Gonzaga’s coaching staff is still elite when it comes to international recruiting.
The Zags landed a surprise first commitment in the 2026 recruiting class from German combo guard Jack Kayil. Standing at 6-5 and weighing 185 pounds, the 19-year-old has quite the touch from deep to go along with his on-and-off-ball versatility, very comfortable in ball screen situations.
The big and skilled guard is one of the top prospects overseas in Germany with a ton of experience under his belt. With KK Mega Basket in Belgrade, Serbia, in the ABA League this past season, Kayil averaged 7.7 points on a shooting split of 39.8 percent from the field, 35.4 percent on three-pointers, and 88.2 percent from the free throw line, while chipping in 2.8 assists, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. He can pull up in your face with a jumper or take you off the dribble with a step-back, just the complete package when it comes to shot-making.
In the FIBA U19 World Cup this summer, he was considered to be one of the best passers in the tournament and an undervalued defender. Kayil put together 11.1 points, 6.6 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game on Germany’s way to winning the silver medal.
“Defensively, he’s consistently generated a high steal rate and has the size/strength to be valuable. He’ll be limited by his lack of length and ideal foot speed. While he turns 20 years old in January, the speed and physicality of the college game could be an adjustment for him on that end of the floor as well.” – 247 Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein
Once (and if) he enters the college level, Kayil should be a more secondary ball-handler and won’t have to be the primary offensive focus like he was with Germany’s U-19 squad.
He will play for Alba Berlin of the Basketball Bundesliga and the Champions League in Germany this fall. Kayil says he’s keeping his options open when it comes to the 2026 NBA Draft.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
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