Knockdown Shooter Steele Venters Set to Finally Make Zags Debut This Season
After suffering two consecutive season-ending injuries, Steele Venters is on track to make his on-court debut as a Gonzaga Bulldog. It will be a long-awaited first appearance for the now 24-year-old, who has received devastating news on how both of his last two seasons were over before even starting. Finally, the 6-7 sharpshooter is set to suit up in Spokane.
For the first three seasons of his collegiate career, Venters played at Eastern Washington University. After a pedestrian freshman year, Venters took huge bounds forward in his sophomore and junior seasons, being awarded to the All-Big Sky team in both years. He averaged 16.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists a game in his second season. Venters shot 43 percent from beyond the arc on six attempts a game, which led the Big Sky. He followed that year up by averaging 15.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists a game, earning the Big Sky Player of the Year in the 2022-23 campaign.
These phenomenal performances prompted Venters to enter the 2023 NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility as he committed to Gonzaga after his junior season. He withdrew from the draft after going through the process and prepared to play his final season in college in 2023-24 for the Bulldogs. But Venters tore his ACL in a practice in the days leading up to the first game of the season. He rehabbed for the next year and was eventually cleared in August 2024. Veters’ luck continued to spiral, tearing his Achilles tendon during a practice before the 2024-25 season kicked off. Venters has sat for two consecutive seasons and was recently cleared to return to practice in 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 scenarios, as Gonzaga expects him to continue to ramp up to be ready for 2025-26.
His playstyle with EWU would remind a lot of Zags fans of former Bulldog Corey Kispert, who shot over 40 percent in his four years at Gonzaga. Venters is also an oversized guard on the wing who is an extremely skilled shooter. He runs up his cardio, constantly moving off-ball and cutting to create open looks for himself, being in motion continuously. Venters can knock down a shot from anywhere on the floor, but primarily from the wing and above the break. He possesses long-range capability as well, as Venters can stretch the floor without being easily bothered by contests and defenders who are quickly closing out.
His specialty is in the catch-and-shoot, where he posted a 61 percent effective field goal percentage in his junior year, which was in the top 11 percent of all college basketball. Through off-ball screens or even dribble hand-offs, Venters is a threat to pull the trigger as soon as he touches the ball. His high-arching shot raises his ability to spot up and shoot over defenders quickly after receiving passes.
The 200-pounder is also great at using his size to his advantage; Venters was effective on drives — finishing with physicality and showing semblance of a post-up game when given the opportunity. He can also contribute on the defensive end. Venters’ size and length allow him to guard multiple positions and be serviceable with his back to the basket.
There will be limited pressure on Venters when he is finally ready for in-game action. Head coach Mark Few and his staff will likely manage his workload on a per-game basis. But in comparison to when Venters first joined the Zags, the team’s depth at the wing position is in a much better spot. With the likes of Braden Huff, Jalen Warley, Tyon Grant-Foster, and Emmanuel Innocenti, the Bulldogs don’t need Venters to be a starter or even log more than 20 minutes a game. Being a sparkplug off the bench who can give the Bulldogs’ shooting bursts in spurts could be invaluable for this program with championship aspirations.
