Gonzaga is counting on a breakout sophomore season from Isiah Harwell

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are three weeks away from Kraziness in the Kennel and seven weeks from the season opener against Purdue in Las Vegas, and still the roster remains in flux.

The surprise departures of commit Jack Kayil and sophomore point guard Mario Saint-Supery, along with the constantly changing eligibility of three fifth-year senior transfers - Xaivian Lee, Javon Bennett, and Chauncey Wiggins - and the ongoing eligibility battle for international commitments Nathan de Sousa and Izan Almansa, have created a whirlwind offseason for this Gonzaga program - and make it unclear who all will be suiting up at the start of the season, and potentially even into the season as well.

The chaos of the last few months has made it easy to forget who exactly is on this roster - a group that, even without all the limbo players, is pretty darn good.

While returners Braden Huff and Davis Fogle, and Arizona State transfer center Massamba Diop, get most of the attention, Gonzaga's first transfer addition of the offseason - Houston guard Isiah Harwell - may be the team's biggest x-factor in 2026-27.

Harwell's history

Jan 3, 2025; Gilbert, AZ, USA; Wasatch Academy guard Isiah Harwell (1) | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

A 6'6 guard from Pocatello, ID, Harwell was pursued by Gonzaga during his high school career at Pocatello High and Wasatch Academy in Utah. He earned McDonald's All-American honors as a senior and was a consensus 5-star talent in the 2025 class before ultimately picking Kelvin Sampson and Houston over Gonzaga, Cal, and Texas - a gut punch for the Zag staff, who invested heavily in him.

Harwell was a sixth man for Houston as a freshman, never quite finding his rhythm offensively in a slow-paced system that featured tons of excellent guard play - including NBA players Kingston Flemings, Emanuel Sharp, and Milos Uzan.

Ultimately, the 6'6 guard averaged 3.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game, shooting just 29.5% on twos and 27.1% from beyond the arc, falling out of the rotation toward the end of the year.

Now he'll look to get back on track offensively at Gonzaga, which landed him in mid-April out of the transfer portal - a nice reward for their efforts pursuing him out of high school.

Projected role

Jan 28, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Isiah Harwell (1) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When Harwell first committed to Gonzaga, he was expected to play a sixth-man role behind Saint-Supery, Kayil, and Fogle. That role has changed a few times this offseason, first when Kayil opted to stay in the NBA draft, again when Saint-Supery left to go back home to Spain, and again when the team landed commitments from fifth-year seniors Bennett, Wiggins, and Lee.

If the season started today, Harwell would likely be in the starting five next to Lee, Fogle, Huff, and Diop, in part because Wiggins is currently ineligible after a stay requested was granted in the Georgia lawsuit. If Wiggins ends up eligible, Harwell probably slides to the bench, with Wiggins playing the three and Fogle down at the two.

Either way, Harwell is a key piece of this Gonzaga team. He is a big, physical guard with above-average athletic traits and a high motor defensively. While the Houston offense may not have suited him as a freshman, what they do defensively helped Harwell improve significantly on that end of the floor - and he very well could be Gonzaga's best perimeter defender in 2026-27.

Breakout season coming?

But the biggest X-factor for Gonzaga this year is what he looks like offensively. The Zags have plenty of offensive firepower, including a potential 20-point per-game scorer in Huff and a strong breakout candidate in Fogle, but adding another athletic wing who can get downhill, convert at the free-throw line, and knock down open threes would dramatically benefit this team - and would be a massive help if the Zags play without Wiggins, Bennett, and Lee at any point this year.

It's unfair to project a massive leap into a 40+% three-point shooter for Harwell, but it also wouldn't be a shock if he climbs up into the mid-30's in a different system - where Huff, Fogle, and potentially Lee will generate all sorts of open looks for him on the perimeter.

Fogle and Diop are the sophomores getting the most attention on this Gonzaga roster, but it wasn't too long ago Harwell was considered a top-tier NBA draft prospect - and if he looks at all like that version of himself this year, it considerably changes both the floor and ceiling for coach Few's team as they head into the Pac-12 in 2026-27.

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