Utah State transfer Steven Ashworth lists Gonzaga in his top five
Apr. 12—Utah State transfer Steven Ashworth has Gonzaga among his top-five potential landing spots.
Ashworth, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound point guard, had a strong junior season while earning first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors.
He averaged a team-high 16.2 points, 4.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals for the Aggies, who finished 26-9 after falling to Missouri in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Ashworth told 247sports he's considering GU, Creighton, BYU, Washington and returning to Utah State. He's scheduled to visit Creighton this weekend.
Creighton starting point guard Ryan Nembhard, younger brother of former Zag Andrew Nembhard, and backup point guard Shereef Mitchell recently entered the transfer portal.
"I have had a few phone calls with (Gonzaga coach) Mark Few and the coaching staff there about what my future could be like as a Zag," Ashworth told 247sports. "It is another appealing opportunity. They have brought success to that program off of skilled guards who can shoot and play in pick-and-roll. That is an area of my game where I felt I excelled over this last year. ...
"The roster they have and the character of guys they recruit is something that I feel is well suited to my game, personality, and abilities on and off the court."
Gonzaga is short on guards after Rasir Bolton exhausted his collegiate eligibility, Hunter Sallis and Dominick Harris entered the transfer portal and Julian Strawther and Malachi Smith announced plans to declare for the NBA draft.
Ashworth hit 51.4% on shots inside the arc, 43.4% on 3s and 87.8% on free throws. His 3-point accuracy ranked sixth nationally, and he was No. 29 in free-throw percentage. His 2.68 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked No. 26.
Ashworth connected on 40.9% of 499 career 3-point attempts and is considered one of the best shooters off the dribble in college basketball.
Ashworth put his name in the portal roughly a week ago, just days after Aggies coach Ryan Odom accepted the Virginia Tech job. Ashworth, who committed to Utah State when Tim Duryea was the head coach, served a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mission before playing his freshman season for coach Craig Smith.
"Experiencing three coaching changes since I committed has helped me realize it is time to explore all options for myself, to ultimately find the best fit for my wife and I," Ashworth wrote in a social media post when he decided to enter the portal.
The Zags have shown interest in Nembhard, Cal Baptist guard Taran Armstrong and Santa Clara guard Carlos Stewart. Arizona is reportedly high on Nembhard's list.
