May 5 — Khalif Battle has accumulated 1,343 points over the past five seasons at Butler, Temple and Arkansas, averaging an astonishing 29.6 points over the final seven games of the 2023-24 season with the Razorbacks.
Battle’s next spots will come in a Gonzaga uniform after the coveted transfer guard announced a commitment to the Bulldogs early Sunday night, just days after wrapping up an official visit to Spokane.
Late last week, Battle said On3.com he narrowed his list down to three schools — Gonzaga, Kansas State and Villanova — and reports suggested the guard spent the last few days deciding between the Bulldogs and the Big 12 Wildcats.
At approximately 5 p.m. Sunday, Battle posted a graphic to his Instagram account containing a photoshopped image of the guard wearing a white No. 0 Gonzaga jersey and the words “Zag Up.”
Moments after Battle’s commitment, Gonzaga acknowledged the news by posting its customary “Zags got dudes” video on X — a clip used whenever the program lands a recruit or high school transfer.
The addition of Battle solidifies Gonzaga as a preseason Top 10 team and raises expectations that the Bulldogs can return to the Final Four for the first time since 2021 and potentially compete for the program’s first national championship.
Last week, just before the transfer portal closed, Gonzaga confirmed that six of its seven rotation players from last season would return in 2024-25, including four of its starting five: Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman, Ben Gregg and Graham Ike.
Few and his coaching staff will spend the next five months deciding how Battle will enter the equation.
The 6-foot-1 guard was Arkansas’ second-leading scorer last season despite starting just 13 of 32 games for the Razorbacks, who failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in Eric Musselman’s final season with the program. SEC. Musselman’s departure from Arkansas for USC prompted Battle to enter the transfer portal and look for a fifth school for his sixth and final season of college eligibility.
Whether the Zags maneuver to open up a spot for Battle on the starting unit or rely on him as a scoring threat off the bench, the Hillside, New Jersey native gives GU a level of depth they didn’t have last year – particularly in the backcourt — and arguably did so only a few times during Few’s tenure.
Along with the returners mentioned above, the Zags bring back key backups Braden Huff and Dusty Stromer, and add Steele Venters back to the group after the former Eastern Washington standout missed all of last season with a ligament injury. anterior cruciate. Gonzaga also acquired Pepperdine’s Michael Ajayi, the WCC’s leading scorer last season, through the transfer portal. Ajayi is currently testing the NBA Draft waters and was recently invited to the Draft Combine.
Battle, 23, was a potent scorer at Arkansas, particularly late in the season. Battle has scored no fewer than 20 points in his last seven games and had 112 in a three-game SEC stretch against Missouri, Vanderbilt and No.
Battle has been an efficient 3-point shooter late in his career, shooting 35% from behind the arc in each of the last two seasons, after shooting 48% in seven games during the 2021-22 campaign before missing the rest. of the year with a wound.
At 6-foot-10 and 185 pounds, Battle also gives the Zags size they lacked with the 6-foot-5 Nembhard or the 6-2 Hickman, and he showed a penchant for getting to the free throw line last season. season, ranking first in the SEC and 36th nationally with 6.7 free throw attempts per game. Battle averaged 12.8 free throw attempts over the final eight games of the season, making 35 in a two-game span against Vanderbilt and Kentucky.
Battle finished the season averaging 14.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 24.7 minutes per game while shooting 40.6% from the field and 35.3% from 3-point range. During the 2022-23 season with Temple, Battle averaged 17.9 points and 3.6 assists.
With Battle in the mix, the Zags now have three open scholarships if Ajayi decides to return to college rather than pursue the NBA Draft. GU lost just three scholarship players from last year’s team, with Anton Watson using his final year of eligibility in 2023-24 and reserves Luka Krajnovic and Pavle Stosic entering the transfer portal.
