3 players Mark Few missed out on from Spring transfer portal
Gonzaga Bulldogs coach Mark Few had a less-is-more approach during the offseason after he acquired the services of Pepperdine wingman and West Coast Conference leading scorer Michael Ajayi from the transfer portal.
Few, who coached the Bulldogs to a Sweet 16 appearance this past season, also allowed reserve players Luka Krajinovc and Pavle Stosic to test the transfer portal. As the transfer portal closed on Wednesday, Gonzaga only had 11 players — 10 returnees and Ajayi — in its roster, meaning there are still four scholarship spots left to be filled.
It is still possible that the lineup may rise to 12 as Arkansas transfer guard Khalif Battle is set to visit the school this weekend, according to reports.
That less-is-more approach meant that Few missed a lot of excellent players in the portal as they either committed to other teams or didn't include Gonzaga in their priority list.
With this in mind, here are the three players that he failed to secure their commitments during the transfer portal.
3 players that Mark Few failed to acquire during the transfer portal
#1. Marcus Foster, Xavier
Foster could have filled the spot left off by Anton Watson in the Gonzaga lineup but the former Furman Paladins star opted to commit to Xavier. The 6 ft. 4 guard played for 24 games and averaged 17.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 42.5% from the field this past season.
Foster was one of the key contributors in Furman's 68-67 first-round upset win over No. 4-seed Virginia in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. He scored 14 points in that game.
#2 Jacob Crews, Missouri
Standing at 6 ft. 8, Jacob Crews, had Mark Few's attention when he had a breakout season with UT-Martin. Crews averaged 19.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg and 1.1 apg in 32 games this past season.
He shot 48.5% from the field. This includes a 41.4% clip from the 3-point range, ranking him second in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Gonzaga was among the schools that expressed interest in getting Crews from the transfer portal along with Kansas State, UCLA, Kansas, Arkansas, Illinois and Oklahoma but he chose to play for Missouri for the 2024-25 season.
Before playing for UT-Martin, he played for Daytona State last season, where he scored 19.9 ppg. Crews also had a two-year stint with North Florida.
#3. Roddy Gayle Jr., Michigan
After playing two seasons for Ohio State, Roddy Gayle Jr. switched schools and chose Michigan in the spring transfer season. The 6 ft. 4 guard had a breakout 2023-24 season with the Buckeyes, averaging 13.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 3.1 apg while shooting 44.9% from the field.
Gayle started for 35 of Ohio State's 36 games last season and played for 30.9 minutes per outing. Mark Few will now have to look for a guard that could penetrate and split the defense to free up his spot-up shooters.