Gonzaga’s search for Mario Saint-Supery’s replacement has already become one of the program’s biggest offseason questions.
The Bulldogs are set up with a frontcourt that looks elite on paper for 2026-27, and they also have a promising pair of sophomore wings in Massamba Diop, Braden Huff, Davis Fogle and Isiah Harwell. What they do not have, at least right now, is the point guard who can put all of that together.
That was supposed to be Saint-Supery. He had just finished a strong freshman season and seemed positioned to take over as the team’s lead guard as a sophomore. Instead, the Spanish native surprised Gonzaga’s staff and fanbase in mid-July by returning home and signing a multi-year deal with Valencia.
Since then, the Zags have been digging through every possible avenue to find a new floor general. The transfer portal and international market are largely exhausted, so the most realistic path may come through the class of 2022 seniors who could be granted a fifth year of eligibility in the ongoing legal battle in multiple states.
Former UCLA guard Donovan Dent is the biggest name in that group, but another familiar opponent has entered the conversation: Texas guard Jordan Pope.
Pope, a 6-foot-2 guard from Oakley, California, spent his first two college seasons at Oregon State before moving to Texas for his final two years. He made the Pac-12 All-Freshman team after averaging 12.6 points in 2022-23, then took another jump as a sophomore, finishing fifth in the league with 17.6 points per game. He also led the conference in free-throw percentage at 87.8% and shot 37.1% from three.
His production carried over to Texas. Pope averaged 11 points as a junior and 13.1 points as a senior for Sean Miller this past season. He hit 37.2% of his threes on a career-high 6.4 attempts per game and scored 17 points with three assists against Gonzaga in Texas’ Round of 32 upset.
The appeal is obvious. Pope has been one of the more reliable perimeter shooters in college basketball over the last four seasons, knocking down 37.1% of his threes on 5.4 attempts per game and never dipping below 36.4% in a season. He has also been efficient inside the arc, shooting 48.5% on two-pointers, and he’s an 85.8% free-throw shooter who got to the line 2.5 times per game.
But there’s a catch, and it matters for Gonzaga. Pope’s 2.3 career assists against 1.4 turnovers per game suggest a scorer first, organizer second. That profile will draw plenty of interest if he gets that fifth year, but it doesn’t perfectly match what the Bulldogs need most.
Gonzaga needs someone who can handle the pick and roll and feed the rest of that lineup in the right spots. That’s why Dent, who averaged 7.6 assists per game last year, stands out as such a strong fit.
If Gonzaga has the resources to land more than one player from the fifth-year pool, pairing Dent and Pope would address two major needs at once: point guard play and outside shooting.
Pope would bring a lot to Spokane if he becomes available. Still, for the Zags, the priority should remain finding a guard with a pass-first mindset to run the show in 2026-27.
In Other News...
Gonzagas Portal Haul Earns Buzz But One Tension Still Lingers
Gonzaga spent the spring rebuilding a roster that lost 11 players from last season, and the early return on its portal work has been enough to draw some attention. The Bulldogs blended international signings, freshmen, a redshirt player and two transfers, with analyst Matthew Winick giving the additions of Massamba Diop and Isiah Harwell grades of A and B- as part of a transfer class that landed 67th overall.
Diop brings the kind of defensive reputation that can stabilize a new group quickly, while Harwell is being viewed as a possible breakout candidate after a rough freshman offensive season. Even with those pieces in place, the picture is not fully settled yet, and Gonzagas haul still comes with a bit of unfinished business as the staff keeps sorting through the final shape of the roster. [Read more 🡒]