Gonzaga’s next steps after missing out on Isiah Harwell

Gonzaga’s next steps after missing out on Isiah Harwell

Gonzaga’s top high school recruit for 2025 has officially committed elsewhere. Isaiah Harwell, the 5-star shooting guard from Wasatch Academy in Utah, chose Houston over Gonzaga, Texas, and Cal, according to an announcement last Thursday. The 6’6” Idaho native would have been a huge get for the Zags, who will be sorely thin in the backcourt once Nolan Hickman, Ryan Nembhard, and Khalif Battle depart at the end of this season, but as Gonzaga has demonstrated time and again, they don’t rebuild—they reload.

Harwell’s commitment to Houston was not exactly a shock to anyone who’d been paying attention over the last few months. When it comes to player development, Houston has the edge over Gonzaga for defensively minded guards like Harwell. He’ll step into a Houston program that has recently sent seven different guards to the NBA, including Jarace Walker, Jamal Shead, and Marcus Sasser—all of whom finished their UH careers as big-bodied, NBA-ready guards with plenty of speed and physicality. This isn’t to say Harwell wouldn’t fit in at Gonzaga; it’s just that, in terms of his size and style of play, he currently looks more like a Cougar than a Bulldog.

The specifics of Harwell’s NIL situation are murky and what he can be expected to earn at Houston is purely speculative at this point. He has, however, already signed NIL deals with Klutch Athletics and according to On3.com, boasts an NIL valuation of roughly $418,000, the 14th highest total valuation in the class of 2025.

Harwell is undeniably a gifted young player and he’s likely to get significant minutes at Houston in 2025. He’s the highest-ranked recruit ever to sign with Kelvin Sampson’s team (number 10 nationally, according to 247Sports) and he could very well become one of the premier guards in the country once next season begins. Gonzaga, however, has never relied heavily on freshmen minutes. Coach Few has consistently shown a preference for experience and maturity over raw talent, especially in the backcourt. Plus, there’s always the uncertainty of how long any team might retain Harwell if he lives up to the hype and decides to leap to the NBA after just one or two seasons.

In the absence of Harwell, Zag fans can take comfort in the following list of names:

• Ryan Nembhard
• Malachi Smith
• Rasir Bolton
• Andrew Nembhard
• Aaron Cook
• Admon Gilder
• Ryan Woolridge
• Nigel Williams-Goss
• Eric McClellan
• Jordan Matthews
• Dan Dickau

• All of these guards arrived at Gonzaga as transfers and made an immediate impact once they did. Some will go down as absolute legends in Gonzaga lore. Over the last five years, no program in the country has gotten more out of its transfers than Gonzaga, according to Sports Illustrated. If the Bulldogs stick to their recruiting priorities, losing out on Isaiah Harwell will soon be a total non-story.

  The next steps for the Bulldogs will involve a mix of continuing to recruit high-level talent from high school and aggressively hitting the transfer portal once this season wraps up. They’re still waiting to hear from point guard Kingston Flemings, but recent reports suggest that the odds are tipping away from Gonzaga, with Arkansas and the University of Texas ramping up their recruiting efforts in the 11th hour. The only firm commit for the class of 2025 remains Davis Fogle, for the time being.

  Missing out on Harwell is certainly a gut check for fans. After several years of hearing Harwell’s name and waiting expectantly, the Zags got Zoom’d once again. The simple fact, however, is that high school is no longer the primary recruiting source for top talent, especially in guard play. Gonzaga will have a great shooting guard in 2025, there is no doubt about it. The loss of Harwell simply ensures that it will most likely be a transfer portal addition as opposed to a young high school recruit. No team works the portal as expertly as Gonzaga, and no team gets more production from its transfers than Gonzaga. In short, fans have absolutely nothing to worry about even without Harwell.

  While the Zags may have missed out this time, there’s no telling how many experienced and skilled combo guards will become available in 2025. There’s also no reason to suspect the next Isiah Harwell won’t elect to sign with Gonzaga this time next year.