May 16 – Gonzaga fans have been imagining all the different lineups and rotation possibilities for next season since transfer Khalif Battle announced a commitment to the Bulldogs last week.
Now, the former Arkansas point guard is officially available for the 2024-25 college basketball season after signing a financial aid agreement with Gonzaga on Thursday, the school announced in a press release.
The 6-foot-4, 185-pound guard is coming to Gonzaga for his sixth and final year of eligibility after spending one season at Arkansas, three at Temple and one at Butler.
The battle is expected to provide an offensive boost to Gonzaga’s veteran backcourt, which returns starting point guard Ryan Nembhard and shooting guard Nolan Hickman.
During his only season in the SEC, Battle averaged 14.8 points per game and logged 24.8 minutes per game. The point guard saw a huge uptick in production near the end of the season, scoring 29.6 points and averaging 6.3 rebounds during the Razorbacks’ final seven games.
Battle, who scored 1,343 points in 101 games at his three previous schools, will be one of three 1,000-point career scorers on Gonzaga’s roster next season, joining Graham Ike (1,354) and Nembhard (1,194).
During a stretch near the end of the 2023-24 season, Battle racked up 113 points against three SEC opponents, scoring 42 against Missouri, 36 against Vanderbilt and 24 against Kentucky.
Battle made a career-high 77 3-pointers during his freshman year at Temple and knocked down 48 last season at Arkansas while shooting 35%. He also ranked 17th nationally with 186 free throws made last season and shot 87.3% from the line, a number that ranked fifth in the SEC.
A native of Hillsdale, New Jersey, Battle is one of three transfers who could join Gonzaga’s 2024-25 roster. The Bulldogs signed Pepperdine guard Michael Ajayi, but last season’s West Coast Conference leading scorer is also considering the NBA draft and has not indicated which option he will choose. Tarleton State transfer Emmanuel Innocenti, an all-defensive selection and freshman in last year’s Western Athletic Conference, committed to Gonzaga on Wednesday.
