Gonzaga Lands Grad Transfer Ryan Woolridge

According to Jim Meehan of The Spokesman Review, Gonzaga has finally landed the grad transfer guard they’ve been seeking. After missing out on Derryck Thornton, the staff apparently acted swiftly and moved to Woolridge, who played three seasons at North Texas in Conference USA.

Woolridge is a 6’3” 180 pound guard, who mainly played point at North Texas. He’s very similar to Thornton in that he’s not a great shooter, but is a good slasher, a great distributor, and a very strong defender. He was third team all-conference last season and had the best defensive rating of any player in the league, averaging just under two steals a game.

In terms of offense, he averaged double figure scoring each of the last two seasons along with 5.8 assists as a sophomore and 4.8 assists as a junior. He also averaged over five rebounds each year. He’s not a three-point shooter, averaging under a made shot per game, but is very crafty around the rim. He had a triple-double in a win over Indiana State last season and a 24 point, 12 rebound, 6 assist performance against Rice two weeks later.

With Gilder and Woolridge, Gonzaga will have a stellar defensive backcourt. The addition will also allow incoming freshman Brock Ravet to move along at a slower pace instead of being thrown directly into the fire.

Gonzaga has one open scholarship remaining if they choose to use it, but the biggest need has been filled. Gonzaga has more depth and veteran presence in their backcourt with the addition of Woolridge and should be ranked in the top 15 to open the season in October.