Gonzaga Men’s Basketball Roster Update: A New Era Begins

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have finalized their 2024-25 roster, and it’s shaping up to be one of the deepest and most talented teams in the Mark Few era. The cherry on top of an eventful offseason came with the commitment of 7-foot center Ismaila Diagne, a 17-year-old from Senegal who helped lead the Real Madrid U18 team to victory at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament during the EuroLeague Final Four in May.

Diagne brings rebounding and rim protection to an already deep and well-rounded frontcourt rotation. As former Gonzaga All-American Dan Dickau said, “A huge opportunity for this young man to develop in Gonzaga’s program and become a really good piece for Gonzaga, maybe this year maybe next year, it’s hard to determine.”

Here’s a look at how the Bulldogs shape up at this point in the offseason:

Returners:

• G Ryan Nembhard (senior)
• G Nolan Hickman (senior)
• G Joe Few (redshirt junior)
• G Joaquim Aruz-Moore (sophomore)
• F Ben Gregg (senior)
• F Braden Huff (redshirt sophomore)
• F Dusty Stromer (sophomore)
• F Jun Seok Yeo (junior)
• F Steele Venters (redshirt junior)
• C Graham Ike (redshirt senior)

Newcomers:

• G Khalif Battle (Arkansas grad transfer)
• G Immanuel Innocenti (Tarleton State transfer)
• G Braeden Smith (Colgate transfer, will redshirt)
• G Cade Orness (freshman, preferred walk-on)
• F Michael Ajayi (Pepperdine transfer)
• F Noah Haaland (JUCO transfer, preferred walk-on)
• C Ismaila Diagne (freshman)

Gonzaga’s coaching staff reeled in some big catches from the transfer portal to round out some areas for growth based on last season — 3-point shooting, scoring, defense, and overall depth.

Battle provides quite the scoring pop after he averaged 29.6 points over his last seven games with the Razorbacks.

The same goes for Innocenti.

Ajayi adds even more scoring as a 6-foot-7 wing who shot 47.0% from 3-point range this past season.

Along with Colgate transfer Braeden Smith, the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year who will redshirt next season, many of Gonzaga’s portal additions addressed the lack of depth at the guard spot.

As for Diagne, a 7-footer who can protect the rim and is a lob threat as a rim-running center on offense, his athleticism and length are valuable traits near the rim on both ends of the floor.

Even if he doesn’t feature immediately, Diagne could be a contributor in the future.

“I think he’s gonna bring a lot to the table,” Dickau said of Diagne. “But again, expectations should and probably need to be tempered based on him being a late addition.”

Haaland and Orness likely won’t see the floor — fellow walk-on Aruz-Moore didn’t see the floor as a freshman last season — but they’ll still get valuable reps in practice.

The Bulldogs will need to fill the void left by Anton Watson, who’s been Gonzaga’s problem-solver on both ends of the floor for the greater part of his five-year career.

His departure will likely be felt in many ways, especially on the defensive end of the floor where he often was tasked with guarding the opponent’s best offensive player.

Without a true defensive anchor on the roster, it’ll require a collective group effort to fill that void left by Watson.

The Bulldogs are shaping up to be a force to be reckoned with in the 2024-25 season.