Top Spanish prospect Mario Saint-Supery signs financial aid agreement with Gonzaga

Months after initially being linked to Mark Few’s program, top Spanish guard Mario Saint-Supery has finalized a long-anticipated move Gonzaga.

Saint-Supery, a highly-regarded European prospect who’s played professionally in Spain’s Liga Endesa and represented his country at the international level, has signed a financial aid agreement to play for the Zags in 2025-26, the school announced in a press release.

Saint-Supery arrives at Gonzaga as a freshman with four years of eligiblity, the school’s sports information department confirmed.

The announcement comes roughly two months after the 19-year-old was initially linked to Gonzaga through a report from Spanish writer Chema de Lucas.

Saint-Supery recently arrived in Spokane and attended Spokane Hoopfest festivities on Saturday with a contingent of current Gonzaga players that included Graham Ike, Braden Huff, Emmanuel Innocenti, Ismaila Diagne and Parker Jefferson.

The guard joins Gonzaga a handful of weeks after other players reported back to Spokane for summer practices. Saint-Supery’s arrival was delayed by the end of his season with BAXI Manresa, which wrapped up the regular season with an 86-83 win over Tenerife on May 30. Saint-Supery briefly returned to his hometown of Malaga, Spain, before traveling to Spokane.

Unicaja Baloncesto President Antonio Jesus Lopez Nieto was notified by Saint-Supery’s agent in early June the guard was planning to leave the club for an opportunity in the U.S., according to BasketNews.com. Saint-Supery played at Unicaja Baloncesto prior to spending one season on loan at BAXI Manresa and would’ve had the option to return to Unicaja next season.

Domantas Sabonis, the former GU standout-turned-NBA All-Star, played at Unicaja from 2012-14 prior to arriving in Spokane and ex-Zag forward Killian Tillie appeared in 45 games for the Malaga-based club last season.

According to BasketNews.com, Saint-Supery’s departure triggered a buyout of €500,000 (roughly $586,000) that “the club expects to be paid in full.”

“Mario is leaving. It’s a reflection of the current landscape,” Lopez Nieto told the website. “He has an offer that no (Endesa) or even EuroLeague team can match – not just financially but academically. It’s a unique opportunity. We wish him the best.”

Saint-Supery posted a farewell message to the club from his Instagram account Monday morning shortly before Gonzaga’s announcement.

“If one day he comes back to Europe and we’re in the same financial range as others, I hope agents don’t interfere and that Mario returns to where he feels at home,” Lopez Nieto said. “… I dreamed of seeing his jersey hanging in our arena. That’s how highly we rate him. But the market has changed, and this is part of the evolution.”

Considered one of Spain’s rising basketball stars, the 6-foot-3 combo guard flourished against older competition in the Liga Endesa and Basketball Champions League. Playing just 15.1 minutes per game, occasionally as a starter but mostly off the bench, Saint-Supery managed to score 8.3 points per game to go with 2.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 turnovers.

The young guard was generally reliable from the 3-point line, making 36% on 2.2 attempts per game, while making 53% of his shot from the field and 86% from the free throw line.

Saint-Supery has represented Spain at both the senior and youth levels, breaking out at the 2024 FIBA U-18 EuroBasket in Tampere, Finland. Playing in a tournament that featured recent NBA Draft picks Noa Essengue (No. 12 overall), Joan Beringer (No. 17), Nolan Traore (No. 19), Kasparas Jakucionis (No. 20), Hugo Gonzalez (No. 28) and Ben Saraf (No. 26), Saint-Supery ranked third among all scorers at 21.4 points and second at 6.3 assists while also averaging 5.4 rebounds.

The guard has also made three appearances with Spain’s senior national team, debuting last November at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers, where he averaged 3.0 ppg and 2.7 apg.

Saint-Supery’s versatility and professional experience could make him a candidate for early playing time next time season. Outside of projected starting point guard Braeden Smith, Gonzaga’s backcourt orientation isn’t entirely clear, potentially giving Saint-Supery the chance to make a strong impression even after arriving in Spokane a few weeks after the Zags their started summer sessions.

Saint-Supery could be a candidate to start at the shooting guard spot, but also gives the Zags another primary ball-handling option – something the 2025-26 roster lacked outside of Smith, who’s expected to replace national passing leader Ryan Nembhard.