One Month Away – a look at Gonzaga’s roster

SPOKANE, Wash. – The Gonzaga Bulldogs are just under one month away from their season tipping off against the Texas Southern Tigers, and their roster is almost ready for the 2025-26 season. The following is a look at each of their scholarship players committed so far (including one strong maybe).

GUARDS:

Braeden Smith

The former Colgate star (and Patriot League player of the year in 2023-24) is likely the Zags’ starting point guard this season after redshirting in 2024-25. While not a great three-point shooter, Smith is an elite rebounder for his size, which will be among the smaller point guards in the country. The transfer is aggressive and fast, and will be a problem for defenses with his passing (not as great as Nembhard, but very solid).

Mario Saint-Supery

The Spanish diamond in the rough dazzled this summer for his national team. The mini-Ricky Rubio is the youngest player to play for Spain at the EuroBasket tournament since, well, Ricky Rubio. The 19-year-old fits well into Gonzaga’s system as an elite pick-and-roll player and has high reactiveness and speed. His PNR defense is also a highlight of his game. Few has put out plenty of two-point guard lineups, so it’s very possible we could see Super Mario in some starting minutes.

Emmanuel Innocenti

The only returner in this section, Innocenti, broke out last season as a defensive specialist. One of, if not the best perimeter defenders on Gonzaga’s roster, the Italian’s impact goes beyond the box scores. He’s extremely efficient on offense despite the smaller sample sizes, and he’ll continue to be a sparkplug on both ends of the floor. Don’t be surprised if his minutes shoot up this season.

Adam Miller

The Arizona State transfer now will play for his fourth power school after Illinois and LSU. As the likely Nolan Hickman replacement, Miller is a fantastic three-point shooter and protects the ball well. While a guard, Miller is also easily a wing, his playing time mostly determined by whether the waivers can clear for the man below.

WINGS:

Tyon Grant-Foster (maybe)

The biggest question mark on Gonzaga’s roster, Grant-Foster, is still waiting on an NCAA waiver to be eligible for his eighth season of college basketball. He played two junior college seasons, one COVID season with Kansas, and started 2021-22 with DePaul, but collapsed on the court with heart issues and didn’t play the rest of that season or the next. Grant-Foster then won the WAC Player of the Year with Grand Canyon in 2023-24, and last season he played 26 games before an ankle injury ended his season early. He’d be an instant starter and one of the Zags’ best balanced players if his competitive waiver is approved, as his practice waiver is now active as of this week.

Steele Venters

Venters was a superstar for the Eastern Washington Eagles, winning the Big Sky MVP award in the 2022-23 season. Disaster soon followed, as Venters suffered consecutive season-ending knee injuries, sidelining him from that MVP season to right now. Good news: as of July, the redshirt junior is cleared for all team activities, including full-speed play. The three-point specialist is a scoring machine when healthy, and his 6’7 frame makes him a perfect fit for Gonzaga’s starting small forward wing.

Jalen Warley

The longtime Florida State guard, Warley, represents poise and control within an offense, as he was never a high-volume scorer, but rather a clutch floor general. Like Innocenti, Warley is a fantastic perimeter defender, but it will be tough for him to get major minutes with returning Innocenti and sharpshooting Venters likely hogging up minutes. Grant-Foster, if approved, would likely start and have Warley be the defensive replacement and Venters for the offensive boost.

Davis Fogle

The Washington native is the first true freshman on our list, and he’s a likely redshirt candidate with so many experienced wings already on the rise for minutes. He has a ton of upside as a raw prospect and already possesses a solid three-point ball and athleticism. He’s not as solid defensively as Innocenti and Warley, and not as good offensively as Venters and Grant-Foster, but his unique size and skill combo could potentially see shooting guard minutes.

BIGS:

Graham Ike

Likely the top overall player returning to the Zags this season, Ike is in a prime position to lead the team in scoring and rebounding. Ike played out of his mind in the second half of Gonzaga’s Round of 32 exit to Houston this past NCAA Tournament, and his massive competitive instincts led him to be one of the most intense and powerful all-around bigs in college basketball. The big fella would occasionally let the heat overtake him, and that Ryan Nembhard claiming role will need to transfer to someone else. This keystone player will anchor Gonzaga through the 2025-26 season.

Braden Huff

The Yin to Ike’s Yang, Huff emerged as one of the premier big offensive talents in the WCC last season with his light touches and swift buckets. His extreme efficiency (almost 15 points per game on over 57% shooting) and willingness to attack the rim make him a dangerous offensive weapon, even when his defense is less potent than Ike’s. Likely to stick to the power forward spot, the issue here for the Zags is depth, especially if Huff plays the 1-2 punch with Ike, as is expected (and what should be a high-level choice).

Ismaila Diagne

Here lies the main backup for Ike. Diagne saw limited to no minutes through most of last season before a breakout performance at Santa Clara. That game featured nine points on perfect shooting in 18 minutes, a career high. Diagne has a great free-throw shot, too, but he is still foul-prone on the other end. This raw and powerful talent will need extra minutes this season to prep for next, as he’s likely to assume Ike’s role once the big man’s eligibility expires after this season.

Parker Jefferson

Our final roster spot highlighted today belongs to another true freshman. The Texan committed to the Zags back in May and ranks as a top-25 center prospect in this year’s class. Jefferson just finished his senior year in Inglewood, where he averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds per game, plus two blocks per night. The forward isn’t highly athletic, but possesses great basketball IQ and shooting skills that will likely garner him some attention early at the power forward spot, potentially backing up Huff in an expanded role.