Aug. 5A recent court ruling in Ohio has enabled Gonzaga to fill one of its vacant backcourt spots three months before the start of the college basketball season.Javon Bennett, a 5-foot-10 point guard who earned All-Atlantic 10 first-team honors last season at Dayton, committed to the Zags on Wednesday after securing a fifth season of eligibility three weeks ago through a preliminary injunction in Ohio.Bennett's agent, Harrison Gaines, confirmed the player's commitment to Joe Tipton of On3.com.A veteran guard who appeared in 136 college basketball games over four seasons at Merrimack and Dayton, Bennett was one of the 15 student-athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in Ohio, claiming they should be eligible to return for a fifth season through the governing body's new age-based eligibility model, also known as the "5-for-5" rule.With only eight players signed to financial aid agreements as of Wednesday, Gonzaga is in a position to add multiple players in the coming weeks, and desperately needed to address its depth in the backcourt after combo guard Jack Kayil kept his name in the NBA draft and starting point guard Mario Saint-Supery signed a professional contract with Valencia in early July.Pending other roster moves, Bennett could be a candidate to start at point guard after averaging 15.8 points, 2.9 assists and 2.2 rebounds last season for a Dayton team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). Bennett's 3-point shooting numbers have been up and down the last four years, but he made 34.7% of his shots from behind the arc last season while attempting a career-high seven 3s per game.As of Wednesday, the Zags had just one other backcourt player with prior D-I experience signed to the 2026-27 roster Houston transfer Isiah Harwell but nobody with experience as a primary ball-handler. Gonzaga picked up a commitment from 23-year-old Cholet point guard Nathan De Sousa in June, but the Frenchman is still awaiting NCAA clearance and hasn't formally been announced by the school.A native of Orlando, Bennett played his freshman season at Merrimack, where he was named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year in 2022-23 while helping the Warriors capture regular season and conference tournament championships. As a school recently transitioning from the Division II level, Merrimack was unable to participate in the NCAA Tournament and its bid automatically went to Northeast Conference runner-up Fairleigh Dickinson, which went on to upset top-seeded Purdue in the opening round.After averaging 9.6 ppg, 3.4 apg and 2.9 spg as a freshman, Bennett transferred to Dayton and started in 28 of 31 games for a Flyers team that won an NCAA Tournament opener against Nevada before losing to former GU assistant Tommy Lloyd and Arizona in the Round of 32. The point guard averaged 8.4 ppg, 3.3 apg and 2.1 rpg while shooting 39.3% from the field and 31.6% from the 3-point line.Bennett averaged double figures for the first time in his career as a junior, scoring 11.6 ppg to go with 2.7 rpg and 2.1 apg, starting in 33 of 34 games for Dayton. He shot a career-best 39% from the 3-point line while shooting better than 40% from the field (43.7%) for the first time in his career.As a senior, Bennett posted career-best scoring numbers and nearly led the Flyers to another NCAA Tournament berth, ultimately losing in the Atlantic 10 championship to VCU. Bennett had at least 20 points in 11 games last season, recording a season-high 27 against Saint Bonaventure in the A-10 Tournament quarterfinals. His career high of 30 points came the year prior during an NIT opener against Florida Atlantic.Bennett becomes Gonzaga's third addition via the transfer portal this offseason, joining Houston's Harwell and Arizona State center Massamba Diop, both of whom signed with Mark Few's program in May.Gonzaga's ability to add to its transfer class and fill remaining scholarship spots could hinge on eligibility rulings in various states. Since the Ohio injunction cleared the way for Bennett and others to secure another year of eligibility, athletes in three other states have prevailed in similar lawsuits.The Athletic listed Bennett in the Honorable Mention portion of a list detailing the top 10 players who could return to college basketball in 2026-27. Another ranking compiled by On3.com listed Bennett at No. 5.