Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs had a busy start to the month of May, securing a commitment from 2025 center Parker Jefferson as well as Arizona State transfer guard Adam Miller on Friday.
The moves give Gonzaga ten scholarship players heading into the 2025-26 season, and make projecting the team’s starting lineup and rotation much easier after losing seven players from last year’s squad.
The Zags aren’t done tinkering with the roster, however, with five open scholarships and a need for a backup point guard to redshirt Braeden Smith and a backup power forward to help keep Graham Ike, Braden Huff, and Ismaila Diagne fresh up front.
It’s unlikely Gonzaga will make a huge splash, but both the international and transfer portal market are swimming with potential under-the-radar additions that could bolster an already solid roster as the Zags look to dominate the WCC one final time before moving to the Pac-12 in 2026-27.
Below is a look at three potential options Gonzaga could purse at power forward who fit the team’s needs, starting with a former all-conference forward with an elite outside shot:
1. Cade Tyson – North Carolina
At this time last year, Cade Tyson was one of the hottest available names in the transfer portal. He was coming off his sophomore season at Belmont where he earned All Missouri Valley conference honors by averaging 16.2 points and shooting a blistering hot 46.5% from beyond the arc on over five attempts per game.
However, Tyson’s lone season in Chapel Hill with the Tar Heels went incredibly poorly, as he averaged under eight minutes per game and shot just 29.2% from three. He scored 81 total points on the season, a huge cry from the 80 made threes he had the previous season at Belmont.
Tyson is the ultimate reclamation project in the transfer portal, and if the Zags believe the 6’7 rising senior is capable of finding the magic that made him one of the best mid-major scorers in the country in 2023-24 they should absolutely bring him into the fold. He’d be undersized at power forward, but adding more floor spacing will only help Graham Ike and Braden Huff dominate down on the block for Gonzaga in 2025-26.
2. Gytis Nemeiksa – Hawaii
Nemeiksa is a 6’7 forward who played in Lithuania for Zalgiris before coming stateside and beginning his college career at Xavier in the Big East, where he averaged 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 36.4% from three in 18.5 minutes per game for the Musketeers in 2023-24.
Nemeiksa hit the portal and landed in Hawaii where he shouldered a bigger offensive load, averaging 12.3 points and 5.6 rebounds while taking nearly twice as many field goal attempts despite playing just 22.8 minutes per night.
Gonzaga has a rich history of developing eastern European talent, including Domantas Sabonis, Filip Petrusev, and Pryzemek Karnowski, and Nemeiksa’s size, veteran experience, and ability to space the floor would make him an ideal final piece to GU’s frontcourt for 2025-26.
3. Vice Zanki – Eastern Washington
Zanki is another eastern European who could appeal to Gonzaga, and he wouldn’t have to move very far after spending the past two seasons in Cheney at Eastern Washington. Zanki is from Zagreb, Croatia – the same town as former Zag Luka Krajnovic – and at 6’8 he’d be an ideal developmental forward for the Zags to play with.
Last season for the Eagles Zanki averaged 5.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 16.6 minutes per game, taking 65% of his shot attempts from beyond the three point line. While his 32.7% clip leaves some to be desired, a big who can space the floor and has room to develop is hardly the worst player the Zags could bring in to round out the frontcourt.
Related: Top Ranked Recruit in 2026 Class Has Plans to Visit Gonzaga
Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs had a busy start to the month of May, securing a commitment from 2025 center Parker Jefferson as well as Arizona State transfer guard Adam Miller on Friday.
The moves give Gonzaga ten scholarship players heading into the 2025-26 season, and make projecting the team’s starting lineup and rotation much easier after losing seven players from last year’s squad.
The Zags aren’t done tinkering with the roster, however, with five open scholarships and a need for a backup point guard to redshirt Braeden Smith and a backup power forward to help keep Graham Ike, Braden Huff, and Ismaila Diagne fresh up front.
It’s unlikely Gonzaga will make a huge splash, but both the international and transfer portal market are swimming with potential under-the-radar additions that could bolster an already solid roster as the Zags look to dominate the WCC one final time before moving to the Pac-12 in 2026-27.
Below is a look at three potential options Gonzaga could purse at power forward who fit the team’s needs, starting with a former all-conference forward with an elite outside shot:
1. Cade Tyson – North Carolina
At this time last year, Cade Tyson was one of the hottest available names in the transfer portal. He was coming off his sophomore season at Belmont where he earned All Missouri Valley conference honors by averaging 16.2 points and shooting a blistering hot 46.5% from beyond the arc on over five attempts per game.
However, Tyson’s lone season in Chapel Hill with the Tar Heels went incredibly poorly, as he averaged under eight minutes per game and shot just 29.2% from three. He scored 81 total points on the season, a huge cry from the 80 made threes he had the previous season at Belmont.
Tyson is the ultimate reclamation project in the transfer portal, and if the Zags believe the 6’7 rising senior is capable of finding the magic that made him one of the best mid-major scorers in the country in 2023-24 they should absolutely bring him into the fold. He’d be undersized at power forward, but adding more floor spacing will only help Graham Ike and Braden Huff dominate down on the block for Gonzaga in 2025-26.
2. Gytis Nemeiksa – Hawaii
Nemeiksa is a 6’7 forward who played in Lithuania for Zalgiris before coming stateside and beginning his college career at Xavier in the Big East, where he averaged 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 36.4% from three in 18.5 minutes per game for the Musketeers in 2023-24.
Nemeiksa hit the portal and landed in Hawaii where he shouldered a bigger offensive load, averaging 12.3 points and 5.6 rebounds while taking nearly twice as many field goal attempts despite playing just 22.8 minutes per night.
Gonzaga has a rich history of developing eastern European talent, including Domantas Sabonis, Filip Petrusev, and Pryzemek Karnowski, and Nemeiksa’s size, veteran experience, and ability to space the floor would make him an ideal final piece to GU’s frontcourt for 2025-26.
3. Vice Zanki – Eastern Washington
Zanki is another eastern European who could appeal to Gonzaga, and he wouldn’t have to move very far after spending the past two seasons in Cheney at Eastern Washington. Zanki is from Zagreb, Croatia – the same town as former Zag Luka Krajnovic – and at 6’8 he’d be an ideal developmental forward for the Zags to play with.
Last season for the Eagles Zanki averaged 5.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 16.6 minutes per game, taking 65% of his shot attempts from beyond the three point line. While his 32.7% clip leaves some to be desired, a big who can space the floor and has room to develop is hardly the worst player the Zags could bring in to round out the frontcourt.
Related: Top Ranked Recruit in 2026 Class Has Plans to Visit Gonzaga
