When it comes to Gonzaga basketball, one thing is always certain. Mark Few is going to bring about an elite offensive unit. According to KenPom, over the last 11 years, Gonzaga has averaged roughly the ninth-best offensive rating in the country. Four times out of the last six seasons, they have been ranked as the top offense across NCAA Division I programs. To orchestrate these elite offenses, Few has relied upon some of the nation’s most elite floor generals. Jalen Suggs, Andrew Nembhard, Nigel Williams-Goss and Josh Perkins are just some of the lead guards that have led the Bulldogs.
Now heading into the 2024-2025 season, Ryan Nembhard will look to cement his place amongst the best point guards in program history. In his first year with the team, Nembhard broke the single-season assist record for Gonzaga. This year, he will look to lead them to the elusive championship that is the lone missing piece to the Zags resume.
West Coast Conference Player Spotlight: Ryan Nembhard
Nembhard by the Numbers
At a glance, Nembhard put together an outstanding year for his newfound team. After transferring from Creighton, he posted averages of 12.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game. He finished sixth in the nation in assists per game, while leading the entire West Coast Conference in minutes played and assist to turnover ratio.
Nembhard was the consummate iron man for coach Few this past season. He played just under 36 minutes per contest while appearing in all 35 games for Gonzaga. To highlight just how dominant Nembhard was as a playmaker, he had 11 games of which he posted at least nine assists. If that threshold is dropped to at least six assists in a game, still a high mark for a college player, he reached an eye-popping 26 outings with at least six assists. Add in 26 games of scoring in double figures, and the Creighton transfer was oftentimes an entire offense unto himself.
The New Face in a New Place
Many pundits believed that the fit between Gonzaga and Nembhard was perfect. Afterall, Ryan’s older brother, Andrew had put together two outstanding seasons in Spokane a few years earlier. While the standard numbers look great, the advanced metrics further highlight the guards strengths. First, his 29% assist percentage reveals that when on the court, close to 30% of all of Gonzaga’s field goals came courtesy of Nembhard. If basketball kept track of “hockey assists”, that number would be even higher. On numerous occasions, Nembhard’s ability to see the floor one step ahead of his opponents allowed him to make passes that would indirectly set up great looks for his teammates.
On top of setting the table, Nembhard did a great job taking care of the ball for most of the year. While posting the sixth-most assists in the country, he was 61st among all point guards in terms of total turnovers. Even when evaluating his ball security against the top teams in the nation, he passes the test. In matchups against the top three teams in the WCC (Santa Clara, USF and Saint Mary’s), three games during March Madness (McNeese, Kansas and Purdue), and their top non-conference games (Purdue, San Diego State, UConn, and Kentucky), he was stellar. In those 15 matches, he coughed the ball up only 42 times while handing out 111 assists.
Lastly and possibly most importantly, Nembhard’s budding connection with Graham Ike was one of the most dangerous two-man games in the nation. Having an elite pick-and-roll partner gave Nembhard the ability to completely manipulate defenses who had to fear not only his scoring ability, but one of the game’s best post players awaiting perfectly placed passes.
Biggest Questions
The 2023-2024 season was a tale of two halves for the Zags starting point guard. Through the first 13 games of the season, Nembhard’s shooting from deep was, to put it bluntly, abysmal. His sophomore year at Creighton was marked by a very respectable 36% shooting percentage from deep. Through his first 13 games under Mark Few, Nembhard only converted on 15% of his three point attempts despite taking just over three a game. Yet, from game number 14 through their Sweet 16 loss to Purdue, that percentage jumped to a stellar 41% on the same per game averages. Nembhard’s shooting must stabilize for the course of the season. When he is a threat from long range, Gonzaga’s offense becomes almost unguardable as he can punish teams as a playmaker or scorer.
The second question revolves around Nembhard’s ability to adjust to the influx of talent around him. It is no secret that the Bulldogs brought in multiple transfers that will likely play huge roles in the coming season. Yet, it took Nembhard some time to adjust to playing with the likes of Ike, Anton Watson and more last year. Those growing pains were expected when attempting to not only adjust to new teammates, but one of the most complex offensive schemes in the nation. With a full year of Gonzaga basketball under his belt, Nembhard must make the transition easy for newcomers like Khalif Battle and Michael Ajayi. If another learning curve awaits this team, they could find themselves stacking up losses early given how tough their non-conference schedule is slated to be.
The Last Word
There is no more important player in the entire West Coast Conference. Plain and simple, Ryan Nembhard has the keys to the proverbial Gonzaga kingdom. When he had seven or more assists in a game, the Zags were 15-4 on the year. All of those losses came against March Madness-qualifying teams. As one of the fastest and smartest players in the nation, there is legitimate hype for a potential All-American season. Nembhard has the potential to lead the nation in assists and be the catalyst for Mark Few’s first ever national championship squad.
