Pac-10 Schools Leading for Gary Bell Jr.

by Zach Bell on Oct 6, 2009 8:14 AM PDT

Gonzaga's recruitment of the West Coast in recent years has been pretty hit and miss. Obviously, they scored big in 2007 when they got Austin Daye out of Irvine, California and Steven Gray out of the Seattle area but since then they have not had a whole lot of success. Andy Poling was the third high profile recruit from the West Coast to join Gonzaga and now, as we look towards 2011, two players stand out and both hail from out West. One is Gary Bell Jr., who has had a remarkably quiet recruitment considering how impressive he was during the summer months in AAU ball. Gary recently gave UDubSports.com (Washington's Rivals.com page) an interview about his recruitment. Obviously, this question jumped right off the page:

UDUBsports -- What colleges are your favorites?

Gary Bell -- My favorites are definitely Cal and UW not in any order.

It's honestly not stunning that these two schools are his early favorites. Both are projected to be the top two teams in the Pac-10, both offered him very early in his recruitment, and both coaches are outstanding recruiters. With Mike Montgomery at Cal, there really appears to be a power shift going on in the Pac-10 because he is recruiting and developing kids in that program with ease. In fact, the other 2011 prospect from out west, Kyle Wiltjer, visited Cal this past weekend and attended the USC-Cal game. It appears that Monty and Mark Few are on similar wavelengths as far as who they want in 2011. As far as Washington is concerned, it's an obvious choice because it is his home school and that entire athletic program is really coming together with football on the rise and basketball as a probable top-15 team.

This by no means eliminates Gonzaga from the mix for Bell Jr's services, it just means that Mark Few and the staff will have to put in a few more hours to get this kid. I'll expect a coach at most of Gary's games wearing Gonzaga attire. There are some other guard prospects to watch in 2011, most notably Nick Johnson and Alex Draginis. Johnson will probably wind up in the Pac-10 but Draginis could be a legit option. 2012 also has some good guards in there with guys like Kevin Pangos and Anrio Adams

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Casting a wide net

Bell’s recent quote points out the need to several options in play. I tend to think the Few and Company takes a big picture approach and the boards tend ot over focus on a very few players. Just look at the number of player than have committed seemed to “come out of now where”. As you point out Pangos may be just a s bright of prospect from the coaches perspective. That’s what keeps recruiting interesting.

Spudzag

by Spudzag on Oct 6, 2009 8:57 AM PDT reply actions

Spudzag is right!

KO, Manny, Elias, Bol and GJ were not on my screen either and I try to follow as many recruits as possible. This staff really has a knack for the right fit. These are guys we all know about and wish would committ but wow, look at this years class! Most of these guys have NO STARS by them.

by mikesequim on Oct 6, 2009 9:06 AM PDT reply actions

OTOH, it was an interview for a UW service – there is a chance that it is somewhat skewed since the kid knows that. Still, that list isn’t surprising. It’d be nice to get Bell, but there are other recruits in the sea… or wherever it is that Few and Co seem to magically pull them from.

by Nevtelen on Oct 6, 2009 6:52 PM PDT reply actions

Why would a shooting guard want to come to Gonzaga?

I think Bell can read the roster and see what he’s up against here at Gonzaga. We are going to be ‘set’ for a long time and the perimeter. If the kid doesn’t think he can get the minutes he wants (and he better be real good to do that), he’s going to look elsewhere. No big surprise.

mjc

by quidveritas on Oct 7, 2009 12:49 PM PDT reply actions