June 15 – One of the strongest offseasons in recent memory could end with a major recruiting blow for Gonzaga.
Isiah Harwell, a five-star guard and a top-10 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, listed Gonzaga as one of four schools he will consider before announcing his college commitment on Sept. 12, according to On3.com.
Harwell’s other three finalists include two Big 12 schools — Houston and Texas — along with Cal, which recently left the Pac-12 to join the ACC.
The Pocatello native and Wasatch Academy (Utah) standout also lists offers from Alabama, Baylor, BYU, Louisville, North Carolina, Arizona State, Creighton, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Kansas State, Miami , Mississippi State, Texas Tech, UCLA, Villanova and Washington State, among others, according to 247Sports.com.
Harwell previously released a list of nine finalists, but will no longer consider North Carolina, Baylor, UCLA, Alabama and Idaho State.
Harwell praised Gonzaga when visiting the campus in Spokane for a Feb. 24 game against Santa Clara and expanded on his recruiting process with the Bulldogs during an interview with On3’s Joe Tipton.
“The atmosphere was great,” Harwell said. “I knew they had good fans, but I didn’t know they brought it like that. It’s a small school, but they definitely brought energy. It was crazy there. My favorite part of campus was Coach (Mark) Few’s office. .. I mean, he had so many trophies there, just being there, you can tell he’s just a winner.
“You know, on that visit I managed to get closer to everyone there. I finally got to meet them all in person, so that was cool. it was wonderful.”
Of Harwell’s four finalists, Gonzaga is the only one that hosted the 6-foot-11 combo guard for an official visit, but he took an unofficial visit to Houston and plans to take an official visit to Cal on June 25.
Harwell suffered a knee injury midway through the 2023-24 season at Wasatch Academy, forcing him to miss the rest of his freshman year and a large portion of the AAU circuit.
The son of former Idaho State standout Ron Harwell, Isiah is the nation’s No. 2 point guard and the seventh-best overall prospect, according to 247Sports.com
The Zags were unable to land a high school commitment in the 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes, but were able to build for the future with the transfer portal, signing Colgate guard Braden Smith – who will have two years of eligibility remaining after being redshirt next season – and Tarleton State forward Emmanuel Innocenti, who will enter his sophomore season this fall.
Gonzaga has also been linked to 7-foot-10 Real Madrid center Ismaila Diagne, a native of Senegal who would have four years of eligibility if he signs with the Bulldogs before the 2024-25 season.
