Goodson leaving GU to play football

Just filed this for the S-R website…

By Jim Meehan

Staff writer

Gonzaga point guard Demetri Goodson, who started 68 of 69 games the last two seasons, is leaving the basketball program to play college football, Bulldogs coach Mark Few said Tuesday.

Goodson recently completed his junior season. Few said because GU doesn’t offer football, Goodson can transfer to another school and he will have two years of eligibility. Goodson is expected to return to his home state of Texas, possibly at Texas A&M, where his older brother Mike played running back, or Texas State, coached by Dennis Franchione, who was Mike’s coach at Texas A&M.

“I’m proud to be associated with him,” Few said. “He’s a tough kid, a great teammate and from a coaching standpoint, day in and day out at practice he gave everything he had and in games, too. That’s a great quality.

“He gave it a good run up here, but his heart is kind of set on this. I just want him to graduate, and he’s in great shape to do that and then he’ll be in great position for the rest of his life.”

Before Goodson verbally committed to Gonzaga in Oct. 2007, Arizona State offered him a football scholarship even though he hadn’t played the sport since his sophomore year at Klein Collins High in Spring, Texas.