Gonzaga’s frontcourt pillars are running it back once again. What does it mean for the Bulldogs’ 2025-26 season?

In an offseason that’s felt more like a waiting game than a whirlwind, Gonzaga quietly scored a huge victory—and it didn’t come from the transfer portal. Graham Ike and Braden Huff, the pillars of last year’s dominant frontcourt, have officially committed to return to Spokane for another season. Ike, a force who easily could have chased professional opportunities overseas or tested NBA waters, instead chose one final ride with the Zags. Huff, whose name briefly fluttered through portal rumors himself, opted once again to share the spotlight rather than chase solo stardom elsewhere. For a program like Gonzaga, which relies far more on culture and continuity than splashy NIL deals, retaining this duo is about as big as offseason victories get.

Why Retaining Ike and Huff Matters So Much

In today’s college basketball landscape, retaining talent like Graham Ike and Braden Huff is almost unheard of—especially for a program without a massive NIL war chest. Big men who can score, stretch the floor, and anchor an offense don’t just stick around out of loyalty anymore. They test the NBA waters. They chase big-money transfer offers. They look for bigger roles and bigger stages. And across the country this offseason, we’ve seen exactly that happen: Jayden Quaintance (Arizona State to Kentucky), Henri Veesaar (Arizona to North Carolina), Owen Freeman (Iowa to Creighton), Zvonimir Ivisic (Arkansas to Illinois), Michael Rataj (Oregon State to Baylor), Malik Reneau (Indiana to Miami). High-level frontcourt players are jumping from big program to big program—and almost always with major NIL money in the background.

That’s the environment Gonzaga is operating in—and still, Ike and Huff chose to stay.

It’s a continuation of a pattern the Zags have quietly mastered. Drew Timme could have left after his breakout junior year but returned for one more run. Anton Watson stuck it out for a fifth year. Julian Strawther, despite having a path to the NBA, chose to come back for the 2022–23 season and became a March Madness legend. Now, Ike and Huff are following the same path: prioritizing loyalty, growth, and unfinished business over quick paydays.

Splitting Time, Dominating Opponents

For most of the season, Graham Ike and Braden Huff were a nightmare for opposing defenses even while sharing the same real estate. Ike, the steady anchor, was Gonzaga’s go-to option on the block, averaging 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting an incredible 59.8% from the field. He even stretched the floor when needed, knocking down nearly 40% of his threes—small sample size or not, he was one of the Zags’ most reliable outside scorers. Huff, meanwhile, emerged as one of the best per-minute producers in college basketball, averaging 11 points and 3.4 rebounds in just 16.6 minutes per game and shooting a blistering 57.7% from the floor. His signature weapon: a soft-touch floater while moving through the middle of the key—an almost impossible shot to defend that Huff used to absolutely menace defenses in high screen-and-roll action.

When Huff moved into the starting lineup alongside Ike for the final stretch—the WCC Tournament Championship game against Saint Mary’s, and the two NCAA Tournament games that followed—the dynamic shifted again. Instead of cannibalizing each other’s touches or clogging the lane, the pairing unlocked a new dimension for Gonzaga’s offense.

Mark Few has dabbled with two-big lineups before—most notably with the Drew Timme–Chet Holmgren pairing in 2021–22—but the Ike-Huff combination brings a different dynamic. Timme and Holmgren were masterful finesse players who could pick defenses apart with touch and footwork, but they weren’t built to overwhelm teams physically. Ike is a true bruiser—someone who can carve out space, initiate contact, and force defenses to collapse.

Huff complements him perfectly, not by muscling up himself, but by slicing into the gaps Ike creates. His quick touch shots and devastating floaters punish defenders who overhelp inside. Instead of relying on finesse and spacing like the Timme-Holmgren pairing, this frontcourt gives Few the option to run an interior offense built on pressure, quick reads, and relentless physical attacks—forcing defenses to react rather than dictate.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of the Ike-Huff Frontcourt

Pairing Graham Ike and Braden Huff gave Gonzaga a frontcourt with a rare combination of size, skill, and versatility. Few teams had the personnel to handle one skilled post scorer; almost nobody had the size or mobility to contain two. The two bigs consistently forced rotations and created open looks for everyone else.

But there were real limitations defensively—especially against true size. Neither Ike nor Huff is a traditional rim protector, and while they held up fine against quickness and pick-and-roll actions, they were vulnerable against bigger, more physical post players. Ike, for all his strength and footwork, stands 6’9” and sometimes found himself giving up easy looks against true seven-footers. Huff, despite his mobility and length, isn’t a vertical shot-blocking threat either. Against elite frontcourts with real size, Gonzaga sometimes struggled to alter shots or protect the rim.

One important development, though, is the continued growth of sophomore Ismaila Diagne. The true seven-footer showed real flashes of brilliance in limited minutes last season, offering a different look Few can deploy when needed. Diagne’s size, length, and defensive instincts give Gonzaga a way to shore up the rim without abandoning their ability to score inside. If Diagne continues to progress, he could become a key piece in solving one of the few structural issues facing this otherwise devastating frontcourt.

What It Means for Gonzaga’s 2025 – 26 Roster

Exactly how the frontcourt rotation shakes out remains to be seen. Ike and Huff started together for the final games of last season, and whether Mark Few sticks with that alignment or manages their minutes separately will depend on matchups. Either way, Gonzaga knows who its frontcourt will be built around—and it’s a group good enough to make a case as the best in the country.

At point guard, Gonzaga will turn to Braeden Smith, who spent last season redshirting and learning behind Ryan Nembhard. The Zags could have shelled out for one of the many talented point guards in the transfer portal this year, but none would arrive with the kind of experience Smith has after a year inside the program, studying under the best passer and floor general Gonzaga has ever had. Smith steps in ready to run the show—not just talented, but trained in exactly how Gonzaga’s offense needs to operate.

Gonzaga hasn’t solved everything yet—but by keeping Ike, Huff, and Smith, they answered the most important question and gave themselves the foundation every contender needs.

No matter who Gonzaga adds through the transfer portal, nothing will matter more than keeping Graham Ike and Braden Huff. Retaining two proven, versatile big men—players who already know the system, already know each other, and already know how to win—gives Gonzaga a head start few other teams have. Portal additions can fill gaps. They can patch holes. But holding onto stars is what keeps a program’s foundation intact.

In an era where rosters turn over at breakneck speed and loyalty is bought as much as earned, Ike and Huff choosing to stay might be the single biggest story of Gonzaga’s offseason. It’s not flashy. It’s not headline-grabbing. But it’s exactly how you keep winning.