Standout Creighton transfer guard Ryan Nembhard has picked Gonzaga over Arizona for his next stop, he announced Friday on Instagram.
After announcing he would transfer from Creighton on April 6, Nembhard scheduled visits to Gonzaga and Arizona over the past week. Both are programs that have ties to his brother, Andrew, who was recruited by UA coach Tommy Lloyd to play for the Zags after leaving Florida in 2020.
Andrew Nembhard went on to play for the Indiana Pacers as the No. 31 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. He joined fellow Pacers T.J. McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin in watching UA's Dec. 1 game at Utah, played the day before the Pacers faced the Utah Jazz, having remained close to both Lloyd and Gonzaga coach Mark Few.
"Of course my brother had been telling me for years what a great coach Mark was," Ryan Nembhard told ESPN. "And it's obvious Andrew was well prepared for the NBA by coach Few and all the staff at Gonzaga the two years he was there; he started more games this year as a rookie than any other Pacers rookie has started in over 20 years.
"Winning, development, and overall happiness are all things I'm hunting. Andrew can't help me find them. I have to do that on my own. Gonzaga is the place for me, I can just tell."
The Big Eastโs Freshman of the Year in 2021-22, Ryan Nembhard played well against the Wildcats in the championship game of the Maui Invitational early last season. Nembhard had 20 points and six assists for the Bluejays but Arizona pulled out an 81-79 win thanks in part to the 30 points and 13 rebounds Oumar Ballo collected.
Nembhard went on to average 12.1 points and 4.8 assists as a sophomore last season, and helped lead the Bluejays to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. While UA stumbled against Princeton in the first round, Nembhard helped Creighton beat N.C. State, Baylor and Princeton before losing to San Diego State in the South Region final.
Against Baylor, Nembhard had 20 points while getting to the line to hit 10 of 10 free throws. Then he had nine points with eight assists in a Sweet 16 win over the same Princeton team that held UA guard Kerr Kriisa to 1-for-7 shooting with two assists and four turnovers.
Still in need of backcourt help after Kriisa transferred to West Virginia and Courtney Ramey ran out of eligibility after the season, Arizona is scheduled to host Cal State Fullerton transfer guard Latrell Wrightsell next Tuesday.
