CONGRATULATIONS: Bulldogs G. Ryan Nembhard and girlfriend Welcomes new born baby

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Ryan Nembhard on choosing to come to Gonzaga: ‘One of the best decisions of my life’

‘I love it here man, I’m a Zag for sure so I love this place. This is just such a great family environment out here, something I’ll be a part of forever and I don’t take it for granted.’

During a brutally hot summer day in Spokane in July, the Gonzaga men’s basketball program has begun preparations for the 2024-25 college basketball season.  The message of this particular practice: Don’t count the days, make the days count. “So you gotta prepare today, so we can have separation tomorrow,” assistant coach R-Jay Barsh said to the team. “Don’t count the day, make today count … it’s a mentality, it’s a switch we gotta turn on in your head.” While head coach Mark Few is off with Team USA in the Paris Games, the coaching staff has started to integrate the Bulldogs’ 10 returning players from last season’s Sweet 16 run with a batch of talented newcomers who collectively bring different skill sets to the table. Pepperdine transfer and All-WCC wing Michael Ajayi poses size and athleticism on the perimeter at 6-foot-7, with the ability to knock down the long ball (47.0% on 3-point attempts last season). Khalif Battle, a 6-foot-5 grad transfer from Arkansas, can fill up the scoring column and be a hound defensively. The same goes for Emmanuel Innocenti, another 6-foot-5 transfer from Tarleton State, while 7-foot Senegalese center Ismaila Diagne provides solid rim-running action and a large presence in the paint on defense. How exactly the new pieces fit in with the familiar faces remains to be seen, but if anything is for certain it’s that summer practices don’t lack in competitive spirit. “This is the most competitive summer I’ve had in college basketball,” said Ryan Nembhard. “Every time we play pickup the scores end in a 1-point, 2-point game so I’m just seeing a bunch of guys that are super competitive. I really like this group of guys. I think coach Few is always great at figuring out the roster and figuring out who’s gonna play what minutes and divvying it up that way. I know he’s a great in this sport so he’ll figure it all out.”