Gonzaga assistant coach Jorge Sanz headed to Blue Blood program

Sanz spent eight years at Gonzaga in a variety of coaching roles

Gonzaga men's basketball assistant coach Jorge Sanz. | Photo by Erik Smith

It's been almost ten years since the Gonzaga Bulldogs lost to North Carolina in the 2017 NCAA championship, but the Tar Heels just handed the Zags another brutal defeat.

Jorge Sanz, who has been on Mark Few's staff in a variety of roles since 2018, announced on Thursday morning he is leaving the program - and sources confirmed he is taking the open assistant coaching role with the North Carolina Tar Heels, heading back to the East Coast and joining one of the premier programs in college basketball history.

Sanz served as Gonzaga's Director of Basketball Operations starting in 2018, and was promoted to assistant coach - while keeping his operations duties - ahead of the 2023-24 season. That year, the Zags also hired assistant coaches Rjay Barsh and Zach Norvell, and the coaching staff has remained untouched from then until now.

Loss for Gonzaga, gain for UNC

UNC basketball coach Michael Malone during his first press conference inside the Smith Center on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Sanz, who was born in Zaragoza, Spain, filled many roles on coach Few's staff over the last eight seasons, notably helping to put together some of the toughest non-conference schedules in the entire sport.

He also filled an integral role as the team's lead international recruiter, helping to fill a gap after Tommy Lloyd's left to take over as Arizona's head coach ahead of the 2021-22 season.

Sanz helped Gonzaga land players like Mario Saint-Supery, Izan Almansa, Nathan de Sousa, and Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa, and had a role in the team landing former Gran Canaria and Arizona State center Massamba Diop this offseason as well.

North Carolina, which hired former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone this offseason, has been active on the international recruiting market these past few months - landing Greek center Alex Samodurov and Spanish big man Sayon Keita, while also wooing Virginia Tech transfer and Greek native Neo Avdalas to Chapel Hill.

So it makes sense that the Tar Heels would target someone with Sanz's connections internationally, as they look to get back to being a national powerhouse following a rough stretch under coach Hubert Davis.

Sanz also gained notoriety for his use of basketball analytics, helping the Zags identify areas of improvement for each individual player, and targeting weaknesses on opposing teams. That skill will no doubt be utilized by UNC, especially with Malone coming from an NBA background where some of those advanced metrics are likely applied differently.

Sanz spent eight years at Florida Atlantic prior to his time in Spokane, where he went from video coordinator up to assistant coach, and now he moves on after his eight-year stint with Gonzaga - hoping to help UNC back to the promised land.

Gonzaga now has an open spot on the bench to fill before the 2026-27 season begins on Nov. 2 against Purdue.