CHANDLER, AZ - NOVEMBER 08: Chet Holmgren, from Minnehaha High School, goes up for a dunk during the ... [+]
On the same day Gonzaga lost one one-and-done lottery pick, it gained another.
Chet Holmgren, the 7-foot-1 unicorn big man from Minnehaha Academy (MN), announced his commitment to the Bulldogs on SportsCenter. A McDonald’s All-American who won four state championships in high school, Holmgren is the projected No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, per ESPN.com.
“Next fall, I will be a Gonzaga Bulldog,” he said on ESPN.
“There were a lot of different factors. Jalen [Suggs] going there definitely played a part in it. I was able to speak to somebody I’ve known for so long and trust was definitely a big part of it. But also way I see myself fitting in, not only with the coaches, the players, the system and the school, but being able to look back and seeing past people with a skillset similar to mine, how they used them and how they adjust every single year to the different skillsets that they have on the team and make it work. It was a pretty hard offer not to take up on.”
He chose the Bulldogs over Georgetown, Memphis, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina and Ohio State. After losing to Baylor in the NCAA championship game earlier this month, Gonzaga has already been installed as the favorite to win the 2022 title by Caesars William Hill in part because of an expectation that Holmgren would land in Spokane, WA
Holmgren’s decision came a few hours before his former Minnehaha teammate, Suggs, declared for the NBA Draft on ESPN. He is expected to sign with the Wasserman Agency. The 6-4 Suggs, who averaged 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists and made the dramatic game-winning 3-pointer against UCLA in the national semifinals, is a projected top-3 pick according to ESPN.
As for Holmgren, he could have a Zion Williamson-type impact on the college game because of his unique skillset.
“I think Chet Holmgren will be the most watched college basketball player since Zion Williamson,” said Brian Sandifer, the director of the Grassroots Sizzle AAU program for which both Holmgren and Suggs played.
“He’s the most unique prospect in the country. Zion Williamson doesn’t have the ball skills Chet has, he’s not 7-feet-1, he doesn’t have the handle that Chet does. He has a physically overpowering presence, but overall game, Chet Holmgren has the it factor when it comes to overall game.”
Sandifer said he was a big fan of Williamson’s game and wasn’t knocking Zion, the No. 1 overall pick in 2019. It should also be pointed out that Holmgren will be playing for Gonzaga, not Duke, and will be playing most of his games late at night on the West Coast as opposed to in prime time on ESPN the way Williamson did.
“I’m just saying, look at the way the new generation plays basketball,” Sandifer said. “Look at Luka [Doncic], Chet is 7-1 and plays similar to that.”
Holmgren does indeed look like the next iteration of mobile, athletic big men who can pass, shoot and dribble. He is similar to Kristaps Porzingis, the 7-3 stretch four for the Dallas Mavericks. Sandifer pointed out that while Holmgren will need to beef up before heading to the NBA, he is already up to nearly 200 points from 165 earlier in his high school career. “And let’s be honest, Chet’s not ever going to look like Karl Malone,” Sandifer said.
“For Chet, it starts with his length and his shot-blocking. he has incredible instincts, he’s incredibly tough around the rim, 7-4 wingspan, stands 7 feet tall,” ESPN’s Mike Schmitz said earlier this year. “Incredibly light on his feet and can really shoot it with touch. Reminds me of Kristaps Porzingis with an added dose of toughness.”
Gonzaga is losing Suggs, Joel Ayayi and likely Corey Kispert to the NBA Draft, while sophomore forward Drew Timme has yet to announce his plans. If Timme returns to campus next season, Gonzaga will have a loaded frontcourt with Timme and Holmgren.
“That means that Chet is going to play on the perimeter unless it’s on defense,” Sandifer said. “Drew Timme is more of a back-to-the-basket guy than he is a face-up guy like Chet. And [head coach Mark] Few is not going to play Chet back-to-the-basket, it wouldn’t make sense. You’re talking about pinch post and [Holmgren] catching it on the elbow against dudes that are not as agile as him with the ball, and he’s a mismatch nightmare and he’s a great passer. And he’s a high-IQ guy. And especially in the WCC, there’s nobody that is similar to that. I think the way Few plays, he’s going to open it up more because if Timme does come back, I think that just brings Chet even more so on the perimeter.”
The Zags are also expected to return junior point guard Andrew Nembhard, sophomore forward Anton Watson and 6-7 freshman guard Julian Strawther, who averaged 31.5 pts, 11.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game his senior year, en route to becoming Liberty (NV) High School's all-time leading scorer (2,252 points) and rebounder (839 rebounds). They are also bringing in five-star guard Hunter Sallis, who committed in March.
“Chet is going to be a great addition to our program, and all of us are looking forward to getting to work with him and starting the next step in his career,” Few said. “He is a big-time winner, comes from a great family, and will be a great teammate.”
