Former Gonzaga guard listed among top 2025-26 breakout candidates

One of the Zags' offsesaon departures could be in for a big year

Former Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Dusty Stromer. | Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

The transfer portal has dramatically changed the course of college basketball in the last half decade.

While Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs have benefited from this change more than most, there are still a handful of players who left Spokane and played well elsewhere — including Hunter Sallis and Efton Reid at Wake Forest, Oumar Ballo at Arizona and Indiana, and Dominick Harris, who made stops at LMU and UCLA and is now at Loyola Chicago.

This past offseason saw four players leave Gonzaga via the portal: Dusty Stromer (Grand Canyon), Michael Ajayi (Butler), Jun Seok Yeo (Seattle) and Graydon Lemke (Belmont).

Stromer and Ajayi are the more notable names on this list, and in fact Stromer was recently named a potential breakout candidate by college basketball analyst Ryan Hammer. Hammer ranked the top 30 breakout candidates in the sport, with Stromer coming in at No. 15 overall. He's joined on the list by a pair of WCC stars in San Francisco's Tyrone Riley (No. 7) and Saint Mary's guard Mikey Lewis (No. 9).

Stromer came to Gonzaga as a top 50 recruit in the 2023 class after starring at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, CA. He immediately started as a true freshman after the season-ending knee injury to Steele Venters and showed flashes of promise before ultimately getting replaced in the starting five by Ben Gregg.

Gonzaga Bulldogs assistant coach Brian Michaelson and guard Dusty Stromer. | Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

He finished his first year in Spokane, averaging 4.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while shooting 35.8% from three and playing strong perimeter defense, setting him up to be a big-time contributor for this team in year two.

However, Stromer struggled to find the same level of consistency as a sophomore, dropping from 23.5 to 17.5 minutes per game and starting just once. His playing time dipped as the year went on, with Tarleton State transfer Emmanuel Innocenti replacing him in the rotation thanks to his relentless effort on the defensive end of the floor.

The addition of Jalen Warley via the transfer portal — who redshirted last year — made it clear that Stromer was not guaranteed minutes for Gonzaga in 2025-26, and he unsurprisingly entered the transfer portal as soon as the Zags' season ended at the hands of Houston in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Former Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Dusty Stromer (4). | Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Stromer made his way to Phoenix to play for Bryce Drew and the 'Lopes, where he has a clearer path to playing time and potentially a starting job. Grand Canyon is now in the Mountain West, and Stromer will team up with Brown transfer Nana Owusu-Anane, UNLV transfer Jaden Henley, and returners Makaih Williams and Dennis Evans on a team that should compete near the top of the league alongside San Diego State, Boise State, and Utah State.

Gonzaga will face a handful of Hammer's projected breakout candidates this year, including Riley and Lewis, as well as Alabama guard Labaron Philon (No. 5), Creighton forward Jackson McAndrew (22), and UCLA guard Skyy Clark (23).

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