THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Zags trying to win on the basketball court — and the other court

Keeping track of the Gonzaga basketball roster?

So is Mark Few.

The Zags' ins and outs, turned into a series of massive roller-coaster rides by endless court cases, will present you with a staggering headache.

Consider: For months, they've scoured the world for guards to match with perhaps the best collection of big men in college hoops.

The haul so far: Few had landed transfer Skylar Wiggins from St. Francis, Javon Bennett from Dayton and onetime Houston flash Isiah Harwell.

A fair crop, unlikely to produce any glittering stars, with Bennett the only true point guard.

Meanwhile, the Gonzaga staff waited, like vultures on rock outcrops, for the result of a court case in California.

The fate of more than a hundred players hung in the balance, but the Zags were zeroed in on just two — Donovan Dent from UCLA and Xaivian Lee from Florida.

They had recruited Dent, a tremendous leader and passer, prior to his career at New Mexico, and again when he decided on a move to UCLA.

He was tight with the coaches.

Finally, Dent and the California players got their freedom, but the prize point guard decided on going after a fat paycheck to LSU.

However.

Last week came a pleasant surprise.

Xaivian Lee chose Gonzaga.

FEW HAD his No.1 point guard.

But this is college hoops, 2026 version, and that headache will be back if you take anything for granted.

Within hours of landing Lee, the Zags learned that Skylar Wiggins had decommitted after hooking up with Gonzaga months ago.

All things considered, you could call it a good trade.

An elite point guard was more valuable at the moment than a rugged wing who did his scoring in the college wilderness.

Oh, and we haven't mentioned that there's more episodes of Judge Judy between here and a locked-down roster.

Bennett had been granted eligibility twice, but now he's on the hook again — although the bumbling NCAA surely will lose this case.

Meanwhile, when he had NO point guards to run this powerhouse offense, Few went back to some familiar fertile ground and wrapped up French international Nathan de Souza, a 23-year-old point who has already played four years of pro ball in Europe.

The Zags also grabbed a big man from FIBA play, too: Spain's Izan Almansa.

There's a good dose of irony in that commitment, since Almansa's tie to Gonzaga comes through his national teammate, Mario Saint-Supery.

You'll remember Mario, yes?

Predictably, the NCAA is battling for some regulation that will keep the international guys off the court, although previous cases almost always have favored the players.

If there is no more shuttling back and forth, the Zags could be in pretty good shape with Lee as PG1, with Bennett and De Sousa behind him.

Star soph Davis Fogle, who's become a terrific ball handler at 6-7, may spend some time at shooting guard, as well.

A GLANCE up at the stars might be appropriate here.

You want all the help you can find.

Assembling a solid roster is brutal work in this era of college hoops, and keeping the group together might need guards with bazookas.

If the players who've pledged their souls and sneakers to Gonzaga all stick around — without any major injuries — this almost certainly will be one of Few's best-ever teams.

There's enough talent to make a run at the Final Four, which would be a nice touch since Few was just inducted in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

When you scan the full roster, it becomes pretty obvious why landing those guards was so important.

The Zags have just about everything else.

Arizona State transfer Massamba Diop is a legit 7-foot monster in the middle, and he should open lanes here, there and everywhere for Braden Huff.

Fogle's ceiling is somewhere up in the rafters, and he'll match a slashing, lane game with shooting from everywhere.

Speaking of turning the ball loose: Florida State transfer Chauncey Wiggins is a 3-point specialist who makes a home in the corners, waiting for some catch-and-shoot.

Wiggins is 6-10, so he can get those rainbows off — making up for the fact that he's not a great defender, nor gifted taking care of the ball.

These Zags will be huge (let's not forget 6-9 Parker Jefferson), and now it appears they'll have the leaders to run the offense.

Few just needs to keep any judges away from his team.

Email: [email protected]

Longtime journalist Steve Cameron writes "The Cheap Seats" for The Press three times each week.