Gonzaga anticipating Graham Ike’s return for high-stakes WCC matchup with Saint Mary’s | Notebook

Gonzaga’s frontcourt still won’t be whole when Saint Mary’s visits McCarthey Athletic Center this Saturday, but the sixth-ranked Bulldogs got positive news on the injury front as they prepare for one of the most important games remaining on the regular-season calendar.

Leading scorer and rebounder Graham Ike returned to practice this week and should be available to play in Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) matchup with the Gaels, provided he doesn’t encounter any unexpected setbacks on Friday, Gonzaga coach Mark Few said.

Ike missed Gonzaga’s last three games with a right ankle sprain, but Few spoke with reporters after the team’s practice Thursday afternoon and indicated the senior forward was trending toward a return against Saint Mary’s.

“Yeah, he’s practiced the last couple of days, so he’s back moving around,” Few said. “He looks good to me.”

The Zags (21-1, 9-0) are scheduled to go through one more practice session on Friday before hosting the Gaels (19-3, 8-1) in what could be the final meeting between the teams at McCarthey Athletic Center.

If Ike clears the final hurdle, the all-conference forward will be in line to suit up for the first time since Gonzaga’s 86-65 win over Washington State on Jan. 15. Ike scored a team-high 23 points against the Cougars, but landed awkwardly on his ankle late in the second half and missed three subsequent games against Seattle U, Pepperdine and San Francisco.

“Hopefully he doesn’t get hurt tomorrow,” Few said Thursday. “You just never know.”

Gonzaga’s coach expanded on Ike’s status during an ESPN studio interview Thursday evening, noting the forward had “two really, really good days of practice.”

“Sometimes when you have those ankle sprains it’s more about the athlete finally getting back out on the floor and trusting himself and trusting that it’s going to be all right – it’s not going to feel great but it’s going to feel all right,” Few said. “So certainly these last two days have been kind of the Graham of old.”

Ike’s return is significant for a Gonzaga team that’s scraped out three wins in his absence, beating the Redhawks and Waves by more than 20 points before clipping the Dons 68-66 last Saturday.

Before the setback, Ike was averaging 18.8 points and 8.8 rebounds for Gonzaga, which will enter its fifth straight game without fellow frontcourt starter Braden Huff, who’s currently sidelined with a left knee injury.

The Zags have sorely missed Ike’s impact at the offensive end, clearing 80 points in just one of the three games he’s missed. Prior to that, the Zags scored at least 80 in 11 straight games dating back to their only loss, a 101-61 setback to Michigan at the Players Era Festival.

Ike regularly commands double teams in the post, which often leads to cleaner 3-point looks for teammates. The forward’s absence may not be the only reason the Zags have struggled to shoot from distance, but likely has some role in the team making 33% of its 3s against Seattle, 25% against Pepperdine and just 16% against USF.

“We’re super excited to have Graham back, obviously,” senior wing Steele Venters said. “As far as the spacing goes, I think it just changed a little bit. I’m still pulling gravity and making guys like Jalen (Warley) and Tyon (Grant-Foster) getting downhill. So I think it’s just different spacing, but I’ve been able to do that.”

Ike’s been a positive presence while sidelined, providing vocal support to teammates during pregame warmups and regularly offering pointers during games.

“I think credit to him, he’s kind of come with the same leadership and spirit, whether he was playing or not playing, just letting us know what he sees on the floor,” senior wing Jalen Warley said. “Then also talking about how excited he is to be back out with us. Obviously he’s been in our corner the whole time, but being on the floor is a little bit different. I think he’s excited, just as excited as we are to have him back.”

Phoning friends

Few isn’t leaving any stone unturned when it comes to preparing for Saturday’s matchup with a Saint Mary’s team that’s won four of the last six meetings, including each of the last two in Spokane.

That’s meant touching base with former assistants Tommy Lloyd and Leon Rice, who’ve each encountered the Gaels this season with their current programs.

“Absolutely, yeah, for sure,” Few said. “And at this point, (Saint Mary’s) has played 22 games so you’ve got everything in front of you there. Especially with all the video and analytics you have, there’s not a whole lot of secrets at this point.”

Months before his Arizona team rose to the No. 1 ranking in the country, Lloyd hosted Randy Bennett and the Gaels in a preseason exhibition at the McKale Center, winning 81-68.

Lloyd, who served under Few as an assistant from 2001-21 before taking the Arizona job, likely also has insight on Saint Mary’s forward Paulius Murauskas, a Lithuania native who spent one season in Tucson before transferring.

Now in his 16th year at Boise State, Rice has played Saint Mary’s each of the last three seasons, winning each by a single possession. The longtime GU assistant led the Broncos to a 68-67 nonconference win on Dec. 14 in Idaho Falls.

Parade bound?

A native of Ellensburg, Venters has closely monitored the Seattle Seahawks through their playoff run and anxiously watched them edge the Los Angeles Rams in Sunday’s NFC championship.

Venters wasn’t able to catch Seattle’s divisional win over the San Francisco 49ers because Gonzaga’s game against Seattle U at Climate Pledge Arena was taking place at the same time, just a few miles away from Lumen Field.

There won’t be any scheduling conflicts with Super Bowl 60, which takes place a day after Gonzaga’s Feb. 7 game at Oregon State, and Venters is hopeful he can make it back to the Emerald City for a potential championship parade.

“Oh yeah, I can’t wait, I can’t wait,” Venters said. “I’m definitely going to that parade if they win. For sure.”

Venters is one of four Washingtonians on Gonzaga’s 2025-26 roster, along with point guard Braeden Smith (Seattle), wing Davis Fogle (Anacortes) and guard Cade Orness (Poulsbo).

“Looking forward to it. To have them back in the Super Bowl is pretty cool,” Smith said.

Venters was quick to interject during Thursday’s media availability, assuring Smith wasn’t actually a Seahawks fan despite spending most of his childhood in Seattle and attending Seattle Prep.

“This guy’s from Seattle and he’s not a Seahawks fan,” Venters said. “Been trying to recruit him. It’s crazy.”

Smith described himself as a “free agent,” but said he’s open to the idea of supporting the Seahawks moving forward.

“I don’t want to bandwagon,” Smith said, “but it’s close to home and if they win it’s pretty good.”

McDonald’s nominees

Two future Zags were nominated for the McDonald’s All-American Game on Thursday, joining hundreds of the top high school players in the country.

Four-star wing Luca Foster and four-star center Sam Funches, who both signed with Gonzaga on Nov. 12, were among the players nominated to participate in the prestigious high school all-star game that takes places every April.

Twenty-four players are selected for the McDonald’s Game, which was held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., last season. Gonzaga hasn’t had a representative since 2021, when Chet Holmgren was invited.

A 6-foot-5 wing, Foster is a Philadelphia native who transferred to Missouri’s Link Prep Academy for his senior season. Funches is a 7-foot center who plays at Germantown High in Madison, Miss.

Foster and Funches account for two-thirds of Gonzaga’s 2026 recruiting class, joining 6-foot-5 combo guard Jack Kayil, who plays for Alba Berlin in the German Bundesliga.