The Gonzaga Bulldogs were already looking like one of the top teams in the nation given who they’re returning as well as recent transfers. Based on the latest transfer addition, it might be hard to deny that they deserve the No. 1 ranking heading into the season.
Former Chattanooga guard Malachi Smith, who was considered to be the best available basketball transfer left in the portal, has committed to play for Gonzaga.
Chattanooga transfer Malachi Smith has committed to Gonzaga, he tells @On3sports.
Averaged 19.9 PTS, 6.7 REB, and 3.0 AST last season.
“I chose Gonzaga because of the family feel and winning culture.”
Story: https://t.co/k6u7va44Q6 pic.twitter.com/hpAuy7zglu
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) June 2, 2022
“I wanted to have a chance to play for a Hall of Fame coach in Mark Few, to be a part of a winning culture, for a team that has a family feel,” Smith told ESPN.
Smith reportedly picked the Zags over Louisville, Texas Tech, DePaul, and Stanford, though he had been receiving attention from most major programs after entering the portal.
Last season’s Southern Conference Player of the Year, Smith averaged 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game and shot 40.7% from 3-point range. He also helped lead the Mocs to the NCAA tournament, though they lost a close one to Illinois in the first round.
Smith also tested the NBA waters and decided to take the feedback he received and improve in college for one more season.
“They want me to demonstrate that I can be a versatile defender against NBA-caliber talent while continuing to show my offensive game as a point guard,” he said. “They want to see that I can compete at this level.”
Smith joins a loaded roster that is likely to contend for a national title that has eluded head coach Mark Few. He joins preseason National Player of the Year candidate Drew Timme as well as two returning starters in fifth-year senior Rasir Bolton and junior Julian Strawther, both of whom scored in double digits last season. The team also boasts LSU transfer center Efton Reid and two key reserves expected to make an impact in senior power forward Anton Watson and sophomore point guard Nolan Hickman.
“A lot of winning teams that contend for titles have great pieces,” Smith said of joining Gonzaga. “Kansas has four or five guys that could have been the man on different teams. Gonzaga’s Final Four team had four or five players that can play in the NBA. I know that being a part of a great team, everything will work out the way it’s supposed to be, as long as we’re winning games.”
[ESPN]
