Nathan de Sousa takes key step toward playing for Gonzaga in 2026-27

The calendar has nearly flipped to September, and somehow, after a series of unprecedented events, Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs still do not have a single point guard on the roster.

Hope is (potentially) on the way, however, with 23-year-old French point guard Nathan de Sousa planning to arrive in Spokane this week, according to a report from Theo Lawson of the Spokesman-Review.

De Sousa is expecting to obtain his travel visa this week and will fly to Spokane soon after, where he'll prepare to join Gonzaga ahead of the 2026-27 season - as soon as the NCAA processes his eligibility waiver.

Of course, there is no guarantee the NCAA will grant de Sousa eligibility this upcoming season, one of many things remaining up in the air for Few and the Zags in what has been a tumultuous offseason.

de Sousa’s path to Spokane

de Sousa committed to Gonzaga back in June, but has been in NCAA eligibility limbo ever since. He and Izan Almansa, a 21-year-old big man from Spain, are critical pieces of a Zags roster that has national championship aspirations - if they can get everyone eligible before the season tips off Nov. 2 against Purdue.

A 6'3 point guard from Saint-Quentin in France, de Sousa would bring desperately needed playmaking and experience to a Gonzaga team that is currently without a single point guard on the roster thanks to Mario Saint-Supery's surprise departure in mid-July.

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Mario Saint-Supery (17). | Photo by Myk Crawford

de Sousa grew up in the Cholet system and averaged 10.9 points, 4.9 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in LNB Elite last year, while hitting 36.1% of his three point attempts in a career year from beyond the arc.

The 23-year-old should have an additional year of eligibility based on the new 5-in-5 eligibility model, but the NCAA is likely looking into his professional experience after announcing plans to crack down on European professionals playing college basketball.

LNB Elite is steps below the EuroLeague, making de Sousa's case far stronger than many others, but until the NCAA makes it official, he remains ineligible to participate with the Zags.

Gonzaga’s point guard problem

Mar 22, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Florida Gators guard Xaivian Lee (1) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The entire offseason has been a challenge for coach Few and the Zags, none bigger than at the point guard position.

The team went into the offseason expecting German guard Jack Kayil and Spanish sophomore Mario Saint-Supery to start in the backcourt, but Kayil surprised the team by staying in the NBA draft process while Saint-Supery delivered a knockout punch when he signed a multiyear deal with Valencia in Spain, leaving the program in mid-July.

After lawsuits began cropping up for fifth year seniors to obtain another year of eligibility, Gonzaga landed a big name in Dayton transfer Javon Bennett, who averaged 15.8 points and 2.9 assists last year with the Flyers.

However, Bennett is no longer eligible after the NCAA was granted stay requests in both the Ohio lawsuit and the Federal lawsuit in Colorado, and there is no guarantee that the decision will be reversed before the season begins.

Gonzaga was also connected to former UCLA point guard Donovan Dent, who was granted eligibility through a TRO in California but who signed with Will Wade and LSU last Friday.

Now, Xaivian Lee, who spent last year at Florida, is Gonzaga's top point guard target, after he was also granted eligibility in California.

Lee and de Sousa are a very solid point guard rotation, and if that is what Gonzaga goes into the season with, it will be considered quite the victory - considering the path it will have taken to get there.

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