Nathan De Sousa is officially cleared to suit up for Coach Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the highly anticipated 2026-27 season, finally guaranteeing a true floor leader for the squad! BeBasket dropped the news yesterday, and man, it’s a huge sigh of relief. The 23-year-old French guard arrived in Spokane back on August 29, ready to make an immediate impact.
From France’s Top League To The Kennel
This isn’t some fresh-faced rookie; De Sousa is an experienced guard from France’s top league, LNB Elite. He’s spent the last five seasons balling out with Cholet Basket, a club that also competes in the Basketball Champions League and Euro Cup. Talk about a veteran presence! Last season, 2025-26, he put up some solid numbers across 29 games in France: 10.9 points, hitting 44.7% from the field, 36.1% from three-point land, and 76.9% from the charity stripe. Plus, he dished out 4.9 assists, grabbed 2.5 rebounds, and snagged 0.9 steals. That’s a well-rounded game right there! He’s looking to follow in the footsteps of legendary Frenchmen who’ve graced this Pacific Northwest program, names like Ronny Turiaf, Killian Tillie, Joel Ayayi, and even Jean-Claude Lefebvre, who was the first native of France drafted in the NBA way back in 1960. History repeating itself, you love to see it!
Relief For The Backcourt, But Roster Chaos Lingers
This positive announcement is a massive lift off Gonzaga’s shoulders, especially with all the ongoing backcourt concerns throughout this chaotic offseason. While De Sousa is set for just one year repping the Zags, it makes you wonder if Spain’s Real Madrid forward/center Izan Almansa will also snag a single season of eligibility to compete inside the McCarthey Athletic Center. It’s crazy to think, but Kraziness in the Kennel is just nine days away on October 3! Ten confirmed players will be there to kick off the basketball festivities on campus: point guard Nathan De Sousa, sophomore shooting guard/wing Isiah Harwell (a Houston Cougars transfer), sophomore wing Davis Fogle, redshirt senior power forward Braden Huff, sophomore center Massamba Diop (an Arizona State Sun Devils transfer), redshirt freshman power forward/small-ball center Parker Jefferson, true freshman wing Luca Foster, true freshman center Sam Funches, preferred freshman walk-on wing Carter Nelson, and redshirt freshman walk-on point guard Alonzo Metz. Even with this news, the roster isn’t officially complete in late September, what with all the nonsensical 5-in-5 lawsuits happening across college basketball. Florida Gators lead guard transfer Xaivian Lee is still waiting for a trial with the NCAA next week. And for whatever reason, French combo guard Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa’s picture isn’t even hanging on the walls of the Volkar Center.
Still, Kraziness in the Kennel is coming up quick on October 3, and seeing De Sousa out there is going to be electric. What other pieces will fall into place before the season officially tips off? We’ll be watching!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply