Gonzaga transfer Dominick Harris remains in WCC, commits to Loyola Marymount

Dominick Harris is leaving Gonzaga, but he won’t be moving on from the West Coast Conference, announcing a commitment to Loyola Marymount Thursday morning.

Harris, a former four-star guard who came to Gonzaga as part of the Bulldogs’ “tricky trio” 2020 recruiting class along with Jalen Suggs and Julian Strawther, revealed his decision on Instagram.

“Back home, lehh rock,” Harris posted.

Harris’ hometown of Murrieta, California, is approximately 90 miles away from LMU’s campus in Los Angeles. It’s unclear how many programs reached out to the Gonzaga transfer, but Harris posted photos from an official visit to BYU earlier this week with a caption, “not committed jus really felt da luv.”

Harris was sidelined during the 2021-22 season with a foot injury, but he played 35 games in the 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons. Harris is eligible for a COVID-19 waiver after playing in 2020-21 and should have three years of eligibility remaining after redshirting in 2021-22.

The sophomore guard entered the NCAA transfer portal within a week of Gonzaga’s season-ending, Elite Eight loss to UConn. Two other Bulldogs players followed suit.

From that group, sophomore guard Hunter Sallis was the first to announce his next destination, committing to Wake Forest late last week. Sophomore center Efton Reid III, who began his career at LSU, entered the transfer portal for a second time and announced Thursday’s he’s joining Sallis at Wake Forest.

The eighth-rated recruit in GU history, per 247Sports.com, Harris was unable to crack the Bulldogs’ deep guard rotation as a freshman, sitting behind Suggs, Andrew Nembhard, Corey Kispert and Joel Ayayi. He sustained a foot injury during summer 2021 and underwent surgery in the fall, missing all of Gonzaga’s 2021-22 season.

Harris announced last October before the Bulldogs’ Kraziness in the Kennel that he’d been cleared to return to the court, but he never earned a spot in the rotation, competing with Rasir Bolton, Nolan Hickman, Malachi Smith and Sallis.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard averaged 1.5 points and 0.6 rebounds while playing 57 total minutes as a redshirt sophomore. Harris’ career high of 12 points came during his freshman season against Northern Arizona.

Harris brings 3-point shooting and defense to LMU, which finished 2022-23 with a 19-13 record. The Lions snapped Gonzaga’s 75-game home winning streak by stunning the sixth-ranked Bulldogs 68-67 on Jan. 19 in Spokane. They became the first team in WCC history to defeat GU, Saint Mary’s and BYU in the same season.

The Lions are losing point guard Cam Shelton, an All-WCC first-teamer who averaged 21.4 points last season, and have seen four other guards enter the transfer portal.

Along with Harris, LMU has added transfer guards Justice Hill of LSU and North Carolina Central’s Justin Wright.

Former Eastern Washington and Portland guard Mike Meadows initially committed to LMU after entering the portal but later flipped to California.