced that Few would be returning to the staff for the 2027 FIBA World Cup and 2028 Olympics under Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, who takes over for Steve Kerr. Factoring in this commitment, it can be viewed that Few is willing to coach for at least the next two seasons.
There are several layers to Sanz leaving for North Carolina, including replenishing the necessities of supplying international talent and scheduling tough opponents outside of Pac-12 play. The assistant must also be a match for the program’s qualities both in Few’s final seasons and for the long term, so that Gonzaga doesn’t miss a step in the coming years.
