Longtime Gonzaga assistant coach announces departure

Gonzaga loses its first member of the coaching staff since the 2022-23 season

Gonzaga men's basketball assistant coaches. | Photo by Myk Crawford

Mark Few is still working on finding a new point guard for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, and now he has to find a new assistant coach as well.

Jorge Sanz, who has been with the Zags since 2018, announced he is leaving the university in a social media post on Thursday morning.

Sanz's departure marks the first change to Gonzaga's coaching staff since Zach Norvell and Rjay Barsh were hired ahead of the 2023-24 season. That same year, Sanz was promoted from Director of Basketball Operations to assistant coach, while keeping his operations duties. New NCAA rules allowed programs to add two additional assistant coaches in 2023, and Barsh joined Few's staff that offseason after Roger Powell departed for the head coaching job at Valparaiso.

Impact on Gonzaga

Gonzaga men's basketball assistant coach Jorge Sanz. | Photo by Erik Smith

Sanz has held a critical role as an international recruiter during his time at Gonzaga, a substantial loss for the program - especially with two roster spots to fill before the 2026-27 season.

A native of Zaragoza, Spain, Sanz played a large role in the team's addition of Saint-Supery last offseason and commitments from Izan Almansa, Nathan de Sousa, and Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa over the last few months.

Sanz has worked extensively as a coach in Spain, serving as an assistant for the Spanish training camp in May of this year, with previous experience as an assistant helping the U17 team to a silver medal at the 2022 FIBA World Cup, and the U18 team to silver at the 2023 European Championships.

From left to right: Gonzaga Bulldogs assistant coaches Jorge Sanz, Brian Michaelson, head coach Mark Few and assistant coach Stephen Gentry. | Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

He has also become a key part of Gonzaga's embrace of basketball analytics, both in x's and o's and in scouting and player development.

Sanz spent eight seasons at Florida Atlantic prior to coming to Gonzaga, rising from video coordinator to assistant coach while helping to lead the Owls to their first NIT appearance in 2010.

What's next for Gonzaga

Texas Tech assistant coach Rem Bakamus. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Gonzaga now has a hole to fill on the coaching staff, potentially in search of an assistant coach who can also double as a director of basketball ops. The Zags could attempt to split those roles, depending on who they target, but either way, it becomes a challenge to integrate someone else into the staff this late into the offseason.

Of course, many people would fall over themselves for the opportunity to coach at Gonzaga, and if the staff wanted a familiar face, there are quite a few former players who are in the Division 1 coaching ranks as well - including Gary Bell Jr (Northern Arizona), Eric McClellan (FAU), Rem Bakamus (Texas Tech), and Will Graves (Portland State).

Gonzaga could also look to promote internally, with General Manager Kurt Bambauer or graduate assistant Que Johnson both viable candidates to move into Sanz's role ahead of this upcoming season.

From left to right: Sports analyst Sean Farnham, Gonzaga men's basketball general manager Kurt Bambauer and assistant coach Brian Michaelson. | Photo by Erik Smith

Perhaps the most important aspect of this coaching hire is the ability to recruit internationally, something Gonzaga has utilized to their advantage for over 20 years at this point under coach Few.