SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga men’s basketball Head Coach Mark Few announced the addition of Zach Norvell Jr. as Assistant Coach and Jorge Sanz will add Assistant Coach to his role as Director of Basketball Operations.
The new roles are designated thanks to a new NCAA coaching rule. Sanz has been named Assistant Coach-Director of Basketball Operations following five seasons as the Director of Basketball Operations. Norvell is now an Assistant Coach after serving as a graduate assistant for the program the past two seasons.
“I am extremely grateful for the level of trust Coach Few has placed on me and the opportunity to further assist the program in this new role,” Sanz said. “I look forward to helping our student-athletes fulfill their highest potential, on and off the court.”
“I am extremely grateful for the level of trust Coach Few has placed on me and the opportunity to further assist the program in this new role,” Sanz said. “I look forward to helping our student-athletes fulfill their highest potential, on and off the court.”
“I’m blessed and thankful for this opportunity to continue to build and grow our culture and program,” Norvell said. “At the same time, learning from our coaching staff and help impact winning as much as possible.”
The Zags have compiled an impressive 154-17 record in Sanz’s first five seasons on the GU staff. This past summer, Sanz was a member of the under-18 Spanish national team coaching staff. He helped guide Spain to a silver medal at the U18 European Championships.
A native of Zaragoza, Spain, Sanz has been an Assistant Coach with the Spanish National Team since 2018 and collaborates with the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB). In 2021, Spain placed fifth in the U19 World Cup celebrated in Latvia. Spain won Silver in the U17 World Cup celebrated in Spain in 2022. Sanz holds the title of Entrenador Superior (2018) – the highest level of coaching certification in Spain.
Prior to coming to Gonzaga, Sanz spent eight seasons at Florida Atlantic University, serving as Video Coordinator, Director of Basketball Operations and Assistant Coach under Mike Jarvis (2010-2014) and Michael Curry (2014-2018). In his first year with the Owls, Sanz was instrumental in the team’s Sun Belt Conference regular-season championship and the program’s first trip to the NIT. Sanz’s role was then expanded to director of basketball operations, a position he served from 2011-14.
Norvell was a standout guard for Gonzaga in 2017-18 and 2018-19. He made 174 three-pointers during his time with the Zags. He joined the Bulldogs’ 1,000-point scoring club in 2018-19, having scored 1,023 points in his career. The Chicago native was named the 2018 WCC Newcomer of the Year.
After starting 36 of the Zags’ 37 games in 2018-19, Norvell was named First Team All-West Coast Conference and Second Team All-District by the NABC. He averaged 14.9 points and 3.14 assists per game during his redshirt sophomore season. He led the WCC with 97 made three-pointers. His 97 made shots from three-point range ranks third all-time in program history for most in a single season.
While playing for Gonzaga, Norvell helped the team advance to an Elite Eight and a Sweet 16. The Zags went 65-9 overall and 33-1 in West Coast Conference league play, with two conference regular season titles during his two seasons. He was a redshirt during the program’s first run to the Final Four and National Championship game.
Following Gonzaga, Norvell made five appearances in the NBA, three with the Golden State Warriors and two with the Los Angeles Lakers. He averaged 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in his 29 appearances with 17 starts, for the South Bay Lakers during the 2019-20 G League season. In his debut for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League, Norvell scored a career-high 34 points shooting 7-of-12 from behind the arc while also contributing five rebounds and four assists. In seven games with Santa Cruz, Norvell averaged 12.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists while playing 30.7 minutes per game.
