Mark Few watched on from the sideline as one of his former players paced up and down the court, wrestled down low with other centers and contested shots at the rim during Team USA training camp in early August, held in Las Vegas a few weeks before the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

During his three seasons at Gonzaga, Julian Strawther was constantly urged by coaches and teammates to take any open shot that came his way.

It’s not a certainty that there will be a former Gonzaga basketball player on the court when you flip on the NBA on these days, but it won’t take too much channel surfing in 2023-24 to find one of the 11 ex-Bulldogs who’ll be on an active roster when the regular season starts up Tuesday.

This time last year, we compiled a full schedule of NBA games pitting one former Gonzaga basketball player against one another.

Klay Thompson’s free agency looms next summer with reports indicating Thompson and the Warriors aren’t close to coming to a contract extension agreement. Golden State majority owner Joe Lacob implored everyone to relax about the stalled negotiations.