Steele Venters transfers to Gonzaga; Eastern Washington guard was Big Sky Player of the Year

Venters is Gonzaga's first transfer portal addition this offseason

It has been an eventful two-week stretch for the Gonzaga men’s basketball program.

After a series of transfer portal departures - Dominick Harris, Hunter Sallis and Efton Reid III - the Bulldogs landed former Eastern Washington guard Steele Venters on Friday.

• GONZAGA TRANSFER PORTAL UPDATES

ITS GO TIME! 🐶 pic.twitter.com/PVFdnspxOQ

— Steele Venters (@SteeleV24) April 7, 2023

Venters, who will be a junior in the fall, won Big Sky Player of the Year last season after leading the Eagles to a 23-11 record. Eastern Washington had an 18-game winning streak at one point, but had their NCAA Tournament hopes erased after a stunning loss in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky Conference Tournament.

The Ellensburg, Washington, native averaged a team-high 15.3 points on 45.7% shooting last season. His career-high was a 33-point outing in a win over North Dakota State on Dec. 3. 

Venters is Gonzaga’s first acquisition through the transfer portal this offseason, a much-needed addition for a program already slated to lose three guards. 

Aside from Venters, the Bulldogs’ coaching staff has expressed interest in several other players, including Oregon big man Kel’el Ware and Cal Baptist guard Taran Armstrong.