Northwest Notes Oct. 24, 2026

Gonzaga bolsters frontcourt with addition of Spanish forward Almansa

SPOKANE — Gonzaga men's basketball coach Mark Few announced the addition of Izan Almansa, a 6-foot-10 forward from Spain, for the 2026-27 season.

Almansa brings extensive international experience to Gonzaga after spending the 2025-26 season with Real Madrid of Spain's Liga ACB. He averaged 4.9 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per game for Real Madrid.

A standout for Spain's youth national teams, Almansa helped Spain win the 2023 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup while earning tournament MVP honors. He averaged 16.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game while shooting 61.0 percent from the field. He became the first player to earn MVP honors at both the FIBA U17 and U19 World Cups.

Almansa also helped Spain capture the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship and was named tournament MVP.

Gonzaga plays an exhibition game today at Arkansas (1 p.m., SECN+, ESPN+).