In a stunning move, Gonzaga starting point guard Mario Saint-Supery is returning to Spain.
On Saturday, EuroLeague squad Valencia announced that it had signed Saint-Supery, a point guard who earned all-West Coast Conference freshman honors after averaging 8.6 points per game last season, to a long-term deal.
Before his lone season at Gonzaga, Saint-Supery had earned the nickname "El Principito ("The Little Prince") as a standout in Spain's Liga ACB professional league.
"The Little Prince will make the Roig Arena his new palace," Valencia said in a release that also stated Saint-Supery would "continue his development at a high competitive level."
It's a significant move this late in the offseason for coach Mark Few's squad, which will play in the new Pac-12 in 2026-27. The transfer portal is closed and there are limited options to replace a talented point guard in July.
Saint-Supery, a 6-foot-4 athlete, made 40% of his 3-point attempts for the Bulldogs last year. He also started the final eight games of the season, a stretch that included a 21-point effort against Santa Clara in the WCC tournament title game. He also recorded 13 assists and four turnovers in two NCAA tournament games.
Along with Braden Huff, Davis Fogle and Arizona State transfer Massamba Diop, Saint-Supery was expected to be a floor general for a Gonzaga squad that will play outside the WCC for the first time since joining the league in 1979.
Saint-Supery's decision is not only a major move for the Bulldogs and their national title aspirations, but it's also an interesting signing amid a shifting landscape for international prospects.
Although the NCAA's 5-for-5 rule has been challenged in state courts, it has changed the outlook for international basketball players who want to play Division I hoops. Before the rule change, an international player's academic clock would begin only after they enrolled, but now the clock will start once they enroll in school or the academic year after they turn 19, whichever comes first. That will limit the time young international prospects will have to play at this level and end the trend of college teams adding older international players to their rosters.
The European landscape has lost multiple young prospects to college basketball teams during the NIL era.
On Saturday, a European squad took one back.