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Apr. 6—Four Gonzaga players will already be in the transfer portal by the time it officially opens after tonight's national championship game.
Point guard Braeden Smith will reportedly join teammates Emmanuel Innocenti, Cade Orness and Steele Venters in the transfer portal, his agency ADS Sports told On3.com's Joe Tipton on Monday morning.
Smith became the third GU player to reveal his plans, beating Venters by about seven hours on Monday.
"Thank you to Spokane, the Zag community and especially my teammates for an experience full of great memories and lessons," Smith posted on his Instagram story Monday afternoon.
The portal officially opens at 9 p.m. PT but roughly 1,000 players across the country have already expressed plans to transfer over the last three to four weeks and could be in the portal by Tuesday morning.
Smith would be seeking his third school in five years after spending two seasons at Colgate and two at Gonzaga, where he redshirted in 2024-25 before appearing in all 35 games for Mark Few's team in 2025-26.
Smith opened the year as Gonzaga's starting point guard but ceded his role to freshman Mario Saint-Supery on two occasions. The Seattle native started in the team's first four games, but Saint-Supery took over before a Nov. 17 game against Southern Utah and started in nine consecutive games.
The Zags reinserted Smith into the starting lineup to begin West Coast Conference play on Dec. 28 at Pepperdine — a period of time when Saint-Supery was battling severe flu symptoms — and the redshirt junior held the spot for 14 straight games before handing it back over to Saint-Supery on Feb. 18 at San Francisco.
The freshman from Malaga, Spain, started in the team's final four regular-season games and all four games at the West Coast Conference Tournament and NCAA Tournament.
Presuming he returns to Gonzaga next season, Saint-Supery is the top candidate to take over full-time starting point guard duties after averaging 8.6 points, 3.8 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals while shooting 40.3% from the 3-point line. The Zags are also bringing in top international prospect Jack Kayil, a German combo guard who could have stints playing both on and off the ball for Few's team in 2026-27.
Smith started in 18 of 35 games for Gonzaga, averaging 5.1 points, 3.6 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals. He finished the year shooting 46.7% from the field, 33.3% from the 3-point line and 80.5% from the free -throw line.
The former Seattle Prep standout was a Patriot League Player of the Year at Colgate, where he guided the Raiders to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2023 and 2024.
Despite opportunities to play immediately at other high-major conference programs, Smith elected to redshirt at Gonzaga and compete for the starting point guard role after national assists leader Ryan Nembhard graduated.
Smith's younger brother, Bryce, was a sophomore defensive back for Eastern Washington's football team last fall and tallied 47 tackles over 11 games for the Eagles.
With five outgoing seniors and three outgoing transfers to this point, the Zags could have as many as eight roster spots to fill this offseason. Kayil is one of three incoming freshmen, along with center Sam Funches and wing Luca Foster, but GU is expected to supplement its returning core with transfers.
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Point guard Braeden Smith will reportedly join teammates Emmanuel Innocenti, Cade Orness and Steele Venters in the transfer portal, his agency ADS Sports told On3.com's Joe Tipton on Monday morning.
Smith became the third GU player to reveal his plans, beating Venters by about seven hours on Monday.
"Thank you to Spokane, the Zag community and especially my teammates for an experience full of great memories and lessons," Smith posted on his Instagram story Monday afternoon.
The portal officially opens at 9 p.m. PT but roughly 1,000 players across the country have already expressed plans to transfer over the last three to four weeks and could be in the portal by Tuesday morning.
Smith would be seeking his third school in five years after spending two seasons at Colgate and two at Gonzaga, where he redshirted in 2024-25 before appearing in all 35 games for Mark Few's team in 2025-26.
Smith opened the year as Gonzaga's starting point guard but ceded his role to freshman Mario Saint-Supery on two occasions. The Seattle native started in the team's first four games, but Saint-Supery took over before a Nov. 17 game against Southern Utah and started in nine consecutive games.
The Zags reinserted Smith into the starting lineup to begin West Coast Conference play on Dec. 28 at Pepperdine — a period of time when Saint-Supery was battling severe flu symptoms — and the redshirt junior held the spot for 14 straight games before handing it back over to Saint-Supery on Feb. 18 at San Francisco.
The freshman from Malaga, Spain, started in the team's final four regular-season games and all four games at the West Coast Conference Tournament and NCAA Tournament.
Presuming he returns to Gonzaga next season, Saint-Supery is the top candidate to take over full-time starting point guard duties after averaging 8.6 points, 3.8 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals while shooting 40.3% from the 3-point line. The Zags are also bringing in top international prospect Jack Kayil, a German combo guard who could have stints playing both on and off the ball for Few's team in 2026-27.
Smith started in 18 of 35 games for Gonzaga, averaging 5.1 points, 3.6 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals. He finished the year shooting 46.7% from the field, 33.3% from the 3-point line and 80.5% from the free -throw line.
The former Seattle Prep standout was a Patriot League Player of the Year at Colgate, where he guided the Raiders to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2023 and 2024.
Despite opportunities to play immediately at other high-major conference programs, Smith elected to redshirt at Gonzaga and compete for the starting point guard role after national assists leader Ryan Nembhard graduated.
Smith's younger brother, Bryce, was a sophomore defensive back for Eastern Washington's football team last fall and tallied 47 tackles over 11 games for the Eagles.
With five outgoing seniors and three outgoing transfers to this point, the Zags could have as many as eight roster spots to fill this offseason. Kayil is one of three incoming freshmen, along with center Sam Funches and wing Luca Foster, but GU is expected to supplement its returning core with transfers.
Continue reading...
