Pipeline of NBA Talent Continues to Drive Gonzaga's Impressive Recruiting
Ever since the NIL (name, image, and likeness) policy was enacted in the NCAA on July 1, 2021, timelines for college basketball players have noticeably shifted. Needing at least a year gap between their final year of high school and when they can begin their NBA careers, athletes traditionally tried to fast-track their way to the most competitive league in the world, seeing little benefit to the collegiate hoops experience.
Now with NIL, these young adults are making life-changing money while enrolled in university classes, allowing them to better pace their development to ensure they are properly prepared when their names called on NBA Draft night. In some cases, players are maximizing their opportunities to be paid as they stretch out their years of eligibility to the max. But for those who have the potential, they are seeking the programs that can best hone their skills to carve out lengthy NBA careers, while being paid handsomely.
Despite not being a blue blood or in a power conference, the Gonzaga Bulldogs have still found ways to acquire and develop top-tier talent in this era. The proof is in their current roster, recent graduates from the program, and young prospects still down the pipeline. Head coach Mark Few and his staff have a track record of getting players ready for the leap to the pros, and with that, it will be tough to slow the lengthy run the Zags are on.
Gonzaga Alums in the NBA
Before getting into specifics position-wise, Gonzaga is well-represented in the NBA. Behind only Kentucky (29 former players) and Arizona (14), GU’s 13 former players on active NBA rosters are tied with Michigan and Kansas for third-most in the country.
Only in his third full season after being sidelined by a Lisfranc injury in his rookie year, 7-1 Chet Holmgren leads the pack as the best former Zag, starring with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Other former Bulldog bigs Domantas Sabonis, Kelly Olynyk, and Zach Collins have built NBA long tenures, logging a combined 29 years in the association. Rui Hachimura, Jalen Suggs, and Andrew Nembhard are key auxiliary pieces on competitive teams, continuing to cement their standings in the league. When healthy, Corey Kispert, Julian Strawther, and Brandon Clarke all hold up-and-down bench roles, but each has had their moments over the years. And Drew Timme, Malachi Smith, and Ryan Nembhard were all on varying stages of two-way contracts during this past season, with the latter inking a standard NBA deal on March 1.
Of course, Gonzaga’s lone Hall of Fame player, John Stockton, who tallied 19 years in the NBA, can’t go without mention, even though he put on shows in Spokane before Few’s time at the helm. But Austin Daye, Dan Dickau, Adam Morrison, Richie Fraum, and Robert Sacre are all guys who played in the league for at least four years before retiring.
When Few was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame during this year’s Final Four, he was blunt about what can separate programs in the recruiting process.
“What resonates with the players is, ‘how many guys are you putting in the league?’” Few said. “[Gonzaga]’s hitting all the checkmarks that players like and want.”
The Zags’ roots run deep, multiple decades back, and give recruits the idea that Spokane is as good a place as any other in the country for helping them achieve their dream.
Long Line of Successful Big Men
It came as a surprise to many when ASU transfer Massamba Diop chose Gonzaga over St. John’s. The Red Storm are coming off a Sweet 16 appearance, have a Hall of Fame head coach who has won two NCAA championships, and possess plenty of resources in the Big East. Diop is a talented 7-1 center who projects to be a first-rounder in next year’s NBA Draft. So why did he pick Spokane over New York?
Look no further than the aforementioned Holmgren, who was the highest-ranked recruit to ever sign with the Zags. Coming out of high school, he won numerous Player of the Year awards, was an All-American, and was the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2021 per ESPN and 247Sports. He only needed one season in Spokane to prove he was NBA-ready, averaging 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3.66 blocks a game during his freshman campaign.
In his three years as the Thunder’s center, Holmgren has continued to showcase his elite rim protection, prowess as a lob threat, and capable three-point shot as a key cog for a championship squad. Holmgren’s name will be etched on first-team all-defensive units for years to come, and his consistency on both ends is a rarity in today’s game.
Diop shares some traits with the one-and-done, now max contract superstar, most notably his presence defensively. Even if his offensive ceiling doesn’t match in terms of three-level scoring, Diop has the tools to be in the NBA for a long time. He can also improve in the rebounding area, where Sabonis has led the league three times, not including his ledger as a two-time All-NBA selection and three-time All-Star.
As far as Diop’s shooting goes, Olynyk has stuck around by continuing to shoot at impressive clips from beyond the arc, now finding himself in a position to win a title with the San Antonio Spurs. That goes without mentioning a recent program legend in Timme; Diop’s predecessor, Graham Ike; and his new teammate, Braden Huff, as Zag big men who have produced at All-American levels. GU traditionally plays through its centers and power forwards, giving them as much opportunity as possible to be the team’s engine. The same could be said for Diop, and there is plenty of history to back it up.
Guards and Wings Learning to be Pros, Both On and Off the Ball
Several of the guards on Gonzaga’s roster for next season have already generated considerable NBA buzz. Starting point guard Mario Saint-Supéry has been on the league’s radar since his days playing professionally in Spain, while incoming freshman guard Jack Kayil was invited to the NBA Draft Combine later this month.
Coming on strong in his role as the season went on, returnee Davis Fogle improved his stock as he flashed creation and shotmaking as a ball-handler. And even one of the other newest Zags, Houston transfer Isiah Harwell, was invited to the G League Combine, joining Ike and another former Bulldog in Michael Ajayi, who spent this past season at Butler.
The talent oozed when Saint-Supéry and Fogle stepped on the floor, but the growth throughout the year was evident after just one season under their belt in Few’s system. The 27-year head coach talked repeatedly about the two dynamic young guards playing more in control and buying in more defensively, which not only improves Gonzaga’s chances of winning games but also better prepares them for the next level.
It would be tough to expect anyone to rival Ryan Nembhard’s senior season in Spokane, when the 5-11 point guard dished out 9.8 assists a contest, which led the country, to just 2.4 turnovers a game. He also averaged 1.7 steals and shot over 40% from the three. Despite going undrafted and eventually signing a two-way contract with the Dallas Mavericks, Ryan Nembhard had several standout performances, including a 23-assist night against the Chicago Bulls on April 12, where he set a rookie record for most assists in a game by a Maverick, passing his own head coach, Jason Kidd.
The combination of facilitation, shooting, and defensive ability is apparent in many of the current NBA guards who went to Gonzaga. Ryan Nembhard’s brother, Andrew, displayed all three of those traits during the Indiana Pacers’ run to the NBA Finals last year. Suggs, who hit the miraculous 40-foot buzzer-beater for the Zags against UCLA in the 2021 Final Four, signed a five-year, $150.5 million extension with the Orlando Magic as he’s boosted their roster with his energy and connective abilities. Someone like Hachimura has found a home with the Los Angeles Lakers by playing within himself, sniping jumpers in the mid-range game while never trying to do too much.
Next year’s Zags team could boast some of the most NBA talent the program has ever seen at once, and with an impressive track record in place, several of these young players look to translate their abilities to another successful year in Spokane, and eventually to the pros, just like so many before them.
