A list of the greatest Gonzaga basketball stars of the Mark Few era is littered with players from foreign countries, like Ronny Turiaf, Domantas Sabonis, Przemek Karnowski, Rui Hachimura, Kelly Olynyk, Elias Harris, and on and on and on.
Mark Few and the staff’s ability to identify, recruit, and develop talent from other countries is second to none in college basketball, and international recruiting has been an integral part of this program’s success for the last quarter-century.
And it’s not slowing down anytime soon.
Gonzaga landed a big-time international talent this summer in Mario Saint-Supery, a 6’3 guard from Malaga, Spain, who many project will be an NBA player in the not-too-distant future. Saint-Supery should fill a valuable role right away for the Zags, although his best days in a Gonzaga uniform are likely a year away.
Saint-Supery was pursued by Gonzaga all offseason long, although he did not commit until late June. The 6’3 guard was first on the college basketball radar after a strong performance with the Spanish FIBA U18 EuroBasket club, where he averaged 21.4 points and 6.3 assists while competing against 2025 first-round picks Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf.
Saint-Supery suited up for Baxi Manresa in the ACB last year, one of the top non-NBA leagues in the world. He appeared in 33 games and averaged 8.3 points and 2.1 assists in just under 15 minutes per contest, while shooting 36.5% from three and 86.7% from the free throw line.
Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Mario Saint-Supery during the 2025 Kraziness in the Kennel event at the McCarthey Athletic Center. / Photo by Mercedes Smith
That led him to Gonzaga, but the Spanish guard didn’t get to spend much of the offseason preparing in Spokane. Instead, he was selected as one of 12 players to represent Spain at EuroBasket, an incredible accomplishment for a player his age. He was the youngest player to play for Spain at EuroBasket in over 15 years, since 18-year-old Ricky Rubio suited up in 2009.
Saint-Supery played well for Spain, averaging 8.4 points with a solid 14-to-6 assist-to-turnover ratio in five games while cementing himself as one of the best young international players arriving in college basketball this season.
Coach Few indicated back in July that Saint-Supery is capable of playing both on and off the ball, seemingly clearing a path for him to play point guard and shooting guard as a freshman this season.
Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Mario Saint-Supery (17) during the 2025 Kraziness in the Kennel event at the McCarthey Athletic Center. / Photo by Mercedes Smith
However, the lack of time spent with the coaching staff could limit Saint-Supery to more of an off-ball role to start the season, with Braeden Smith handling the majority of the point guard reps early on. That would allow Saint-Supery to adjust to Gonzaga’s system in a role similar to what he did at Manresa, while gradually getting more on more reps on the ball as the year goes on.
Expectations are that Saint-Supery will come off the bench in his first season with Gonzaga, although he appears in line to play a big role as a versatile guard and secondary playmaker. How quickly he adjusts to the point guard duties in coach Few’s motion offense will dictate how much his playing time grows as the year goes on.
Many believe Saint-Supery has the talent to be one-and-done, but unless he way outperforms expectation, the more likely scenario is a return to Spokane for his sophomore season in 2026-27 — Gonzaga’s first in the new Pac-12.
Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Mario Saint-Supery (17) during the 2025 Kraziness in the Kennel event at the McCarthey Athletic Center. / Photo by Mercedes Smith
It wouldn’t be a shock to see him blossom into a starter and major contributor for Gonzaga as a sophomore, potentially giving the team a coveted two-point guard lineup alongside Smith. Coach Few’s best teams — 2016-17 and 2020-21 — have started two point guards, and these two have the makings of another elite backcourt duo, especially once they get a year of experience under their belt.
MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS