SPOKANE, Wash. — The NCAA has denied Gonzaga transfer Tyon Grant-Foster’s eligibility waiver for the 2025-26 season, more than 125 days after the GCU guard announced his commitment to the Zags.

Mark Few spoke to the media for the first time since the news broke after GU’s 111-62 exhibition win, and gave his thoughts on the situation:

“It’s just been a really, really tough deal,” Few said. “He’s an incredible guy. He’s got an incredible story. I’ve been coaching college for 37 years and I’ve seen a lot of these situations and a lot of these waivers have went through. I know it’s a hard situation for the NCAA with all these waivers that happen to be out there. But listen, I’ve never seen one as unique as this. I mean, he literally died — his heart stopped not once but twice when he was on the floor. And he didn’t have two years of basketball. He’s put everything into basketball. It means a world to him.

And again, I’ve seen all kinds of things for, ‘my cousin wasn’t feeling well, so I got to go home so I need a waiver,’ and that was granted. And, ‘I didn’t start last year, I didn’t get to play point and I’m mentally off so I need a waiver,’ and that was granted. He literally died twice. And again, I’ve been a huge advocate for the NCAA and will continue to be. They got a tough gig but they’re just wrong on this one.

Ty’s filed a case and we’ll hope that this turns out the right way. But yeah, it’s just been tough. The timing of it’s too, we submitted a waiver way back in June, and so he really doesn’t have any options here if this doesn’t come through.”

A preliminary injunction has been filed with a declaration filed by Gonzaga head coach Mark Few — the hearing is set for Oct. 23. In addition to Few, others who have filed declarations ahead of the hearing are Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., Los Angeles Clippers general manager Trent Redden and Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Mike Gansey.

In 2023-24, Grant-Foster was named WAC Player of the Year after leading the Lopes to their first NCAA Tournament win. His career has also included stops at Kansas and Indian Hills Community College, along with a highly publicized comeback from multiple heart surgeries that once threatened to end his playing days.

Grant-Foster tested the NBA draft process after that breakout season, earning an invitation to the draft combine before announcing his return to GCU in June 2024. This past season, however, his production dipped as he battled injuries. He averaged 14.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 39.9% from the field and 23.2% from 3-point range in 26 games.

His path to Gonzaga has been marked by major setbacks — and is the reason for the waiver. In the 2021-22 season opener at DePaul, Grant-Foster collapsed at halftime and was rushed to the hospital, where doctors had to shock his heart back into rhythm three times. He underwent two heart surgeries and was told he would never play basketball again.

Grant-Foster has only played in four seasons of NCAA sanctioned college basketball, including a COVID season with Kansas and a year in which he played one half for DePaul before collapsing and sitting out the remainder of the year. He did play two seasons of junior college basketball in 2018 and 2019, but the NCAA has deemed those seasons to not count against players eligibility after a lawsuit. With the season at Kansas not counting toward eligibility, the guard should have one more season remaining, although he has been in college for more than six years, taking nearly two full seasons away from the game.

Grant-Foster was given a practice waiver just days before Kraziness in the Kennel, which he played in despite having only practiced with the team twice.