Chet Holmgren, no. 1 HS basketball recruiter in the class of 2021, commit to Gonzaga

Chet Holmgren, the no. 1 ranking in the country and the projected no. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA draft, committed him to Gonzaga on Monday.

Holmgren made his announcement on SportsCenter.

“The process was difficult,” Holmgren told ESPN. “I learned a lot along the way. I had to lean on others and get advice. My dad went through it and coach Larry Suggs with Jalen. I got persistent advice that I would get a feel if I knew. Not to overanalyze everything. no, because everything sounds good.No one sells their weakness.

‘It was [Gonzaga’s] consistent approach, how versatile they are on the track and their offensive style. They take their talent and adapt their system based on their staff. They know how to put it all together. ‘

Coach Mark Few and the Zags are considered the most popular favorite for Holmgren if he prefers to go to university, but it is also an option to go to the G League route. Other schools involved include Ohio State, Michigan, North Carolina, Minnesota, Memphis and Georgetown.

“He’s a super honest up-and-coming man,” Holmgren said of Few. “He’s a lover of the game, and I hear he’s a good fisherman too. He keeps learning about the game and likes what he does.”

A center of the Minnehaha Academy (Minnesota), Holmgren, paid official visits to Ohio State and Gonzaga before the coronavirus pandemic actually stopped recruiting people. He also went on unofficial trips to Minnesota, Maryland and Georgetown. His father, Dave Holmgren, played basketball in Minnesota.

Chet Holmgren is good friends with and a former high school and AAU teammate of Jalen Suggs, who has just finished a star first-year season at Gonzaga and is a predicted top-5 pick in the summer NBA draft.

“He had a lot of influence,” he said of Suggs. “He’s someone I know and trust. We had many comfortable conversations. He is a friend and a teammate. I could hear it firsthand from him. I would see him play and watch the team play. Then we would talk. It is a culture where everyone is willing to work. ‘

Holmgren had a dominant senior year for Minnehaha last season, averaging 20.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 4.7 blocks while shooting 80% from the field. Minnehaha won his fourth straight championship earlier this month, with Holmgren scoring 18 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists in an 80-29 victory in the AAA championship game.

Holmgren is one of the most unique prospects in the game. He is the biggest mismatch in high school and will also be in college play because of his three-point shooting ability, in-game play and physical measurability. At 7-foot-1 with a huge wing span, Holmgren is a world-class shot blocker with extraordinary instincts to protect the edge. Offensive, he shows unusual versatility with his skill, ball handling and catching lob. His movements are fluent and agile, with good coordination and safe hands. He plays with a lead, and his game is compared to that of Kristaps Porzingis of the Dallas Mavericks.

“[The plan is to] listening and learning and earning everything I get, “Holmgren said. I will be able to use my versatility on both sides. Push it off the glass and go. I can use an attack in attack and turn on the defense if needed. ‘

Holmgren is the second five-star recruiter to join Gonzaga’s class in recent weeks, after the no. 3-point guard Hunter Sallis, who committed to the end of March. ESPN 100 power forward Kaden Perry will also step in next season, while ESPN 100 forward Ben Gregg finished high school early and enrolled for the second half of last season. Fanbo Zeng, the leading number 33 in the 2022 class, will be reclassified in 2021 before returning to China to complete his high school career. Zeng is expected to join Gonzaga this summer.

Suggs became the highest rank in program history when he signed last spring, but Holmgren now gets the honor; he is the first prominent number 1 to commit to Gonzaga.

This is another step forward in the rise of the Zags as a true force over the past two decades. Gonzaga lost one game less than the history of college basketball earlier this month, losing in the national championship game against Baylor, the Bulldogs’ first defeat of the season. It was the second time in five seasons that they reached the national title race.

Few programs have won at least 30 games in five consecutive seasons and have the country’s longest series of Sweet 16 games, last knocked out in the first two rounds of the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

Gonzaga named the off-season as the no. 1-team opened in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25.