Gonzaga commits Isiah Harwell, Jack Kayil among 71 early NBA draft entrants
Apr. 27—Isiah Harwell and Jack Kayil are expected to figure into Mark Few's backcourt rotation next season, but the incoming guards will first go through the NBA draft process before stepping foot on Gonzaga's campus. Harwell, a Houston transfer who announced his commitment to Gonzaga a few weeks ago, joined Kayil on the list of 71 early entry-draft candidates released Monday afternoon.
Kayil hinted he'd go through the predraft process after committing to Gonzaga last fall and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress confirmed the guard's intentions last week. Harwell and other college underclassmen who've entered the draft have until May 27 to withdraw their names in order to preserve their NCAA eligibility. That deadline doesn't apply to international players like Kayil, who have two more weeks and won't have to make a decision until 2 p.
m. on June 13. A former top-20 prospect, Harwell's name appeared on a number of mock draft boards this time last year, but the Pocatello native missed the majority of Houston's offseason workouts while recovering from an ACL injury he suffered as a senior at Wasatch Academy and averaged just 3.
6 points and two rebounds as a freshman. Harwell generally isn't considered to be a first- or second-round draft prospect this year, but the guard will have an opportunity to gain valuable feedback from scouts and train with NBA prospects as he works through the pre-draft process. Kayil's professional outlook looks slightly better than Harwell's at this point in time, but the combo guard's name hasn't appeared in the majority of mock drafts published in recent months.
Days after Givony reported Kayil was planning to declare for the draft, ESPN's Jeremy Woo slid the guard in at No. 48 on his "2026 NBA Draft Top 100" rankings, effectively translating to a mid-second -round grade. If both Harwell and Kayil withdraw from the draft, they're expected to play roles in Gonzaga's rotation next season, alongside returning players Mario Saint-Supery, Davis Fogle and Braden Huff.