Mark Few provides encouraging injury update on Gonzaga star Braden Huff

Mark Few is in Springfield, Mass as part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony, where the Gonzaga head coach is set to be inducted Saturday evening as part of the class of 2026.

It adds yet another incredible accomplishment to Few's decorated career - leaving an elusive national championship as the last remaining notch on the proverbial belt for the Zags head man.

If Gonzaga is going to get over the hump and take home a championship trophy in 2027, senior forward Braden Huff will have to emerge as one of the best scoring big men in the entire country - something he was on track to do last year before suffering a knee injury in mid-January that took him out for the rest of the season.

Fortunately, Huff's recovery has gone quite well, according to Few, who told Theo Lawson of the Spokesman-Review on Friday that Huff is fully recovered heading into 2026-27.

"We've been very, very, very conservative with him, especially this summer," Few said. "There's no need for him to do that. He's in great shape and looks good."

Covered a lot of ground with Mark Few, but will share some pertinent updates regarding the 2026-27 team. Few said Gonzaga's Braden Huff is fully recovered from his knee injury.

"We've been very, very, very conservative with him, especially this summer. There's no need for him to…
— Theo Lawson (@TheoLawson_SR) August 14, 2026

Huff’s return could change everything for Gonzaga

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Braden Huff (34) shoots against Texas Southern on Nov. 3, 2025, at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington. | Photo by Myk Crawford

As a junior last year, Huff stepped seamlessly into Gonzaga's jumbo starting lineup alongside All-American Graham Ike, wearing out opposing frontcourts with a two-headed monster on the interior.

Through 18 games, the 6'10 forward averaged 17.8 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 69.7% on twos and 33.3% from beyond the arc. He dropped 37 points on 16-18 shooting against Campbell in December, and had 28 points and six boards on 11-14 shooting in a narrow OT win over Seattle.

The knee injury completely derailed Gonzaga's season on the offensive end of the floor, forcing everything to play through Ike and allowing opponents to pack the paint and dare GU to shoot from the outside - where they struggled all season long.

Now Huff is back and expected to compete for an All-American nod as a senior, and the Zags built a roster tailor-made for his success - with a bruising, rim-protecting center alongside him in Massamba Diop, as well as high-scoring sophomore wing Davis Fogle, elite shooting stretch forward Chauncey Wiggins, and a tough, point-of-attack perimeter defender in Isiah Harwell.

The last question for Gonzaga and Huff is who will lead this team at point guard. Javon Bennett, a transfer addition from Dayton, is a great scorer and decent passer, but the Zags remain in the market for a top-tier fifth-year PG like Xaivian Lee (Florida) or Donovan Dent (UCLA) to round out this roster.

If Huff has an elite facilitating point guard to play with out of the short roll, he could be in line for a Drew Timme-esque season offensively, making him the catalyst for this year's team and their hopes of getting back to the Final Four and into a third-ever national championship game.

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