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Parker Jefferson embraces 'Gonzaga guy' label: 'I just really fit the mold here'

Originally posted on Gonzaga Bulldogs on SI
By Andy Patton | Last updated Sep 22, 2025 10:45 AM ET

Gonzaga may be known to some as 'Guard University', but make no mistake, this program's success — especially recently — has been on the backs of the big men down low.

Mark Few is arguably the best coach in college basketball at developing talent and garnering production from his bigs, with a high-usage role and plenty of paint touches awaiting any post player who Few and the staff believe fits the system, regardless of how under the radar they may be to everyone else.

Drew Timme wasn't even a top 50 recruit in the 2019 class when Gonzaga brought him in. Braden Huff wasn't even in the top 90. And no one saw Kelly Olynyk, or Przemek Karnowski, or Filip Petrusev developing into the players they became in Spokane. But if you have good footwork and soft touch around the rim, you just might be a 'Gonzaga guy', something the program's newest big man, Parker Jefferson, knows all about.

"Ever since recruiting started up in eighth grade, everybody was telling me, 'Why don't you go to Gonzaga?' I feel like it's the perfect spot for you," Jefferson told Gonzaga Bulldogs On SI. "I started thinking like 'maybe I am a Gonzaga guy.' I think I just really fit the mold here."

Jefferson and Gonzaga didn't pick each other first, with the 6'9 center initially committing to Minnesota before a coaching change altered his plans. He said Gonzaga coach Brian Michaelson called and chatted with him for about an hour after he decommitted, asking him questions — mostly about school and a little basketball.

"Just from that first call, I knew he was serious and that he wasn't wasting his time and I wasn't wasting mine either," Jefferson said. "I think from the jump I knew that this was the spot where I wanted to go."

Jefferson is a 3-star prospect who On3 ranked No. 149 in the 2025 class, 18th among centers and 18th in California, after the Waxahachie, TX native played his senior season in Inglewood, CA — an experience he sought out in order to better prepare him for college.

"That was one of the main things I was looking forward to getting out of that experience," Jefferson said. "That's definitely something that I needed for sure. Growing up and realizing that this is what it's going to be in college, so why not go ahead and get a head start now?"

Maturity is key for Jefferson, who may see playing time right away this season — particularly if Tyon Grant-Foster is unavailable. If Grant-Foster is not granted a waiver by the NCAA for another year of eligibility, Steele Venters will likely see an uptick in minutes at the three instead of spending time as a small-ball four.

That would leave Gonzaga with Graham Ike, Braden Huff, and Ismaila Diagne up front — none of whom have played more than 24 minutes per game while in a Zags uniform. Jefferson said he expects to play power forward this season, "probably backing up Braden," and that's a role that could provide big minutes.

It's all about opportunity, and Jefferson knows it's here for him if he can grab on. But he also knows the importance of waiting your turn, and learning from the guys in front of you — a message he's getting from the coaching staff as well.

"Coach B. Mike has seen Drew Timme, Braden Huff, and Graham Ike flashes in me," Jefferson said. "So I think that's kind of what I'm set to do. Getting to see those guys for Graham's last year, getting to see fully what it takes to be a guy like that and learn from those guys."

"That's what I'm going to need because that's what it's heading towards."