What will Gonzaga’s rotation look like without Steele Venters?

Season-ending Achilles injury to Eastern Washington transfer means more minutes to go around for Dusty Stromer, Michael Ajayi and Gonzaga’s other wings

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Two days before the 2023-24 season opener against Yale, Gonzaga men’s basketball wing Steele Venters went down in practice with a season-ending ACL injury. 

The reigning Big Sky MVP was expected to play significant minutes in Mark Few’s rotation. Instead, three players logged 30 or more minutes per game, the lineup lacked depth in the backcourt/wing positions and the Bulldogs struggled to knock down outside shots in nonconference play. With some tweaks and time to adjust, the ship was righted in West Coast Conference action and the Zags advanced to their ninth straight Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament when it was all said and done.

With less than 10 weeks to go until the 2024-25 season opener, Venters figured to play a key role alongside seven of the top eight scorers from last season’s team who returned for another deep postseason run, as well as a handful of impactful transfers who diversify the roster’s makeup. Once again, however, Venters will miss the entire season after he suffered an Achilles tendon injury earlier this week. The 6-foot-7 Ellensburg, Washington, native and former walk-on at EWU was looking to play his first minutes since an exhibition win over Lewis-Clark State last November, though he’ll have to wait another year before he can make his official Gonzaga debut in a regular season game.

What the injury means for Venters’ eligibility will come down to whether he is granted another medical redshirt from the NCAA. He received one for his ACL injury, which is why he appears on the official 2024-25 roster as a redshirt junior. Student-athletes are granted a medical redshirt if their injury is deemed “season-ending” and it occurs before the halfway point in the season.

Dec 15, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Steele Venters (left) talks with Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Luka Krajnovic (right) during their matchup against the UConn Huskies at Climate Pledge Arena. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

If Venters, who also took a redshirt year as a freshman in 2019-20, is granted another medical redshirt, he’d have two years of eligibility starting in 2025-26. If he does not, the 2024-25 campaign would count against his eligibility.

As for the Bulldogs on the court, the offseason transfer portal additions should help soften the blow of Venters’ absence. Arkansas grad transfer Khalif Battle could play some minutes at the “3” as a 6-foot-5, 185-pound sixth-year player who can create his own shot and has impressed with his willingness to make plays for others in summer practices. Battle averaged 29.6 points over his final seven games with the Razorbacks in SEC play.

“He kind of adds that dynamic,” Few said of Battle in an interview with college basketball analyst Seth Davis earlier this month. “He can kinda get his own shot whenever he wants to and he’s also very adept at getting himself to the free throw line. So those are some aspects that we didn't really have with last year's team.”

Pepperdine transfer and All-WCC wing Michael Ajayi is a candidate to start at small forward. At 6-foot-7, 228 pounds, Ajayi boasts the potential to be a versatile defender with his 7-foot wingspan and tenacity on the glass (9.9 rebounds per game in 2023-24). His name has gotten some NBA buzz since he showcased his skillset and athleticism in front of numerous scouts and general managers at the NBA Draft Combine this past May, not to mention his 17.2 points per game with the Waves stood out as well.

“I felt like it was the place to be,” Ajayi said of his commitment to Gonzaga. “Parents can come to all the games and Mark Few is a really great coach. He takes players to the next level and that’s where I want to be.” 

If either one of Battle or Ajayi starts at the “3” alongside the four returning starters from last season (Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman, Ben Gregg and Graham Ike), then that would mean another important role off the bench awaits rising sophomore and 6-foot-6 wing Dusty Stromer. Few and the coaching staff relied on him to play big minutes out of the gate as a freshman without Venters in the fold, as Stromer logged 28.0 minutes per game in his first 16 games of college basketball, 15 of which he started, including a full 40-minute outing against UCLA in the Maui Invitational.

Stromer’s role was reduced after Gregg was inserted into the starting lineup in early January. The move panned out for all parties, as Gonzaga’s offense turned into one of the five most efficient in the country while Gregg and Stromer thrived in their new roles. 

With a full season under his belt, Stromer has an opportunity to take some serious strides in year two, especially on the offensive end.

“Dusty made a jump last year,” assistant coach Brian Michaelson said. “He’s made another jump this summer.”

Emmanuel Innocenti, a 6-foot-5 transfer from Tarleton State, could play more minutes than expected to give the team a boost defensively. Innocenti was WAC All-Freshman and WAC All-Defense with the Texans and had the third-most steals in the league (59) and the ninth-most total rebounds (223). 

Jun Seok Yeo, who was the ninth man in the rotation as a sophomore, might find himself in a similar role once again depending on how deep the coaching staff wants to go with the rotation. Few and company haven’t deployed many nine-man rotations over the last few years, especially with regard to the NCAA Tournament. Considering Braden Huff will gobble up a good chunk of minutes off the bench as well, there’s a chance the 6-foot-8 Korean doesn’t feature much in the main rotation in 2024-25.

However Few and the staff organize the minutes for opening night, it might be a few games before the Zags are set in their ways with regard to the rotation and substitution patterns. 

Venters was supposed to be a serious threat on the wing as a career 40.3% 3-point shooter at EWU. The Bulldogs struggled in nonleague play without his marksmanship — they shot 31.5% from deep on 20.0 3-point attempts per game across the first 13 games of 2023-24.

Hickman was the most consistent outside threat after knocking down 41.3% of his 3-point looks. Gregg (37.7%) and Nembhard (32.1%) proved they could stretch the floor to a certain degree, though they both attempted around three 3s per game. Conversely, Venters attempted over six triples per game in his last season with the Eagles.

Battle should help provide some spacing as a career 35.3% 3-point shooter (on 5.1 attempts per game). Ajayi did shoot 47.0% last season, though his efficiency was in part due to his low volume of attempts (2.5 per game). He could increase that number this season, though it might not be the biggest strength in his game regardless.