Gonzaga Defeats NAIA Northwest in First Exhibition, 111-62

In their fashionable red/blue warm-up pants, it was redshirt junior guard Braeden Smith, senior guard Adam Miller, senior guard Steele Venters, junior forward Braden Huff, and senior Graham Ike getting the starting nod for Gonzaga pregame versus the NAIA Northwest Eagles from nearby Kirkland, Washington. It was strange to see some open seats in the Kennel, but somewhat understandable with an opponent like this.

Very early on during the first half, the well-talked-about double point guard lineup of Smith and Spanish freshman guard Mario Saint-Supery (all of his 12 points came in the second half, going 2-for-2 from beyond the arc) was thrown out by coach Mark Few. That is a combination that will be seen quite often in the backcourt throughout 2025-26. Extreme ball security and rotation of the offense.

Smith, a Colgate Raiders transfer, had his team running and gunning up the floor, something that should be expected from the Zags’ quick-paced offense. The lead guard put in 15 points on a shooting clip of 4-for-6 from the field, 2-for-4 on three-pointers, and 6-for-8 at the free throw line, adding in a tied-for-team-high four assists (Huff chipped in four as well, plus his 13 points on 6-for-10 shooting and six rebounds).

Florida State Seminoles and Virginia Cavaliers senior transfer Jalen Warley did it all for Gonzaga off the bench, concluding with a near double-double at nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds. His defensive abilities and speed overall are his strengths, but if he can be a viable option as a scorer like this on alley-oop pass from Smith, watch out. Get ready for a lot of explosive offensive plays like this when Smith leading the break.

Venters has been eager to get back on the court in a real game situation, not playing since the 2023 NIT with the Eastern Washington Eagles. A beautiful sight to see when he hit his first snipe in a catch-and-shoot situation. Hopefully, his personal shooting percentage from deep can bring up the Bulldogs’ 35.4 three-point shooting percentage from the 2024-25 season, which was the worst in the Few era.

In just his second time playing in front of a McCarthey Athletic Center crowd, freshman Davis Fogle owned the most surprising, yet most impressive performance of the afternoon after finishing with a game-high 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting from the field. He had three strong flushes at the rim and executed that pretty mid-range jumper of his on multiple possessions. Those were just an early taste of his NBA potential.

The minutes out of the wing position will be tough to distribute. An abundance of versatile scoring weapons is available. Junior Emmanuel Innocenti also wasn’t suited up today, nursing a hip injury that he suffered towards the end of the Blue-White scrimmage at Kraziness in the Kennel a couple of weeks ago.

The Zags as a whole did struggle from the charity stripe, only completing 57.1 percent on 24-for-42. Remember to take results from an exhibition like this (especially against an NAIA program) with a grain of salt; the same goes for the final practice test before the start of the 2025-26 non-conference, facing off with the D-II Western Oregon Wolves on Monday, October 27th at 6 p.m. PT on KHQ.

Grand Canyon transfer Tyon-Grant Foster, who just yesterday heard that his appeal for an extra year of eligibility waiver was denied by the NCAA, was seen going through pregame stretches. His practice waiver, which was granted by the NCAA over two weeks ago, no longer applies as he awaits the results of his preliminary injunction on Thursday.

Few spoke on the confusing matter postgame with the media, and you can feel the emotion, frustration in his voice with the outcome to this point.

“I have a lot of respect for and have been a big proponent of the NCAA and they have a tough gig, but they are wrong on this one.” – Gonzaga coach Mark Few

In recruiting news out of the 2026 class, four-star wing Luca Foster from Link Academy in Branson, Missouri, was in the house on his official visit against Northwest. The “We Want Luca” chants broke out from the Kennel Club, and everyone knows how that helped out with 2026 four-star center Sam Funches’ decision to join Zag Nation during his official visit to Kraziness in the Kennel. The 6-11 Madison, Mississippi, native would commit just two weeks later, after the event.

Foster’s other eight finalists are the Villanova Wildcats, Oklahoma Sooners, Michigan Wolverines, Georgetown Hoyas, Ohio State Buckeyes, Virginia Cavaliers, Pittsburgh Panthers, and Oregon Ducks.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho