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# Nathan De Sousa Cleared by NCAA, Gives Gonzaga Eligible Point Guard
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/nathan-de-sousa-cleared-ncaa-gives-gonzaga-bulldogs-eligible-point-guard/
- Published: 2026-09-27T01:26:39.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T17:00:20.000Z
- Description: Although Xaivian Lee remains eligible under his temporary restraining order, the Gonzaga Bulldogs haven’t officially added him to the roster.
- Author: Howard Woodard
- Tags: News, Analysis, Gonzaga Men's Basketball, Nathan De Sousa, Xaivian Lee, Javon Bennett, Gonzaga

Although Xaivian Lee remains eligible under his temporary restraining order, the Gonzaga Bulldogs haven’t officially added him to the roster. This is also true for Javon Bennett and Chauncey Wiggins, other 5-in-5 commits whose preliminary injunctions were stayed by the NCAA and who are currently ineligible after being previously cleared.

But the Zags got positive news on international recruit 23-year-old Nathan De Sousa, who is finally eligible for the 2026-27 season three months after he initially committed to GU. De Sousa, a French native, becomes the 11th available Bulldog and the roster’s only true point guard.

Because of De Sousa’s age, his professional experience, and the NCAA’s mandate that athletes must complete five seasons within five years after their high school graduation, he will have only one year of eligibility. Still, after signing his financial aid agreement, De Sousa brings stability and a veteran presence to Gonzaga’s backcourt as a ball-handler capable of running a quality offense.

Earlier this week, French news outlet Ouest-France first reported that De Sousa was cleared to play collegiately. Gonzaga announced on social media that De Sousa officially joined the squad on Thursday. He arrived in Spokane about a month ago, but had to wait a little longer for things to be finalized. As De Sousa told Ouest-France, “I took a risk, but it paid off.”

He spent the last seven seasons playing overseas, starting as a 16-year-old for Espoir Cholet’s youth team. Steadily improving, De Sousa is coming off a career year with Cholet Basket in LNB Elite, France's premier league, averaging 10.9 points, 4.9 assists, and 2.5 rebounds on 44.7% shooting, 36.1% from deep, and 76.9% at the free-throw line. De Sousa notably enhanced his 3-point shooting after making only 18.8% of his triples the season prior. Overall, he posted an elite 72.3% true shooting mark, reflecting strong shot selection. He won Betclic Elite’s Player of the Month award in January and earned his first All-Star selection.

It was De Sousa’s fifth season with Cholet Basket, and he started during three of those years. He shared the Cholet Basket backcourt with Gerald Ayayi, the older brother of former Zag Joel Ayayi, for the last three seasons. Recently, De Sousa and Cholet played nine games in the Basketball Champions League, where he totaled 8.3 points, 4.6 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per game. He has also won silver and gold medals for France during FIBA EuroBasket tournaments.

In addition to being a proven floor general and improving his outside jumper, De Sousa has been efficient inside the arc, shooting north of 55% on 2-point attempts each of his last seasons. Joining 18-year-old Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa, De Sousa makes two Frenchmen on the Zags’ roster, adding to an all-time list that includes Joel Ayayi, Killian Tillie, and Ronny Turiaf.

After the unforeseen exits of Mario Saint-Supéry and Jack Kayil earlier this offseason, Gonzaga has reloaded its ball-handling guards by adding De Sousa, Lee, and Bennett, with De Sousa officially joining the squad first. If De Sousa’s situation hadn’t been resolved before the regular season began or his eligibility waiver had been denied outright, more onus would be on sophomore Davis Fogle and Houston transfer Isiah Harwell to run the offense.

As for the two other point guards, the currently eligible Lee is part of a California lawsuit that also includes Inês Bettencourt of Gonzaga women’s basketball. They and roughly 45 other student-athletes await a hearing next week, where the NCAA aims to revoke a temporary restraining order that made those athletes eligible. Meanwhile, Bennett and the other ineligible plaintiffs in an Ohio case were denied a motion to vacate the NCAA’s request to stay and restore the preliminary injunction they were granted.

On the bright side, De Sousa being cleared seemingly sets a precedent for Izan Almansa, a 21-year-old Spanish forward who committed to the Bulldogs in May. Almansa is more well-traveled than De Sousa, logging experience in the NBL and the G League, and was in the green room during the 2025 NBA Draft. But like De Sousa, there is optimism that Almansa will be granted a waiver to suit up for Gonzaga this season.

If worst comes to worst, De Sousa is more than capable of being GU’s starting point guard for the regular-season opener against Purdue, and the Zags can roll with a starting lineup of him, Harwell, Fogle, Braden Huff, and Massamba Diop. A glimpse of what this lineup looks like will be on display during Kraziness at the Kennel next Saturday, Oct. 3, at 2 PM PT.