Gonzaga target Sam Funches cuts recruiting list down to four schools

Sam Funches will either be playing his college basketball in the SEC or at Gonzaga.

The four-star center from Mississippi who’s become one of Gonzaga’s primary recruiting targets in the class of 2026 recently trimmed his list of 10 potential college destinations to four.

Funches, who visited Gonzaga over the week and attended Kraziness in the Kennel, is still considering the Zags along with two schools in his home state, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, along with another SEC program in LSU, he recently told Gonzaga Bulldogs on SI and Sam Kayser of League Ready.

The Madison, Mississippi, native who plays at Germantown High School was previously considering Cal, Vanderbilt, Jackson State, Kansas, Kansas State and Penn State after unveiling his 10 finalists in late July.

Funches has visited Gonzaga, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, and told The Spokesman-Review on Monday he’d make a decision after completing his final recruiting trip to LSU this weekend.

The Zags made a strong impression on Funches, who spent roughly 72 hours in Spokane touring the school’s basketball facilities, meeting with Mark Few and his coaching staff, bonding with members of the 2025-26 team and watching Kraziness in the Kennel.

“It was a great visit, they’ve got the perfect playstyle, the development plan and they’ve got a great fanbase,” Funches told the S-R. Great fanbase.”

Three of Funches’ four finalists are within a three-hour drive of his hometown just north of Jackson, Mississippi, but the 6-foot-10 center said location wouldn’t be a huge priority when making his decision on where to commit.

“Location’s not going to matter for me and I’m sure (my parents) know that too because if I make it to the league, I’m going to be all over the place anyway,” Funches said. “So I don’t think it really matters.”

Funches is listed as a four-star prospect by every major recruiting service. The Germantown High standout who’s played for Sipp United on the Puma AAU circuit is considered the No. 8 center in the ‘26 recruiting class by On3/Rivals.