Gonzaga scores big transfer portal win with former 5-star Houston recruit

Gonzaga basketball sustained a big roster loss with the departure of Emmanuel Innocenti. But the Bulldogs made up for the departure in a big way Sunday. Former Houston five-star signing Isiah Harwell is heading to the future Pac-12 school.

ESPN college basketball insider Jeff Borzello confirmed the College Basketball Transfer Portal move involving both parties.

“Five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American in the 2025 class was a projected NBA draft pick entering the season,” Borzello posted on the social media website X, formerly Twitter.

Borzello predicts the “6-foot-6 guard should be an impact two-way player in the PAC-12.”

Gonzaga makes the move out of the West Coast Conference via the more recent conference realignment cycle. The annual powerhouse will soon form rivalries with Oregon State, Washington State, Boise State, and longtime Mountain West Conference heavyweight San Diego State in the nine-team league.

Adding Harwell becomes proof of how serious Mark Few and company want to stockpile on talent in the conference move.

The Pocatello, Id., native joined a stout freshman class at UH that included fellow five-star Kingston Flemings. Yet Flemings rose as the impact freshman for the Cougars. Harwell settled for only 3.6 points per game alongside 2.0 rebounds. He managed to play in all 32 games, but earned just 13.8 minutes a contest and didn’t crack the starting lineup once.

The Bulldogs aim to redeem themselves following a disappointing finish against Texas. The Longhorns stunned the higher seeded Bulldogs during March Madness, handing Gonzaga two straight second round losses. Gonzaga aims to return to the Final Four for the first time since the 2020-21 season.

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