Graham Ike has faced some of the biggest names in college basketball during his four-year career, including several future NBA stars. Standing at 6-foot-9 and hailing from Aurora, Colorado, Ike has battled against top players like UConn’s Donovan Clingan, Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson, and Purdue’s Zach Edey, who won National Player of the Year. At Gonzaga, he’s gone head-to-head with San Diego State’s Jaedon LeDee and Saint Mary’s standout Mitchell Saxen. Even in his very first game with the Bulldogs, he matched up against Danny Wolf, a 7-footer with guard-like skills who’s now making waves at Michigan and could soon find himself in the NBA.

For Ike, transferring to Gonzaga after two seasons at Wyoming was all about challenging himself at the highest level. Gonzaga has consistently been one of the best programs in college basketball under head coach Mark Few, and Ike saw it as the perfect environment to grow stronger both physically and mentally—especially as he worked his way back from a foot injury that sidelined him during his sophomore year.

What Ike didn’t see coming, though, was Braden Huff—a 6-foot-10, 250-pound redshirt freshman with a knack for scoring. Huff quickly earned Ike’s respect in practice over the summer.

“He’s the first guy who made me not get upset when someone scored on me,” Ike admitted after Gonzaga’s win over San Diego. “Normally, I’d get really mad about it. But he’s just so good. His shots just go in—it’s hard to even be mad.”

Throughout the summer, Ike and Huff pushed each other in practice, forming a dynamic frontcourt duo for Gonzaga. While they mostly rotate rather than play side by side, their complementary styles have made them a force to be reckoned with. Ike leads the team with 16.3 points per game, while Huff contributes a solid 11.5 points off the bench.

The pair has worked hard to build their chemistry, knowing they’ll need to play together more often as the season progresses. “This summer was our first time ever playing together,” Ike explained. “We’ve been figuring out how to work off each other—like if he’s up high, I’ll go low, and vice versa. We’re learning when to run the floor, when to grab the rebound, when to let him shoot or when to cut inside.”

Their combined efforts have given Gonzaga another edge in its pursuit of national success, proving that competition—whether on the court or in practice—brings out the best in everyone.