When star point guard Donovan Dent announced plans to return for a fifth year of college basketball, less than 48 hours after the Gonzaga Bulldogs surprisingly lost Mario Saint-Supery, few thought it was a coincidence.
However, while a connection between Dent and the Zags did exist, the timing of his announcement last month may have been coincidental after all.
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Dent announced his commitment to join Will Wade and the LSU Tigers on Friday, following his former UCLA teammate Skyy Clark. Both Dent and Clark received eligibility through a TRO granted in the state of California, where they were two of 73 plaintiffs alongside Xaivian Lee , who now becomes the top available point guard on the market.
Tough blow for Gonzaga
Dent was long considered the top point guard Gonzaga could have possibly landed to replace Saint-Supery, whose departure in mid-July put the Zags in a really tough spot after they had already lost Jack Kayil to the NBA draft two months prior.
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The 6’3 guard was the Mountain West Player of the Year at New Mexico in 2024-25, averaging 20.4 points and 6.4 assists while shooting 40.8% from three. He was among the top commodities in the transfer portal in 2025 and chose UCLA over a top-three list that included Gonzaga and Kentucky.
Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) reacts in the first half during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Dent wasn’t quite as effective with the Bruins, thanks in part to an injury, but he still managed to average an excellent 7.6 assists compared to just 1.8 turnovers per game for coach Mick Cronin. That included a 12 point, 10 assist, three block performance against Gonzaga in Seattle, a game the Zags won 82-72.
After the season, Dent surprisingly announced plans to retire from the game of basketball, rather than pursuing a professional contract in the NBA or overseas. However, when 5-in-5 lawsuits started cropping up across the country, Dent changed his mind – with most believing the star guard would join a Gonzaga roster that included star wing Davis Fogle, All-American candidate Braden Huff, and transfer additions Isiah Harwell and Massamba Diop.
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Instead, the Riverside, CA native will head to Baton Rouge to play for the Tigers, who will play Gonzaga at the Spokane Arena on Nov. 14. Dent and Clark will reunite under coach Wade, while the rest of the roster is still very much to be determined.
What’s next for Gonzaga?
Mar 22, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Florida Gators guard Xaivian Lee (1) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Gonzaga has long been connected to two fifth-year guards: Dent and Xaivian Lee. With Dent off the board and now with the team’s other fifth-year senior guard addition, Javon Bennett, currently ineligible thanks to the NCAA’s successful stay requests in Colorado and Ohio, it is clear Lee is an absolute must-get for coach Few.
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Right now, the Zags do not have a single point guard on the roster, with Bennett ineligible and 23-year-old French guard Nathan de Sousa still in eligibility limbo with the NCAA thanks to his time playing professionally overseas.
Lee was a superstar at Princeton as a sophomore and junior, and scaled up well at Florida last year in the SEC, averaging 11.6 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 59.4% on two-pointers but an ugly 29.2% from three.
However, his shooting improved dramatically in the second half of the year, and Lee was a very solid point-of-attack defender who is more than capable of leading an offense like Gonzaga’s in 2026-27.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/gonzaga as Gonzaga loses top point guard target Donovan Dent to LSU.
