Gonzaga’s Luka Krajnovic enters the transfer portal

Freshman guard appeared in 15 games this past season

Gonzaga men's basketball freshman Luka Krajnovic has entered the transfer portal, according to reports. 

The Croatian guard averaged 3.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 15 games played this past season. He shot 14-of-30 (46.7%) from the field and made three 3-pointers. Krajnovic scored a season-high seven points on four occasions and appeared in the Bulldogs’ NCAA Tournament games against McNeese State and Kansas.

A broken hand suffered on Dec. 15 forced Krajnovic to miss nine games during the regular season. He also missed the Sweet 16 game against Purdue due to illness. In total, Krajnovic logged 130 minutes, or 8.7 per game, as a freshman.

Krajnovic’s departure opened up a fourth scholarship for Gonzaga, which is set to lose Anton Watson (graduation), Pavel Stosic (transfer portal) and Colby Brooks (transfer portal). Mark Few brought in Pepperdine transfer Michael Ajayi for depth on the perimeter, while the backcourt features just Nolan Hickman and Ryan Nembhard.

Krajnovic had few opportunities to see the court behind Nembhard and Hickman, both of whom averaged over 35 minutes last season. Dusty Stromer garnered most of the backcourt minutes off the bench when one of the starters came off for a rest, leaving few chances for Krajnovic to get meaningful reps with Gonzaga’s second unit.

Krajnovic committed to Gonzaga on Aug. 12. He competed in the Croatian A-1 Liga in the 2022-23 season, averaging 17.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 34 games with KK Bosch Zagreb. He also shot 52.7% from the field and 29.1% from behind the arc on nearly three attempts per game.

Krajnovic also boasts international experience after playing in the FIBA U18 European Championship in 2022.