Gonzaga Scores Big, Adding Two Blockbuster Transfers

The Bulldogs are the earlier winners of the college basketball offseason, reshaping their roster with two of the best players available this spring.

In the span of less than an hour Friday morning, Gonzaga reeled in two of the best players in the transfer portal, giving its roster for the 2023–24 season a major talent upgrade. First came a commitment from Wyoming transfer center Graham Ike, a first-team all–Mountain West selection in ’21–22 before missing last season due to a foot injury. Then, the Bulldogs landed Creighton transfer point guard Ryan Nembhard, winning one of the highest-stakes recruiting battles of the cycle. The moves quickly reload a Gonzaga roster set to sustain heavy losses from ’22–23, with all-time program great Drew Timme graduating and several other rotation players departing.

Adding a point guard like Nembhard addresses Gonzaga’s greatest flaw from this season. The Bulldogs have been known for their elite point guards over the years, dating all the way back to John Stockton and Kevin Pangos up to more recent names like Nigel Williams-Goss, Jalen Suggs and Andrew Nembhard. After a disappointing sophomore campaign from Nolan Hickman, addressing the position was a priority, and the Bulldogs landed one of the strongest names available this spring.

Nembhard was the starting point guard at Creighton for the last two years, helping lead the Bluejays to the program’s first Elite Eight appearance by averaging 12 points and nearly five assists per game. He was perhaps the best point guard in the portal, a proven above-average floor general at the high-major level with experience deep into the NCAA tournament. Two primary suitors emerged: Gonzaga, where his brother, Andrew, had transferred to from Florida and blossomed into an NBA player, and Arizona, where Tommy Lloyd, who recruited Andrew Nembhard to Gonzaga, now coaches.

“It’s obvious Andrew was well prepared for the NBA by coach [Mark] Few and all the staff at Gonzaga the two years he was there,” Ryan Nembhard told ESPN. “He started more games this year as a rookie than any other Pacers rookie has started in over 20 years.”

Nembhard helped lead the Bluejays to the program’s first Elite Eight appearance :: Jordan Prather/USA TODAY Sports

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs also tackled the center position with Ike, who was the Mountain West preseason Player of the Year before a foot injury derailed his 2022–23 season. Injuries have been a concern in his career; he also missed most of his freshman season in ’20–21 recovering from a high school knee injury.

But as a sophomore, he led Wyoming to a surprise NCAA tournament appearance and blossomed into one of the nation’s best post scorers. The lefthanded big man uses impressive power to back down defenders on the low block, and he has a diverse set of post moves to score on you over either shoulder. Ike had big games against high-profile competition in 2021–22, including 17 points and nine rebounds against Indiana in the NCAA tournament and a 26-point, 10-rebound outburst in an overtime win over Washington. Plus, he’s one of the nation’s most prolific foul drawers, ranking fifth nationally in fouls drawn per 40 minutes and taking more than 220 free throws on the season.

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Add in an earlier commitment from Eastern Washington transfer sharpshooter Steele Venters, who won the Big Sky Most Valuable Player award this season, and the Bulldogs are a clear early winner in the transfer portal. Will that be enough to make Gonzaga a title contender in 2023–24 without Timme? Part of that question revolves around some looming stay-or-go decisions. Gonzaga could still get extra years from guard Malachi Smith and Anton Watson, though Smith is currently testing the NBA draft waters, and Watson has yet to make any announcements about his future.

If nothing else, the additions of Nembhard and Ike solidify Gonzaga as a clear-cut top-25 team in 2023–24 and provide a much-needed talent injection for the Bulldogs. Forward Ben Gregg profiles as a breakout candidate after showing flashes of brilliance off the bench this past season, but this roster had looked barren at one point this offseason. But after a transformational morning, Gonzaga, long one of the most effective users of transfers in building its rosters, now seems positioned to sit atop the WCC and be among college basketball’s best once again.