Gonzaga guard listed among best defenders in college basketball

Innocenti was among Gonzaga's best and most versatile defensive players in 2024-25, earning more playing time as the year went on and even starting a trio of games in late January following Gonzaga's poor defensive showing at home against Santa Clara.

Innocenti was recently named by CBS reporter Isaac Trotter as one of the best defenders in college basketball. Trotter made a top 15 list for six different defensive player archetypes: point of attack, jumbo utility guards, wing stoppers, versatile forwards, sturdy interior defenders, and elite rim protectors. Innocenti was No. 5 on the list of jumbo utility guards, behind Emanuel Sharp (Houston), Miles Byrd (San Diego State), Otega Oweh (Kentucky), and Seth Trimble (North Carolina).

Utility is the keyword to describe Innocenti. At 6'5, Innocenti has the length to defend bigger wings and the quickness and lateral mobility to guard at the point of attack, and coach Mark Few used Innocenti in a variety of different roles defensively. He was asked to guard an elite, jitterbug point guard in Moe Odum at Pepperdine, a jumbo high scoring guard in Malik Thomas at San Francisco, and a beefy, bruising wing from Houston in Emanuel Sharp — and many, many others.

Innocenti's defensive versatility, hustle on both ends of the floor, and infectious energy made him a fan favorite last year on a team that was lacking tough-nosed defensive players. And while the Italian native made little impact offensively, he knew his role and took it seriously.

Described as a "ball-mover", Innocenti was rarely asked to look for his own shot on offense, but rather to keep things moving, make the right reads, and most importantly, avoid turning the ball over. He did exactly that, with his 30 assists on the season coming in ahead of fellow rotation wings Michael Ajayi (27) and Dusty Stromer (23), while he was far better at avoiding turnovers, with just six on the season compared to 24 and 21 for Ajayi and Stromer, respectively.

Innocenti was also very good at going after offensive rebounds, with his 5.1% offensive rebound rate the best mark on the team among guards, ahead of Khalif Battle, Nolan Hickman, Ryan Nembhard, and Stromer.

Innocenti should handle a similar role off the bench for Gonzaga this upcoming season. The Zags brought in shooting guard Adam Miller from Arizona State and a pair of 6'7 wings in Tyon Grant-Foster and Jalen Warley from Grand Canyon and Virginia, respectively. Warley is a versatile, lengthy defensive wing in a similar vein to Innocenti, giving Gonzaga even more options to utilize on that end of the floor.

Coming off a disappointing season defensively, Gonzaga will look to re-establish itself as a tough, physical team 1-5. Innocenti is a valuable part of that identity, and his versatility should get him on the floor even more entering his second season in Spokane.

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