Neither of us wanted to leave. We were thinking, ‘If we have the same bunch coming back [and] get a couple of fresh players in, I think we can make a run at it this year,’ Gregg explained.
While programs throughout the country spent the entire offseason searching through the transfer portal in an attempt to rebuild their rosters from scratch, Spokane remained relatively quiet. As the deadline to enter the portal passed on May 1, the men’s basketball social media team confirmed that, yes, sometimes no news is good news — seven of the top eight scorers from last season’s Sweet 16 squad were back for another run in 2024-25, including four of five starters and ten players overall from a 27-8 squad that won 15 of its last 18 games.
“I don’t think anyone even thought about leaving,” Ben Gregg said of Gonzaga’s remaining roster. “No one wanted to leave. Last year, we thought we had done something exceptional when we made it to the Sweet 16. We were thinking, “If we bring back the same group and add a couple of new players, I think we can make a run at it this year.”
Those expectations were realized when Mark Few and the coaching staff diversified the rotation with veteran players who brought different skill sets to the roster. Michael Ajayi, a 6-foot-7 wing who shot 47.0% from 3-point range previous season, transfers to Pepperdine.
Arkansas graduate transfer Khalif Battle is a dynamic scorer, unlike Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman. So does 6-foot-5 guard Emmanuel Innocenti, who was a defensive specialist as a freshman at Tarleton State.
The increased firepower is supported by the numbers: Ajayi led the West Coast Conference in scoring with 17.2 points per game, while Battle has over 1,300 points in his career and averaged 29.6 points in his final seven games with the Razorbacks. Both are expected to play significant roles in the Bulldogs’ up-tempo attack, but Gregg has noticed their defensive efforts thus far in practice.
“I think the biggest thing that stands out is just how good they are defensively,” Gregg said of Ajayi and Battle. “Michael and KB are both quite strong and athletic. “Having those guys come into our system and help us on defense is going to be huge.”
Gregg shared more about what he’s looking forward to next season, his latest NIL opportunities and much more on a new Gonzaga Nation episode.
