Gonzaga Bulldogs: Zags welcome two new players

  |  
Aug 1, 2022
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Malachi Smith, UTC Mocs.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs brought in two new players this offseason through the transfer portal. They are needed to replace Gonzaga’s newest gifts to the NBA.

It’s a new year and a new team. For the 2022-23 season, Gonzaga welcomes a pair of highly regarded transfers. The duo is needed to replace two key players from last year’s squad who moved on to the big time.

Unless you’re living on Mars, you know Gonzaga Bulldogs Chet Holmgren and Andrew Nembhard are now NBA players. Chet was the second pick in this year’s draft, while Nembhard was the first pick of the second round, or 31st overall. I am so proud to have covered these young men for PNWS. Congratulations, guys!

Let’s take look at the new guys head coach Mark Few added to the team.

Efton Reid

First is Efton Reid III, a 6’11 center from LSU. Reid entered the transfer portal on March 31, landing in Spokane 33 days later.

Efton was a five-star recruit when he committed to LSU. Unfortunately, he played only half the time, averaging 19.6 minutes, 6.3 points, and 4.3 rebounds per game. Reid shot 51.9 percent from the field as he tried to be more of a three-point shooter.

He needs to shore up his rim protection to come anywhere near his predecessor. Holmgren was an incredible rim protector, with 117 blocks in his year with the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Conversely, Reid had 26 blocks last season at LSU. Can you say practice?

Once Efton practices with the Zags, he can build on his natural talents. Imagine a frontcourt of Timme and Reid at the power positions. Reid is the type of muscle, along with “The Enforcer,” Anton Watson, that the Bulldogs need to control the inside.

Will Efton get a spot among Few’s starters, or will Coach go with senior Anton Watson? Maybe he goes big and plays both. We’ll have to wait and see.

Malachi Smith

Malachi Smith is one of the top point guards in the country. The former floor general at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, he is aggressive on both ends of the floor. According to Wilton Jackson of Sports Illustrated, Smith is “one of the top available players in the college transfer portal.”

At UTC, Smith averaged 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game and shot 49.3 percent from the floor. That production is a big reason why he was the 2022 Southern Player of the Year, with First-Team All SoCon honors. As for why Smith chose the Gonzaga Bulldogs over other schools, this is what he told SI:

“I wanted to have a chance to play for a Hall of Fame coach in Mark Few, to be a part of a winning culture, for a team that has a family feel.”

If it seems a coincidence that Smith committed to Gonzaga the day after Drew Timme returned, I don’t think so. I don’t believe in coincidences. The Zags didn’t become a national success by coincidence.

Final Word

Smith and Reid both want to be part of, and contribute to, a winning team. As part of the Gonzaga Bulldogs, they have found the right place. This is the year, it has to be the year because Timme can’t leave Spokane without a championship.

Next time, we will welcome Timme, Julian Strawther, and Rasir Bolton back home. Afterward, I will give you a rundown of Gonzaga’s newest NBA players, Holmgren and Nembhard.

Until then, Zags Nation, stay safe and healthy out there.

Share: