Mark Few discusses next steps in Gonzaga freshman Davis Fogle's development

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have arguably the deepest team they have ever had under coach Mark Few, with nine different players averaging between 16 and 26 minutes per night through the first ten games of the season.

All nine of those players - Graham Ike, Braden Huff, Steele Venters, Emmanuel Innocenti, Mario Saint-Supery, Jalen Warley, Tyon Grant-Foster, Adam Miller, and Braeden Smith - have started at least one game, while Huff and Ike are the only two who have started every game they played.

But Gonzaga's depth doesn't end at nine. Sophomore big man Ismaila Diagne and freshman wing Davis Fogle are both highly regarded young players who are developing - mostly behind the scenes - at Gonzaga this year, with the aim of playing a much bigger role in 2026-27 and beyond.

While Diagne has flashed glimpses of excellence, particularly as a rim protector, it has been Fogle who has lit up the scoreboard for Gonzaga when he's been on the floor - which has primarily happened in the second half of blowout games.

All told, the 6'7 wing from Anacortes, WA is averaging 6.9 points in 8.5 minutes across eight games, although that hardly tells the full story. Fogle scored 11 points with five rebounds in 10 minutes in the team's season opener against Texas Southern, and then scored a career-high 19 points on 7-10 shooting two weeks later against Southern Utah.

Fogle was at it again on Sunday against North Florida, scoring 15 points in 18 minutes and once again shooting 7-10.

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Davis Fogle (4). | Photo by Erik Smith

In those three games, the freshman has scored 45 points in 43 total minutes played, while shooting an absurd 19-28 (67.8%) from the field.

While coach Few can clearly see the scoring prowess on display by his young wing, he acknowledged the context in which he is doing most of his damage - and what the next steps are for Fogle in his development.

"I think he has a nice sense of when garbage time is and gets going," Few said after the North Florida game. "It's a little different Davis then when you throw him into a real live game when it's still up in the air. I like the fact he's being aggressive. Obviously he's got some real gifts ... next up for him is sort of reading the game, making the right basketball play."

Fogle's relentless attacking of the rim and fearlessness as a shot taker make him a fan favorite in those blowout wins, but those performances don't particularly capture what his abilities are when playing within the confines of Gonzaga's offense. As Few said, Fogle is adept at understanding the situation on the floor and using that to his advantage - playing hyper-aggressive defense and looking to push the ball - but his tunnel vision as a scorer doesn't play nearly as well outside of the garbage time context.

That's not to say Fogle is incapable of playing a more complimentary role in higher leverage situations, just that he hasn't been asked to do so very often. And in the few times he has been on the floor in close games, there has not been much indication that he is ready for that kind of role.

On the year, Fogle has four assists and five turnovers. However, in non-buy game blowouts, Fogle has just one assist compared to four turnovers. His lone assist came against Creighton, while his four turnovers all happened in the Players Era Festival - one against Maryland and three against Michigan.

Still, the experience Fogle is getting in those non-garbage time minutes is critical to his long-term development - as it is the only time this year he's being asked to fill a role within Gonzaga's offense, rather than playing iso ball with a 50+ point lead.

Fogle's length, scoring versatility, and confidence make him a tantalizing young player who could end up a true superstar for Gonzaga down the line - but he still has a lot of work to do on the rest of his game.

However, considering coach Few's track record of player development, Fogle's potential ceiling is a frightening proposition for future Zag opponents.

Gonzaga will square off against UCLA on Saturday, Dec. 13, at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle at 8:30 PM PT.

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS

Add us as a preferred source on Google