Gonzaga Bulldogs junior wing Emmanuel Innocenti plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal when it opens on Tuesday, April 7, Theo Lawson of The Spokesman-Review reported Sunday. He will be the first Gonzaga player in recent years to leave after both starting the majority of games and averaging more than 20 minutes per contest.
Innocenti, a 6-foot-5 wing from Ivory Coast, started 29 of the Bulldogs 35 games during the 2025-26 season while averaging 24.3 minutes per game, the third-highest on the roster behind Graham Ike (31.2) and Braden Huff (25.4). He contributed 6.0 points per game, ranking eighth on the team, while shooting 28.4% from three-point range. Scoring wasn't his forte, but he was widely utilized as Gonzaga's primary on-ball defender, regularly tasked with shutting down the opposition's top scorers.
His role expanded greatly late in the season following Huff's knee injury and Jalen Warley's quad issue. Over the final 11 games, Innocenti averaged 33.7 minutes, along with 8.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He logged heavy minutes in postseason matchups, including 38 minutes in the WCC Tournament title game against Santa Clara, 34 minutes versus Kennesaw State in the NCAA Tournament, and 39 minutes in a Round of 32 game against Texas.
Across the full season, Innocenti reached double figures in scoring six times, including a season-high 16 points in a February win at Santa Clara and 15 points with five made three-pointers against Maryland. Over his two-year career with the Bulldogs (66 games, 32 starts), he averaged 4.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 0.8 steals while shooting 43.8% from the field.
His exit will add to Gonzaga's offseason turnover. The program is already set to lose core players such as Warley (1.5 steals per game leader) and Tyon Grant-Foster (team-best 1.1 blocks per game), along with veterans Graham Ike, Adam Miller, and Steele Venters due to eligibility. Innocenti also joins guard Cade Orness as a portal entrant.
