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Over the summer, we heard that Gonzaga was trying to get in the ear of 2013 forward Gavin Schilling and it appears that the staff is still in hot pursuit. Most folks probably aren't as familiar with the 6'9'' forward, mainly do the fact that while most kids were trying to wow scouts in AAU ball, Schilling was overseas playing with the German U18 team in some FIBA events. His recruitment also got off to a late start in general as he was raised in France, spent some time in high school in Germany, and is now back in the United States. The three star forward averaged about nine points per game with the German team and got invaluable experience playing against some of the best young players on the globe.
Since returning from Germany, Schilling has been on the move. He recently transferred to Findlay Prep and has seen his recruitment absolutely skyrocket. In a recent interview with Rivals, head coach Todd Smon laid out an incredible list of schools after Gavin:
"I have heard personally from California, Auburn, Texas A&M, Gonzaga, Washington State, USC, Oregon State, DePaul, Virginia Tech, Villanova, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame calling about Gavin.
While the Zags are one of many to inquire about Gavin, they were also down at Findlay this week to meet with him and watch him practice. Gavin has said that he likes the idea of playing in a big city with plenty of things to do around him so we will wait and see what that means for Spokane but you have to think the staff is working the international angle pretty hard. Gonzaga has had success with international players whether it be Elias Harris, Rob Sacre, Kevin Pangos, Ronny Turiaf, and the list goes on. While Gavin is now living in the United States, you have to think he has taken notice of how well international players have performed at GU.
As you would expect, the main attraction of Gavin's game is his versatility. As a physically imposing power forward, Schilling also has the ability to step back and knock down the open jumper. His game is very similar to Elias Harris in this regard and he is also a very skilled rebounder. He sounds like an ideal replacement when Harris departs but the staff will obviously have to work hard to get him on campus as he is attracting some of the best programs in the country and now plays at the most visible prep school in the states.
While he may have been under the radar for the first portion of his high school career, Schilling will likely not be able to go many hours without a phone call or text from a high major college coach. We'll keep you updated on how his recruiting progresses.