Commentary: GU men's basketball awaiting decisions from recruiting targets

With a collection of former Bulldogs in the NBA and overseas, the Gonzaga University men’s basketball program has a reputation for producing professional talent.

GU's success in player development can be partially attributed to head coach Mark Few’s ability to land nationally-ranked prospects like Chet Holmgren and Jalen Suggs, who joined the NBA after one year with the Zags. 

While GU has yet to net a commitment from a player in the classes of 2024 and 2025, the program is awaiting decisions from several of its top recruiting targets. 

Hailing from Athens, Georgia, Asa Newell is a 5-star recruit ranked No. 11 on ESPN’s Top 100 in the 2024 class. The power forward is attending Montverde Academy and received an offer from GU in July. 

If he commits to GU, Newell will become the third-highest-ranked recruit in the program’s history behind Holmgren and Suggs. Despite listing GU in his final four schools, Newell is projected to follow his brother’s footsteps and commit to the Georgia Bulldogs, according to On3.com and Rivals.com. 

Another one of GU’s most coveted recruits is Zoom Diallo, the top-ranked point guard and SBLive’s Washington State Player of the Year for 2022-23. While On3 reported over the summer that GU was the current leader to land the 6-foot-4 guard, the report has since changed to favor Arizona as Diallo’s top choice. No decision has been made yet, but GU does still stand a chance, falling within Diallo’s top five picks among Arizona, USC, Washington and Kansas. 

Isiah Harwell was the first recruit from the class of 2025 to receive an offer from the Zags. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard is ranked No. 7 overall in his class and second-best for shooting guards, according to 247Sports. From Pocatello, Idaho, the junior is attending Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah. 

One of the first offers from Few went to Jalen Haralson in June. Haralson ranks No. 11 for the 2025 class in ESPN’s Top 100. 

The 6-foot-6 combo guard is from Indiana and plays for La Lumiere School, which has produced a large roster of athletes now in the NBA including Memphis Grizzlies’ Daren Jackson Jr. and Detroit Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart. 

Averaging 23.4 points per game in the 2022-23 season, according to 247Sports, Haralson is among the top recruits and has offers from several other universities including Purdue and Indiana. 

Ranked 22nd on ESPN’s Top 100 for the 2025 class, Jeremiah Fears is another acclaimed combo guard that received an offer from GU. Fears transferred to Compass Prep in Chandler, Arizona, over the summer after a high-aiming career at Joliet West in Illinois. 

The 6-foot-2 guard has the potential to become a formidable scoring force in the program, having been named the 2022-23 Gatorade Illinois Boys Basketball Player of the Year. 

GU was the seventh program to give an offer to power forward Nikolas Khamenia. This comes after the junior led Harvard-Westlake to a CIF State Open Division title last season. The 6-foot-7 player is ranked 60th nationally and 14th in his position, according to 247Sports. Khamenia visited GU on Oct. 6 and attended Kraziness in the Kennel but has yet to visit the other programs where he received offers. 

It’s still too early to know for sure whether the Zags will land these sought-after players. MGM recently released its betting odds for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, giving the Zags a tie for the 10th-best odds in the country with Kansas favored to win. 

After the disappointing elimination from the tournament last season in the Elite Eight, there is no doubt that Few and his staff are looking to establish an impressive roster for the years to come, and with hope, secure the national title.