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Wing stopped
Gonzaga won't have Steele Venters for the second-straight season. But Mark Few's deep roster can adjust to this type of scenario this season. Plus, Georgetown's soft non-conference slate, grading the Ohio Valley, and talking with Andy Enfield.
Sean Paul
August 28, 2024
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1. Gonzaga will miss Venters, but it doesn’t sink them
Sometimes, you just have to feel for a person more than a player. That's my overwhelming thought when it comes to Steele Venters.
Venters missed all of the 2023-24 season with an ACL tear. He won’t play in 2024-25 after suffering a season-ending Achilles injury.
"We are heartbroken for Steele," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said in a statement. "He was working so hard to come back from his knee injury. We will continue to support Steele through his healing process and know he will come back better and stronger."
The former Big Sky POY at Eastern Washington, Venters averaged 15.3 ppg and hit 37% of his 3s before transferring to Gonzaga. His presence was going to help extend defenses. But now, one just hopes he can stay healthy enough to enjoy one final season of college hoops.
What’s this mean for Gonzaga?
Well, after Mark Few’s program went through last season with a relatively thin roster, that shouldn’t be a problem in 2024-25.
First off, the Zags return four starters: Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman, Ben Gregg and Graham Ike. That’s a terrific start.
But what about the wing?
Venters seemed unlikely to start when Michael Ajayi committed to the Zags. Ajayi averaged 17 ppg at Pepperdine last year, and could be one of the Bulldogs’ top two or three scorers.
They also have sophomore Dusty Stromer, who’ll be the first wing off the bench and pretty exclusively the only pure shooter coming from the bench. It also likely nets more minutes for defensive whiz Emmanuel Innocenti, who posted 6.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 1.7 spg at Tarleton State as a freshman.
The overall lineup flexibility drops a bit, but that’s about it. It’s still an experienced, talented team.
Losing Venters shouldn’t downgrade Gonzaga. It does hurt, but it's just a string of unfortunate luck for a very good player.
2. So. About Georgetown’s non-conference schedule
Among the biggest news of Tuesday was Georgetown’s schedule. And not for a good reason.