One more non-surprising decision as the fourth Gonzaga Bulldog puts his name in the transfer portal, the third in the last two days. Graduate wing Steele Venters joins junior wing Emmanuel Innocenti, redshirt junior guard Braeden Smith, and redshirt freshman guard Cade Orness in the search for another college basketball program to call home. Venters will have another season of eligibility pending the status of his application for a waiver to the NCAA.
The 2023 Big Sky Conference Player of the Year with the Eastern Washington Eagles battled multiple scary health setbacks during his time in Spokane, Washington. He had two season-ending injuries during the offseason leading up to the 2023-24 (torn ACL) and 2024-25 (left Achilles tendon) seasons. One has to wonder how much more effective Venter’s time in the Lilac City would’ve been had it not been for all the unfortunate traumas.
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In 2025-26, the 6-7 native of Ellensburg, Washington, averaged 5.0 points on a shooting split of 38.6 field goal percentage/36.7 three-point percentage/83.3 free throw percentage in 15.0 minutes per game. He started 10 of his 27 games played, but fell completely out of Gonzaga’s rotation down the stretch due to his liability as a defender out on the perimeter and struggles shooting from beyond the arc.
As of right now, here are the returners for Gonzaga’s 2026-27 roster:
Sophomore guard Mario Saint-Supery
Sophomore wing Davis Fogle
Redshirt senior forward Braden Huff
Junior center Ismaila Diagne
Redshirt freshman forward Parker Jefferson
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Redshirt junior guard Joaquim Arauz-Moore (walk-on)
Sophomore guard Alonzo Metz (walk-on)
The 2026 high school/international class will consist of four-star wing Luca Foster, four-star center Sam Funches, and four-star combo guard Jack Kayil. 247 Sports has that class ranked No. 23 amongst all college basketball programs.
That makes for 10 of the 15 available 2026-27 roster spots filled, eight of those being on scholarship and the two others being walk-ons. The transfer portal officially opens up the day after the national championship on Tuesday, April 7, and will be open for 15 days until closing on April 26.
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Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
