Gonzaga officially adds Khalif Battle to 2024-25 team

Bulldogs officially announced the grad transfer from Arkansas will join the team next fall in a news release

Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

Arkansas grad transfer Khalif Battle, a 6-foot-5 guard who’s scored over 1,000 points in his career, is officially a member of the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, per a news release.

Battle, who committed to the Bulldogs on May 5, signed a financial aid agreement to join the team for the 2024-25 season. The New Jersey native is entering his sixth year of college basketball. He started his career at Butler, played three seasons at Temple and attended Arkansas this past season.

Battle averaged 14.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists with the Razorbacks. He shot 35.3% from downtown. Battle was second in the SEC in free throws made with 186.

Over his final seven games, Battle put up 29.6 points and grabbed 6.3 rebounds per game. In that stretch, he had a 42-point game against Missouri, a 36-point night against Vanderbilt and a 34-point outing at Kentucky all within a week’s time. In an upset over Duke, Battle had 21 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Battle figures to share minutes in the backcourt with Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman, two All-WCC guards who will both be seniors next fall.

Battle is part of a highly-touted transfer class featuring 6-foot-7 wing Michael Ajayi from Pepperdine and 6-foot-5 defensive specialist Emmanuel Innocenti from Tarleton State.

The trio of newcomers joins a team that is expected to return seven of its top eight scorers from last season’s Sweet 16 run. Along with the starting backcourt, Graham Ike and Ben Gregg look to hold down the frontcourt with Braden Huff as well, while Dusty Stromer, Jun Seok Yeo and Steele Venters, the latter of whom missed last season with a torn ACL, look to compete for minutes at the wing spot.

Joe Few, Joaquim Aruz-Moore and Cade Orness, a walk-on from North Kitsap, Washington, round out the squad.