Gonzaga adds 2 transfers amid NCAA’s “5-in-5” chaos

After a pair of surprising personnel losses earlier this offseason, the Gonzaga men’s basketball program rebounded by adding two transfers this week amid the chaos surrounding the NCAA’s new age-based eligibility model.

The Zags landed a commitment from Dayton transfer point guard Javon Bennett on Wednesday and a commitment from Florida State transfer forward Chauncey Wiggins on Thursday, according to reports from On3’s Joe Tipton.

Both players secured a fifth year of college eligibility through recent court rulings in response to the NCAA’s new “5-in-5” eligibility model for Division I athletes, which was approved in June.

The new NCAA model allows athletes five seasons of competition over a five-year period that begins with either their full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday – whichever occurs first.

The NCAA stated it wouldn’t approve a blanket waiver to include last year’s college senior class. However, Bennett and Wiggins were among dozens of athletes in several states who recently received preliminary injunctions that grant them a fifth year of eligibility.

Wiggins, a 6-foot-10 forward, spent his first three seasons at Clemson and last season at Florida State. He averaged 13.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game for the Seminoles last season, while shooting 38.7% from 3-point range.

Bennett, a 5-foot-10 point guard, spent his freshman season at Merrimack and the past three seasons at Dayton. He averaged 15.8 points and 2.9 assists per game last season, while shooting 34.7% from beyond the arc and earning first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors.

Bennett’s addition is particularly important for Gonzaga, which was in desperate need of a point guard after losing returning starter Mario Saint-Supery and incoming four-star German recruit Jack Kayil this offseason.

Saint-Supery signed with Valencia of the EuroLeague last month, while Kayil elected to remain in the NBA Draft and was selected at No. 39 overall by the reigning champion New York Knicks before ultimately signing a five-year contract with Germany club ALBA Berlin.

Bennett and Wiggins are set to join a Gonzaga roster that includes returning forwards Braden Huff and Davis Fogle, Arizona State transfer center Massamba Diop and Houston transfer guard Isiah Harwell.

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