Gonzaga adds elite transfer point guard Nigel Williams-Goss
The last time a point guard transferred from Washington to Gonzaga, Dan Dickau became the WCC player of the year and a first-team All-American.
The Zags can only hope history repeats itself.
Gonzaga landed another former Washington point guard Sunday when ex-Huskies star Nigel Williams-Goss committed to the Zags. Williams-Goss, one of the most coveted transfers on the market, will sit out next season and have two years of eligibility remaining beginning with the 2016-17 season.
The addition of Williams-Goss should help keep Gonzaga nationally relevant after next season when it will lose Przemek Karnowski and Kyle Wiltjer to graduation and could see NBA prospect Domantas Sabonis declare for the draft. Williams-Goss averaged 15.6 points and 5.9 assists as a sophomore at Washington and is a pass-first point guard who makes his teammates better.
Williams-Goss will join a backcourt that should also include former top 100 recruit Josh Perkins, but having two point guards on the floor shouldn’t be an issue for the Zags. Gonzaga coach Mark Few has successfully played multiple point guards at the same time before and at 6-foot-3, Perkins and Williams-Goss are both big enough to defend opposing wings.
What made Gonzaga attractive to Williams-Goss besides its perennial success as a program was its ball screen-heavy offense and its recent history of developing players who have to sit out a year.
Two years ago, Kelly Olynyk emerged from a redshirt year with a stronger upper body and a revamped post-up game, enabling him to go from bench warmer to first-round draft pick the following year. Last year, Wiltjer showcased superior athleticism and a more well-rounded offensive game compared to his days as a pick-and-pop specialist at Kentucky.
Williams-Goss’ decision to opt to go that route was a mature one. He didn’t feel he was improving rapidly enough at Washington and he wasn’t projected as a first-round pick in the NBA draft, so he opted to remain patient and transfer even if it meant sitting out a year.
Of course, Williams-Goss’ destination probably won’t sit well with Gonzaga-hating Huskies fans, but they’ll have a chance to express their displeasure in person.
Gonzaga and Washington will end a 10-year non-conference scheduling hiatus during the 2016-17 season, which is the first year Williams-Goss will be eligible for the Zags.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
