Gonzaga may not have its point guard answer locked in yet, but Nathan De Sousa is at least on the move.
The 23-year-old French guard, who committed to the Bulldogs in June, told The Spokesman-Review on Saturday that he expects to arrive in Spokane next week. He is still waiting on the NCAA to finish processing his eligibility waiver, though he could be on a flight to the United States as soon as he receives a travel visa in the coming days.
That makes De Sousa one of several international additions sitting in limbo as the fall semester approaches and preseason practices get closer. Gonzaga commit Izan Almansa is in the same wait-and-see category, along with dozens of other international players pledged to Division I programs.
For Gonzaga, the timing matters. The point guard spot has been unsettled since German prospect Jack Kayil kept his name in the NBA Draft and Mario Saint-Supery left in July to sign a long-term professional deal with Valencia. The Bulldogs also added Dayton transfer Javon Bennett, but his future in Spokane is now unclear after the NCAA was granted a stay motion in the Ohio injunction that had given him a fifth year of eligibility.
If De Sousa gets cleared, he would bring Gonzaga an experienced option with real production behind him. The 6-3 guard spent the last five seasons with Cholet Basket of the LNB Elite, averaging 10.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.9 turnovers last season.
He shot 43.4% from the field and 36.1% from 3-point range, a big jump from 18.8% the year before, while also making 76.9% of his free throws. In the Basketball Champions League, where he played in Cholet’s backcourt alongside Gerald Ayayi, the older brother of former Gonzaga guard Joel Ayayi, De Sousa posted 8.3 points, 4.7 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game. He shot 31.7% from the field, 28.6% from deep and 84.4% at the line in that competition.
Cholet reached the semifinal round of the LNB Elite playoffs before falling to Paris Basketball in a four-game series. De Sousa averaged 7.7 points and 3.2 assists in the French playoffs.
A native of Saint-Quentin, France, De Sousa has spent four of the past five seasons with Cholet’s senior team. He briefly left in 2022-23 to play for AS Alsace in France’s second professional division. His path with Cholet started in 2018, when he joined the club’s youth academy and later played two seasons with the U-21 team before earning a promotion to the senior squad.