Few college basketball programs are as successful at recruiting and developing international talent as the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Mark Few and his staff have long prioritized finding talent outside of the United States, winning at an extremely high rate over the past 25 years without consistently getting five-star recruits but rather stars from countries like France, Canada, Lithuania, Serbia, Germany, Japan, and others.
That international success has had an impact on the women’s program as well, with current star Yvonne Ejim one of the few college athletes playing for a senior national team at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Ejim is one of nine Gonzaga stars who will participate in the Olympics in Paris this summer, including two other former women’s players, five former men’s players, and coach Few himself.
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Current: Indiana Pacers (NBA)
Gonzaga: 2020-2022
Fresh off an outstanding performance in the Eastern Conference Finals, Nembhard is a key piece for Team Canada. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett, Jamal Murray, Nembhard and Lu Dort give the canadians some of the best guard depth in the world, and he’ll need to be on his game in order to bring a medal to Canada.
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Current: Toronto Raptors
Gonzaga: 2009-2013
Olynyk has been in the NBA over a decade, performing consistently as a floor spacer and solid passer after breaking out as an All-American for Gonzaga in the 2012-13 campaign.
Olynyk is also a critical part of Team Canada, having represented the country for a decade and being named an honorary captain for the team’s trip to Paris.
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Current: Los Angeles Lakers
Gonzaga: 2016-2019
Hachimura represented Japan at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, but the team’s struggles led to some mental health issues for the former Gonzaga star. He waffled about joining Japan again in 2024 but ultimately decided to do so, and he’ll be the team’s best player over the next few weeks in Paris.
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Current: Olympiacos
Gonzaga: 2018-2020
Petrusev was the WCC Player of the Year in 2019-20, but the emergence of his backup – Drew Timme – led him to leave Spokane and play professionally in Serbia for one season before he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Petrusev’s NBA career lasted just two games, but he played a big role for an excellent Olympiacos team last year and now starts for Serbia alongside Nikola Jokic as they look to medal in the 2024 Olympic Games.
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Current: Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga: 2020-Present
Ejim is representing Canada on the women’s national team while her older brother Melvin does the same on the men’s side. Yvonne was among the best players in college basketball last season for the Zags, averaging 19.7 points and 8.7 rebounds while winning WCC Player of the Year and being named the Becky Hammon Award winner for best mid-major player in the country.
She’ll be back for her fifth and final season this fall, after getting a chance to compete with the best players in the world in France.
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Current: Canada
Gonzaga: 2014-2016
Bosch played sparingly for two seasons at Gonzaga before completing her college career back in Canada at University of Lethbridge. She began her 3×3 career in 2021 and helped win the FIBA Women’s Series in 2022 and 2023 which led to her selection on the Olympic team.
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Current: Germany
Gonzaga: 2011-2015
Greinacher was a two-time All-WCC performer and WCC Tournament MVP during her prolific four-year career with Gonzaga. She’s played extensively overseas since leaving Spokane in 2015, and recently has dedicated her focus to the German 3×3 squad.
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Current: Gonzaga Head Coach
Gonzaga: 1999-Present
Few is the lone college coach working with Team USA alongside Steve Kerr, Tyronn Lue, and Erik Spoelstra. Few has led the Zags to 25 straight NCAA Tournament appearances and nine straight spots in the Sweet 16, cementing himself as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all-time.
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Current: Assistant Coach (Brooklyn Nets)
Gonzaga: 2013-2015
Griffin has had an incredibly unique career path, first walking on at Gonzaga for two seasons where he scored 13 points and grabbed 15 rebounds before transferring to Washington to play football, where he caught a pass in a bowl game.
Griffin then became a video coordinator at Pepperdine under coach Lorenzo Romar, and worked his way up to a similar role with the Denver Nuggets before taking an assistant coach job this offseason with the Brooklyn Nets under new coach Jordi Fernandez. Griffin will work with Fernandez and Team Canada during the Olympics as an assistant coach.
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Courtesy : https://collegesportswire.usatoday.com/lists/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball-2024-olympic-games-mark-few/