Virginia basketball transfer Jalen Warley sets Gonzaga visit: Report

Warley will also visit Iowa State over the weekend

Mar 14, 2024; Washington, D.C., USA; Florida State guard Jalen Warley (1) shoots the ball as North Carolina forward Armando Bacot (5) defends in the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Gonzaga men's basketball team will reportedly host Virginia transfer Jalen Warley.

According to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, Warley will be in Spokane on Friday — when the Bulldogs host UMass-Lowell at the McCarthey Athletic Center — and Saturday before taking a trip to Ames, Iowa, for a visit with Iowa State. The 6-foot-7 senior told Rothstein earlier this week that he planned on visiting Gonzaga, Iowa State and Texas A&M, though he has not scheduled a date with the Aggies yet.

Virginia transfer Jalen Warley tells me that he will visit Gonzaga on Friday/Saturday and Iowa State on Sunday/Monday.

A visit to Texas A&M has not been scheduled yet.

Averaged 7.5 PPG last season at Florida State and plans to redshirt this year.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) November 14, 2024

Warley was the first Cavalier to enter the portal during the 30-day window that was opened by Tony Bennett’s surprise retirement on Oct. 18. He indicated to Rothstein that he plans on taking a redshirt year for the 2024-2025 season.

Warley transferred to Virginia after spending three seasons at Florida State, where he briefly crossed paths with current Gonzaga assistant coach, R-Jay Barsh. Warley was a sophomore when Barsh was an assistant coach on Leonard Hamilton's staff in 2022-23. Warley finished in the top 20 in the ACC in total steals (41, 17th) and assists (105, 18th) that season.

As a junior in 2023-24, Warley put up 7.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 33 games, including 32 starts. He once again finished in the top 20 in the ACC in total steals (42) and steals per game (1.3). Though Warley is known more for his reputation on defense, he did have three straight games with 10 or more points to end his season and had a 23-point outing against Louisville in February.

Warley won’t be eligible this season, though a commitment from him would be a big step toward replacing the six seniors on the roster who will graduate this spring. That includes all five starters plus 6-foot-7 wing Michael Ajayi, who came off the bench in Gonzaga’s wins over Baylor and Arizona State. Colgate transfer Braden Smith took a redshirt upon joining the Bulldogs this offseason and will likely play a crucial role in 2025-26.

Bennett retired roughly two weeks before the start of the college basketball season. He served 15 years as head coach of the Cavaliers, and under his leadership, the program went 364-136 and won the national championship in 2019. Ron Sanchez was named the program’s interim coach for the 2024-25 season, though the school will conduct a national search to fill the full-time head coaching position after that.

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