Report: Gonzaga expecting commitment from experienced French guard Nathan De Sousa
Gonzaga could be tapping back into its French pipeline to fill one of the remaining spots in its backcourt entering the 2026-27 season.
Nathan De Sousa, a 23-year-old point guard who’s played five professional seasons with Cholet Basket of France’s LNB Elite league, is on the verge of committing to the Zags according to a report on Friday from Ouest France.
A commitment from De Sousa would arrive on the heels of Gonzaga adding 18-year-old French combo guard Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa, who signed with Mark Few’s program six days ago and also has experience playing in the top French league, most recently competing for JL Bourg.
Under the NCAA’s new age-based eligibility model giving athletes five years to play five seasons, De Sousa would have one season of college eligibility as a result of turning 19 years old and starting his eligibility clock prior to the 2022-23 season.
It’s unclear if Sousa would be impacted by new NCAA guidance regarding international players. According to the guidelines, players who “entered an agreement with, competed on or received compensation from a team that participates in a league with minimum compensation that exceeds actual and necessary expenses” will not be eligible. It’s still unknown if, and to what extent, the NCAA will enforce the new guidelines.
De Sousa would be the sixth addition to Gonzaga’s roster this offseason and could serve as a backup point guard to Mario Saint-Supery, one of the team’s two returning starters along with senior forward Braden Huff, or possibly complement the Spanish sophomore in the starting lineup.
A native of Saint-Marten in the northeast region of France, De Sousa recently completed his sixth professional season and fifth playing for Cholet. The guard averaged a career-high 10.9 points along with 4.9 assists and 2.5 rebounds, logging 19.7 minutes over 36 games in the LNB Elite. De Sousa made nine more appearances in the Basketball Champions League, averaging 8.3 ppg, 4.7 apg and 2.0 rpg playing 17.9 mpg.
De Sousa was part of a starting backcourt at Cholet that included Gerald Ayayi, the older brother of former Gonzaga guard Joel Ayayi. The older Ayayi led Cholet in scoring at 14.3 ppg in LNB Elite play while De Sousa ranked second on the team.
Cholet’s season ended June 9 in the LNB Elite postseason with a 3-1 series loss to Joel Ayayi and Paris Basketball, although the former GU guard didn’t appear in any of the four games.
De Sousa’s 3-point shooting has been inconsistent during his time with Cholet, but the guard is coming off an improved season from behind the arc, making 36.1% of his shots during LNB Elite play. He made 43.4% of his total field goals and connected at a 76.9% clip from the foul line.
De Sousa has played in more than 200 games for Cholet since he was elevated to the club’s senior team in 2021-22. The guard joined Cholet’s U-21 team in 2019-20 at the age of 16, playing 31 games over two seasons with the youth club.
In addition to his five years at Cholet, De Sousa also spent one year with AS Alsace in France’s second pro division, making 35 appearances during the 2022-23 season.
De Sousa has yet to debut for France’s senior national team, but he’s played for numerous youth teams and started next to NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama and Milwaukee Bucks forward Ousmane Dieng on a U-16 team that captured a silver medal at the 2019 FIBA EuroBasket tournament. De Sousa averaged 6.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 3.0 apg in the event.
More recently, De Sousa helped guide France’s U-20 team to a gold medal at the 2023 FIBA EuroBasket tournament, averaging 7.1 ppg, 2.0 apg and 1.0 rpg. De Sousa teamed up with Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud and former Santa Clara wing Adama Bal to beat Israel 89-79 in the gold medal game.
De Sousa adds more international flavor to Gonzaga’s roster, which already includes Ekanga-Ehawa (France), Saint-Supery (Spain) and Massamba Diop (Senegal). The Zags are also expected to sign 21-year-old Spanish forward Izan Almansa, who has experience in the G League and most recently played for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid.
The Zags will have multiple French players on the same roster for the first time since 2019-20 with Ayayi and forward Killian Tillie. The list of French natives to sign with the Zags since 2001 also includes Guy Landry Edi, Mathis Keita, Mamery Diallo and Ronny Turiaf.