Gonzaga players in the pros: Rasir Bolton one of 13 former Zags playing overseas

Here's a closer look at former Bulldogs playing professional basketball around the globe

Henry Krueger | Sep 15, 2023

Gonzaga players in the pros: Rasir Bolton one of 13 former Zags playing overseas /

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Gonzaga Bulldogs

While the list of former Gonzaga men's basketball players in the NBA grew to 11 this offseason, that only accounts for a portion of the team's global presence.

The collection of Gonzaga alumni competing overseas includes older players with established reputations, along with recent graduates on their first professional contracts.

Here's a look at the former Bulldogs playing abroad in 2023-24.

Joel Ayayi (Nanterre 92, LNB Pro A)

Ayayi capped off an eventful summer by helping the French national team prepare for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. However, instead of returning to the U.S., the Bordeaux native will remain in his home country to play for Nanterre 92 this season.

In his recent Summer League stint with the Memphis Grizzlies, Ayayi averaged 4.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 13.8 minutes per game.

Ayayi went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft before landing a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was later waived after a disappointing performance in that year's Summer League.

The 6-foot-4 guard was promptly signed by the Washington Wizards, where he made seven appearances prior to getting released in 2021-22.

Ayayi was sent to the Orlando Magic in a multi-team trade ahead of last season, playing 29 games for the franchise's G-League team.

Rasir Bolton (Antwerp Giants, BNXT League)

Roughly one month after going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft, Bolton signed with the Antwerp Giants of the BNXT League, a first-tier league in Europe that is comprised of teams in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Aside from their BNXT League games, the Giants will play in qualifying games for the FIBA Basketball Champions League (BCL), which features 32 teams from various European countries.

Bolton spent his final two collegiate years at Gonzaga, where he started in all 69 games. He averaged 10.6 points per game and shot 42.5% from 3-point range, while helping the Zags reach the Sweet 16 in 2022 and Elite Eight in 2023.

Kevin Pangos (Olimpia Milano, Italian Lega Basket Serie A)

Once considered a marquee addition for Olimpia, Pangos struggled to stay healthy in his first season with the team.

The 30-year-old guard, who signed a two-year contract in 2022, missed over three months with a partial posterior ligament tear and sat out several more weeks with an abdominal muscle strain. In total, he appeared in 30 of 64 games in the EuroLeague and Lega Basket Serie A.

Entering a contract year, Pangos has an opportunity to prove himself by helping Milan bounce back after falling short of the EuroLeague Playoffs last season.

Pangos is one of several names on this list with NBA experience, having played in 29 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2021-22 season. He averaged 1.6 points and 1.3 assists in 6.9 minutes per game, before getting waived with two months left in the regular season.

Nigel Williams-Goss (Olympiacos, Greek A1 League)

Nigel Williams-Goss Gonzaga — Photo by Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports

Fresh off winning the EuroLeague title with Real Madrid, Williams-Goss signed a two-year deal worth an estimated $2.1 million with runner-up Olympiacos in July.

Williams-Goss is making his second stint for Olympiacos, which started the former Gonzaga point guard in 24 EuroLeague games in 2018-19.

Shortly after his first opportunity in Piraeus, Greece, Williams-Goss earned a spot on the Utah Jazz, where he appeared in 10 NBA matchups and 17 G League contests in 2019-20.

Williams-Goss, who was placed on waivers by Utah in December of 2020, played the following season with Lokomotiv Kuban in Krasnodar, Russia, before joining Real Madrid for the past two years.

As a 28-year-old, Williams-Goss averaged 7.4 points, 1.8 assists and 1.3 rebounds in 26 EuroLeague games last season.

Ira Brown (Chiba Jets, Japanese B. League)

A 41-year-old who graduated from Gonzaga in 2009, Brown is entering his 15th year of professional basketball.

Brown has played his entire career in Japan, where he signed with the Chiba Jets in August after four years with the Osaka Evessa. He averaged 9.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 block per game last season.

With a 53-7 regular-season record in 2022-23, Chiba finished atop the league standings and was the runner-up in the championship.

Kyle Wiltjer (Reyer Venice, Lega Basket Serie A)

Kyle Wiltjer played a crucial role for the Zhejiang Lions last season, posting averages of 16.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game.

