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Izan Almansa committed to Gonzaga in May, giving Mark Few a 6-foot-10 former G League Ignite forward with a year in Australia’s NBL, time in Real Madrid’s system and more experience against grown men than most players Gonzaga brings in from the high school or transfer ranks. He joined what is probably the most exciting frontcourt in college basketball for the 2026-27 season, featuring Braden Huff returning from injury and 7-foot-1 Arizona State transfer Massamba Diop.
While Xaivian Lee remains the eligibility question Gonzaga needs answered first, given how thoroughly the point guard spot fell apart this summer, Almansa is not far behind. Huff is the offense, and Diop is the rim protection, but neither player has recently a particular aptitude for cleaning up the glass or imposing their will with physicality in the low post.
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Almansa remains in eligibility limbo while the NCAA decides whether or not his previous professional experience precludes him from the right to join the college ranks in 2026-27. And the Zags need Almansa cleared because he provides the parts of a frontcourt rotation Huff and Diop do not naturally cover: rebounding, physicality and the versatility and size necessary to play either spot as necessary. Almansa could be the difference between Gonzaga having two really good frontcourt players in its starting lineup and Gonzaga having the best frontcourt in the nation.
The Rebounding Math
Huff and Diop unquestionably give Gonzaga one of the best scoring frontcourt duos in the country. Huff averaged 17.8 points on 66.2 percent shooting before the knee injury ended last season, while Diop put up 13.6 points and 2.1 blocks as a 7-foot-1 freshman at Arizona State. Huff can score from the block, the elbow and the perimeter while Diop gives Gonzaga the rim protection Huff has never been asked to provide. There are not many teams that can pair a scorer like Huff with a center Diop’s size and versatility.
The question, though, is what happens after the…
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Publish date : 2026-09-09 01:00:00
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