NCAA Basketball: Takeaways from 2020 Jimmy V Classic participants

Gonzaga Bulldogs – Andrew Nembhard has made his presence

Even after landing both Southern Illinois grad transfer Aaron Cook and five-star freshman prospect Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga still pursued and eventually landed Florida transfer Andrew Nembhard. While everyone else who entered the portal was looking for a waiver to play immediately, the move for Nembhard was supposedly to sit out this upcoming season and takeover for Suggs in 2020-21.

However, the NCAA gave a ruling that all players were given a “free year” that didn’t count against their eligibility. So the Bulldogs and Nembhard applied for and received a waiver to play this season, coming off the bench. He played well in the first two games, scoring 16 total points and dishing out six assists.

But it was when Suggs went out of the game that showed how impactful Nembhard would turn out to be. He took over for the offense and dominated, scoring 19 points and dishing out five assists.

Even when Suggs came back into the game, the former Gator still was the lead guard while the freshman clearly wasn’t 100%. His strong defense and great shot selection (mainly not taking any shots from the perimeter) allowed the Bulldogs to come back, take the lead, and keep it to the end.

Without Nembhard playing in this game, Gonzaga would’ve lost without question. And with Suggs likely going to be less than 100% in the game against Baylor, look for the backup guard to have another big role on the offense this weekend. Once he gets his shot going, Nembhard will end up being the best 6th man in the country and another lethal weapon on this team’s offense.