Mark Few has reason to feel good about where Braden Huff stands heading into next season.
While the Gonzaga coach is in Springfield, Mass., for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony, where he is set to be inducted Saturday evening as part of the class of 2026, he also delivered a welcome update on one of the Zags’ most important pieces. According to Few, Huff is fully recovered from the knee injury that wiped out the back half of his season.
“We've been very, very, very conservative with him, especially this summer," Few said. "There's no need for him to do that. He's in great shape and looks good."
That matters because Huff was already playing like a star before the injury hit in mid-January. In 18 games as a junior, the 6-foot-10 forward averaged 17.8 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 69.7% on twos and 33.3% from 3-point range. He posted 37 points on 16-of-18 shooting against Campbell in December, then followed that with 28 points and six rebounds on 11-of-14 shooting in a tight overtime win over Seattle.
His absence changed everything for Gonzaga on offense. With Huff sidelined, the burden shifted heavily to Graham Ike, and opposing teams were able to load the paint and dare the Bulldogs to beat them from the perimeter, something Gonzaga struggled to do consistently all season.
Now the expectation is that Huff returns ready to chase an All-American season as a senior, and the roster around him looks built for that kind of leap. Gonzaga has Massamba Diop, a bruising center who protects the rim, along with Davis Fogle, Chauncey Wiggins and Isiah Harwell giving the lineup scoring, shooting and perimeter defense.
The remaining question is at point guard. Javon Bennett, the Dayton transfer, brings scoring and solid passing, but Gonzaga is still looking for a top-tier fifth-year floor general such as Xaivian Lee from Florida or Donovan Dent from UCLA.
If the Zags land that kind of facilitator, Huff could be set up for a Drew Timme-esque offensive season, with Gonzaga hoping he becomes the centerpiece that helps push the program back to the Final Four and into a third national championship game.