Gonzaga's Mark Few calls out the NCAA's ruling of Tyon Grant-Foster's eligibility: 'They're just wrong on this one'

Bulldogs head coach felt strongly about the Grand Canyon transfer's situation following his team's exhibition game

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Erik Smith

The past few days have been an interesting and likely frustrating stretch for a Gonzaga men's basketball team that's preparing to tip off the 2025-26 season in less than two weeks.

Prior to the Bulldogs' first exhibition game against Northwest University on Sunday, reports surfaced that the NCAA denied forward Tyon Grant-Foster's appeal for an eligibility waiver, prompting the Grand Canyon transfer to challenge the governing body with a preliminary injunction hearing that's been set for Oct. 23 in Spokane County.

The months-long saga and fight to get Grant-Foster on the court as an official member of Gonzaga's roster has understandably been a rigorous and at times disheartening process for Bulldogs head coach Mark Few, who discussed his point of view on the situation following his team's exhibition win over Northwest on Sunday.

"It's just been a really, really tough deal," Few said. "I've been now coaching in college for 37 years, and I've seen a lot of these situations and a lot of these waivers have went through. I know it's a hard situation for the NCAA, with all these waivers that happen to be out there; but listen, I've never seen one as unique as this."

Gonzaga submitted the initial waiver request in June — only to have it denied less than three weeks later. A request for reconsideration was made on July 17, then was rejected in September. The most recent appeal, made on Sept. 25, was denied last week.

Grant-Foster, who committed to Gonzaga in May after spending two seasons at Grand Canyon, began his collegiate career in 2018 with Indian Hills Community College (Iowa). He played 22 games during the 2021-21 season with Kansas, then transferred to DePaul ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Tyon Grant-Foster. | Photo by Erik Smith

Upon collapsing in the Blue Demons' season opener, Grant-Foster had to have two heart surgeries and was forced to miss the 2022-23 campaign. He had to wait 16 months to return to the hardwood, playing for the Antelopes in 2023-24 and earning Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors. The 6-foot-7 wing appeared in 26 games last season.

"I mean, he literally died," Few said of Grant-Foster. "His heart stopped, not once, but twice. He was on the floor and he didn't have two years of basketball."

Grant-Foster received an extra year of eligibility for one of his two seasons at DePaul, allowing him to play in the 2024-25 season. The NCAA also reasoned that Grant-Foster's two seasons at the JUCO level counted against his five-year clock in the official lawsuit ruling.

However, several student-athletes who competed at non-NCAA schools have been successful in gaining extra eligibility after taking the governing body to court. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia is the more notable example of someone who argued that his time at a JUCO violated antitrust law and limited him from being able to profit off his NIL.

Gonzaga men's basketball team. | Photo by Erik Smith

Current NCAA rules state that a student-athlete has five years to compete athletically over four seasons. No sweeping changes were made to that rule, despite Pavia and others' successes in getting it overturned for themselves. However, in December 2024, the NCAA approved a blanket waiver granting an additional year of eligibility to former JUCO transfers whose eligibility would've expired in 2024-25, allowing them to compete in the 2025-26 season.

That last point might be critical in building Grant-Foster's case against the NCAA ruling, though only time will tell how the 25-year-old's case will play out. His preliminary injunction has been set for the same day that Few, Graham Ike, and Braden are scheduled to be in Las Vegas for the West Coast Conference media days.

"He's put everything into basketball," Few said of Grant-Foster. "It means the world to him. And again, I've seen all kinds of things for, 'my cousin wasn't feeling well, so I got to go home, so I need a waiver,' and that was granted. And 'I didn't start last year, I didn't get to play the point, and I'm mentally off, so I need a waiver,' and that was granted."

"I've been a huge advocate for the NCAA and will continue to be — they got a tough gig. But they're just wrong on this one."

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