Andrew Nembhard, the nation’s top available transfer, announced Tuesday that he was committing to Gonzaga.
Nembhard, who left Florida in late May, also considered Duke, Memphis, USC, Stanford, and Georgetown.
As Canada’s 6-foot-5-inch point guard, Nembhard started all 67 games for Florida in the past two seasons. The SEC All-Freshman team averaged 11.2 points, 5.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds as a sophomore last season, but was inconsistent offensively for most of the last weeks of the season. It was classified as transfer n. # 2 on the ESPN ranking.
Nembhard will have to stay out next season before he has two years of eligibility left. Gonzaga is bringing a Top 10 recruiting class led by elite guard Jalen Suggs. The Bulldogs are planning for Nembhard to replace Suggs, who is expected to be an NBA prospect.
Coach Mark Few’s staff are currently chasing Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero, two of the top three prospects in the 2021 class, as well as five-star prospects Nate Bittle and Hunter Sallis, but they needed a point guard like Nembhard.
With the demise of Nembhard, Florida, a potential preseason top 25 team could turn to former McDonald’s All-American Tre Mann as a base next season. The Gators also brought in Louisiana Tech transfer Tyree Appleby, who retired last season after averaging 17.2 points and 5.6 assists in 2018-19. Ques Glover, a rising sophomore, who saw a bigger role during the middle of the season, will provide depth on the backcourt.
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