Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard earns coveted call-up to NBA Draft Combine after excelling at G League Camp
A memorable Sunday for the Nembhard siblings started at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, where older brother Andrew scored seven points and registered a team-high seven assists to help the Indiana Pacers rout the Cleveland Cavaliers 129-109 and take a 3-1 series lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal.
The good news kept flowing in for the Nembhard family after the final buzzer sounded in Indianapolis.
Younger brother Ryan, who followed in his brother’s footsteps as a record-setting point guard at Gonzaga, learned Sunday night he was one of five players at the G League Elite Camp to earn a call-up to the NBA Draft Combine next week in Chicago.
Ryan landed an invitation after guiding his team to consecutive victories this weekend at the G League Elite Camp held at Wintrust Bank Arena in Chicago – also the venue of the draft combine, which will take place over the next six days with height/weight measurements, agility and skills tests and scrimmages at the end of the week.
The Ontario, Canada, native who owns Gonzaga’s single-season assists record set the tone with nine assists and one turnover in just 20 minutes to help Team Three race past Team Four for a 101-63 victory on Saturday. Nembhard also scored six points on 3-of-7 shooting and totaled four rebounds.
He had six more assists on Sunday, leading his squad to a 101-98 victory while also scoring 11 points. Nembhard showed off his 3-point range, drilling both attempts from behind the arc, and made 3 of 4 attempts from the free -throw line.
The four other Elite Camp participants to earn combine invitations were Penn State’s Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Indiana’s Mackenzie Mgbako, Missouri’s Tamar Bates and Australia’s Lachlan Olbrich.
Former Washington State and Idaho forward Isaac Jones was among the players called up last season before signing an undrafted free agent deal with the Sacramento Kings and playing 40 games for the franchise in 2024-25.
Nembhard and the four others called up will join the 75 players who were invited to the Combine earlier this month. The list includes a handful of other names that should be familiar to Gonzaga fans.
Hunter Sallis, who played two seasons with the Zags before transferring to Wake Forest, will be in attendance this week, as will Alex Toohey, the former Gonzaga signee who decommitted from Mark Few’s team to sign with the Sydney Kings as part of the National Basketball League (NBL) Next Stars Program.
The group of combine participants features eight players the Zags faced in nonconference and NCAA Tournament games this year: Kentucky’s Koby Brea and Otega Oweh, San Diego State’s Miles Byrd, Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe Jr., Connecticut’s Liam McNeeley, Georgia’s Asa Newell, West Virginia’s Javon Small and Houston’s Milos Uzan.
Former Eastern Washington and Washington State wing Cedric Coward will also be taking part at the combine, but potentially in a limited capacity as he recovers from the shoulder injury that sidelined him after six games with the Cougars. Coward recently committed to Duke and has yet to decide whether he’ll return to college or pursue the professional route.
Nembhard won’t have any Gonzaga teammates in Chicago this week, but former Creighton teammate Ryan Kalkbrenner, a three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, will be joining the ex-Bluejays point guard at Wintrust Arena.