Gonzaga men's basketball promotes Zach Norvell Jr., Jorge Sanz to assistant coach roles
Gonzaga men's basketball designated Zach Norvell Jr. and Jorge Sanz as assistant coaches for the 2023-24 season, coach Mark Few announced Friday.
Following a new NCAA coaching rule that took effect in July, Norvell Jr. was promoted from his previous role as a graduate assistant. Sanz, who's served as director of basketball operations for the past five seasons, will maintain his current position on top of the duties that come as an assistant coach.
"I am extremely grateful for the level of trust coach Few has placed on me and the opportunity to further assist the program in this new role," Sanz said in a news release. "I look forward to helping our student-athletes fulfill their highest potential, on and off the court."
Sanz, a native of Zaragoza, Spain, holds the highest level of coaching certification in Spain from his experiences as an assistant with the Spanish national teams. He helped the under-18 national team take home the silver medal at the U18 European Championships this past summer, a year after a second-place finish at the U17 World Cup. In 2021, Spain placed fifth at the U19 World Cup.
Sanz's first experience coaching at the collegiate level was with Florida Atlantic, where he was an integral piece to the program's first trip to the NIT in 2010. He quickly rose through the program's ranks, as he started as a video coordinator before being elevated to director of operations, only to be promoted once more to assistant coach in 2016.
Since he took on director of operations at Gonzaga, the team has gone 154-17 over five seasons.
Norvell Jr. (a.k.a. "Snacks"), a former standout guard during his two seasons as a Bulldog, has brought vital insight from the perspective of a former player who competed at the highest level of competition under Few. After watching the 2017 National Championship as a redshirt, Norvell Jr. helped the Zags to an Elite Eight and a Sweet 16 with two conference regular season titles. He started 36 of 37 games in 2018-19 and was a difference maker from deep, as he knocked down a league-best 97 3-pointers that season.
Norvell Jr. held stints in the NBA and G League before returning to Gonzaga, with his most previous stop coming in the 2019-20 season with the South Bay Lakers and Santa Cruz Warriors.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs tip off the 2023-23 college basketball season on Nov. 10 against Yale. After Kraziness in the Kennel (Oct. 6), they'll host Lewis & Clark State in an exhibition match on Nov. 3.
