The pure scorer out on the wing with 1,147 career points in 83 games played will need an extra year of college eligibility granted to him by the NCAA.
After a lull to start the opening of the transfer portal, coach Mark Few and the rest of his Gonzaga coaching staff have hit the ground running as of late, addressing the backcourt with Arizona State’s Adam Miller and now Grand Canyon’s Tyon Grant-Foster. That’s a veteran pair with true offensive firepower.
At 6-7 and 220 pounds, the 2023-24 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year is exactly what the Zags needed. A pure scorer out on the wing who averaged 20.1 points on a 44.6 field goal percentage, 33.1 three-point percentage, and 74.5 free throw percentage to go along with 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game in 34 starts.
The two-time All-WAC member had his production drop in 2024-25. Grant-Foster put together 14.8 points on a 39.9 field goal percentage, 23.2 three-point percentage, and 68.6 free throw percentage, plus 5.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game through 17 starts in 26 appearances.
“Amazing basketball situation. One of the best, if not the best, college coaches in the country. I know this is a place I can go get better in a real way and continue to win at a high level, and it’s been proven through their development of NBA-level wings.” – Tyon Grant-Foster via 247Sports
He will need to be cleared for another year of college eligibility by the NCAA to play with Gonzaga. Grant-Foster started his career with Indian Hills Community College from 2018-20 before transferring to Kansas in 2020-21.
He transferred again to DePaul, where he only played one game in 2021-22 before he collapsed at halftime of the season opener. Grant-Foster had to redshirt during the 2022-23 campaign after going into cardiac arrest and eventually moved to Phoenix to play under coach Bryce Drew. He helped lead the Antelopes to two straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
This moves the 2025-26 roster to 11 scholarships filled of the 15 spots available. Braeden Smith, Steele Venters, Emmanuel Innocenti, Jalen Warley, Davis Fogle, Braden Huff, Ismaila Diagne, Graham Ike, Parker Jefferson, Adam Miller, and now Tyon Grant-Foster. This is one of the more experienced programs in the country, led by eight players over the age of 21. Grant-Foster is the eldest at 25 years old.
Gonzaga will now have a former Patriot League (Braeden Smith), Western Athletic Conference (Tyon Grant-Foster), and Big Sky Conference (Steele Venters) Player of the Year at their disposal. Plus, one of the favorites for the West Coast Conference Player of the Year in Graham Ike.
If the Zags can get a 100 percent healthy Venters to go along with the frontcourt return of Huff and Ike, this is a group that can make some noise in March with the new addition of the long and athletic guard/forward. Grant-Foster needs to be more consistent with shooting the ball, but brings a whole new dynamic when in the open floor.
His versatility on the defensive side is an underrated part of his game. Grant-Foster ranked in the top six percentile nationally in defensive rebound, block, and steal rates this past season. He can switch and guard multiple positions as well as protect the rim.
“While he isn’t a great jump shooter, he is a slashing wing who is a volume scorer on offense. He also had the highest defensive rating of any player in the WAC in 2025.” – 247Sports Director Eric Bossi
With the signing of Grant-Foster, the Zags are most likely out on USC guard Desmond Claude. No official word on if international prospect Mario Saint-Supery from Spain will be joining the program yet.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho