Gonzaga Prep's Carter Nilson, son of former Gonzaga standout Mike Nilson, joins Zags as walk-on
Carter Nilson, a senior wing from Gonzaga Prep and the son of former Gonzaga standout Mike Nilson, is joining the Zags' 2026-27 roster as a walk-on, he confirmed to The Spokesman-Review via text message Monday night.
Gonzaga on SI's Andy Patton first reported Nilson's commitment, which comes three months after the senior led Gonzaga Prep to the team's second straight Washington 4A State championship game.
Carter Nilson is joining Mark Few's team as it enters its first season in the rebuilt Pac-12 Conference and 27 years after his father helped guide the Zags to a "Cinderella" appearance in the Elite Eight of the 1999 NCAA Tournament - widely considered to be the school's breakthrough on the national stage. Mike also helped the Zags reach the Sweet 16 during his senior season, capturing West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors.
A 6-foot-5 guard/forward, Carter averaged 9.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists for the Bullpups as a senior, according to G-Prep coach Matty McIntyre.
He was the team's leading scorer during the state tournament in 2025 and notched a team-high 16 points to help G-Prep stave off Puyallup 57-55 in the championship game.
Riley becomes the first known walk-on to join Gonzaga's new roster, which loses two non-scholarship players from last year's team. Noah Haaland, a 6-foot-9 forward from Rathdrum, graduated and 6-foot-1 guard Joaquim ArauzMoore recently committed to High Point. Guard Cade Orness, a former walk-on who was placed on scholarship last season, transferred to Mount St. Mary's. Freshman guard Alonzo Metz was the only other non-scholarship player on the team's roster in 2025-26.
Mike Nilson played professional basketball in Germany for two seasons after his college career ended before returning to Spokane, where he was hired as Gonzaga's Director of Performance & Nutrition. The former GU guard also worked as the Strength & Conditioning coach for Gonzaga's women's team and was a founding partner of U-District Physical Therapy adjacent to GU's campus. Nilson left Gonzaga in 2025 to join TEN Capital, where he now works as a financial advisor.
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