Gonzaga’s Graham Ike recognized as one of the premier transfers in collegiate basketball.
Gonzaga’s continuous presence in the Sweet 16 for the ninth consecutive time can be traced back to April last year when Mark Few recruited transfers Ryan Nembhard and Graham Ike on the same day. Despite facing some challenges initially, the duo formed a formidable partnership, particularly excelling in the pick-and-roll game, which propelled Gonzaga’s offense to a top-five ranking nationwide. Both players received recognition by being named to the All-WCC first team, contributing to the Bulldogs’ advancement to the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend once more.
Graham Ike, in particular, showcased dominance in the paint, averaging a team-leading 16.5 points and 7.4 rebounds while boasting an impressive 60.9% shooting from the field. His performance in conference games was even more remarkable, leading in both scoring (18.4 points per game) and field goal percentage (64.0%), a feat achieved by only six players in conference history.
Ike’s outstanding debut season at Gonzaga earned him an honorable mention on CBS Sports’ 2023-24 All-Transfer Team, recognizing him as one of the top 10 transfer players of the season. The All-Transfer Team, curated by CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander and David Cobb, featured standout players like Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, UConn’s Cam Spencer, Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson, Utah State’s Great Osobar, and Arizona’s Caleb Love. Alongside Ike, NC State’s DJ Horne, Illinois’ Marcus Domask, Wisconsin’s AJ Storr, and Grand Canyon’s Tyson Grant-Foster received honorable mentions.
Despite his notable performance, Nembhard didn’t make the list, despite averaging 13.8 points and 6.9 assists per game, the latter being the seventh-highest in the nation. However, Nembhard did set a program record at Gonzaga with 243 assists for the season, showcasing his significant contribution to the team.
Following the successful recruitment of Nembhard and Ike last year, Gonzaga continued its active engagement in the transfer portal, securing Michael Ajayi from Pepperdine. Ajayi, a 6-foot-7 native of Kent, Washington, who was an All-WCC first-team player last season with impressive averages of 17.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. CBS Sports ranked Ajayi at No. 59 in its college basketball transfer portal rankings.
