Over the past couple weeks, we have been staying on top of a number of new developments in Gonzaga's recruiting for the next couple years. While that generated a lot of excitement, one major question that lingered was what it all meant about the Zags' relationship with Seattle guard Zach Lavine. As little as a few months ago, we remained optimistic that Lavine was a guy the Zags could work on but it appears that the talented 2013 guard is looking to take his game elsewhere. From National Recruiting Spotlight:
Class of 2013 point guard Zach LaVine has had schools that stuck out to him in the past but he didn't have a list. Now, he not only has a list, but he also knows where each program ranks among his top five.
"UCLA, Louisville, Washington, Arizona and Memphis," LaVine said. "That's the order I like them in."
It's no surprise that the Bruins top his list since he has told NRS in the past that he has family ties to them. "I kind of have an influence towards UCLA because my dad is from California and he always represents them with UCLA gear; so does my uncle," LaVine said at the time.
As the article points out, the fact that Lavine favors UCLA is absolutely no surprise. He has been a strong UCLA lean since we first heard his name. However, back in September, our recruiting correspondent checked in with Lavine and it seemed like the Zags were picked up some traction but now it just seems like the pull to Westwood is far too strong.
Although this is a bummer, it is hardly a shock and I have to imagine that the staff has anticipated this. Guys like Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Namon Wright, etc all appear to be talented prospects that will continue to get strong looks from the staff. We'll keep you posted on any future development.