Gonzaga sends assistant coach Zach Norvell to watch 2027 4-star guard

The Gonzaga Bulldogs coaching staff has been hard at work looking for a future generation of basketball stars to bring to Spokane.

While most of the staff's focus has been on the 2026 recruiting class, the Zags have been making inroads with high-level prospects in the 2027 class as well.

Dooney Johnson, a 4-star recruit from Milwaukee Juneau (Milwaukee, WI), has been a priority target for Gonzaga since the 2027 recruiting period opened in June. Gonzaga officially offered Johnson a scholarship in late July, and the staff remains very invested in the 6'5 rising junior guard.

Gonzaga assistant coach Zach Norvell was in Milwaukee to see Johnson on Friday, according to Johnson's head coach — and father — Torre Johnson Jr.

Norvell is the perfect coach for Gonzaga to send to meet with Johnson. After all, Norvell was also a 6'5, high-level two-way guard prospect from the Midwest when he chose to commit to Gonzaga ahead of the 2016-17 season. It worked out quite well for 'Snacks', who redshirted his first year before having two excellent seasons in Spokane.

Milwaukee Juneau guard Dooney Johnson. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Chicago product can sell Johnson on coming out west to Spokane, a key factor for Gonzaga to overcome when many of the other programs pursuing the 6'5 wing are much closer to his hometown of Milwaukee. Currently, Johnson has offers from local programs Wisconsin, Marquette, Nebraska, Missouri, and Cincinnati, as well as LSU, Washington, Oklahoma State, SMU, and Syracuse, among others.

Johnson is a burly guard who has shown plenty of defensive versatility thanks to his size, length, and lateral mobility. He's adept at getting downhill and scoring at the rim, and has begun to show improvement as an outside shooter, which could vault him up the class rankings.

Johnson is one of three players in the 2027 class holding an offer from Gonzaga, alongside 4-star guards Jalen Davis from Bremerton, WA and Gene Roebuck III from La Mirada, CA. Davis is ranked No. 33 in the class and holds offers from Houston, Oregon, Washington, and Stanford, while Roebuck is ranked No. 40 and holds offers from Kansas, UCLA, USC, Cal, Arizona State, and San Francisco.

Milwaukee Juneau's Dooney Johnson (1). | Scott Ash / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gonzaga was also in Phoenix on Friday to watch Darius Wabbington, a 6'11 center who is ranked No. 23 in the 2027 class and who already has offers from big-time programs like Arizona, Indiana, and Louisville.

It is about to be a very busy few months for Gonzaga recruiting-wise, with five official visits scheduled for members of the 2026 class: Forward Ethan Harris (Sep. 9), center Sam Funches and wing Herly Brutus (Oct. 3), guard Luca Foster (Oct. 11) and forward Cameron Holmes (Nov. 8).

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