The 6-foot-10 big man signed with Reyer Venice of the BKT EuroCup this offseason, leaving the Chinese Basketball Association after just one year.

Wiltjer has played at almost every level, including the NBA, where he made 14 appearances for the Houston Rockets in 2016-17.

In college, Wiltjer played two seasons each at Kentucky and Gonzaga.

Micah Downs (Portimonense S.C., Proliga)

Even at 37 years old, Downs continues to excel against international competition.

The former Gonzaga guard averaged 25.4 points, 8.9 assists, 5.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks per game for FC Barreirense in Portugal in 2022-23.

For this upcoming season, Downs will be playing for Portimonense S.C., the runner-up for last season's Proliga title.

Downs, who attended Kansas as a freshman, played three years at Gonzaga from 2007-09, putting up 8.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 84 appearances.

Geno Crandall (Hapoel Be'er Sheva B.C., Israeli BSL)

Crandall's four-year professional career has taken him all over world, including his newest destination in Be'er Sheva, Israel.

The 6-foot-3 point guard agreed to a deal with Hapoel Be'er Sheva B.C. in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, becoming the franchise's first import signing ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Last year, Crandall was a key contributor for BG Gottingen in Germany, putting up 12.0 points, 4.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game across 28 contests.

Before arriving in Germany, Crandall spent two seasons with the Leicester Riders of the British Basketball League. He was named the BBL's regular-season MVP in back-to-back years, while leading Leicester to consecutive league championships.

Crandall, who played his senior year at Gonzaga, landed his first professional opportunity in 2019 with Tuři Svitavy in the top Czech basketball league, the NBL.

Mathis Moenninghoff (BG Goettingen, German BBL)

Moenninghoff's time at Gonzaga was seemingly short-lived, but that hasn't stopped him from carving out a lengthy career overseas.

The 6-foot-7 forward, who left the Bulldogs after two seasons, has played 11 years in Germany's Basketball Bundesliga.

Moenninghoff averaged 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game for BG Gottingen last season. He is entering his eighth season with the club.

Johnathan Williams (AEK Athens, Greek A1 League)

Johnathan Williams, Gonzaga — Photo by Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports

The well-traveled Williams joined his eighth franchise in six years after signing with AEK Athens this offseason.

The Greek A1 League is a major step up from the Japanese B.League, where Williams played for the Toyotsu Fighting Eagles in 2022-23. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged a team-high 13.6 points and 8.9 rebounds in 27.5 minutes per game.

Williams was in the NBA as recently as the 2019-20 season, appearing in 15 games for the Washington Wizards. Prior to that, he played in 24 games for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Jeremy Jones (Nagoya Fighting Eagles, Japanese B.League)

Entering his third year with the Fighting Eagles, Jones has built a respectable reputation in Nagoya, Japan.

The 27-year-old forward averaged 13.5 points, 5.7 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game across 60 appearances last season. He led the Fighting Eagles to the Japanese B League D2 championship in 2021-22.

After one season at Rice, Jones spent three years at Gonzaga, averaging 3.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game as a senior.

Elias Harris (Bayern Munich, German BBL)

Harris is preparing for his second season with Bayern Munich, which is looking to improve from its 11-23 EuroLeague record in 2022-23.

The Speyer, Germany, native averaged 5.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per game during his debut year in Bayern. Injuries forced Harris to miss several months of the season.

Harris, who spent three years at Gonzaga, secured his first professional contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2013-14. The 6-foot-8 shooting guard was waived after making two appearances for the Lakers.

Following a brief stint in the NBA, Harris returned to his home country to compete in Germany's Basketball Bundesliga, where he spent seven seasons with Brose Bamberg and one season with MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg.

In 2021, Harris left the country for two years to play in Spain and Japan, before coming back to Germany on a two-year contract with Bayern.

Martynas Arlauskas (Pieno Zvaigzdes, Lithuanian Basketball League)

Arlauskas was never able to secure a consistent role in Mark Few's rotation, ultimately departing the program after the 2021-22 season.

The Lithuanian guard signed with BC Pieno Zvaigzdes, 44 miles east of his hometown, where he averaged 1.5 points and 1.2 rebounds in 7.9 minutes per game across 23 appearances last season.

Published Sep 15, 2023

HENRY KRUEGER