Gonzaga recruiting target Sam Funches described as 'formidable rim protector' by scout

Funches could be Gonzaga's answer in the frontcourt defense

Germantown Mavericks' center Sam Funches (32). | Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Rim protection has long been an issue for Mark Few and Gonzaga, but one of the program's top recruiting targets could be just what the doctor ordered.

Sam Funches, a four-star center in the 2026 class, was recently profiled by 247Sports scouting director Adam Finkelstein, who described the seven-footer with a 7'5 wingspan as a 'formidable rim protector'.

Funches, who is ranked No. 96 in the 2026 class at 247Sports, was originally supposed to take an official visit to Gonzaga in February of last season, but it was postponed because his team was still competing in the state playoffs. The big man from Mississippi led his high school, Germantown, to the 7A state championship. He contributed 16 points and seven rebounds, on 7-11 shooting, in the title game.

Gonzaga and Funches ultimately rescheduled the visit, which is now set to occur Oct. 3-5 over Kraziness in the Kennel weekend, alongside fellow 4-star recruit Herly Brutus.

Funches has plenty of interest outside of the Zags, with a top 10 list that includes Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Kansas, Kansas State, Penn State, Vanderbilt, LSU, Cal, and Jackson State. The big man has already officially visited Kansas, Ole Miss, Cal, Vanderbilt, and Kansas State and is set to visit Mississippi State on Sep. 26 and LSU on Oct. 10.

Gonzaga students during 2024 Kraziness in the Kennel, the annual preseason showcase held at the McCarthey Athletic Center. | Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Finkelstein's scouting report details Funches' offensive game, which is still developing, although he notes his ability to run the floor and move laterally is advanced for his age, and his outside shot is promising.

"He has a skill set that should translate well to half-court structure," Finkelstein continued. "He has a soft touch, good footwork from the mid-post and in, [and is] a willing passer who will reward cutters, and can stretch the floor."

Funches is also a lefty who is pretty one-handed dominant, although that's not unusual for Gonzaga big man targets. All three of Gonzaga's returning bigs — Graham Ike, Braden Huff, and Ismaila Diagne — are left-handed, joining Domantas Sabonis, Przemek Karnowski, Sam Dower, and others from GU's past.

Germantown Mavericks' center Sam Funches (32) listens to head coach Chris Love on the sidelines. | Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK

Funches is Gonzaga's lone center target in the 2026 class. The staff is also targeting four-star power forward Ethan Harris from Camas, WA, as well as a litany of wings, including Brutus, five-star forwards Tyran Stokes and Baba Oladotun, four-star wings Cameron Holmes, JRob Croy, Luca Foster, and Bo Ogden, as well as point guard Ikenna Alozie.

Gonzaga added one big man in the 2025 class in Parker Jefferson, a 6'10 center who had previously committed to Minnesota. He'll join Ike, Huff, and Diagne for Few and the Zags in 2025-26.

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS