For the first time in quite a while it’s not exactly business as usual for Gonzaga this offseason. After years of dominating the WCC and developing into the most powerful mid-major program in the country, the Bulldogs are heading into the newly reformed Pac-12. Gonzaga will adjust to their new surroundings and look to extend a streak of 27 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament after another trip to the second round of the Big Dance last year.
It’s hard to imagine that long streak coming to an end, though Gonzaga’s roster will be quite different after a large number of offseason departures. After his brilliance with the program, Graham Ike exhausted his eligibility, while studs like Tyon Grant-Foster, Adam Miller, and Jalen Warley have also seen their careers end. Fortunately, Gonzaga has three major returning pieces in forward Braden Huff and rising sophomore guards Davis Fogle and Mario Saint-Supery.
Mark Few and his staff haven’t been sitting on their hands and are still adding pieces into the fold for the Bulldogs. Among the incoming freshman, Luca Foster is a talented forward and Top 60 piece while 6-11 center Sam Funches is a 4-star big who could develop into an intriguing frontcourt weapon. It’s also worth mentioning that Isiah Harwell joins the fold after playing a minor role as a freshman on a very good Houston team last season.
However, the clear win of the offseason has unquestionably been Massamba Diop. A 7-1 center from Senegal who played high school ball in Spain, Diop spent his first collegiate season at Arizona State last year and was fantastic for the Sun Devils, putting up 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. He was second in both field goal percentage and blocks per game in the Big 12 and will only keep developing as a prospect.
With Ike and other frontcourt talent gone, Diop steps into a major role last season. If he can take that expected sophomore leap, he could quickly become the best big in this new Pac-12. Gonzaga has built their reputation on these kinds of frontcourt weapons and Diop has all the intangibles to be an elite scorer and rim protector. He was among the top available names in the transfer portal and opted for Gonzaga and this opportunity.
Things are still coming together for this program, but a frontcourt with Diop and Huff can be extremely productive this season. The Bulldogs are definitely leaning on some raw prospects to take steps forward, but similar steps forward from Fogle and Saint-Supery could really produce quite the season in Spokane. We’ll see what exactly this team looks like when the dust settles but it’s hard not to be excited about the type of player that Diop could become.
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