Gonzaga is now free to pursue Donovan Dent and Xaivian Lee

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are one giant step closer to finalizing the roster with a massive splash in the transfer portal.

On Tuesday, a judge in California granted a temporary restraining order, or TRO, for 73 plaintiffs, which makes them eligible for the upcoming 2026-27 season, pending NCAA appeal.

Advertisement

Among the plaintiffs are two point guard targets for the Zags, Donovan Dent and Xaivian Lee, from UCLA and Florida, respectively. Lee has now confirmed he plans to enter the transfer portal, per Joe Tipton of On3, while Dent has previously said he plans to as well. The TRO is granting a transfer portal window through August 24.

Many other high-profile players are also eligible under this ruling, including Jordan Pope, Aidan Mahaney, Moe Odum, Oziyah Sellers, Jaxon Kohler, and former Gonzaga women’s basketball starter Ines Bettencourt.

What the California ruling means for Gonzaga

Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) dribbles the ball against UCF Knights guard Chris Johnson (22) in the first half during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Gonzaga has been heavily pursuing an elite point guard to replace Mario Saint-Supery, who surprised the team with his decision to return to Spain in mid-July after working out in Spokane for over a month.

Advertisement

Both Dent and Lee have been on the team’s radar, but neither was eligible to come to Gonzaga until now. The federal ruling in Colorado granted eligibility to all members of the high school class of 2022, including Lee and Dent, but only allowed players to transfer if they had previously entered the portal back in April – which neither had done.

This TRO gives the plaintiffs an opportunity to transfer freely, and if it is not successfully appealed by the NCAA, they will be able to suit up anywhere this season penalty-free.

Lee also played in the NBA Summer League and may have signed an Exhibit 10 deal, and as of…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/gonzaga-now-free-pursue-donovan-180551295.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-08-18 18:05:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.