With NIL and new eligibility guidelines, more players from overseas are coming to college basketball than ever. For Gonzaga Basketball in the Mark Few era, the international pipeline has always been available. Unable to get five-star or even top-100 prospects until the past decade, the Bulldogs have found hidden gems across the world to become the national juggernaut they are today.
Some past examples include Ronny Turiaf (2001-2005), Rui Hachimura (2016-19), Joel Ayayi (2018-21), and Domantas Sabonis (2014-16), who recently donated to have the Domantas Sabonis Strength and Conditioning Center named after him for the basketball programs.Â
Gonzaga has continued to use the international pipeline, but recently there have been some moves that have gone against them. Filip Petrusev, who is from Serbia but did play high school in the states, left the school after two years and earning WCC Player of the Year honors a decade ago. There was Alex Toohey, a four-star prospect from Australia who had originally committed to the program before de-committing in 2023 to play in the NBL.
Then came this Summer. First, Jack Kayil was a long-time guard commit for the program in the 2026 class and had a legit chance to start. Then he elected not only to enter the NBA Draft but ultimately to stay in, getting picked at 39 by the New York Knicks. But the biggest blow came on Saturday, when Mario Saint-Supery, the projected starting guard for next year, elected to return overseas to play for Valencia.
Been told Gonzaga was shocked by this decision.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) July 11, 2026
Saint Supery was practicing with the Zags 24 hours ago. https://t.co/oYIDHsXpto
It’s a rare scenario for a college team, especially one with top-10 potential, to lose a starter in July to go overseas. But for Gonzaga, one of the pioneer programs in success with international players, it has to sting even more. And still, they’ll be relying on international players for next season in their backcourt, getting commits from 23-year-old point guard Nathan de Sousa and Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa, a young guard prospect who could be getting more minutes than expected, barring another key addition.
Beyond the larger conversations about contracts and players being more willing than ever to leave, it’s going to be fascinating to see how Gonzaga and other teams handle overseas players. Are they more willing to focus on the older ones with limited eligibility compared to those who’ll have 4-5 years in the future? Or could they specifically want only those who are definite pros and NBA Draft options?Â
The international pipeline has exploded as a viable alternative to the high school recruiting and transfer portal madness. However, as Gonzaga Basketball is finding the hard way as of late, it’s far from a safe route in and of itself.
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