Four-star guard Dooney Johnson visits Gonzaga during Western Oregon exhibition

On one of the more unique days Gonzaga’s basketball program has had in recent years, the Zags also had one of the top players in the 2027 recruiting class in town for an official visit.

Dooney Johnson, a four-star prospect from Milwaukee, traveled to Spokane on Monday to see Gonzaga’s campus and take in the team’s preseason exhibition game against Division II Western Oregon.

Johnson’s visit also coincided with Tyon Grant-Foster’s heavily anticipated preliminary injunction hearing, which finished hours before the 6 p.m. tipoff at McCarthey Athletic Center.

Though much of the excitement on Monday surrounded a judge’s decision to give Grant-Foster an additional year of eligibility, and Gonzaga’s subsequent 111-53 win over WOU, students chanted, “We want Dooney, we want Dooney, we want Dooney” on numerous occasions throughout the game.

The Zags have been busy securing commitments from the 2026 high school recruiting class, but the 6-foot-5, 185-pound Johnson is the first 2027 prospect to take an official visit to Spokane.

According to 247Sports.com, the Milwaukee Juneau High standout is the No. 41 recruit in the ’27 class, the 11th-rated small forward and the top prospect in the state of Wisconsin. ESPN’s recruiting analysts are a touch higher on Johnson, rating the player No. 28 on their SportsCenter NEXT top-60 list. Another prominent recruiting site, On3.com, ranks him No. 30 in the ’27 class. Both ESPN and On3 classify him as a guard, while 247Sports considers him a small forward.

Johnson announced a scholarship offer from Gonzaga on July 22 and recently met with associate head coach Brian Michaelson at his school in Milwaukee, according to high school coach Torre Johnson Jr., who also serves as the assistant director of the Team Herro EYBL AAU squad the small forward plays on.

Johnson arrived in the Inland Northwest on Sunday and had a chance to swing by Gonzaga’s afternoon practice before eating with members of the coaching staff at Spencer’s for Steaks and Chops in downtown Spokane, according to his Instagram story.

In addition to Gonzaga, Johnson also holds offers from Wake Forest, Indiana, Syracuse, LSU, Washington, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, Marquette, Missouri, SMU and Cincinnati.

Johnson’s already taken visits to multiple schools, including Marquette, which is located in his hometown of Milwaukee, as well as Wisconsin.