Gonzaga makes key addition with commitment from Croatian guard Luka Krajnovic

Gonzaga went a long way to boost its guard line in a big way.

Luka Krajnovic, a 6-foot-4 guard who averaged 17.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists last season for Bosco Zagreb in his native Croatia, announced his commitment to the Zags on his Instagram account.

“Happy and proud to become a part of the Gonzaga family. GO ZAGS,” Krajnovic captioned a picture of himself wearing a No. 3 Gonzaga jersey. He added a second post featuring player and crowd highlights inside the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Krajnovic has signed a financial aid agreement to attend GU, according to a school release, and will join the team as a freshman this season.

“Luka is a guard that can really help us,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “He is versatile and has decent size. He also had good experiences playing against older guys back home in Croatia.”

The 19-year-old Krajnovic earned second-team honors and was named the most improved player last season in Croatia’s top league by Eurobasket.com.

The Zags have been looking to bolster the backcourt with one of their two open scholarships. Gonzaga added Creighton point guard Ryan Nembhard, younger brother of former GU standout Andrew Nembhard, and returns last year’s starting point guard, Nolan Hickman.

The Zags often have played two point guards together and that figures to continue with the 6-foot Nembhard, who was one of the top players available in the transfer portal, and the 6-2 Hickman.

Krajnovic, who is listed at 185 pounds, gives GU a bigger shooting guard – he connected on 58.4% of shots inside the arc, 35.4% on 3s and 72.2% at the free-throw line – that could play alongside one or both point guards.

Steele Venters, a 6-7 transfer from Eastern Washington, is the probable starter at wing, replacing Julian Strawther, who was drafted late in the first round by the Denver Nuggets. The Zags have several players in the same size range that could be factors at big guard, wing or forward with 6-6 freshman Dusty Stromer, 6-8 Jun Seok Yeo and 6-8 Marcus Adams Jr.

The frontcourt appears set with Wyoming transfer post Graham Ike and fifth-year senior forward Anton Watson. Ben Gregg, a top reserve last season, also returns.

Krajnovic is a skilled shooting guard who played for Croatia’s U18 teams the past two summers. He averaged 13.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists in the 2022 FBA European Championships. He also spent time training recently with Croatia’s senior national team. He saw limited time in 2021-22 with Cibona in Zagreb.

Krajnovic led Bosco in scoring and minutes (30.9 per game) and ranked second with 35 made 3-pointers last season. His 205 free-throw attempts were nearly three times more than his next-closest teammate.

He hit four 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 36 points, five rebounds and five assists in Bosco’s 107-80 win over Gorica in March. He posted 33 points, seven rebounds and six assists in a May loss to Zabok. He had 14 games with at least 20 points.

Gonzaga has added Krajnovic and forward Adams, who committed three weeks ago, after Australian forward Alex Toohey decommitted in late June.