Gonzaga gets major boost ahead of Arkansas exhibition as Izan Almansa is cleared to play

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs received another piece of good news ahead of Saturday’s exhibition opener against Arkansas, with Izan Almansa getting his eligibility cleared by the NCAA.

Gonzaga announced Almansa officially in a social media post on Friday afternoon, which included a clip of the 6’10 forward making a long jumpshot in practice. He joins 23-year-old French point guard Nathan de Sousa in being cleared by the NCAA after a long wait. de Sousa was cleared in late September, after arriving in Spokane a month prior.

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Almansa, a 21-year-old big man from Spain who committed to Gonzaga back on May 12, will have three seasons of college eligibility.

Who is Izan Almansa?

Almansa took a very circuitous route to playing college basketball. The native Spaniard came to the US to play high school basketball, and opted to play professionally for the NBA G League Ignite in the 2023-24 season, where he teamed up with a trio of former Zags in Jeremy Pargo, David Stockton, and Admon Gilder.

The big man played 46 games with the Ignite, averaging 10.5 points and 7.1 rebounds while getting invited to NBA All-Star Weekend to represent the G League in the Rising Stars event.

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Almansa then took his talent to Australia to play for the Perth Wildcats in the NBL, and declared for the 2025 NBA draft following the season.

After going undrafted, Almansa returned home to Spain and played for Real Madrid in Liga Endesa this past season – leaving the club and committing to Gonzaga in mid-May.

Fit at Gonzaga

Gonzaga forward Izan Almansa (13) warms up before Kraziness in the Kennel on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026 | Photo by Myk Crawford

Even though he wasn’t cleared until Friday, Almansa was eligible to practice with Gonzaga and even got a chance to play at Kraziness in the Kennel, where he scored seven points with seven rebounds and one assist in 14 minutes – drawing praise from coach Few for his high basketball IQ and tenacity on the glass.

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“He does a great job,” Few…

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Publish date : 2026-10-23 22:23:00

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