Rasir Bolton back for Zags next season after removing name from draft

Announced on Twitter Tuesday, the guard will take on his fifth collegiate season instead of testing the NBA waters

Bolton was GU's leading scorer from beyond the arc last season while shooting 50.2% from the field

With the deadline to have players' names removed from the 2022 NBA draft selection pool around the corner on Wednesday, Gonzaga guard Rasir Bolton let it be known Tuesday that he’ll be returning to the Zags next season. Bolton announced via his Twitter that he’ll be staying for his fifth year in college and his second year at GU.

After averaging 11.2 points per game on over 50% field goal shooting and a team-high 46% from 3-point range where Bolton shined last season, he entered this year’s draft pool as an early entry candidate on April 27. Bolton was the final of GU’s five starters to submit his name in the draft pool, and has become the first to announce his final decision to return while Drew Timme and Julian Strawther still have another day to decide if they want to test the professional waters for good.

The 6-foot-3 guard from Petersburg, Virginia was the only of the Zags to declare that didn’t receive an invite to the NBA Draft Combine. Bolton’s name wasn’t included in a myriad of different two-round mock drafts for this year’s draft that’s on June 23, and draft profiles on the Iowa State transfer projected him as an undrafted free agent signing for an NBA organization.

With Bolton now back for certain next season and Nembhard definitely out the door, that leaves Strawther as the final of last season’s starting guards to set what GU’s rotation could be like. The rest of the Zags’ guard room next season looks to feature Hunter Sallis, Nolan Hickman and Dominick Harris who all project well but lack the years of college experience that Bolton and Strawther possess.

Strawther, as well as Timme, have until the end of Wednesday to finalize whether they’ll be returning to college or testing the professional waters.