LAS VEGAS – During his sixth and final college season, Khalif Battle checked many of the boxes that eluded the guard at three previous stops.
At Gonzaga, Battle won more than 25 games for the first time in his career, captured a conference tournament title after coming up short in the Big East, AAC and SEC, and punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournament after missing the postseason five straight years at Butler, Temple and Arkansas.
Battle flipped many of the narratives surrounding his career, experienced personal growth and got everything he was looking for during a short but sweet tenure at Gonzaga.
Well, mostly.
He didn’t appear on either of the WCC’s postseason teams and, despite the fact his name didn’t show up in the majority of mock drafts, Battle refuses to let 30 NBA teams off the hook for not using a first- or second-round pick on him.
“I’m used to my name not being called,” Battle said. “I feel like I should’ve won first team WCC. In years past, in other conferences. I’m always outworking to make it farther than anybody else, so my path has always been different. I’m just a junkyard dog, so whatever I have to do to get there, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Battle’s college career was more unorthodox than most and he expects the path to a roster spot in the NBA won’t be much different. Roughly one month after a short stint with the Phoenix Suns at Summer League, Battle signed his first professional contract with Aquila Basket Trento, a club playing in Italy’s top basketball league.
“I know I’m going to play in the NBA someday,” Battle said. “It might be longer than the usual for what it is right now, but I’ll be there.”
Battle got a good feel for NBA speed, length and athleticism during a short at Summer League in Las Vegas – a setting where the guard was forced to adapt to a different role, take fewer shots and focus on impacting the game in other ways.
“Everybody keeps talking about how I can score already, so now it’s just defense,” Battle said. “I’ve been picking up full court, not really worried about shooting. Everything coach (Mark) Few kind of prepared me for, less shots. I knew going to Gonzaga, I wasn’t going to get as much shots as I would at any other program, the previous stops. So I went there to strictly just guard and get ready for this moment. So now it’s here and I think I’m ready for it.”
DeMarre Carroll, the former NBA veteran who works on Phoenix’s staff and coached the team at Summer League, didn’t begin with Battle’s scoring ability when asked to evaluate the guard and what he could add to the Suns in Vegas.
“He can guard, I know that’s one thing,” Carroll said. “Picking up full court and guarding, that’s something he does very well and we need him to do more of. Obviously playing downhill with a force, getting to the rim. I think Khalif’s just got to continue to keep growing, man. Continue to keep taking his bumps and bruises. This league is hard, it’s hard to try to get on a roster but I think he’s headed in the right direction.”
Battle boiled his job at Summer League down to doing “the dirty work,” recognizing most players in his position don’t crack NBA rosters by scoring, but making the right play, avoiding mistakes and providing consistent effort on defense.
“You’ve got to do the little things,” Battle said. “So my job isn’t to score, my job is to interrupt the defensive end and make the main guys’ job easier until I’m one of those guys shooting the ball.”
Battle collected four jerseys and made countless connections during a journeyman college career. That made Summer League a unique and friendly setting for the guard, who ran into three teammates from last year’s Gonzaga roster – Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman and Ben Gregg – and crossed paths with other friends, teammates and training partners throughout his time in Vegas.
“I know everybody from every single team,” Battle said, possibly only exaggerating a little. “… They’re all texting me watching my games and showing up to the games or I’ll see them in the hotel passing, so it’s been good.”
The 25-year-old Battle passed up opportunities from other high-major programs offering bigger roles to play for Few and Gonzaga. Battle’s season, full of personal ups and downs, was emblematic of Gonzaga’s.
The Zags picked up a few solid wins early against Baylor and San Diego State before losing the remainder of their Quad 1 opportunities in nonconference play. Battle found his groove when Gonzaga did and the guard averaged 19 points per game in the WCC and NCAA Tournament, guiding the Zags to conference tournament wins over San Francisco and Saint Mary’s before erupting for 24 points in his March Madness debut against Georgia.
“We had adversity and we overcame it,” Battle said. “I think that speaks volumes to who we are as individuals and the type of program Gonzaga is. No matter win, lose or draw, we always make the best out of our situation. I think we did that this year and I’m just thankful for the opportunity coach Few gave me and the rest of the guys in Spokane.”
Battle said he still communicates with Few via text message about twice a week and communicates with his teammates and other staff members on a daily basis.
“They’re all just telling me to be myself, be a dog,” Battle said. “That’s what all the guys around here call me, a dog.”
The guard believes Gonzaga has a high ceiling in 2025-26 and says the team will have an advantage given that Few was around for summer workouts, practices and meetings after Team USA obligations kept him away from Spokane the last two offseasons.
“Oh it’s special. I’m never going to count the Zags out, ever. I’m a Zag,” Battle said. “I’m hearing a lot of feedback, those guys will text me every single day about how great practice has been. Then they’ve got coach Few this summer, which is a big difference. We didn’t have him last summer because he was with Team USA, so I think they’re going to be great this year.”