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Nigel Williams-Goss Chooses Gonzaga

By Chris Godfrey

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One of the best point guards in the country has left the University of Washington — but he won’t be leaving the state of Washington. Nigel Williams-Goss was the lone bright spot for what turned out to be a trainwreck of a season in Seattle. After being courted by schools from all over the country, Williams-Goss has made the decision to continue his career at Gonzaga University in Spokane, a four-hour drive east from his former campus.

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The Washington Huskies were one of the most compelling stories of the non-conference season, starting the season 11-0 with wins over two ranked opponents (#13 San Diego State and #15 Oklahoma) while climbing as high as #13 in both polls. After that point, the wheels strangely fell off for the team.  A four-game losing streak after the undefeated start foreshadowed a complete meltdown that included the departure of star center Robert Upshaw after he was dismissed for a violation of team rules. The final result of the tailspin was a 5-15 record to finish the season.

Now the program has officially lost Williams-Goss, capping off a nightmarish stretch of events for U-Dub head coach Lorenzo Romar. Instead of returning Upshaw, Williams-Goss, and talented shooting guard Andrew Andrews, Romar will only welcome back Andrews and will have his sights set on rebuilding next season.

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    • The concept of rebuilding is foreign to Gonzaga, a team that has been to the last 800 NCAA Tournaments (approximately). The addition of Williams-Goss via transfer is just the latest instance of Bulldogs head coach Mark Few making all the right moves to keep the Zags on their perch as the premiere mid-major program in college basketball. While Williams-Goss sits next season, Few will rely on the nation’s best frontcourt, featuring the likes of Donatas Sabonis, Kyle Wiltjer, and the FanSided Yeti (whose government name is Przemek Karnowski).

    When Williams-Goss becomes eligible, he’ll be the centerpiece of a team that will look completely different. Though Sabonis could be back for his junior season, his presence would mean that he snubbed an opportunity to be a possible lottery pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. I doubt Williams-Goss considered Sabonis as a part of his decision. He will be joined by Josh Perkins, an ESPN 100 prospect that was forced to redshirt after breaking his jaw early in the season. Gonzaga will also welcome Zach Collins to campus, ESPN’s #51 player in the Class of 2016. Collins will either pair with Sabonis or replace him, but his commitment offers a solid indication that Gonzaga looks poised to reload.

    The decision by Williams-Goss shows the amount of faith that he has in Few’s ability to turnaround the roster in time for the 2016-2017 season, and if the last decade of Gonzaga basketball is any indication, his faith in Few will be rewarded. At this point, all indications lead toward Nigel Williams-Goss being the next name in a long line of great Gonzaga point guards.

    Next: Player Movement Central: Interest in Sulaimon Heats Up

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