'On the edge of my seat.' Coming off valuable redshirt year, Gonzaga's Braden Huff eager to carve out role in 2023-24

May 11—Dealing with Gonzaga's starting frontcourt in 2022-23 posed a series of problems for opposing forwards and centers.

Often it involved combating Drew Timme's interior post moves on one end of the floor, then facing the defensive intensity of Anton Watson on the other.

Few players became better acquainted with that conundrum than Braden Huff.

As a redshirt forward for the Bulldogs, Huff, a former four-star recruit from the Chicago area, got daily doses of Timme, Watson and versatile reserve Ben Gregg while handling scout team duties last season.

"Drew's got so much to offer, but also guys like Anton and even Ben who's been through the redshirt experience," Huff said. "So I've just been soaking up as much knowledge as possible and I think in the long run it'll help a lot."

Huff's primary responsibilities as a redshirting player involved emulating Gonzaga's opponents in order to give Timme, Watson and others the best possible look at the bigs they'd be facing on game day. When he wasn't doing that, Huff was finding ways to learn on and off the court from GU's veteran players and making headway in the weight room with the guidance of the Bulldogs' strength and conditioning staff.

The most valuable lessons generally came on the court, courtesy of Timme and Watson — veteran forwards who've combined to play in 250 games, contributing to Gonzaga's 121-13 record over the past four seasons.

Huff signed with the Bulldogs when it was unclear whether Timme would return for his senior season. The All-American elected to come back and Gonzaga added LSU center Efton Reid III via the transfer portal, inevitably making it harder for Huff to break into the team's bench rotation as a freshman.

The Glen Elyn, Illinois, native took everything in stride and shifted his mindset when it became apparent he'd likely have to spend a redshirt season.

"I had no idea what the team was even going to look like when I committed here," Huff said. "I was honestly excited to hear guys like Drew came back, because I knew I'd get to learn from them. That's kind of what I've been doing, taking this year as a redshirt just kind of soaking in as much knowledge from these bigs."

He was familiar with Timme, a two-time All-American by the time Huff arrived in Spokane, and would get plenty of chances to study the Texan's crafty post moves — and counter them as an opposing defender — over the next months.

Watson, meanwhile, posed a different challenge to the young freshman who was still adjusting to the speed, physical play and nuances of the college game.

"I knew who Drew was and he was getting his stuff, but Anton during the summer, he was really cooking and defensively he's just a monster," Huff said. "I think he really gave me that welcome-to-college moment where he's just picking you up, pressuring you. Then on offense he's giving it to you with his physicality that he brings.

"Those guys have been great for me in practice just going at it, trying to defend them, playing offense on them. It's been really good for me."

Huff recalled some of the specific encounters with Watson.

"There's been a couple ball screen coverages I've been in where I'll be plugging or something and a lob gets thrown over my head," Huff said. "In high school, I probably could've gotten to it or something, and I'll have Anton soaring over my head and throwing in a dunk."

Huff credits Timme and Watson for helping teach him the ropes, but his development through the course of the season didn't go unnoticed by Gonzaga's veteran starters.

"There'd be sometimes he's scouting as another player and he'll kind of have to do their moves, but he'll do their moves and it'll become unstoppable for him," Watson said on the April 5 episode of The Spokesman-Review's Take 22 Podcast. "Whether it's like a spin fadeaway, it's something you don't think — me and Drew never thought he'd shoot against us, but he was just shooting them and he makes a lot of them, so it was tough guarding him. I'm not going to lie."

As a shooter, Watson described Huff as "knock down" and added the 6-foot-10, 235-pound forward "(is) strong, can get to his hooks and he's got all the skills that a big man has."

Huff averaged 16.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals as a high school senior and shot 46% from the 3-point line as a junior.

Gonzaga's loaded frontcourt, featuring Timme, the top scorer in program history, and Watson, an All-WCC Honorable Mention and WCC All-Tournament selection who was considered one of the conference's best on-ball defenders, didn't give Huff opportunities to showcase his skills to the Bulldogs' fanbase outside of a brief cameo at the preseason Kraziness in the Kennel event.

"I think he could start on a lot of teams and he had to redshirt this year, which is unfortunate," Watson said. "But I think he could start on a lot of teams that we played this year."

Huff, who was coming off a 4A Illinois championship at Glenbard West and state Mr. Basketball honors, took a patient approach to his redshirt season and enters the summer with a few homework assignments from Gonzaga's coaching staff.

"They just want to see me get more physical, get used to that college physicality that you need to have at this level," Huff said. "Then just play with confidence. I think that's what makes the bigs here so good, all of them play with so much confidence and freedom. The coaches do a great job of using their strengths to their advantage. They just want me to play with confidence and physicality, just do what I did in high school to a whole other level."

The redshirt route has been successful for dozens of Zags prior to Huff. Kyle Wiltjer, Nigel Williams-Goss and Brandon Clarke had to use a redshirt year as a result of old transfer rules. Kelly Olynyk agreed to redshirt in 2011-12 after exhausting two years of eligibility as a role player. Zach Norvell Jr., who grew up close to Huff in the Chicago area, used a traditional redshirt upon arriving at GU before starring in Mark Few's backcourt for two seasons.

After offering his support from a seat on the bench as the Zags advanced to their eighth consecutive Sweet 16, Huff, who'll have four years of eligibility remaining, is itching to contribute for another GU team that will likely crack the top 15 or top 10 in preseason polls.

The itch only grew stronger when Huff watched one of his high school and AAU teammates, Caden Pierce, make game-clinching free throws to help No. 15 Princeton upset No. 2 Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

"This time of year, especially now, I would love to play and be a part of it," Huff said in Denver prior to GU's second-round game against TCU. "Especially just the competitor I am. This seems like a ton of fun."

Watson declared for the NBA draft but could still return to Gonzaga for a fifth season in 2023-24. The Bulldogs are losing at least one frontcourt starter in Timme. Reid, a seldom-used reserve, found a new home at Wake Forest after entering the transfer portal. Huff could play his way into a frontcourt rotation that's expected to feature Gregg in a more prominent role and Wyoming transfer Graham Ike, a former preseason Mountain West Player of the Year.

"I know my time will eventually come," Huff said, "but I'm really just kind of on the edge of my seat ready for that day."