May 12—Last June, Izan Almansa was hunkered down inside a green room at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, waiting to hear if his name would be called in the second round of the NBA draft.
This fall, the Spanish native could be suiting up for Gonzaga and contributing to one of the top frontcourts in college basketball — yet another example of the rapidly changing NCAA hoops climate.
Almansa, a forward/center from Real Madrid who's spent the last two seasons playing professionally overseas, reportedly committed to Gonzaga on Tuesday although Mark Few's program will have to clear a series of eligibility hurdles to finalize the 20-year-old's addition.
A 6-foot-10, 200-pound big man with high upside, Almansa gave a commitment to Gonzaga on Tuesday, Spanish-based journalist Oscar Herreros reported on X.
A source close to the program told The Spokesman-Review that Gonzaga is counting on Almansa to join the roster next season, but cited "complex eligibility issues" that make his addition "far from official" at this point.
The issues likely stem from Almansa's time playing with NBA G League Ignite in 2023-24 and/or the forward's decision to stay in the NBA draft last season, coming off his 2024-25 season with the Perth Wildcats of Australia's professional NBL division.
Almansa was considered by many to be a second-round prospect in last year's draft and was one of 12 players invited to attend the second day of the event. He was ultimately the only player in the green room not to be selected, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Philadelphia 76ers and played four games with the organization at Las Vegas Summer League, where he teamed up with former Gonzaga guard Hunter Sallis.
A handful of players with situations similar to Almansa's have been deemed eligible to play college basketball within the last year, sparking dialogue and debate among coaches, media members and others within the sport.
Former second-round NBA draft pick James Nnaji, who played for FC Barcelona of Spain's ACB — the league where Almansa is currently playing — enrolled at Baylor last December and appeared in 18 games for the Big 12 program.
Last season, the Zags played three West Coast Conference games against Santa Clara and Thierry Darlan, one of Almansa's former teammates on Ignite and the first ex-G Leaguer to gain NCAA eligibility, signifying a landmark case for the sport when the Broncos signed the forward last October.
Guard Dink Pate, a former Ignite guard who's made three stops in the NBA's developmental league, became the latest G League player to sign with a with a college program, joining Providence's roster last month.
If Almansa gains eligibility, he should solidify what's already shaping up to be one of the best frontcourt groups in the country, featuring Braden Huff, a 17.8 point-per-game scorer in 2025-26 prior to his season-ending knee injury, and top transfer portal prospect Massamba Diop, one of the best shot-blockers in the Big 12 last year at Arizona State.
Almansa's appeared in 15 games for Real Madrid at the Liga ACB level this season and made two appearances in EuroLeague play while competing for playing time with former NBA players Trey Lyles and Alex Len. He's averaging 4.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 7.6 minutes during ACB play.
Last July, he averaged 3.0 ppg and 1.8 rpg in 11.2 mpg during a Las Vegas Summer League stint with the 76ers. In four games, Almansa made 44.4% of his shots from the field.
Almansa played in 29 games for the Perth Wildcats during the 2024-25 NBL season, scoring 7.6 ppg to go with 4.3 rpg. He shot 51.1% from the field and 33.3% from the 3-point line during his lone season with the Australian club.
Gonzaga has numerous ties to Almansa, who teamed up with freshman point guard Mario Saint-Supery on Spain's senior national team for a pair of FIBA EuroBasket qualifiers against Slovakia in November of 2024.
The Murcia, Spain, native has won Most Valuable Player honors at three separate international competitions: the 2023 FIBA U-19 World Cup, 2022 FIBA U-17 World Cup and 2022 FIBA U-18 EuroBasket. Current Gonzaga assistant Jorge Sanz, a native of Zaragoza, Spain, was a member of the coaching staff when Almansa helped guide the U-17 World Cup team to a FIBA silver medal in 2022.
Almansa played with a trio of former Gonzaga players on the 2023-24 NBA G League Ignite team that featured Jeremy Pargo, Admon Gilder and David Stockton. Almansa started in 30 of 32 games for Ignite that season, averaging 11.7 ppg and 7.4 rpg.
The Spanish prospect also played in two other American leagues, signing with the now-defunct Overtime Elite in 2021-22 before joining YNG Dreamerz in 2022-23.
Almansa becomes Gonzaga's third addition this offseason, joining Diop and Houston transfer Isiah Harwell, who announced a commitment to Few's program but has yet to sign a financial aid agreement with the school.
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