Ben Gregg on why Gonzaga’s ‘brotherhood’ stayed together: 'I don’t think anyone even thought about leaving'

‘None of us wanted to leave. We were like, if we have the same group coming back [and we] get a couple of new guys in, I think we can make a run at it this year,’ Gregg said.

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

In the current landscape of college athletics, where uncertainty is the only form of consistency amid the constant player movement and conference reconfiguration, the Gonzaga men’s basketball program is a cut against the grain.

While programs across the country spent the entire offseason sifting through the transfer portal in an effort to build their roster from scratch, things remained quiet in Spokane. As the deadline to enter the portal came and went on May 1, the men’s basketball social media team confirmed that indeed, sometimes no news is good news — seven of the top eight scorers from last season’s Sweet 16 squad were back for another run in 2024-25, including four of five starters and 10 players overall from a 27-8 squad that won 15 of its last 18 games.

“I don’t think anyone even thought about leaving,” Ben Gregg said of Gonzaga’s roster staying together. “None of us wanted to leave. Last year we knew that what we did was pretty special, making the Sweet 16. We were like, if we have the same group coming back, get a couple of new guys in, I think we can make a run at it this year.”

Those aspirations were confirmed as Mark Few and the coaching staff diversified the rotation with experienced talent that added different skill sets to the roster. Pepperdine transfer Michael Ajayi brings outside shooting and size as a 6-foot-7 wing who shot 47.0% from 3-point range last season. Arkansas grad transfer Khalif Battle is a dynamic scorer who differs from Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman. As does 6-foot-5 guard Emmanuel Innocenti, who was a defensive specialist as a freshman with Tarleton State.

The added firepower is backed up by the numbers — Ajayi led the West Coast Conference in scoring at 17.2 points per game; Battle has over 1,300 points in his career and averaged 29.6 points over his final seven games with the Razorbacks. Both figure to play key roles in the Bulldogs’ up-tempo attack, but their efforts defensively have stood out to Gregg thus far in practice.

“I think the biggest thing that stands out is just how good they are defensively,” Gregg said of Ajayi and Battle. “Michael and KB both, very strong and athletic. Having those guys come into our system and kind of help us on the defensive end is gonna be huge.”

As the new guys settle into Gonzaga's system, Gregg has come to embrace a new leadership role. As a rising senior and the longest-tenured Zag on the roster, the 6-foot-10 forward's voice is heard more often in practice than it was during his freshman and sophomore seasons. Speaking up hasn't come naturally to Gregg, though he's learned how to handle the responsibilities from Corey Kispert and Anton Watson over the years.

"The biggest thing for me [this offseason] is kind of growing into that leadership role," Gregg said. "Being more vocal — that's something I've kind of struggled with. Now that I'm kind of in that senior role I gotta step up as a leader."

Gregg shared more about what he's looking forward to next season, his latest NIL opportunities and much more on a new Gonzaga Nation episode.

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE BELOW:

Produced by Thomas Gallagher.

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