Ryan Nembhard, younger brother of former Gonzaga point guard Andrew Nembhard, commits to Bulldogs

Gonzaga and Mark Few beat out a close acquaintance for a high-level transfer point guard with a familiar last name.

Approximately one week after taking recruiting visits to Gonzaga and Arizona, Creighton’s Ryan Nembhard, the younger brother of former GU point guard Andrew Nembhard, committed to the Bulldogs, giving Few’s program another instant impact player out of the transfer portal.

Few and the Zags made up significant ground on Arizona and coach Tommy Lloyd, who had reportedly been the favorite to land the Creighton sophomore. Lloyd, Few’s longtime assistant, was the lead recruiter for Andrew Nembhard when the former Florida point guard transferred to Gonzaga prior to the 2020-21 season.

Five recruiting analysts from 247Sports.com and other national media outlets predicted Ryan Nembhard would choose the Wildcats over the Bulldogs.

Nembhard revealed his decision to ESPN Friday morning before making an announcement on Instagram, approximately one hour after Gonzaga fans received significant transfer portal news from Wyoming big man Graham Ike, who also committed to the Bulldogs.

“New beginnings,” Nembhard wrote underneath a photo of himself wearing a white Gonzaga jersey with the No. 0.

The 6-foot, 170-pound Creighton transfer follows in the footsteps of his older brother, who became a top point guard during his two years at Gonzaga, helping the Bulldogs reach the national championship game in 2021. Andrew, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2022 West Coast Conference Tournament, was drafted No. 31 overall by the Indiana Pacers, earning the biggest contract for a second-round pick in NBA history.

“Of course my brother had been telling me for years what a great coach Mark (Few) was,” Ryan 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.”

Ryan Nembhard, similar to his brother, has been a productive distributor and effective scorer at the college level, leading Creighton to a berth in the Elite Eight while averaging 12.1 points, 4.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds last season.

Nembhard scored 30 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and 10-of-10 shooting from the free-throw line during Creighton’s 85-76 win over Baylor in the Round of 32. Nembhard and his parents, Claude and Mary, stayed around after to catch the next NCAA game at Denver’s Ball Arena, watching Gonzaga beat TCU 84-81 to advance to the Sweet 16.

Creighton’s season ended with a 57-56 loss to eventual national runner-up San Diego State in the Elite Eight. Nembhard scored seven points to go with three rebounds and one assist in the loss.

The Aurora, Ontario, native started and played in all 37 games as a sophomore for Creighton, which finished 24-13 last season, shooting 43% from the field, 35% from the 3-point line and 87% from the free-throw line.

Nembhard’s freshman season at Creighton was cut short after he injured his wrist during a Big East Conference game at St. John’s. Before the setback, Nembhard had started in all 27 games for the Bluejays, averaging 11.3 points, 4.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game while making 40% from the field, 31% from the 3-point line and 73% from the free-throw line.

He earned Big East Freshman of the Year honors in 2021-22 and was a unanimous selection on the all-freshman team.

Gonzaga’s expected to return starting point guard Nolan Hickman, but the Bulldogs could lose three other rotational guards from last year’s Elite Eight team.

Rasir Bolton will move on to a professional career after exhausting his college eligibility. Former five-star recruit Hunter Sallis has entered the transfer portal after averaging 16.8 minutes per game last season. Malachi Smith, the WCC’s Sixth Man of the Year, has declared for the NBA draft while maintaining the option to return to school for a fifth season. Another reserve guard, Dominick Harris, is in the transfer portal.

Andrew Nembhard, fresh off a successful rookie season with the Pacers in which he averaged 9.5 points, 4.5 assists and 2.7 rebounds while starting 63 of 75 games, reportedly joined Ryan on visits to Spokane and Tucson last weekend.

Andrew averaged 11.8 points and had one of the nation’s best assist-to-turnover ratios, averaging 5.8 assists and 1.9 turnovers per game, during his senior season with the Zags.

Both Nembhard brothers attended Montverde Academy in Florida before committing to their respective colleges. Ryan helped his team win the GEICO High School National Championship as a senior and played alongside five eventual NBA draft picks during his time at the school: Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barnes, Moses Moody, Day’Ron Sharpe and Caleb Houstan.

Current Gonzaga players, including Hickman and sophomore forward Ben Gregg, reacted to Ryan’s Instagram announcement Friday.

“mhmm let’s rock brother nemb,” Hickman wrote on his Instagram story.

“Uh ohhh,” Gregg posted, sharing Nembhard’s announcement.

Ike expressed his excitement for the new partnership with Nembhard, commenting “cmon then!!” on the point guard’s post, to which Nembhard replied “Zagup shordy.”

Creighton transfer Ryan Nembhard