How will Gonzaga address its new void in the backcourt? | Transfer portal (and other) targets 2.0
May 16—In a span of 48 hours this week, Gonzaga experienced both the highs and lows that can come with assembling a college basketball roster in 2026.
On Tuesday morning, the Zags picked up a commitment from Spanish forward Izan Almansa, a 6-foot-10 pro with G League experience who should immediately factor into GU’s frontcourt rotation, potentially as the third big behind Braden Huff and Massamba Diop.
Gonzaga cemented its depth at one position but quickly watched it disintegrate at another. One day later, Germany’s Jack Kayil — one of the top international prospects planning to play college hoops in 2026-27 — revealed he’d stay in the NBA draft, passing on the opportunity to suit up for Gonzaga.
Without Kayil, the Zags still possess what many project a top-15 roster in the sport entering next season, but his decision leaves them with just two true guards on the roster and a new vacancy to fill in the upcoming weeks and months.
It’s not too late to go portal shopping, but the vast majority of top transfers have already announced commitments, thinning the pool of prospects Gonzaga will look at to locate Kayil’s replacement.
Below, we take a look at five potential transfer portal options and international prospects who’ve already heard from Gonzaga or could draw attention from Mark Few’s coaching staff as they look to finalize the 2026-27 roster.
Vyctorius Miller, G, 6-5, 170
Previous schools: Oklahoma State and LSU
The scoop: Miller checks a few important boxes for Gonzaga. He’s one of the top guards still available in the portal, rating No. 134 on the initial transfer list published by On3.com, and he has a previous relationship with Few’s staff. Miller initially listed Gonzaga as one of his five finalists in November of 2023, along with Oregon, USC, LSU and the G League Ignite path. Gonzaga was the only finalist Miller never visited, so it’s hard to know how much mutual interest there was, but it still suggests there was a level of familiarity between the two sides that will be helpful should the Zags choose to pursue him three years later. Miller averaged 8.9 points on 44.7% shooting and 31.8% from the 3-point line as a freshman at LSU. His overall field goal percentage dropped to 41.8% last season at Oklahoma State, but his perimeter shooting improved drastically, to 37.5% as a sophomore.
The fit: The Zags have already brought in two transfers from the Big 12, so why not make it a third? Miller started in 26 of 32 games for Oklahoma State last season and would immediately become a candidate to start alongside Mario Saint-Supery. The junior doesn’t profile as a combo guard and wouldn’t be able to fill in as Gonzaga’s secondary ball-handler — the role Kayil was expected to fill — but his upside as a scorer and 3-point shooting are intriguing for a team that made just 34% from behind the arc last season.
Jeremiah Johnson, G, 6-4, 180
Previous schools: Campbell and Green Bay
The scoop: Johnson is looking to make a high-major leap after playing his freshman season in the Horizon League under Doug Gottlieb at Green Bay and spending his sophomore season at Campbell, where he was coached by former Washington State and Florida assistant John Andrzejek. Johnson was on Gonzaga’s scouting report last season when the Camels visited McCarthey Athletic Center for a nonconference game on Dec. 17 and scored eight points on 3-of-6 shooting in a 98-70 loss. It was one of just seven single-digit scoring games all season for the guard who averaged 15.2 points on 44.9% shooting and 37.4% from 3-point range.
The fit: As of last month, Gonzaga and at least 15 programs from high-major conferences had reached out to Johnson. The Zags didn’t have a clear-cut starting role to offer at the time, but the development surrounding Kayil could change things for Johnson and other transfers who’d previously eliminated GU from their lists. Johnson, who played high school basketball with incoming Gonzaga guard Isiah Harwell at Wasatch Academy, averaged only 1.6 assists his first two college seasons but has experience playing point guard and could conceivably slide into a combo guard role for the Zags.
Ethan Copeland, G, 6-2, 180
Previous school: Stetson
The scoop: Among other things, the Zags are looking to address outside shooting issues coming off the lowest 3-point percentage of Few’s tenure in Spokane. One way to do that is adding a shooter of Copeland’s caliber. The Stetson transfer and Sunnyside native ranked top-20 nationally in 3-pointers per game (3.3) and 3-point percentage (42.9%) while averaging 15 points per game as a junior. Copeland rebounds well for his size, averaging 3.7 boards last season, and demonstrated he could play on the ball, ranking second on the team in assists at 2.1 per game. Before a standout season at Stetson, Copeland played two junior college seasons at Salt Lake Community College and Utah State Eastern.
The fit: Before we get any further, a caveat: We’re not offering Copeland’s name here as a potential Kayil replacement, but rather as a solid rotation piece who could supply 3-point shooting off Gonzaga’s bench. Yes, the Zags need another high-level shooting/combo guard who will compete for starting minutes, but with only nine scholarship players at the moment — and sufficient depth at virtually every other position — there’s still room for one or two more backcourt players who can vie for time off the bench. Copeland reportedly took a Zoom meeting with GU’s coaching staff last month, but there haven’t been any recent updates surrounding his recruitment.
Adam Atamna, G, 6-5, 205
Previous team: ASVEL Basket
The scoop: As the transfer portal continues to dry up, the Zags could elect to replace one international prospect with another. Atamna recently withdrew his name from the draft, but the young guard debuted at No. 58 on ESPN’s 2026 NBA Draft Big Board rankings and could transform into a first-round selection by 2027. A native of Lyon, France, the 18-year-old Atamna currently plays for Tony Parker’s ASVEL Basket and averaged 7.7 ppg, 2.2 apg and 1.4 rpg in the French Pro A Division this year. Atamna’s 3-point shooting (32.9%) is still a work in progress, but he made 58.2% of his 2-point shots in 25 games last season and connected at an impressive 92.9% clip from the free throw line.
The fit: Atamna hasn’t committed to the college route and the crafty guard could continue to sharpen his game in Europe before re-entering the draft next season. If he chooses to play in the U.S., however, Gonzaga becomes a logical option given the Zags’ newfound need for a combo guard and the program’s previous success with French players like Joel Ayayi and Killian Tillie. Atamna recently spent a week in the Pacific Northwest playing at the Nike Hoops Summit in Portland, where he was one of the standout players during practices for Team World before scoring five points and dishing out three assists in a 102-100 loss to Team USA.
Savo Drezgic, G, 6-4, 190
Previous team/school: Mega Superbet, Georgia
The scoop: Drezgic was sitting on Georgia’s bench as the Bulldogs were bounced from the NCAA Tournament by Gonzaga in 2025. After returning to his home country of Serbia to play for Mega Superbet in 2025-26, the point guard is eyeing a return to the U.S., according to agent Misko Raznatovic. Drezgic played sparingly as a freshman at Georgia, averaging just 6.8 minutes in eight appearances while averaging 2.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg and 0.5 apg. He took advantage of an expanded role last season as the starting point guard for Mega Superbet, averaging 15.4 ppg, 4.0 apg and 3.9 rpg while shooting 41.9% from the field and 34.4% from the 3-point line.
The fit: It’s not clear if Gonzaga has made contact, but Drezgic’s agency has heard from “5-6 of last year’s NET Top 25-ranked programs,” according to NBA draft analyst Ersin Demir, and Raznatovic indicated on X the guard will make a decision on his future “in the coming days.” At Gonzaga, Drezgic either projects as a starting two-guard next to Saint-Supery or a backup point guard who’d be able to spell the Spanish sophomore off the bench.
