Just a month ago, there was plenty of hype for Gonzaga Basketball for the 2026-27 campaign. They bring back one of the best big men in the country, Braden Huff, while also adding forward Massamba Diop from Arizona State in the transfer portal. After landing former five-star prospect and Houston guard Isaiah Harwell from the portal, the backcourt was supposed to be set.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, that proved to be far from the case. Jack Kayil, an international commit from Germany, elected to enter the NBA Draft and was selected at No. 39. Then came the huge surprise on Saturday morning, with Mario Saint-Supery making the shocking move to go back overseas to Spain.
BREAKING: Mario Saint-Supery will be leaving the Zags to join Valencia Basket in the ACB on a four year deal
— nbadraftpoint (@nbadraftpoint) July 11, 2026
Tough look for Gonzaga, potentially losing their starting PG late into the offseason. On the other hand, MSS fills the spot left by Sergio De Larrea who just got drafted https://t.co/DK0iVBM4z5
A year ago, Saint-Supery was a highly-touted international prospect from Spain. He came to Gonzaga to split minutes with former Patriot League Player of the Year guard Braeden Smith in the backcourt. However, it was the freshman playmaker who took over the point guard position and started the last eight games of the season.
He averaged 8.6 ppg and 3.8 apg in his freshman campaign, shooting 40% from deep on 119 total attempts. Saint-Supery was also on the WCC All-Tournament team, scoring 21 points in the title game win over Santa Clara. The 6’3 playmaker was set to be a consensus national breakout player to watch in college basketball as Gonzaga’s lead guard.
Now, the Bulldogs have to find a new plan at point guard. One current option is Nathan De Sousa, a 23-year-old ball-handler from France who averaged 11 ppg and 4.9 apg at Cholet. For now, he’s reportedly not fully eligible, giving Gonzaga even more heartburn to deal with. Dooney Johnson is a four-star guard commit in the 2027 class and could be a reclass candidate if the team is desperate enough, too.
Gonzaga is set to add 23-year old French guard Nathan De Sousa to their backcourt per @Be_BasketFr
— Arman Jovic (@PDTScouting) June 26, 2026
De Sosua has had a breakout season for Cholet this year averaging 11 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 4.9 APG on 43/36/74 splits
Nathan is a manic on the court in the best way possible, outworks… pic.twitter.com/AenhLG6pMd
One recent avenue that has opened up is the class of 2022 players receiving an extra year of eligibility through the court system, with a recent Ohio-based lawsuit granting 10+ players another year, including former Dayton and All-Atlantic 10 point guard Javon Bennett. These, and potentially other players, can enter the transfer portal without penalty, and Gonzaga suddenly needs a ball-handler.Â
Losing Saint-Supery isn’t a fatal blow for Gonzaga. They’ll still have one of the top frontcourts in the country next year, along with another sophomore breakout star candidate to watch in guard/wing Davis Fogle. Still, if they don’t figure out the point guard position, their ceiling will be capped for the 2026-27 campaign.
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