May 13—Jack Kayil signed with Gonzaga last November, but the highly touted German guard won’t step foot on campus after choosing to stay in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Kayil’s decision, reported Wednesday by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, is a significant hit to Gonzaga’s backcourt, where the 20-year-old was penciled in as a possible starter next to returning point guard Mario Saint-Supery.
Listed as a combo guard, Kayil hasn’t been a consensus first- or second-round draft choice in recent mock drafts, but Givony reported he’s receiving “first-round feedback (coming) off an outstanding season in Germany with Alba Berlin.”
Kayil was invited to the NBA Draft Combine taking place this week in Chicago but was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts with his professional season in Germany. Alba Berlin finished its regular season on Sunday and is now preparing for the opening round of the Bundesliga playoffs.
Mock drafts published by ESPN, Yahoo! and On3 recently didn’t list Kayil, but the 6-foot-5 guard checked in at No. 49 on ESPN’s Top 100 big board, equating to a mid-to-late second-round pick.
Kayil was one of the top performers for Alba Berlin this season, averaging 12.1 points, 3.5 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 20.9 minutes per game during Bundesliga play. In Basketball Champions League action, the guard averaged 11.9 ppg, 4.1 apg and 2.9 rpg while logging 20.4 mpg.
He’s shooting 40% from the field and 34.4% from the 3-point line in Bundesliga play and 37.4% from the field and 26.6% from 3 in the Champions League.
Kayil’s decision to remain in the draft arrives exactly one month before the June 13 deadline for international players to withdraw. College players have until May 27 to determine if they’ll return to school or stay in the draft.
Without Kayil in the equation, Houston transfer Isiah Harwell becomes an immediate candidate to start in Gonzaga’s backcourt next season. Harwell was a top-20 prospect in the country coming out of Utah’s Wasatch Academy, but moved to the end of Houston’s bench rotation in 2025-26 and finished his freshman season averaging 3.6 ppg and 2.0 rpg.
The Zags may use the transfer portal or look overseas to address depth issues in the backcourt and fill the final spots on their 2026-27 roster. In addition to Harwell, GU signed Arizona State center Massamba Diop and reportedly picked up a commitment on Tuesday from Spanish forward/center Izan Almansa, who has experience in the G League and playing professionally in both Australia and Spain.