Just a month ago, Gonzaga’s 2026-27 outlook looked pretty clean on paper. Braden Huff was coming back as one of the best big men in the country, Massamba Diop was arriving from Arizona State through the transfer portal, and after the Bulldogs landed former five-star Houston guard Isaiah Harwell, the backcourt seemed to be in place.
That picture changed fast.
First, Jack Kayil, the international commit from Germany, chose to enter the NBA Draft and ended up going at No. 39. Then came the bigger shock: on Saturday morning, Mario Saint-Supery decided to head back overseas to Spain.
A year ago, Saint-Supery arrived at Gonzaga as a highly regarded international prospect from Spain, expected to share the backcourt with former Patriot League Player of the Year Braeden Smith. Instead, the freshman guard seized the point guard job and started the final eight games of the season.
He finished his first college season averaging 8.6 points and 3.8 assists per game, while knocking down 40% of his 119 three-point attempts. He also earned a spot on the WCC All-Tournament team after pouring in 21 points in Gonzaga’s title-game win over Santa Clara. The 6-foot-3 playmaker was lined up to be one of the breakout names in college basketball as the Bulldogs’ lead guard.
Now Gonzaga has to scramble for answers at point guard.
One possible option is Nathan De Sousa, a 23-year-old French ball-handler who averaged 11 points and 4.9 assists at Cholet. But for now, he’s reportedly not fully eligible, which only adds to the uncertainty. Another name in the mix is Dooney Johnson, a four-star guard commit in the 2027 class who could potentially reclassify if Gonzaga gets desperate enough.
There’s also a new wrinkle in the broader eligibility landscape. Players from the class of 2022 are now receiving an extra year of eligibility through the court system, and a recent Ohio-based lawsuit granted more than 10 players another year, including former Dayton and All-Atlantic 10 point guard Javon Bennett. Those players, and possibly others, can enter the transfer portal without penalty, which gives Gonzaga another possible route to finding a ball-handler.
Saint-Supery’s departure doesn’t wipe out Gonzaga’s upside. The Bulldogs still project to have one of the best frontcourts in the country, and Davis Fogle remains a sophomore breakout candidate in the guard/wing mix. But the reality is simple: if Gonzaga can’t settle the point guard spot, the ceiling for 2026-27 drops with it.
In Other News...
Ryan Nembhard's First Gonzaga Summer League Showdown Brought Real Stakes
Ryan Nembhards first Gonzaga summer league matchup against a former teammate came with a little more edge than the usual July exhibition. Nembhard and Anton Watson found themselves on opposite sides in Las Vegas, with Watsons Los Angeles Lakers beating Nembhards Dallas Mavericks 91-70 after pulling away in the third quarter. Nembhard still gave Dallas a lift, finishing as the teams leading scorer with 12 points and five assists, while Watsons impact showed up more on the defensive end than the box score.
Watson did not score, but he was active in 13 minutes and helped make life difficult for Dallas possessions. For Gonzaga fans, it was the kind of summer league snapshot that feels bigger than the result itself, a reminder of how quickly former Zags can end up sharing the floor in NBA settings where every possession carries a little extra familiarity. Elsewhere, Efe Abogidi also made his summer league debut for Denver and chipped in 10 points in a win over Minnesota. [Read more 🡒]