Sigh of Relief: NCAA Clears French Point Guard Nathan De Sousa

Finally, at least one true floor leader is guaranteed to suit up for coach Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the highly anticipated 2026-27 campaign.

BeBasket was the first to report yesterday that Nathan De Sousa has been cleared to play this upcoming season. The 23-year-old arrived in Spokane, Washington, back on Aug. 29.

De Sousa has been a member of France’s top league, LNB Elite, for the past five seasons with Cholet Basket, a club that also competes in the Basketball Champions League and Euro Cup.

Advertisement

In 2025-26, he averaged 10.9 points on a 44.7 field goal percentage/36.1 three-point percentage/76.9 free throw percentage, 4.9 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.9 steals across 29 games with Cholet Basket in France’s LNB Elite.

De Sousa looks to follow in the footsteps of many legendary Frenchmen to be a part of the Pacific Northwest program’s legacy, like Ronny Turiaf, Killian Tillie, Joel Ayayi, and even Jean-Claude Lefebvre, the first native of France to be drafted in the NBA all the way back in 1960.

A lift off Gonzaga’s shoulders with their ongoing backcourt concerns throughout this chaotic offseason. While this positive announcement means it will just be one year for De Sousa repping the Zags, one has to think that Spain’s Real Madrid forward/center Izan Almansa will also receive a single season of eligibility to compete inside the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Advertisement

Crazy to believe, but it’s just nine days until Kraziness in the Kennel occurs on Oct. 3; 10 confirmed players will be involved with the popular event to tip off the basketball festivities on campus.

Point guard Nathan De Sousa

Sophomore shooting guard/wing Isiah Harwell (Houston Cougars transfer)

Sophomore wing Davis Fogle

Redshirt senior power forward Braden Huff

Sophomore center Massamba Diop (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…