After rushing from the Spokane County Courthouse to the McCarthey Athletic Center, wing Tyon Grant-Foster hit the court for warmups and received a loud ovation from the Kennel. The Grand Canyon transfer beat the NCAA and was granted a preliminary injunction.
When Grant-Foster checked in for the first time against Western Oregon, the reception he heard from the crowd would give anyone chills. The emotions could be seen on his face as he hit the floor.
“I want to give a shoutout to the coaching staff. I appreciate them. It was times it got hard and they could’ve moved on from this, but they never did. That’s a testament to this program. That’s why they’ve been so good…. I’ve been dealing with so much uncertainty. I could practice, but I knew it could end tomorrow. Now that weight is off me, I can go to sleep now. I jump higher. Adam (Miller) told me that.” – Gonzaga’s Tyon Grant-Foster
The Kennel did go silent after Grant-Foster hurt his shin in the second half. He would limp towards the locker room with assistant athletic director/health and performance trainer Josh Therrien, but eventually made his way back to the bench. Grant-Foster finished with four points, three rebounds, three turnovers, an assist, and a steal in nine minutes during the 111-53 rout over Division II Western Oregon in the last exhibition before the true start of the Zags’ 2025-26 season.
“We are gonna have a real special year. Everyone is bought in. The culture is crazy here. You feel it when you walk in to the arena from ticket people to janitors. I’m grateful to be here.” – Gonzaga’s Tyon Grant-Foster
Outside of Grant-Foster stealing all the attention, graduate student forward Graham Ike, junior redshirt forward Braden Huff, and sophomore center Ismaila Diagne showed off their massive size, combining for 54 points and 19 rebounds. This Gonzaga frontcourt is considered the most talented in the country for a reason, showcasing their length and skill around the basket on a consistent basis.
The Zags destroyed the undersized Wolves in points in the paint, 74-10.
As for freshman guard Davis Fogle, he continues to be the most impressive through the two exhibitions for Gonzaga, showing off his complete scoring prowess. Fogle chipped in 13 points on a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line, to go along with four rebounds and two assists. He’s even catching the attention of local businesses, appearing in a Bill’s Heating and A/C commercial on the local broadcast.
The Zags improved as a team when hitting from the charity stripe compared to the first exhibition against Northwest, going 25-for-28 (89.3 percent) versus Western Oregon.
In 2027 recruiting news, “We want Dooney” chants could be heard from the student body as the 6-5 guard was on his official visit. The Milwaukee Juneau product is hearing from other programs like Wake Forest, Marquette, Wisconsin, and Indiana.
Gonzaga is already 2-for-2 with receiving commits from recruits who have already gone on official visits this season (four-star center Sam Funches and four-star wing Luca Foster in the 2027 recruiting class), and now, the Zags could get even more dudes.
The Zags’ season-opener comes against the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s Texas Southern on Monday, Nov. 3, at 6 p.m. PT on ESPN+.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
