Gonzaga didn’t need Wednesday’s 91-59 exhibition win over NAIA Lewis-Clark State to tell it much. The real test is coming Monday against Purdue in Las Vegas. Still, the final tuneup offered a useful snapshot of where the 15th-ranked Zags stand after an uneven preseason slate, and a couple of names popped in ways that should matter once the games start counting.
The biggest one was Massamba Diop. The 7-foot-1 transfer has already had a bumpy introduction to Gonzaga basketball, with foul trouble in both exhibition games and a heated sequence against Arkansas that led to technical fouls for both Diop and Razorbacks forward Miika Muurinen. Against Lewis-Clark State, though, he showed exactly why Gonzaga wanted him.
Diop conceded the opening tip to 6-foot-9 Dallon Morgan, then came up with one of the night’s loudest plays when he blocked Brandon Suber’s layup attempts about three minutes into the game. Later, he picked up his second and third fouls in a 15-second span, a familiar reminder that the adjustment is still ongoing. He sat the final eight minutes of the first half, then came back out and changed the game in the second half.
That stretch included an offensive rebound, a spin around Dylan Skaife and a dunk that got the home crowd going. Diop finished with 10 points, and eight of them came after halftime. He shot 5 of 7 from the field, added five rebounds, a block and a steal, and looked much more comfortable once the game settled in.
“I think Massamba’s doing a decent job of protecting the basket for the most part right now, which is kind of what we haven’t had in awhile,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “I think he needs to continue to keep working on rebounding and catching and finishing him.
The guards are finding him now. He’s playing with some good guards that can really manipulate ball screens and situations.
He’s just got to slow down and catch the ball and finish. I think that’s kind of the next area of growth.”
Braden Huff echoed that sense of upward movement. “I think every day you see growth with him,” Huff said.
“It’s undeniable, his athleticism and length and his skill. Once we just get him to learn the system and what we need out of him the sky is the limit for him.
He’s going to be really good for us.”
Another encouraging development came from Parker Jefferson, who gave Gonzaga an efficient burst off the bench and then some. Jefferson matched Izan Almansa and Lewis-Clark State’s Titus Yearout with a game-high 12 points, doing it on 6-of-9 shooting. He also led everyone with six rebounds and two blocked shots, while adding two assists and a steal.
Jefferson’s last two exhibition outings have been quietly productive. At Arkansas, he made 3 of 4 free throws and chipped in two rebounds and a steal in less than four minutes. On Wednesday, he looked far more involved and far more impactful.
Few also pointed to Jefferson’s role beyond the box score.
“Parker’s done a nice job. I’ll tell you what he’s done a really nice job of is helping us bring the team together,” Few said. “We didn’t have many returnees and he’s done a great job of welcoming everybody in and making them comfortable and just kind of being a great teammate, so obviously it’s nice to be able to reward him with some moments like that.”
Jefferson also had plenty of support in the building. Nearly 40 family members and friends were in attendance, a fitting backdrop for a player whose parents both have Arkansas ties - his mother Carrie played basketball there, and his father Mike played on the Razorbacks’ offensive line.
The night carried meaning beyond basketball, too. Gonzaga and Lewis-Clark State used the exhibition to raise money for Spokane residents still dealing with the damage from destructive wildfires that displaced thousands more than two months ago. A portion of Wednesday’s ticket sales went to Phase 2 of the Karen Worthy Memorial Grant, a nonprofit helping people rebuild after the Spokane Complex fires.
LCSC also donated its $5,000 game check to the grant. Warriors coach Austin Johnson had extended family members evacuated and a friend who lost his home because of the fires.
Few said the exhibition gave him a chance to remind his players that the impact reaches far beyond the gym.
“I think this has been a really great opportunity for me to talk to the guys about, hey these are people that are watching us on TV every game, these are people that are coming to our games, these are people that are wanting to meet you in the restaurants or see you walking around town,” Few said. “I think it was really important that we kind of stepped up and again, kind of raised the awareness.
Sometimes when you have events like this, everybody wants to run out and feels horrible about it and wants to give, but then as time goes on it starts waning and dissipating. I want us to kind of make another statement that hey, there’s still need out there right now.”
He added that the need remains significant, especially because rebuilding costs often go far beyond what insurance covers.
“There’s tons of fees that aren’t really realized when you’re having to rebuild your whole house and home, or just anything that’s taken away with something like this,” Few said. “We’re happy to help and we’re hopeful because our guys are stepping up, myself and our guys are going to make a sizeable dent in this.
Hopefully other people will step up and follow along with us. Everybody, there’s still a huge, huge need and the insurances and all this doesn’t cover everything so that’s what we’re trying to do.”
In Other News...
Gonzaga Is Still Waiting On A Key Addition Before Purdue
Gonzaga is still waiting on a late roster addition to clear the final hurdle before its matchup with Purdue, and the latest legal setback has only made the path murkier. A Texas judge denied the temporary restraining order that forward Chauncey Wiggins and other players were seeking in their push to gain eligibility through lawsuits filed in Texas, leaving his status unchanged for the Bulldogs as the game approaches.
Wiggins remains ineligible for Gonzaga at the moment and is expected to miss Mondays game against Purdue. The door is not necessarily closed on his season, though, as he could still look to continue the fight in another jurisdiction if he wants another shot at getting cleared. [Read more 🡒]
Gonzaga Women Suddenly Have Expectations This Program Has To Answer
Gonzaga womens basketball is carrying a little more offseason buzz than usual, and a big part of it starts with the coach. Lisa Fortier has landed on the preseason watchlist for the Kathy Delaney-Smith Award, a nod that puts her among the coaches being tracked as the best in the mid-major game and adds another layer of expectation around a program that already knows how to win.
The roster is drawing attention, too, with Lauren Whittaker earning preseason watchlist mention on the national awards circuit and junior guard Allie Turner coming off an All-West Coast Conference first-team season plus tournament honors. Turner and Whittaker are set to share the floor again, giving Gonzaga a foundation that looks capable of meeting the spotlight, even as the exact ceiling for this group still has to play out once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Massamba Diop Just Put Gonzaga Fans On Award Watch
Massamba Diops first season in the West already put him on the map, and now it has put him on an award watch list worth tracking. The Gonzaga center was named among the 20 players under consideration for the 2027 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, the annual honor from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame that goes to the top centers in mens college basketball. The list spans several schools, which is a reminder that Diop is entering a crowded field even as his profile continues to rise.
For Gonzaga fans, the interest goes beyond the recognition itself. The watch list will be trimmed to finalists later on, and the winner will be chosen by a committee after fans get a say in the process. Diops place on the list gives the Bulldogs another reason to keep tabs on him, especially with his arrival carrying expectations that he can make an immediate impact in the middle. [Read more 🡒]