Gonzaga’s Steele Venters is gone for the season with a knee injury.
Eastern Washington transfer is anticipated to start with the Bulldogs in 2023-24.
Steele Venters damaged his knee at practice this week and is done for the season, according to college basketball analyst Jeff Goodman, who shared the news on Twitter. (The Gonzaga men’s basketball team announced on Friday that Venters is gone for the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee during practice.)
The 6-foot-7 wing started the Zags’ exhibition victory against Lewis-Clark State last week and is slated to start the Bulldogs’ 2023-24 season opener against Yale on Friday at home.
Venters joined Gonzaga in April following four seasons at Eastern Washington, where he won the 2022-23 Big Sky Player of the Year award. He was one of the most sought-after players on the transfer market after averaging 15.3 points per game and shooting 37.1% from deep for the Eagles. Last season, the Ellensburg, Washington native placed in the 89th percentile of all players in catch-and-shoot 3-pointers and had the most triples in the league (78).
Venters, who had only one Division I offer out of high school, was projected to play a key role as a starter for the Bulldogs this season. In the exhibition opener against Lewis-Clark State, he scored two points on 1-for-4 shooting from the field in roughly 18 minutes of play. That came after a 12-point performance against No. 20 Baylor in a closed-door scrimmage in October.
With Venters out for the season, Mark Few faces some difficult options regarding his rotation. Dusty Stromer, a 6-foot-6 four-star recruit, could step in and start on the perimeter if Few decides to go with a three-guard lineup. Anton Watson may possibly move to the wing, allowing Ben Gregg or Braden Huff to join Graham Ike in the frontcourt for a more “tall-ball” combination.
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