Gonzaga transfer targets 3.0: Examining five more players the Bulldogs could add

With summer workouts beginning roughly three weeks ago, most of the players who’ll be on Gonzaga’s 2023-24 roster have already reported to campus.

Mark Few’s coaching staff is investing in the 10 scholarships players going through preseason drills in Spokane, but the Bulldogs may not be done constructing their roster and have the flexibility to add up to three more players before fall classes start in August.

Gonzaga had just two scholarships to work with before the unexpected decommitment of four-star Australian prospect Alex Toohey two weeks ago, but now it seems inevitable the Bulldogs will bring in at least one more player to bolster the team’s depth heading into the new season.

It’s not a foregone conclusion that Gonzaga will fill all three open scholarships – leaving one open allowed the Bulldogs to sign South Korean forward Jun Seok Yeo midway through the 2022-23 season – but Few’s staff remains active in the transfer portal, indicating the team could make one or multiple additions prior to the start of the fall semester.

There’s precedent for it, too.

The Bulldogs didn’t get a commitment from Andrew Nembhard until the last week of June in 2020 and North Dakota State guard Geno Crandall announced he was heading to Spokane on July 5, 2018. Both players wound up being effective for GU teams that made deep NCAA Tournament runs.

Gonzaga could be in the market for another experienced guard, a la Nembhard or Crandall. With that in mind, we compiled a group of five potential transfers – our third such list since the 2022 season ended, for those keeping score at home – who could supplement the current group of 10 scholarship players.

Jeremiah Williams, Iowa State, G, 6-4, 177 pounds: After entering the transfer portal, committing to Illinois and then reneging on the Illini, Williams reopened his recruitment and recently revealed 10 schools that have reached out. Including Gonzaga, he’s also been in contact with Arizona State, Georgetown, Pitt, Rutgers, San Jose State, Wichita State, St. Bonaventure, Middle Tennessee and UCF, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein. Even as a two-time transfer, Williams may be able to obtain an NCAA waiver to play immediately after suffering a shoulder injury that shortened his sophomore season at Temple before missing the entirety of the 2022-23 season at Iowa State with an Achilles tendon injury. If Williams is fully healthy and eligible, he could be a quality asset off Gonzaga’s bench. Before the injury at Temple, he was averaging 9.5 points, 4.3 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.

Jose Perez, West Virginia, G, 6-5, 220 pounds: Perez joined the train of West Virginia transfers who entered the portal after the resignation of longtime coach Bob Huggins. Gonzaga was one of the first schools to reach out, along with Michigan, and the fifth-year player has since heard from Oregon, California and a few others, according to multiple reports….