Gonzaga visits 4-star guard with NBA ties as 2028 recruitment heats up

The Zags are among several high-profile programs showing interest in the rising 2028 prospect

Wisconsin Lutheran's Kinston Knueppel (34) is fouled by Appleton North's Matthew Rosplochowski (2) during their WIAA Division 1 state semifinal basketball game on Friday, March 20, 2026, at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs have zeroed in on a handful of targets in the 2028 recruiting class, even as they continue to work toward finalizing a very solid 2027 class.

The latest target for the Zags is Kinston Knueppel, a 4-star guard from Milwaukee, WI who Gonzaga visited this weekend, per Dushawn London of 247Sports.

Kinston is the younger brother of both Kon and Kager Knueppel. Kon played at Duke in 2024-25 and was among the best freshmen in the entire country before challenging his former teammate, Cooper Flagg, for Rookie of the Year last year with the Charlotte Hornets.

Meanwhile, Kager is committed to following his brother Kon to Duke in the 2027 class, after he was teammates this summer with Gonzaga commit Dooney Johnson on Team Herro in the Nike EYBL circuit.

Marquette, Gonzaga, Butler, Davidson, and Notre Dame were all in this week to see Top 100 prospect Kinston Knueppel.https://t.co/1elhciyEMx pic.twitter.com/5kIkfdPIlc

— Dushawn London (@DushawnLondon1) September 18, 2026

Kinston Knueppel brings plenty of versatility

Kinston also played for Team Herro this summer, in the 16U division, and led the team in minutes (30.2), rebounds (5.4), assists (3.2), blocks (0.7) and three-point percentage (36.2%) while finishing third with 12.8 points across 13 games played.

He was even more efficient during the high school regular season at Wisconsin Lutheran, averaging 10.3 points and 3.5 assists while shooting a blistering 47.2% from beyond the arc.

Wisconsin Lutheran's Kinston Knueppel (34) breaks from the corner during the game against Slinger at Wisconsin Lutheran High School, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Dec. 9, 2025. Wisconsin Lutheran won the game, 68-46. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The 6'5 guard ranks No. 41 in the 2028 class at ESPN, No. 49 at Rivals, but is down to No. 92 at 247Sports. He currently has offers from Davidson and Wake Forest, while Notre Dame, Marquette, and Butler were in to see him this past weekend, along with Gonzaga and Davidson.

Knueppel also mentioned Purdue, Louisville, and Illinois as teams he has talked with, telling Rivals he wants "to go somewhere I can develop my game, but I want to win. I want to play for a winning coaching staff and a winning program."

Gonzaga is building its 2028 recruiting board

Gonzaga Bulldogs assistant coach Brian Michaelson. | Photo by Erik Smith

Knueppel becomes the third 2028 recruit Gonzaga has been publicly connected to, joining 6'5 shooting guard Jordan Mize (Sierra Canyon) and 6'2 combo guard Quentin Mosby (IMG Academy).

Mize is currently a consensus 5-star recruit ranked No. 22 at 247Sports composite rankings. He has an offer from Gonzaga, along with a litany of other high-profile programs, including Kansas, Alabama, Tennessee, UCLA, Oregon, Creighton, USC, TCU, and Arizona State.

Mosby currently plays in Florida but grew up in the Seattle area. He is currently No. 61 in the composite rankings and has offers from Washington, Stanford, Georgia Tech, Utah, and Northwestern.

Gonzaga has one recruit set to join them for Kraziness in the Kennel on Oct. 3, 4-star wing Gene Roebuck in the 2027 class, and has a visit set with another star 2027 recruit, Jalen Davis from Bremerton, on Nov. 7 when the team plays its home opener against New Mexico State.