Gonzaga commit Jack Kayil emerging as top young prospect in Germany

Kayil is committed to Mark Few and the Zags in the class of 2026

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few (right) and assistant coach Brian Michaelson (left). | Photo by Myk Crawford

The track record for Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs regarding international prospects speaks for itself.

From the early days of Ronny Turiaf and JP Batista, to four-year program anchors like Przemek Karnowski and Killian Tillie, and All-Americans like Kelly Olynyk, Filip Petrusev, and Rui Hachimura, this small school in Spokane has become a hub for non-American players to become legends.

If there is an area Zag fans could nitpick, it's that the vast majority of success stories have been frontcourt players. Canadian point guard Kevin Pangos and French guard Joel Ayayi are notable counterexamples, and while both Andrew and Ryan Nembhard are also from up north, they played high school ball - and two years of college - in the US before coming to Gonzaga.

However, this narrative is also starting to change for the Zags, following the explosive play of Spanish point guard Mario Saint-Supery this season. As a true freshman, the 6'3 guard is averaging 8.5 points, 3.9 assists, and 1.6 steals in just 21 minutes per game, while shooting 45% from three.

Saint-Supery is an extremely talented, high upside guard, but he'll have competition on next year's Gonzaga roster from a similarly outstanding international player: German combo guard Jack Kayil.

Kayil committed to Gonzaga back in October of 2025, while keeping his options open for the 2026 NBA draft. The 6'5 guard just turned 20 years old a few days ago, but has been playing at an extremely high level on an Alba Berlin team against opponents who are routinely 8-10 years older than him, and he's made it look easy.

Kayil has appeared in 17 games in the BBL - among the top professional leagues on the planet - and is averaging 12.4 points, 3.7 assists, and 2.6 rebounds while shooting an outstanding 39.5% from the three-point line. That included a career-high 24 points on Sunday against Bamberg, where he shot an incredible 16-17 from the free throw line.

The future Zag was included in a report written by Ngijol Songolo discussing the up-and-coming European prospects who participated in the World Cup Qualifying window.

Gonzaga commit Jack Kayil is as steady of a combo guard that you’ll find in Europe. Had some good moments in his senior national team debut with Germany in the first WCQ window.

For @madehoops, I broke down top college prospects who participated.

Part I: https://t.co/J14n79Exa1 pic.twitter.com/aCuXTCtDU9

— Ngijol Songolo (@5ongolo) January 29, 2026

"Kayil looked as athletic and physically developed as he ever has, filling out his frame and playing with improved pace," Songolo wrote. "A steady lead guard, he made strong reads, particularly out of pick-and-rolls, while also showing comfort operating off the ball in dual-creator lineups. His passing stood out, as did his functional use of length defensively. A Gonzaga commit and current ALBA Berlin guard in Germany, Kayil projects as a high-level college point guard with NBA upside."

Kayil, who was recently named to the Team of the Week in the BBL, has flourished in a bigger role with Alba Berlin, despite playing with and against much older players. A few examples include former Houston center J'Wan Roberts (24), former Portland and Washington forward Moses Wood (26) and former Utah State forward Justin Bean (29).

Gonzaga's history with international players - combined with their history of developing guards - should have fans feeling very confident about the future of both Saint-Supery and Kayil. While there isn't a significant history of marrying those two groups in the Few era, players like Pangos and Joel Ayayi show that it can be a match made in heaven for all parties involved.