Gonzaga’s search for a point guard has taken another sharp turn, and this one comes with a familiar name.
Less than 72 hours after Mario Saint-Supery stunned the Bulldogs by leaving to sign with Valencia in Spain, Donovan Dent announced he plans to come out of his brief retirement and return to college basketball for a fifth year. Dent, the former New Mexico and UCLA guard Gonzaga chased hard before he transferred to UCLA in 2025, started the process on Friday by joining an injunction request filed in California.
The filing is aimed at high school class of 2022 players seeking a fifth year of eligibility under the NCAA’s new “5-in-5” rules. That rule gives student-athletes five years of competition, but it was written without retroactively applying the change to last year’s graduates.
Dent is one of several prominent players included in the California injunction, which is being handled by attorney Darren Heitner. Attorneys Ryan Downton, James “Sweet James” Bergener, and Darren Heitner said they are filing the injunction for members of the HS Class of 2022 who have completed their fourth year of competition.
Among the other players listed are Dent’s UCLA teammate Skyy Clark, former Saint Mary’s, UConn, and Santa Barbara guard Aidan Mahaney, Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler, Pepperdine, LMU, and Missouri forward Jevon Porter, Oregon State and Texas guard Jordan Pope, Grand Canyon wing Jaden Henley, and Yale sharpshooter Nick Townsend, among others.
For Gonzaga, the timing is impossible to ignore. The Bulldogs went after Dent aggressively last offseason before he chose UCLA, then shifted to Saint-Supery. With the Spanish guard now headed back home and the point guard market thinning fast, Dent looks like the cleanest fit left on the board.
And the appeal is obvious. Gonzaga can offer Dent an immediate starting job, a roster built to win right away, and NIL money that figures to be strong thanks to Domantas Sabonis and the loss of Saint-Supery. The Bulldogs also have a front line and supporting cast that should make life easy for a lead guard, with Braden Huff providing elite low-post scoring, Massamba Diop setting bruising screens and running the rim, Davis Fogle emerging as a dangerous offensive wing, and Isiah Harwell bringing the kind of defense that can take on the opponent’s top guard.
Other programs will come after Dent, too. LSU, St.
John’s, and others can flash big money. But Gonzaga has a real case to make as the most complete option, and it’s hard to find a point guard with more upside than Dent.
That’s why, as the staff waits on the outcome of the injunction for fifth-year seniors, Dent sits at the top of the wish list in Spokane.
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Anton Watson has spent Summer League showing why Gonzaga fans always valued his versatility, and the Lakers have found ways to use it in more than one role. He handled a tough defensive assignment against Oklahoma Citys Aday Mara and later was asked to operate as a point forward against the Bulls, a sign that Los Angeles trusts him to do more than just finish plays.
The bigger picture is even better for Watson and the Lakers, who stayed unbeaten in Las Vegas and locked up the top seed for the Summer League playoffs. Gonzagas footprint is showing up elsewhere too, with Graham Ike and Jack Kayil getting run for the Warriors and Knicks, but Watsons rise has been the most eye-catching because it keeps expanding the ways he can help at the next level. [Read more 🡒]
Gonzaga's Roster Just Earned Major National Respect Again
Gonzagas offseason search for a new point guard has put the spotlight on what the Bulldogs already have in place, and that picture looks pretty strong. With Braden Huff and Massamba Diop anchoring the frontcourt and sophomores Davis Fogle and Isiah Harwell drawing breakout buzz for 2026-27, the roster still carries the kind of depth and upside that keeps Gonzaga in the national conversation even while it fills a key backcourt opening.
That reputation got another boost when Basket Under Review placed three Bulldogs among its top 100 college basketball players, a reminder that Gonzagas talent base remains well regarded beyond Spokane. The bigger question now is whether the Bulldogs can pair that front-end talent with the right lead guard, because the next step for this group may hinge on how quickly they land a high-level replacement for Mario Saint-Supery. [Read more 🡒]