Pavel Zakharov Transferring From Gonzaga

Gonzaga Bulldogs sophomore center Pavel Zakharov has entered the transfer portal.

The former four-star big man was part of the heralded class of 2019, featuring Drew Timme, Anton Watson, Oumar Ballo, and Martynas Arlauskas. While Timme and Watson developed into starters and major players for the team, Zakharov was never able to crack the rotation in any meaningful way.

In his freshman season, he averaged 1.9 points over 4.5 minutes per game, a perfectly acceptable number considering he was playing behind Timme and Filip Petrusev.

Those numbers took a dive this season. He only appeared in 10 games and garnered a total of 28 minutes. The coaching staff would put out Oumar Ballo for in-game minutes and seasoning, and after Ben Gregg reclassified, Zakharov was shown to the very end of the bench.

With the Zags largely favored for the No. 1 pick Chet Holmgren, and a very real chance that Timme returns for his junior season, the frontcourt is an incredibly crowded area. For Zakharov to play basketball, it pretty much means he is the odd one out.

Hopefully, he will find his footing with a new collegiate squad, and we wish him all the best.