WCC Basketball Preview: Gonzaga Bulldogs

The Bulldogs enter this season ranked 21st in the AP Top 25 poll, and are set on high expectations after failing to win the WCC last year. While Gonzaga has lost some big players from last year (such as Ryan Nembhard and Khalif Battle), they will be returning star forward Graham Ike, and have brought in plenty of talent to play alongside him.

Guard

With all the talent they have coming in, this team should be loaded with depth at guard. Mark Few's side should be in good hands at point with junior Braeden Smith, who spent the entirety of last season learning from the likes of Nembhard and Nolan Hickman. In the 2023-24 season at Colgate, the Washington native averaged 12 points, five assists and five rebounds per game, and helped lead the Raiders to an NCAA tournament birth. While Braeden might be Gonzaga's only traditional-type ball-handling guard, they are going to have a ton of scorers in this position group. Shooting Guard Adam Miller, who is transferring in from ASU, averaged 9.8 ppg last season and is a lethal outside shooter. Steele Venters, a 6'7" guard who has missed the last two seasons dealing with injuries, averaged 15 points per game in his junior year at Eastern Washington, and was named MVP of the Big Sky conference.

As if this wasn't enough, Gonzaga is not done loading up at shooting guard. Freshman Davis Fogle, a 95-rated four-star recruit from Chandler, AZ, is an incredible option to have off the bench. Finally, the Zags have also brought in a former five-star recruit in Virginia transfer Jalen Warley, who sat out last season and entered the portal. Though the 6'7" SG has yet to reach the full expectations that were held for him out of high school, Warley is a very good player, who put up two different 23-point games while playing for Florida State in the ACC.

One of the biggest questions for this team heading into November is the status of Tyon Grant-Foster, who is seeking a seventh year of eligibility. Grant-Foster, who has dealt with some health issues over the course of his career, has proven he can be an elite player when at full strength. In his 2023-24 campaign with GCU, he averaged an eye-popping 20 points per game, and was named WAC conference player of the year. Though he didn't put up as big of numbers last season, he still led the 'Lopes in scoring. While it certainnly has to be frustrating waiting for an official decision to be made, there is nothing the Bulldogs can do at this point except wait. If Grant-Foster is given the green light by the NCAA to play this season, it would be a massive boost to an already-talented roster.

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Forward/Center

In the frontcourt, Gonzaga will have arguably one of the best one-two punches in the entire country with Graham Ike and Braden Huff. A seasoned veteran, Ike is a force down low who averaged 17 points per game last season and improved his tool set by showing excellent footwork and body control around the rim. What makes Graham even more versatile is that he can also play as a center, giving coach Few more rotational options to have on the floor. Ike will be joined in the frontcourt by Braden Huff, a 6'10" redshirt junior who was a force for the Bulldogs last year in the postseason. In Gonzaga's round of 64 route of 9-seeded Georgia, Huff posted a strong all-around performance of 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Likely stepping into a starting role this year, Huff has the potential to be one of the top overall players in the West Coast Conference.

Outside of these two stars, Mark Few should have other guys in this area of the floor who are more than capable of providing some quality miniutes off the bench. Immanuel Innocenti, a 6'5" junior who averaged two points and two rebounds last season, could come into the game at times where the Bulldogs are going with a smaller overall lineup. On the flip side, they also have the option of Ismaila Diagne, a 7-foot sophomore who could see minutes this year when Ike needs a rest.

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Wrap-up

An argument can definitely be made that Gonzaga should be higher in the preseason rankings. They will have a talanted point guard running the offense in Braeden Smith, and he will have a lot of weapons around him. If this group is able to gel together, they could possibly have one of the country's premier offenses. Last year, defensive struggles plagued the Bulldogs for a lot of the season, and this side of the ball will have to be an emphasis for Gonzaga right away. If coach Few is able to put things together as he has proven his ability to do in the past, this could be a top three seed in the NCAA tournament.

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