Gonzaga’s Graham Ike is poised for bigger things this season: 2024-25 player preview

Graham Ike enters the 2024-25 season as one of the best back-to-the-basket scorers in the country

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

For the first time in two years, Graham Ike is heading into a college basketball season with his focus on the court instead of a boot on his foot. 

Remember this time last fall, the 6-foot-9 forward was still recovering from a right leg injury he suffered just before the 2022-23 campaign while at Wyoming. The process of transitioning to Gonzaga wasn’t the smoothest following a slight setback in the rehab process leading up to the 2023-24 preseason, which kept Ike on the sidelines for summer practices.

“When we were going through that process, the training staff, coach [Mark] Few, myself; [we] weren't always Graham's favorite people,” Gonzaga assistant coach Brian Michaelson said to Gonzaga Nation in August. “Because he's a guy that wants to be out there every day. He's an unbelievable competitor and holding him back was not always easy or fun.”

As the staff loosened their restrictions on Ike’s playing time and his connection with his new teammates grew stronger toward the end of nonconference play, it became easy to forget that the Aurora, Colorado, native had been away from the game essentially for 13 months. Especially after a 20-point, 10-rebound outing against San Diego State in December, a performance that ultimately set the tone for how West Coast Conference action was going to play out. 

With his legs fully under him, Ike led the league in both points (18.4 per game) and field goal percentage (64.0%) in conference-only games — becoming just the sixth player in WCC history to do so — and was named an AP All-American Honorable Mention as he led the Zags to the program’s ninth straight Sweet 16. He had a streak of seven straight 20-point games that rivaled only Adam Morrison’s run of 20-point outings during his Wooden Award campaign in 2005-06. Overall, Ike’s total of 16 regular season games with 20 or more points led the WCC and matched Drew Timme's total of 20-point games he had in the 2022-23 regular season.

“I think we had the long-run vision in mind,” Michaelson said. “Once he got rolling … I mean his touch, his ability to face up and shoot, his ability to score over both shoulders. Graham just took off that second half of the year, and he’s another guy that needs to be a leader for us.”

Time will tell how a full offseason pays off for both Ike and the Zags this season, though all signs point to another big year from the redshirt senior. He was named to the preseason All-WCC team in the coaches poll, alongside teammates Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman and Michael Ajayi. Ike didn’t take home preseason All-American honors from the Associated Press, though he did make it on Blue Ribbon Yearbook’s All-America third team and was the publication’s pick to win the WCC Player of the Year award.

“It is amazing you know him having this offseason, I'm starting to see growth in his game,” Michaelson said. “For a guy that, again, is four years in, has put up monster numbers. That's not always easy to keep growing, but I've seen him just kind of continue to take steps because he's got more time on the court, which, again, he had zero of for really, like, 13 months.”

Here’s how Ike can take home All-American honors and lead Gonzaga on another deep NCAA Tournament run this season.

AREA OF GROWTH TO WATCH: DEFENDING IN SPACE

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Almost every big man to come through Gonzaga’s doors and make it to the NBA did so in part because of their ability to defend multiple positions. Brandon Clarke and Chet Holmgren were known for their prowess around the basket of course, though on top of blocking shots, both could navigate through screens and were willing to switch onto smaller and quicker guards out on the perimeter. Gonzaga’s newest NBA alum, Anton Watson, is another example of a versatile defender who carved out a path to the pros following a lengthy college career.

Michaelson noted how important Ike’s low-post defense was for a team that didn’t have a true shot-blocker on its roster last season. With Watson now in the pros, Ike will also have to help pick up some of those defensive responsibilities left behind by the Spokane native, which likely means more time defending pick-and-rolls and switching onto guards.

The 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward was a more active defender on the perimeter as the 2023-24 season progressed and he became more comfortable with his teammates and his own health. Ike might not have all the intangibles of a Holmgren, Clarke or Watson, but with his long wingspan, he has the potential to be even more impactful defending in space than he was around this time a year ago when he was still battling back from injury. 

On the other end of the floor, Ike’s ability to score in the paint and his connection with Nembhard in the pick-and-roll should make up the bread-and-butter of Gonzaga’s offense once again. Outside the arc, Ike hasn’t posed much of a threat, as he’s only attempted 31 3-pointers in his college career. In the midrange, however, he shot 92-of-176 (52.3%) last season — maybe another area he can unlock more of in 2024-25?

POINT OF EMPHASIS: FOUL TROUBLE

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In 2021-22, Ike led the Mountain West in total fouls. Last season, he paced the WCC in that same category. By no means is that an excuse to continue the trend in 2024-25, though it’s just a reality that sometimes Ike’s physical play style on the low block gets him in trouble with the refs.

Still, there were long stretches in big moments against Kentucky, Saint Mary’s and Kansas where Ike was on the bench due to foul trouble. Braden Huff stepped up admirably on the road at Rupp Arena and in the NCAA Tournament when he was needed, and while the redshirt sophomore is poised for more responsibility, Ike would probably like an opportunity to be on the floor in the final minutes against Baylor, UConn, Kentucky, UCLA and Gonzaga’s other marquee opponents in nonleague play this season.

CURRENT NBA OUTLOOK: CANDIDATE FOR 2ND ROUND PICK

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Best case scenario: Ike has standout performances against the Bulldogs’ high-profile opponents and starts to generate more buzz as an All-American candidate heading into league play. As the Zags race to the top of the WCC standings, Ike is named WCC Player of the Year and earns All-American status while putting up even better numbers than last season. NBA scouts start to take notice during another deep postseason run for Gonzaga, followed by an invite to the NBA Draft Combine. Ike proves to scouts he has the tools to defend in space and despite the lack of an outside shot, he gets picked late in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Worst case scenario: Ike and the Bulldogs struggle through nonleague play and face another uphill climb to the postseason. Gonzaga finishes behind Saint Mary’s again in the league standings and has to hope for an at-large bid, all while Ike is inconsistent on both ends of the floor.

The NBA doesn’t have much room for traditional back-to-the-basket centers anymore, which might explain why Ike’s name doesn’t appear on any notable mock drafts heading into the season. He’s not as consistent of a shooter from the outside NBA teams typically covet out of their “4” or “5” men, at least based on his current resume. Defensively, he doesn’t provide much rim protection and is still a work in progress on defending in space.

That said, players with the ability to score like Ike can typically earn an invite to the NBA Draft combine.

PREDICTION: ALL-AMERICAN, WCC POTY

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There’s no sense in putting a ceiling on what Ike can achieve in his second and final season in Spokane. He might not match his usage rate from last season considering the talent on the perimeter surrounding him, but those added threats might end up making Ike’s job on the low block that much easier.