Gonzaga transfer guard Isiah Harwell declares for 2026 NBA Draft

On Monday, the NBA revealed the complete group of early entrants for the 2026 NBA draft, and Gonzaga fans were surprised to see one of the names on the list.

While it had been publicly announced that incoming freshman guard Jack Kayil from Germany was going to test the NBA draft waters, his primary competition to start at shooting guard for Gonzaga next year - Houston transfer Isiah Harwell - is also among the 71 early entrants reported by the league on Monday afternoon.

Harwell will have until May 27 to withdraw from the NBA draft and return for his sophomore season with Mark Few and Gonzaga, who pursued the 6'6 wing as soon as he put his name in the portal following a quiet freshman season with Houston.

The Pocatello, ID native was one of the top players in the 2025 recruiting class, earning McDonald's All-American honors while playing at Wasatch Academy in Utah. Gonzaga pursued him for multiple years while he was in high school, hoping to keep Harwell close to home. However, he ended up committing to Kelvin Sampson and Houston, where he spent his freshman season in a reserve role behind seniors Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan, as well as superstar freshman Kingston Flemings.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today that 71 players have filed as early entry candidates for NBA Draft 2026, which will be held Tuesday, June 23 (First Round) and Wednesday June 24 (Second Round) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. pic.twitter.com/GfV338yqsz
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 27, 2026

Ultimately, Harwell appeared in 32 games for Houston, averaging 13.8 minutes per game along with 3.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.6 steals while shooting 29.5% on twos and 27.1% from three.

He comes to Spokane ready to compete with Kayil to start alongside returning sophomores Mario Saint-Supery and Davis Fogle in the backcourt, with senior Braden Huff returning up front.

Kayil put his name in the draft process, which was entirely expected after the 20-year-old indicated he planned to test out the NBA draft way back in October when he first committed to Gonzaga. As an international player, he has until June 13 to make a decision on whether to withdraw from the draft and prepare for his first season in the States with Gonzaga.

Harwell's inclusion on the list is a bit more of a surprise, although it makes sense for any player who has aspirations of being a future NBA player to do so in order to get valuable feedback from draft scouts, analysts, and coaches.

The NCAA allows players to declare and withdraw from the NBA draft twice before they have to remain in the process, so there is little harm in giving it a go. At this point, Harwell is far off the draft radar, coming off an ACL injury that limited him as a freshman with the Coogs. Harwell at this point doesn't seem like a strong candidate to get invited to the NBA draft combine, which runs May 10-17, and would offer him the best chance at wowing scouts enough to realistically consider foregoing Gonzaga and staying in the draft.

If that does not happen, he'll still get chances to work out with teams, but most expect he'll get his feedback and take it with him into a sophomore season in Spokane with the Zags.

Gonzaga is expected to have both Kayil and Harwell in the mix next season, and is currently looking for more reinforcements in the backcourt - recently hosting a Zoom call with 6'2 sharpshooter Ethan Copeland from Stetson, while also contacting Campbell guard Jeremiah Johnson.

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