Gonzaga Continues Utilizing French Recruiting Pipeline, Introduces Another Floor General
The Gonzaga Bulldogs’ summer workouts are underway in the Lilac City, but are short-staffed in the backcourt department. So much so that utility man Jalen Warley, who just signed an NBA Summer League deal with the Indiana Pacers, and Capital City Go-Go combo guard Nolan Hickman are joining in on practices. The two are in town for Spokane Hoopfest this weekend.
Enter Gonzaga’s newest international recruit, lead guard Nathan De Sousa of Cholet Basket in the LNB Elite. The 6-3 ball-handler adds much-needed guard depth and should be the primary backup point guard behind sophomore Mario Saint-Supery. He will only have one year of college eligibility for the Zags.
23-year-old De Sousa is a savvy pass-first guard and fits the Gonzaga system perfectly. Plus, he has a downhill offensive presence to go along with high-arcing floaters.
The crafty Frenchman averaged 10.9 points, 4.9 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game this past season. He had a shooting split of 43 field goal percentage, 36 three-point percentage, and 74 free throw percentage. Gonzaga lacked majorly with their perimeter shooting this past season (ranked No. 218 in all of college basketball at 33.3 percent), and De Sousa looks to help improve upon that, given his vast experience in both the LNB Pro A and LNB Elite with Cholet Basket since 2020.
The Zags’ 2026-27 roster right now looks more and more like a top-ten team ready for the start of the Pac-12 Conference era, with 13 of the 15 roster spots potentially filled.
6-4 sophomore point guard Mario Saint-Supery
6-6 sophomore guard/wing Isiah Harwell (Houston Cougars transfer)
6-7 sophomore wing Davis Fogle
6-10 redshirt senior forward Braden Huff
7-1 sophomore center Massamba Diop (Arizona State Sun Devils transfer)
6-3 senior point guard Nathan De Sousa (France’s Cholet Basket)
6-6 true freshman combo guard Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa (France’s JL Bourg)
6-9 redshirt freshman forward Parker Jefferson
*6-10 forward/center Izan Almansa (Spain’s Real Madrid)
6-5 four-star wing Luca Foster (2026 high school recruiting class)
6-11 four-star center Sam Funches (2026 high school recruiting class)
6-5 walk-on wing Carter Nilson (2026 high school recruiting class)
5-11 walk-on redshirt freshman guard Alonzo Metz
*Needs NCAA to approve college eligibility
The French recruiting pipeline, as well as the Spanish version, is in full swing in Spokane, Washington. A dream destination for both global and domestic talent under the tutelage of coach Mark Few and his ever-so hard-working staff.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
