Former NK standout Orness transfers to Mount St. Mary’s

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Former North Kitsap basketball star Cade Orness is transferring to Mount St. Mary’s in Maryland after playing the last two years with Gonzaga.

The 6’5” guard did not see much playing time during his time at Gonzaga, but is looking to see the court more often with the Mountaineers next season. Mount St. Mary’s finished 15-17 in 2026 after making the NCAA Tournament the year prior.

“It just came at a time where I just wanted a bigger role, and that opportunity came up,” Orness said. “If I entered the portal, I realized I would have an opportunity.”

Orness entered the transfer portal despite having little game film to showcase to interested schools, only playing 21 minutes in two seasons. Other schools he considered included Southern Mississippi, Eastern Washington, Fairfield (CT), Maine, and Louisiana Tech.

Despite choosing Mount St. Mary’s in the end, Orness was close to transferring to Southern Mississippi after the school offered him an official visit. But he said the school “ghosted” him at the last minute.

Of course, getting more playing time requires “grinding” and “development,” which is what Orness is looking to do over the summer at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles with player development coach Zach Gonzalez.

“So right now, we’re doing about three workouts, two basketball workouts and a lift every day, and you know they provide the structure for kind of my offseason development,” Orness said.

Gonzalez is currently training projected NBA No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa, allowing Orness to be surrounded by “high-level college guys” and professionals.

Throughout the recruitment process, former Bainbridge High School boys basketball coach Will Ferris, who is also the current head coach for USA 3×3 Basketball, along with Kingston High School boys basketball coach George Hill, have served as mentors to Orness.

Orness is currently NK’s all-time leading scorer with 1,821 career points, was named the 2024 Olympic League MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, and ended his career with the Vikings, averaging 18.4 points per game and tallying 635 assists.