The first player from the Gonzaga Bulldogs to put their name into the transfer portal this offseason has found a new school.
Dusty Stromer, who entered his name into the portal last week after spending two years in Spokane, will continue his college career with the Grand Canyon Antelopes, according to a post from his Instagram account Wednesday.
Stromer, a former four-star recruit from Notre Dame High School (California), played in 69 out of a possible 70 games during his time with the Zags, missing just one contest this past season due to illness. Stromer played all 35 games and made 15 starts in his freshman year in 2023-24, though his playing time and productivity took a dip as a sophomore.
In 34 games this season, including one start, Stromer put up 4.3 points and 2.1 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per contest — down from his average of 23.5 minutes in his freshman season. The 6-foot-7 wing shot 40.0% from the field and 34.2% from behind the arc on 2.3 attempts per game. As a freshman, Stromer made 35.8% of his 3s on higher volume (2.7 attempts per game).
While his offensive game continued to develop over time, Stromer's playing time at Gonzaga was mostly earned through his energy and effort on the defensive end of the floor. According to sportreference.com, Stromer's 2.5 plus/minus score on defense ranked eighth in the West Coast Conference in 2023-24. He was also top 20 in the WCC in defensive rating and block percentage as a freshman.
A native of Sherman Oaks, California, Stromer was the No. 47-ranked recruit in the 2023 class, according to 247Sports Composite. In May 2022, he chose Gonzaga over his other three finalists Arizona, Houston and UCLA.
The Antelopes are coming off their third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament under Drew, who's won 75% of his games since taking over as head coach prior to the 2020-21 season. He guided the program to its first NCAA Tournament win in 2024 with an upset over the Saint Mary's Gaels in a first-round matchup at Spokane Arena. Grand Canyon couldn't make it back-to-back seasons with at least one win in the tournament, though, after it was knocked out by Maryland in the first round last March.
Stromer was one of three Zags to enter their name into the portal, as Jun Seok Yeo and Michael Ajayi followed soon after. Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman, Khalif Battle and Ben Gregg all exhausted their eligibility at the end of the 2024-25 season.
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Head Coach Hubert Davis will have Luka Bogavac, an international player, to put on the court during the 2025-2026 campaign, assuming the NCAA clearance gets a green light. Bogavac played for SC Derby in Podgorica, Montenegro, last season before deciding to join the Tar Heels this offseason. And arguably, he may be the best player within the incoming transfer portal class for Coach Davis in what is about to be year No. 5, which says a lot because he and General Manager Jim Tanner were able to land a good amount of talented names. Is Bogavac an X-factor though? He potentially may be, as his shooting splits sit at 45/39/87, scoring 14.9 points per game along with three rebounds and two assists too. The way he can score the basketball comes in a variety of ways whether it is off a screen — working his defender, running in transition, spotting up, or even in an iso situation, Bogavac has a lot of tools for Coach Davis to scheme around within the offense. Like I have said before, he seems to be the kind of player who you would draw a shot up for out of a timeout, especially during moments when UNC needs a basket and is in the middle of a drought. A set play for Bogavac could do the trick and pull them right back in the contest. The Importance of Luka Bogavac's Shooting There was only one player who shot above 40% from beyond the arc last season, as Jae'Lyn Withers was able to connect a good bit from distance. However, his attempts per game landed in the 1.1-2.4 range, in comparison to Bogavac's where he had 5.3 attempts, respectively. The six-foot-five guard, 21-year-old is a shooter that can open up lanes for guards, and hold defenders honest when a play on the block unfolds. Imagine this: Caleb Wilson has the ball on the block for a possible fadeaway, going one-on-one, but then Bogavac is the nearest teammate on the floor, either Wilson continues to work his matchup or kicks it out to Bogavac for a three-point attempt. But it would be hard for the opposing team to double-team off a high-percentage shooter. Coach Davis and the staff will be able to strategize and learn more about the newcomer when he makes it to campus. But this is why Bogavac stands as an X-factor heading into the 2025-2026 campaign. Please
Oregon wide receiver Jurrion Dickey has struggled to live up to expectations in his first two seasons with the Ducks, and he is now in a terrible position heading into 2025 as well. Dickey has been suspended indefinitely by Oregon, head coach Dan Lanning announced on Tuesday. Lanning also suggested that Dickey may not play for the Ducks again. "We have two team rules; that’s respectful, be on time,” Lanning said, via James Crepea of The Oregonian. “There’s some pieces of that where I felt like he needed a break from us and we needed a break from that so we could focus on what’s in front of us right now. "Wishing him nothing but the best, as far as success and want to see him get back to where he can be a contributor somewhere; that might be here that might be somewhere else.” Dickey was a five-star recruit and rated as one of the top wide receivers in the country when he came out of Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, Calif., in 2023. He suffered an injury in his senior year in high school and redshirted as a freshman at Oregon. Dickey has two catches for 14 years during his time with the Ducks. Oregon went 13-1 in Lanning's third season with the program last season. The Ducks lost to eventual national champion Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
A Minnesota Vikings wide receiver's season is already over. The Minnesota Vikings announced on Tuesday that wide receiver Rondale Moore is being placed on season-ending injured reserve due to a leg injury that he suffered in the team's first preseason game against the Houston Texans this past weekend. It is a devastating blow for Moore, who is now being sidelined for an entire season, before it even begins, for the second year in a row. Moore signed a one-year, $2 million contract in free agency with the Vikings this offseason in the hopes he could return from a different injury that cost him the entirety of the 2024 season. Moore was a member of the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 after being acquired in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals for backup quarterback Desmond Ridder. This is now two different teams that Moore has been a part of, but will never play a game for them due to injuries. Moore was injured while returning a punt. He began his career with the Arizona Cardinals, catching 135 passes for 1,201 yards over three seasons before being traded. He was never going to be counted on to be a key contributor for the Vikings offense this season, especially given the superstars they already have at wide receiver in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but he still had a chance to be an interesting depth player. Now it is fair to wonder what the rest of his career might even look like. Missing two full seasons due to two different leg injuries is going to be a brutal thing to try to come back from. Missing two seasons for any reason is difficult, but when you add the leg injuries to the equation, it makes the obstacle even steeper.
The Dallas Cowboys need to figure out what to do with Micah Parsons because whatever they're doing right now isn't working. Team owner Jerry Jones said he was willing to "stir the pot" when asked about Parsons' contract stalemate and trade request. Given Parsons' character, that may have rubbed him the wrong way. However, that's not the only contract situation they need to address. While everybody's focused on the Penn State product, CB DaRon Bland is also waiting for an extension of his own. More importantly, he recently said that he hoped it would get done before the Cowboys open the season on Sept. 4. "I do, but I'm not here to talk about it really too much," Bland told the team's website. "But yea, hopefully." Jerry and Stephen Jones aren't that fond of players setting deadlines for contract negotiations, and they've shown that they're willing to wait until the very last second to get a deal done, relationships be damned. Bland has been an instrumental piece of the Cowboys secondary, especially with fellow CB Trevon Diggs struggling with injuries. When asked about his goal for next season, he opened up about his desire to dominate opposite Diggs. "Always hopeful for both of us to be healthy first of all, and for both of us to show out on the field together. Can't wait until it happens," Bland said. Still, given the way the Cowboys have treated their stars and have dealt with contract situations, it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see Bland also go to desperate measures to get what he's earned.