5 potential landing spots for Gonzaga wing Emmanuel Innocenti in the transfer portal

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs head into the transfer portal portion of the offseason with four departures already announced.

The most notable of the quartet is Emmanuel Innocenti, who started 29 of 35 games for the Zags last year, finishing second on the team in minutes played while averaging 6.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists.

The 6'5 wing was Gonzaga's primary on-ball defender and was comfortable doing the dirty work, diving after loose balls, grabbing offensive rebounds, and mixing it up on both ends of the floor.

Heading into his senior season, the Ivory Coast native will look for a new home to secure one final NIL payday and an opportunity to showcase his talent before graduation.

Below is a look at five programs that could pursue Innocenti out of the transfer portal, which opened officially on April 7:

1. Arizona State Sun Devils

One of the few programs that pursued Innocenti out of the portal initially was Saint Mary's, and with Randy Bennett now at Arizona State - and needing to build a roster from scratch - it wouldn't be a surprise to see him dip back into the well and go after the 6'5 wing once again.

It will be intriguing to see if Bennett's slow-paced style fits in a power conference, but adding a player like Innocenti - who is elite on ball defensively and provides excellent offensive rebounding - seems like a great place for the longtime SMC coach to start.

2. Baylor Bears

Innocenti's style fits the Big 12, and his prior experience in Texas could bring him to a program like Baylor. Scott Drew is losing the vast majority of his roster - again - with Obi Agbim, Daniel Skillings, Michael Rataj, and Caden Powell all graduating while Cameron Carr and Tounde Yessoufou are expected to head to the NBA.

Innocenti would give coach Drew a rock-solid defender and steady ball mover on offense, and while Innocenti likely wouldn't be a starter for the Bears, he could command a solid payday with an opportunity to play in an excellent league for his final collegiate season.

3. Grand Canyon 'Lopes

If it's not Scott Drew, perhaps Innocenti will go suit up for his brother Bryce over at Grand Canyon. The 'Lopes took a transfer from Gonzaga last year, Dusty Stromer, who is already back in the portal, along with forward Kaleb Smith. Those losses, plus the graduations of Jaden Henley, Nana Owusu-Anane, Brian Moore, and Caleb Shaw, have this team needing to fill a lot of holes next season.

Innocenti would give coach Drew a steady defender to help replace Henley and Stromer on the wing, and should get chances to showcase his offensive ability in the new look Mountain West.

4. Saint Mary's Gaels

Bennett may not be at SMC anymore, but his replacement - Mickey McConnell - could absolutely look at Innocenti in Moraga next year. While it feels incredibly weird to imagine a player transferring to Saint Mary's from Gonzaga, it doesn't seem as unlikely now that the two programs are in different conferences, and with Bennett now the head man at ASU.

McConnell is expected to have a similar style to his predecessor, and after losing Dillan Shaw, Mikey Lewis, and Liam Campbell to the portal, adding a strong defender and good connecting wing in Innocenti makes a lot of sense.

5. Seattle Redhawks

Innocenti not only could follow in Stromer's footsteps from Gonzaga to Grand Canyon, but he could also follow Jun Seok Yeo, who went from Spokane to Seattle to play for the Redhawks.

Coach Chris Victor loves tough, physical defensive players, and has plenty of holes on the roster with the departures of guards Brayden Maldonado, John Christofilis, Maleek Arington, Jojo Murphy, and Yeo.

Innocenti's familiarity with the WCC and similar style to Victor's system makes this a fairly obvious fit and one that could benefit both parties quite well.

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