Gonzaga wing projected as top 30 three point shooter in college basketball

The Bulldogs had their worst three point shooting season in the Mark Few era last year

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Steele Venters (2). | Photo by Mercedes Smith

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are known for their electric, high-scoring offenses under coach Mark Few. Getting out in transition and dominating on the block in half court sets are two of the biggest reasons for Gonzaga's excellence offensively, but the program has consistently had success from the three point line as well.

Last year's team was an exception, however, as Gonzaga shot just 35.4% from beyond the arc, the lowest mark of coach Few's illustrious head coaching career in Spokane.

The Zags will hope to change that in 2025-26, despite losing their top five leaders in made threes from last year in Nolan Hickman, Khalif Battle, Ryan Nembhard, Dusty Stromer, and Ben Gregg.

A big part of the team's projected improvement from deep is the return of Steele Venters, who has missed each of the past two seasons with injury; first an ACL tear that occured two days before the start of the 2023-24 season, then an Achilles tear suffered while recovering from the ACL, which cost him all of 2024-25.

A recent post by Evan Miyakawa — who runs the popular college basketball analytics site EvanMiya — showcased his top 30 highest projected three point shooters in college hoops this upcoming season, with Venters the lone Zag on the list at No. 28.

EvanMiya projects Venters to shoot 38.8% from deep this year, slightly below his career average of 40.6% which all came at his previous stop in Cheney with the Eastern Washington Eagles.

Oct 4, 2025; Spokane, WA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Steele Venters (2) competes in the three-point contest during Numerica Kraziness in the Kennel at the McCarthey Athletic Center. | James Snook-Imagn Images

The 6'7 wing was one of the elite shooters and scorers in college basketball as a sophomore in 2021-22, drilling 43.4% of his six three point attempts per game, while averaging 16.7 points. His rate dropped as a junior in 2022-23, although he still shot a highly respectable 37.1% on 6.2 attempts, scoring 15.3 points per game and earning Big Sky Player of the Year honors over Northern Colorado guard Dalton Knecht, who is now with the Los Angeles Lakers after earning All-American honors at Tennessee in 2023-24.

There's very little doubt Venters will light it up at Gonzaga, as long as he can stay healthy and on the floor. He looked great at Kraziness in the Kennel on Saturday, Oct. 4, drilling three threes in 11 minutes and moving without limitation.

How much Venters plays this year will be dependent on the eligibility status of Grand Canyon transfer Tyon Grant-Foster, who is currently not eligible to play for Gonzaga this season while the NCAA continues to review his case.

Gonzaga will face two of EvanMiya's top 25 projected three point shooters early in the 2025-26 season. First will be Oklahoma guard Nijel Pack, who Gonzaga will face on Nov. 8 at the Spokane Arena, followed by Creighton guard Josh Dix who the Zags will see on Nov. 11 at The Kennel. Pack is No. 3 on the list with a projected rate of 40.5%, while Dix is No. 25 at 38.9%.

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