Are you just done with all the court cases determining eligibility this year? So am I. As a result, I will translate this headline in a way that won’t give you a massive headache by just trying to understand what it all means.
Here’s the headline: Thanks to a preliminary injunction granted by Santa Clara Superior Court Judge Beth McGowen, Gonzaga Bulldog point guards Xaivian Lee and Ines Bettencourt have been granted eligibility for a fifth year of eligibility, giving both Lee and Bettencourt another
step closer to full eligibility for the 2026-27 year, as reported by CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein and The Spokesman-Review’s Theo Lawson. However, the NCAA is going to appeal the decision, meaning the decision is not final in the case of Lee, Bettencourt, and more than 70 other players involved in the case who are seeking a fifth year through the NCAA’s new 5-in-5 rule.
Translation into ten-year-old terms: Gonzaga wants really good and experienced point guards Xaivian Lee and Ines Bettencourt to play for them, and the big bad NCAA does not! However, a nice judge in California just stood up to the mighty evil NCAA and said no! This “no” is temporary, but until that’s resolved, Lee and Bettencourt can play!
This whole circus is so exhausting. Alongside Lee and Bettencourt, Javon Bennett won a victory in his case to give him eligibility, while Chauncey Wiggins is still on his uphill battle (Izan Almansa is involved in a different case regarding professional players coming back for eligibility).
Nonetheless, men’s coach Mark Few will have Xaivian Lee and Javon Bennett for the season, while women’s coach Lisa Fortier will have Ines Bettencourt. After all that mumbo-jumbo, both Few and Fortier will roster floor generals that bring the ability to swing a game on the court while providing veteran leadership that’s crucial to the success of both teams, who are expected to dominate the Pac-12 Conference in its first season of its second era.
We will start on the men’s side with Lee and Bennett. I wrote about Lee’s impact on this Gonzaga squad alongside experienced French guard Nathan De Sousa last week, just because Lee and De Sousa were the only point guards on the team who were eligible. Bennett’s addition to the mix adds a lot of dimension to a very experienced trio of guards.
Bennett committed to Gonzaga back on Aug. 5, around three weeks following the sudden departure of Mario Saint-Supery in July. It was clear that Bennett, who spent his last three years with Dayton and his freshman year at Merrimack, was on the radar of the Zags as one of the 5-in-5 transfers that Few wanted. When I dove into the film, I could see why.
Bennett averaged nearly 16 points, 3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game last year, leading the Flyers in scoring and assists. Listed at 5-10, 165, Bennett is undersized, but like all good undersized guards, he uses this to his advantage. He’s lightning quick and a tough finisher around the rim, which he will need against Pac-12 frontcourts. He’s also a stalwart defender at his position; in his freshman year, he averaged 2.9 steals per game at Merrimack, which ranked second in the nation.
What stood out to me most, however, was Bennett’s late-game availability. He hit multiple clutch shots down the stretch of games last year for Dayton (many of which are highlighted in the video above), showcasing an uncanny ability to size up defenders and take them one-on-one. Also, Bennett shot 89.8% from the free-throw line last year, which will earn him a spot on the court in every late-game situation. This will be a massive addition to this offense, especially if Bennett comes off the bench (which he likely will), and can become an offensive engine in the second unit for Few.
What stood out to me most, however, was Bennett’s late-game availability. He hit multiple clutch shots down the stretch of games last year for Dayton (many of which are highlighted in the video above), showcasing an uncanny ability to size up defenders and take them one-on-one. Also, Bennett shot 89.8% from the free-throw line last year, which will earn him a spot on the court in every late-game situation. This will be a massive addition to this offense, especially if Bennett comes off the bench (which he likely will), and can become an offensive engine in the second unit for Few.
Yet, Bennett’s efficiency numbers do stick out. He shot 39% from the field and 34% from three last season, a result of him being the No. 1 scoring option on the team as a 5-10 guard. In our latest episode of Bulldog Business with Josh Gilchrist, I compared Bennett to Fred VanVleet, who consistently shoots at or under 40% from the field during the season. Both are undersized guards who are tenacious defenders, skilled at taking defenders one-on-one, and are reliable guards in late-game scenarios. While the size and the comfortability of being moved from the No. 1 option to a sixth man role (RE: Braeden Smith last year, now with Notre Dame) can be a concern, Bennett will prove to be vital to this team’s success, especially down the stretch of games. Watch out for Bennett in the Sixth Man of the Year conversations this year in the Pac-12.
Now Few has Lee and Bennett, two guards who have played four years of college basketball and been their team’s No. 1 scoring option before. It will be interesting to see how the Hall of Fame coach tinkers with lineups, but the experience in the backcourt with those two and De Sousa is extremely exciting.
On to the women’s side, where Ines Bettencourt secured a victory in her 5-in-5 case, which also applied to Lee. With Bettencourt’s eligibility settled, seven-time WCC Coach of the Year winner Fortier now returns all five starters from last year’s WCC Tournament title squad, a tremendous feat in today’s college basketball landscape.
Bettencourt, a 5-9 point guard from Sao Miguel, Portugal, spent her first two years with UConn, playing less than 10 minutes per game each year before transferring to Gonzaga. Last year, Bettencourt started all 33 games, averaging 6.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per contest. The veteran guard is also the vocal leader of this group and will be the most experienced Zag on the roster this season.
On the court, similarly to Bennett, Bettencourt is a tenacious defender and loves pushing the pace on the offensive end off of steals and tip-outs in the halfcourt. This creates a multi-dimensional system for an offense that led the nation in 3-point shooting last year at 39.6%. While Bettencourt’s 3-point shooting numbers were down last year compared to her first year in a Zag uniform, her presence as the lead guard with reigning WCC Player of the Year Lauren Whittaker and two-time First-Team all-WCC guard Allie Turner will likely anchor a dominant force in the Pac-12 this season.
The women’s team is returning 10 (!!!) total players from last season’s roster that finished 24-10 and 14-4 in conference play. Going into last season, the story was about how Fortier was going to handle eight total newcomers going into the year. Now that script has flipped, and it’s going to be entertainment night in and night out from this squad.
Because of these court case wins that granted Lee, Bennett, and Bettencourt their long-awaited eligibility, Zag basketball fans will be delighted to see an array of experience and talent anchor their teams this season as the Pac-12’s new horizon is inching ever closer.
