Why Gonzaga should target 6'6 high volume shooter out of transfer portal

The Gonzaga Bulldogs shot a poor 35.4% from three during the 2024-25 season, the worst rate of Mark Few's coaching career...until last year, when the Zags obliterated that record by shooting an abysmal 33.3% from deep, coming in a paltry 212th in the country.

It's no secret this team needs to address perimeter shooting - something they thus far have not accomplished this offseason.

The Zags have added five players to the roster this spring: international big man Izan Almansa, transfer center Massamba Diop, transfer guard Isiah Harwell, and incoming freshmen Luca Foster and Sam Funches.

Of those five, only one - Foster - is projected as an above-average three-point shooter, and his role in year one is still very much up in the air.

With German guard Jack Kayil opting to stay in the NBA draft, rather than take his talent to Spokane, Gonzaga has at least two open spots in the backcourt rotation - and they must fill one of them with someone who can light it up from beyond the arc.

Enter Camp Wagner, an incoming senior who is currently ranked among the best available players still in the transfer portal and who would instantly boost Gonzaga's outside shooting.

Who is Camp Wagner?

Wagner is a 6'6 guard from Dallas, TX, who played high school ball at Link Academy in Missouri - where Foster just wrapped up his senior season.

Wagner began his college career at Rice in the American, playing 18 games as a freshman in 2023-24 and averaging 1.2 points in 3.5 minutes per game.

He hit the portal and landed at Indiana State in the Missouri Valley Conference, where he immediately stepped into a starting role for the Sycamores in 2024-25, averaging 10.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in 26.6 minutes per game. He struggled to score around the rim - shooting 35.3% on two pointers - but Gonzaga fans will love to see his ridiculous 38.2% mark from beyond the arc, especially since it came on a whopping 7.0 attempts per game.

While he didn't quite shoot as well his junior year at Indiana State, he still hit a stellar 34.3% of his threes on 7.4 attempts per game - and boosted his scoring to 11.9 points along with 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists.

The 6'6 senior finished fourth and third in the MVC in threes made, respectively, and is among the best free throw shooters in the country after hitting 88% in his two years with the Sycamores.

Wagner really got cooking in December of last year, including a 5-8 performance from deep in a win against Belmont - the No. 1 team in the conference - as well as a 20-point, eight-rebound, three-assist game on the road against Murray State.

Fit at Gonzaga

Wagner is a tad one-dimensional as a player, but the one thing he does well is drill open threes. He's a capable shooter off the dribble and even more lethal in the catch and shoot, while offering good positional size at 6'6.

Wagner would compete with Harwell to start for Gonzaga alongside Saint-Supery and Fogle, but either way, his outside shooting would space the floor and give Braden Huff and Massamba Diop more room to operate down low.

As a third/fourth guard, Wagner's role would be quite specialized in Spokane - and the appeal of playing for a national powerhouse in a role tailored to his skills could convince him to head out west for his final season of eligibility.

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