The Gonzaga Bulldogs are setting themselves up for a successful 2024-25 campaign as former Arkansas Razorbacks guard Khalif Battle says he will be joining the Bulldogs.
Battle averaged 14.8 points per game last season for the Razorbacks before entering the portal this offseason after Arkansas coach Eric Musselman decided to leave for USC.
Gonzaga was in a battle, no pun intended, for Battle with Villanova and Kansas State until he finally decided to commit to the Bulldogs.
Battle has played for three different teams across three different conferences since 2019. But the constant with Battle has been his high-level ability to score the basketball.
Battle’s Journey to Gonzaga
https://gty.im/2064033933
Khalif Battle has had quite the college basketball journey.
Battle has bounced around since his freshman year at Butler in 2019. After not getting too much playing time there, he transferred to Temple after just one year at Butler.
Unfortunately for Battle, right as he really started to thrive at Temple, he was hampered by injuries during the 20-21 and 21-22 seasons. He was only able to play 18 games over those 2 years.
Battle was able to play 27 games the following season and averaged 17.9 points a game. He then transferred to Arkansas the following year, where he scored 14.8 points per game.
This will be the 4th different school Battle has played for in his collegiate career.
What Battle Brings to Gonzaga
https://gty.im/1246261120
Khalif Battle is a 6-foot-5 guard who has been able to put the ball in the basketball court whenever he’s been on the court. The biggest issue for Battle has just been staying healthy.
When he has, there is no question that he is a very productive player.
Gonzaga has a lot of returning players, so it will be interesting to see where coach Mark Few fits Battle into the rotation.
I can see Battle starting at the 3 for the Bulldogs. At 6 foot 5, he should be able to match up against most small forwards, especially in the WCC.
Khalil Battle will bring experience and 3-level scoring to the table for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Gonzaga Bulldogs Outlook
Gonzaga is bringing back nearly their whole team from a season ago.
In this age of the transfer portal, it’s remarkable how the Bulldogs only lost 2 players to the portal. Coach Mark Few deserves a lot of credit for the stability of Gonzaga and running one of the most consistent programs in the country.
The biggest loss for Gonzaga is the graduation of forward Anton Watson. Fortunately, the Bulldogs addressed that immediately with the transfer addition of Michael Ajayi.
Ajayi will now be paired with star Graham Ike down low. Ike was named All-WCC 1st team last year.
In the backcourt, Gonzaga retained starters from last year, Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman. Adding Khalif Battle really boosts the depth of this position.
The Bulldogs started to gel towards the 2nd half of the season last year, and it took them all the way to the Sweet 16. Now, they can build on that further with so many returners coming back.
Gonzaga is primed for a 26th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and a deep run.
About the Author
Cory is an Oregon Duck alumni and has been following college basketball closely for years. He attended over 30 games across the country this season alone. Follow Cory on X @cory_pappas1 for more breaking stories to get you through the offseason.
Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexSports and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
