Gonzaga Bulldogs sophomore guard Mario Saint-Supery and forward/center commit Izan Almansa will play for their home country of Spain for the final two games of the first phase of the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers. The two Zags were listed as one of the 14 Spanish players on the summer roster.
June 29 (vs. Denmark in Madrid, Spain)
July 5 (vs. Georgia in Tbilisi, Georgia)
6-10 Almansa announced his commitment to the Gonzaga program back in May, but still needs to gain eligibility from the NCAA. His basketball journey is a unique one, to say the least. The Murcia, Spain native has been all over the map, even spending time in the NBA Summer League with the Philadelphia 76ers after going through the draft process and ending up undrafted in 2025.
Real Madrid in Spain (2020-21)
G-League Ignite of the NBA G League (2023-24)
Perth Wildcats in Australia’s NBL (2024-25_
Back to Real Madrid (2025-26)
In the Liga ACB and EuroLeague this past season, Almansa averaged just 5.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in nine minutes played per game for Real Madrid.
6-3 Saint-Supery started in 17 of 35 games at the lead guard spot for coach Mark Few last season. The Malaga, Spain native led the team in assists with 3.8 per game, plus was second in several categories, such as steals per game (1.3), three-point percentage (40.3), and free throw percentage (87.8).
Almansa and Saint-Supery were teammates on Spain’s national team during the 2024 FIBA EuroBasket qualifiers. Zags assistant coach and Director of Basketball Operations Jorge Sanz, a Spaniard himself, was the one who recruited the two over to the Pacific Northwest.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
