Gonzaga Landed Two Key Additions; Five Open Spots Still Loom Large

The Zags landed size and scoring on Friday. Now, coach Mark Few needs depth, shooting, and stability in the backcourt.

Gonzaga’s 2025–26 roster got a major boost with the official additions of Parker Jefferson and Adam Miller—two signings that offer immediate upside and long-term value in very different ways. But with recent changes to rules regarding athletic scholarship allocations, only 10 of Gonzaga’s 15 guaranteed roster spots are currently spoken for. The additions are unquestionably big news, but the Zags still have plenty of time to keep building things out.

Jefferson, a 6’10”, 235-pound forward originally from Texas who played his high school ball in Southern California, recently flipped his commitment from Minnesota and signed on to join the Zags after his visit to campus on Thursday. He’s the kind of frontcourt prospect Gonzaga has made a habit of developing: strong frame, soft hands, a feel for the game that’s well ahead of most bigs his age. Like so many before him, he made it official before even leaving campus.

Joining him is Adam Miller, a seasoned guard who arrives in Spokane by way of Arizona State, with previous stops at Illinois and LSU. Miller brings over 1,000 career points, Power 5 pedigree, and a reputation as a confident shooter capable of playing on or off the ball. For a backcourt that needed experience and shot creation, he checks both boxes.

With these two in the fold, Gonzaga now has 10 scholarship players locked in for next season—and a clearer sense of what the rotation could look like. But the job’s not done yet. There’s still room (and need) for at least one more guard, more clarity on the wing, and possibly another late portal swing.

We’ll break down what Jefferson and Miller bring, where they fit, and what still needs to happen before this roster is ready to roll.

Parker Jefferson: Another Big Win Up Front

Gonzaga’s frontcourt was already in a great spot heading into the summer, but landing Parker Jefferson only tightens the screws. The 6’10”, 235-pound big man originally committed to Minnesota before flipping to the Zags late in the cycle—and it’s easy to see why the staff made him a priority. He’s skilled, productive, physically ready, and probably a lot more versatile than he’s getting credit for.

As a senior at Inglewood High School in Southern California, Jefferson averaged over 16 points, 11 boards, and 2 blocks per game, racked up 17 double-doubles, five 30-point outings, and even dropped a triple-double. He was named to the Ocean League All-First Team and finished the year ranked No. 140 nationally by Rivals. On paper, that reads like a classic Olynyk Clinic candidate—exactly the type of multi-year big Gonzaga would typically redshirt, mold, and unleash a season or two down the road.

But that path isn’t a given here.

For one, Jefferson is already bigger and more physically developed than most of the guys who’ve done time in the Clinic. He doesn’t necessarily need to bulk up or figure out how to hold his own inside—he already can. More importantly, he’s shown flashes of an outside shot, which immediately bumps his stock in a rotation that still needs perimeter scoring, even with the addition of Miller. There’s real upside here for playing Jefferson as a stretch four, perhaps coming off the bench for Braden Huff, or even a big-bodied wing if the shot keeps coming along.

The staff could slow-play his development and bring him along in the Drew Timme mold: let him live on the block, polish his footwork, and become a nightmare matchup down low over time. But they could also decide to roll him out off the bench from day one—because, frankly, this team could use shooting wherever it can find it.

Either way, this is a long-term win with real short-term intrigue. Gonzaga’s frontcourt just got a little deeper. And maybe a little more dynamic, too.

Adam Miller: A Veteran Shot-Maker Arrives at the Right Time

This is a big one.

With Adam Miller now in the fold, four of Gonzaga’s five starting spots are all but locked in—and the Zags just got a major dose of experience, athleticism, and shooting in the backcourt. A four-year high-major vet, Miller has started 113 of his 117 career games and scored over 1,200 points in that span. And after years of bouncing between systems that never fully unlocked him, he might finally be landing in the right one.

Miller averaged 9.8 points per game last season and shot a blistering 42.9% from deep—by far the best clip of his career and exactly what Gonzaga needed after a rough year from beyond the arc. He went for 22 against Texas Tech, poured in 18 against eventual national champion Florida, and had a six-game stretch in late January and early February where he averaged nearly 15 points a night. That stretch, notably, came just before Arizona State completely fell apart down the stretch and that average dropped to below 5 points per game for the season’s last leg.

Miller’s late-season scoring dip came as Arizona State’s offense completely unraveled. The team couldn’t space the floor or move the ball, and Miller—often forced to create in isolation—was left taking tough shots in a system that just stopped working. He wasn’t erratic. He was stranded.

Now he steps into a program designed to get 2-guards open looks in rhythm. With Huff and Ike drawing doubles, Miller’s going to eat. He won’t be asked to run point, but there’s a path—like we saw with Nolan Hickman last season—where he slides over to the 1 when Braeden Smith needs a rest. It would give Gonzaga a different tempo at the top and allow the coaching staff to rotate other wings like Warley, Fogle, and/or In through the 2 spot, especially if they want to experiment with lineups early in the season.

The Wings: Options, Not Answers

The Zags have bodies on the wing. But there still aren’t many answers.

Steele Venters was supposed to be that guy two years ago—a long, smooth, high-volume shooter out of Eastern Washington with ideal size and deep range. But after two consecutive season-ending injuries, he hasn’t played a minute of college basketball since 2022. If he’s healthy and back to form, he’s a game-changer. The starting 5 is locked in and the Zags are ready to roll. If not, Gonzaga still has a lot of pieces to play with—but spacing becomes a much trickier puzzle to solve.

Jalen Warley brings size, length, and defensive versatility. He can switch, disrupt, and slash in spurts and has the added benefit of having spent the bulk of last season with the team. But he hasn’t suited up since transferring from Virginia, and we haven’t yet seen what kind of role he can carve out in a Gonzaga offense. The tools are there, there’s plenty of hype worth buying into, but the fit is still theoretical.

Emmanuel Innocenti is the only returning backcourt player who logged real minutes last season. He’s a defensive nightmare—long, aggressive, positionally sound—and should carve out a clear role by season’s end. But he’s not a traditional wing, and his offensive game is still a work in progress (though I, personally, am highly optimistic).

Then there’s Davis Fogle. Fogle, the 6’7” incoming freshman, has the look of a future sniper. He shot the cover off the ball in high school, and the staff clearly likes him. But he’s never played at the college level, and the transition from promising prospect to nightly contributor doesn’t happen overnight.

There’s upside here. But there’s also uncertainty. If the staff feels good about Venters’ health, Warley’s comfort within the system, and/or Fogle’s readiness, they may stand pat. If not, don’t be surprised if they’re still scanning the portal for one more scoring threat on the wing—ideally someone with lots of experience in college who can shoot it and hold their own defensively at the 2 or 3.

Still Missing: A Backup at the One

Braeden Smith is expected to take over as Gonzaga’s starting point guard after a year of learning the system behind Ryan Nembhard. That’s about as ideal a runway as you could hope for—Smith’s a proven winner, and he’s spent a full season getting acclimated to the way Few wants things run.

But right now, there’s no clear backup.

That’s a problem Few and his staff are well aware of. The Zags need another ball-handler—someone who can stabilize the offense, keep pace with the tempo, and ideally knock down open shots when Smith is off the floor. Whether that player is more of a true one or a combo doesn’t matter as much as whether they can run the show when called upon.

The name that’s been linked most consistently is Mario Saint-Supery, an 18-year-old Spanish guard with creativity, vision, and real scoring chops. He’s held his own against grown pros in Spain and has the kind of upside that usually doesn’t stay on the board this late. If Gonzaga can land him, it’s a major win. He’d give the Zags a dynamic bench option right away and could grow into much more. Saint-Supery is not just set to be Krajnovic 2.0, the dude’s an absolute hooper and would make a big difference for the Zags right away if they can bring him in.

Another name that’s surfaced is Desmond Claude, the USC transfer who recently hit the portal after the Trojans brought in Maryland guard Rodney Rice. Claude has been casually linked to Gonzaga, and he’d be a massive get—a big, physical combo guard with experience and a developing outside shot. But Florida is rumored to be the frontrunner, and given Gonzaga’s recent addition of Miller, it’s hard to imagine the Zags putting together an NIL offer that can compete.

If it’s not Saint-Supery or Claude, the search continues—whether through the portal, the international pipeline, or, less likely, a late-emerging high school name. But the need is real, and whoever fills it will be stepping into one of the most demanding roles in college basketball.

What Comes Next

With ten scholarship spots filled and two key additions in the fold, the Zags are in a good place. The frontcourt is deep, experienced, and loaded with complementary skill. The backcourt now has a veteran bucket-getter in Adam Miller and a lead guard in Braeden Smith who’s had a full year to study the system and learn from one of the best to ever run it at Gonzaga.

But the scale of what they lost can’t be ignored. Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman, Ben Gregg, Khalif Battle, and Michael Ajayi are gone. So too are Dusty Stromer, Jun Seok-Yeo, and Graydon Lemke. You don’t replace that overnight.

What’s left is a foundation—Huff, Ike, Smith, and now Miller—that’s good enough to win a lot of games. But they need help. At least one more guard. Maybe another wing. Possibly a late international add. The core is strong, the system is proven, and there’s still time to fill in the rest.

Gonzaga’s not done yet. But they’re getting close.