Gonzaga among top three choices for Grand Canyon wing Tyon Grant-Foster, USC guard Desmond Claude
Gonzaga appears to be in a good spot with two of the top available prospects in the transfer portal, but an in-state rival could stand in the Zags’ way of adding one or both players to their roster for the upcoming season.
According to 247Sports.com, Grand Canyon wing Tyon Grant-Foster and USC guard Desmond Claude are exploring Gonzaga and Washington as landing spots as they come closer to finalizing a commitment.
Grant-Foster, 6-foot-7 guard/forward who helped lead the Antelopes to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, has narrowed his choices down to Gonzaga, Washington and Arizona State, though Mark Few’s program holds a “slight edge” over the other two, according to 247Sports’ Isaac Trotter.
The Zags are also in the running for Claude, who faced GU last season in a preseason charity exhibition at USC and competed against Few’s team in the 2022 Phil Knight Legacy during his freshman season at Xavier. Claude is also considering the Huskies and Alabama, according to 247Sports, but recently postponed an official visit to Tuscaloosa.
Grant-Foster sits at No. 10 among On3.com’s “best-available transfers” and Claude is No. 3. The website’s list of top overall transfers lists Grant-Foster at No. 62 and Claude at No. 33.
Gonzaga has needs at both positions after losing all three backcourt starters – Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman and Khalif Battle – from last year’s team to graduation. The Zags have made one addition through the transfer portal, signing Arizona State guard Adam Miller, but still have five scholarships open after also adding high school big man Parker Jefferson.
A former junior college standout at Indiana Hills Community College in Iowa, Grant-Foster played 22 games at Kansas during the 2020-21 season and totaled 10 minutes off the Jayhawks’ bench during a 102-90 loss to Gonzaga at the Fort Myers Tip-Off. After transferring to DePaul, Grant-Foster collapsed in the season opener and missed the better of two seasons while recovering from heart surgery before transferring to Grand Canyon.
The long, athletic wing averaged 20.1 points and 6.1 rebounds while earning Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors during a breakout 2023-24 season, averaging 14.8 ppg and 5.9 rpg while leading the Lopes to another conference tournament title and NCAA appearance. He’s averaged 24.6 in three NCAA Tournament games at GCU, scoring 29 in a Round of 32 matchup against Alabama at the Arena in 2024.
Claude entered the transfer portal for the second time in his career shortly after USC received a commitment from Maryland guard Rodney Rice, a former GU transfer target, earlier this month. The Connecticut native averaged 15.8 ppg and 4.2 apg last season for Eric Musselman, getting to the free-thow line at a high clip (5.8 FTA per game).
The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 16.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg and 3.2 apg the season prior playing for Sean Miller at Xavier. Claude, who played 22 minutes off the bench during Xavier’s 88-84 loss to Gonzaga at the Phil Knight Legacy, shot a season-high 30.7% on 3-pointers last season after making 23.9% and 29.3% each of the past two seasons.
Gonzaga has been linked with Spanish guard Mario Saint-Supery, who’s playing in Spain’s top professional division, Liga Endesa, for Baxi Manresa.
As of last week, the Zags were also in contact with College of Charleston transfer AJ Smith.