Gonzaga basketball faces massive blow as Steele Venters is set to miss another season due to Achilles injury

Gonzaga basketball and Mark Few will be forced to alter their plans for the upcoming season after Steele Venters suffered a left Achilles injury.

The setback will keep the wing on the sidelines throughout the year, much to the dismay of Venters — who already missed the whole 2023-24 season due to a torn ACL. He was working on strengthening his knee during the offseason and was supposed to join the active lineup this year.

Venters joined Gonzaga in 2023 after transferring from Eastern Washington. He averaged 15.3 points and had a 45.7 field goal percentage during his final year with the Eagles.

Meanwhile, the Gonzaga Bulldogs earned an NCAA bid last season and reached the Sweet 16 round, where they ultimately lost to the Purdue Boilermakers. A significant number of contributors from that roster will be returning this year.

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What does Steele Venters' injury mean for Gonzaga?

Few will have to find apt replacements for Venters. Luckily, Gonzaga’s depth includes Michael Ajayi, Dusty Stromer and Jun Seok Yeo. However, only Ajayi has the resume to match Venters' three-point efficiency, with Ajayi having a 47.0 field goal percentage.

Moreover, when Few looks for additional personnel to fill up minutes, slightly smaller players like Khalif Battle and Emmanuel Innocenti can bring versatility. Battle brings the experience of playing for Butler, Temple Owls and Arkansas, while Innocenti brings two-way production.

As for Venters, he could be granted another medical redshirt year by the NCAA. It is a notion that allows players to extend their playing tenure in case of season-ending injuries that occur before the second half of the season.

Aside from his freshman redshirt year at Eastern Washington, Venters also redshirted his first year at Gonzaga.

Gonzaga is slated to face Arizona State in November. However, a matchup can appear sooner as they are yet to finalize the 2024-25 non-conference schedule.