Top 30 recruit Dooney Johnson visits Gonzaga in exhibition win over Western Oregon

Nearly five months to the day after he committed to the Gonzaga Bulldogs out of the transfer portal, 6'7 wing Tyon Grant-Foster found out he would be eligible to suit up for Mark Few's team on Monday afternoon following a 2.5-hour preliminary injunction hearing in Spokane County.

Roughly one hour after Judge Marla Polin announced her decision, the Zags tipped off at the McCarthey Athletic Center against Division II opponent Western Oregon — the final exhibition game before the season officially gets underway next Monday, Nov. 3, against Texas Southern.

Gonzaga rolled to an easy 111-53 win, at one point holding the Wolves without a field goal for over eight minutes and scoring 36 total points off 22 turnovers.

Grant-Foster went from being in court to on the court, entering to a major ovation from the crowd with about nine minutes to go until halftime. The former WAC Player of the Year ended up playing nine minutes for the Zags, scoring four points with three rebounds, an assist, and three turnovers.

With very few practices under his belt, Grant-Foster will be eased slowly into action for Gonzaga this season, but fortunately, the team showed — without question — they have the depth to give him all the time he needs. Freshman Davis Fogle was once again outstanding for the Zags, scoring 13 points with four rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes. He was 1-3 from the field but a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line, relentlessly attacking the rim in the first half and putting all kinds of pressure on WOU's defense.

Gonzaga also saw the return of guard Emmanuel Innocenti, who missed the team's exhibition game against Northwest with a hip injury but returned and even started for the Zags on Monday. The 6'5 guard had six points on perfect 3-3 shooting, adding three assists and two rebounds in his 12 minutes of action.

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Emmanuel Innocenti. | Photo by Myk Crawford

Fogle's rim pressure, Innocenti's defense, and the pure outside shooting of Steele Venters and Adam Miller will keep this team in great shape on the wing in the early part of the season, although the frontcourt is what did most of the damage on Monday.

Graham Ike, Braden Huff, and Ismaila Diagne combined to score 53 points — the same total as Western Oregon — while shooting 21-24 from the field, 1-1 from three, and 10-11 from the free throw line. Huff was the ringleader, scoring his 21st and final point with 15 minutes left in the game. He scored effortlessly around the rim and made a pair of excellent passes out to Miller and Venters for open threes - showing more playmaking skills, which is key for this team in 2025-26.

Gonzaga had another special visitor on campus Monday night in Dooney Johnson, a 6'5 wing in the 2027 recruiting class who was in town on his official visit. Johnson is the No. 28-ranked player in the class, according to ESPN, and has been heavily pursued by Gonzaga since the recruiting window opened in July.

Below is a look at all the action Monday night in Spokane, including Johnson's visit, Grant-Foster's triumphant return to the court, and Gonzaga's on-court dominance:

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Tyon Grant-Foster (7). | Photo by Myk Crawford

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Davis Fogle. | Photo by Myk Crawford

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Myk Crawford

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Jalen Warley (8). | Photo by Myk Crawford

Recruit Dooney Johnson takes in the action at Gonzaga’s matchup against Western Oregon. | Photo by Erik Smith

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Braden Huff (34). | Photo by Myk Crawford

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15). | Photo by Myk Crawford

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Steele Venters (2). | Photo by Myk Crawford

Recruit Dooney Johnson’s younger brother joins in the celebration, dancing with Gonzaga players after the game. | Photo by Erik Smith

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