Gonzaga's California recruiting struggles continue after another high-profile miss

There aren't a lot of places Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs struggle when it comes to recruiting.

Sure, they miss out on elite 5-star talent periodically - nearly everyone does - but more often than not, when the Zags pour time and energy into a recruit, whether they are from across the state, across the country, or across the world, Gonzaga gets their guy.

However, a notable area of weakness has been the state of California, where Gonzaga has spent many hours recruiting but routinely comes up short - including on Saturday when 4-star guard Gene Roebuck committed to Cal, one week after taking an official visit to Spokane for Kraziness in the Kennel.

Gonzaga's recruiting record in California

Gonzaga 2027 commit Gene Roebuck watches the action during Kraziness in the Kennel at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash., on Oct. 3, 2026. | Photo by Myk Crawford

California is a hotbed of high school basketball talent, frequently producing multiple top ten, and even top 5, ranked players in each recruiting class.

And while Gonzaga often targets 4-star players in the 30-50 range, the program's whiff rate is still higher in the Golden State.

Of the 17 players in California Gonzaga has offered a scholarship since 2018, per 247Sports, only three of them - Dominick Harris in 2020, Dusty Stromer in 2023, and Parker Jefferson in 2026 - ended up in Spokane, a 17.6% success rate.

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

And even then, Jefferson initially committed to Minnesota in the Big Ten before a coaching change got him back on the market, resulting in him landing in Spokane ahead of last season.

5-star forward Nik Khamenia in the 2025 class is the biggest blow of this group, a 6'8 forward from Harvard-Westlake High School that Gonzaga had on campus twice, but who ultimately surprised everyone by picking Duke over Gonzaga and UCLA, long considered his top two finalists.

Jared McCain and Carter Bryant were both highly ranked recruits, and it wasn't much of a surprise when those two went to Duke and Arizona, respectively. But losing Khamenia to Duke and Trent Perry to UCLA were both recent, biting losses for Gonzaga on the recruiting trail.

Mar 21, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Nikolas Khamenia (14) passes the ball against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Roebuck is one of many on this list who opted to stay in the state of California, along with Perry, David Singleton (UCLA), and Max Agbonkpolo (USC).

Why Gonzaga faces stiff competition for California recruits

If all of these recruits committed to California schools it would be an easy pattern to identify, but as it stands there are a lot of reasons California is an ongoing challenge for the Zags.

The reasons behind Gonzaga's recent misses aren't entirely clear. Several of the California prospects the Bulldogs pursued attracted interest from some of the nation's most prominent programs, making those recruiting battles particularly competitive.

And it's not like Gonzaga has zero wins in California. While Harris and Stromer didn't quite live up to expectations in Spokane, Austin Daye spent two great seasons in Spokane after joining the team from Irvine, CA, becoming the first Zag to leave for the NBA draft as an underclassmen in 2009.

Gonzaga currently has an offer out to Jordan Mize, a 5-star guard in the 2028 class who stars at Sierra Canyon High School in California. Will the 6'5 guard break Gonzaga's bad luck streak and end up in Spokane, or will he become another tough miss for coach Few and his staff via the Golden State?

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