Mark Few has coached over 300 players in a Gonzaga Bulldogs uniform over the past 27 years, so he's just about seen it all. Over the past quarter century Few ha
uniform over the past 27 years, so he's just about seen it all. Over the past quarter-century, Few has coached some of the very best scorers, passers, shooters, shot blockers, and overall defenders in the history of college basketball.
But even with his storied, Hall of Fame coaching history, Few has never had a player quite like senior Jalen Warley, who has become one of the most unique players in all of college hoops this season. Warley has stepped into a bigger role for Gonzaga following injuries to Braden Huff and Graham Ike, who have missed the past four and three games, respectively, and has fully thrived. Against San Francisco on Saturday, Warley led the team with 19 points on 7-10 shooting, including 5-7 from the free throw line, while grabbing four rebounds and dishing out a pair of assists. The stat line doesn't do his performance justice, though, as the 6'7 Warley spent time defending USF's 7'0 center Guillermo Diaz Graham, 6'9 big man Barry Wang, 6'6 uber-athletic wing Tyrone Riley, and 5'10 point guard Ryan Beasley. He also played on the wing throughout the game, including lineups where both Braeden Smith and Mario Saint-Supery were on the floor, and he also played point guard himself in a lineup where Smith and Saint-Supery were both on the bench. "Oh my goodness. 38 minutes, and he was effective in all 38 of those minutes," Tyon Grant-Foster commented after the team's 68-66 win over the Dons. "I love playing with Jalen. The way he's able to affect the game on the offensive end, by the way people play him, it's crazy. I don't think Jalen shot one 3 all year, but you can't stop him regardless. The way that he's able to adapt and really conform his game to help us; it's crazy, he does so much stuff.""I'm a huge fan of his," USF coach Chris Gerlufsen said of Warley. "You know, I always try to give credit to the guys that play the game in the way that I want it to be played, and he's a guy who I'd love to have on my team. For a guy who's not a great shooter, finds a way to impact winning on both sides. He's got a great ability to get downhill and he can rebound and push. He's a good decision maker and a good offensive player...he just really influences and affects a game on both sides of the ball." On the year, in just under 22 minutes per game, Warley is averaging 7.4 points, 5.3 boards, 2.0 assists, and 1.8 steals while shooting 55.8% from the field. Although he's yet to take a three-pointer this season, Warley's impact on the game is undeniable - and incredibly unique. A look at the entire coach Few era at Gonzaga yields just three seasons where a player has averaged 7+ points, 5+ rebounds, 2+ assists, and 1.5+ steals while shooting 50% or greater from the field: Anton Watson, who did it in both 2023-24 and 2022-23, and one-and-done superstar Jalen Suggs in 2020-21. Watson averaged over 29 minutes both those seasons, while Suggs averaged 28.9, which makes Warley getting this done in 21.8 MPG even more extraordinary. In fact, if you look at what Warley has done as a starter the past four games - 12.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.3 steals, and 61.3% from the field in 29.8 MPG - the list of players at or even near those numbers over a full season is even smaller: zero.Warley came to Gonzaga having played three seasons at Florida State, including a junior year where he averaged 7.5 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.3 steals in 24.1 MPG in 2023-24. He initially transferred to Virginia and was set to complete his college career with the 'Hoos before Tony Bennett's sudden retirement 17 days before the 2024-25 season resulted in Warley opting to enter the transfer portal. He landed at Gonzaga and redshirted the 2024-25 season alongside Smith, learning the ropes of Gonzaga's scheme and preparing for a new role as a small-ball forward in Spokane. The redshirt year was a major blessing for Warley and Gonzaga, who got a player who can do a little bit of everything on the floor and who was ready to step into a bigger role as soon as his number was called when Huff, and then Ike, went on the shelf with lower-body injuries. The Zags are the No. 6 team in the country and currently boast a 14 game winning streak, and while Ike and Huff are a big part of that - and Grant-Foster, Davis Fogle, and Mario Saint-Supery have picked up the scoring load recently - it's entirely fair to say this Zags team would not be sitting 21-1 and undefeated in league play without Warley's impact in nearly every facet of the game. "He's just phenomenal, inspiring, epitome of toughness," Few said on Saturday. "And giving this program, this town all he's got. It's just awesome to witness firsthand." The Zags will need the senior in a major way on Saturday, Jan. 31, when they bring the Gaels of Saint Mary's to Spokane for the first of two regular-season matchups between the longtime rivals.PublishedAndy Patton is a diehard fan and alumnus of Gonzaga, graduating in 2013. He’s been the host of the Locked On Zags podcast covering Gonzaga basketball since 2021, and one of two co-hosts on the Locked On College Basketball podcast since 2022. In addition to covering college basketball, Andy has dabbled in sports writing and podcasting across nearly every major sport dating back to 2017. He was a beat writer covering the Seattle Seahawks from 2017–2021 for USA TODAY, where he also spent one year each covering the USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks, and had a stint as the lead writer for College Sports Wire. Andy has also written about the NBA, NHL, and MLB for various news outlets through TEGNA, including KREM in Spokane, CBS8 in San Diego, and KING 5 in Seattle. After stints in Spokane and Seattle, Andy is back in Oregon near his hometown with his wife, daughter, and dog.
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