Gonzaga has spent years proving that the international route can build a powerhouse. In the Mark Few era, the Bulldogs didn’t always have access to five-star recruits or even top-100 names, so they went searching elsewhere and found the kind of talent that turned them into a national force.
That path helped shape the program through players like Ronny Turiaf (2001-2005), Rui Hachimura (2016-19), Joel Ayayi (2018-21), and Domantas Sabonis (2014-16), who recently donated to have the Domantas Sabonis Strength and Conditioning Center named after him for the basketball programs.
But lately, the same pipeline that helped Gonzaga rise has started to cut the other way.
Filip Petrusev, from Serbia but with high school experience in the states, left after two years and earned WCC Player of the Year honors a decade ago. Alex Toohey, a four-star prospect from Australia, had committed to the program before backing off in 2023 to play in the NBL.
This summer brought another wave of frustration. Jack Kayil had been a long-time guard commit in the 2026 class and looked like a real candidate to start. Instead, he chose to enter the NBA Draft and then stayed in, eventually going 39th to the New York Knicks.
The bigger hit came Saturday, when Mario Saint-Supery, projected to start at guard next season, decided to head back overseas and play for Valencia.
Been told Gonzaga was shocked by this decision.
Saint Supery was practicing with the Zags 24 hours ago. https://t.co/oYIDHsXpto
- Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) July 11, 2026
For most college programs, losing a projected starter in July to an overseas team would be a jolt. For Gonzaga, it lands with extra weight because the Bulldogs have been one of the programs that helped normalize this kind of recruiting in the first place.
Even with that setback, Gonzaga is still leaning on international talent in its backcourt for next season. The Bulldogs have landed commits from 23-year-old point guard Nathan de Sousa and Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa, a young guard prospect who could wind up with more minutes than expected unless another major addition arrives.
The bigger question now is how schools approach overseas players moving forward. Do they prioritize older players with limited eligibility? Do they focus only on prospects who already look like sure-fire pros and NBA Draft candidates?
The international pipeline has become a major alternative to high school recruiting and the transfer portal. Gonzaga helped make it work. Now it’s also learning that it isn’t foolproof.
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 🡒]