clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Trey Kell Emerges As 2014 Target: Zags Eyeing 2014 Wing

Gonzaga has its eyes on one of the top guards on the West Coast

USA TODAY Sports

This also will be an important recruiting year for Gonzaga, with Olynyk gone a bit ahead of schedule and with starting guards Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell about to begin their junior seasons.

"We’ve got to pick up some guys and keep the thing rolling," Few said.

As hard as it is to believe, the backcourt tandem of Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr. only has two years of eligibility left. For this reason, the 2014 class has a strong focus on the backcourt, with Trey Kell of San Diego All-Stars Pump N'Run emerging as one of the top options for Gonzaga on the wing.

Kell is one of the best stories of the AAU season, as he used the first evaluation period to emerge as one of the top recruits on the West Coast.

"The thing about Trey is he is humble and hard working," explained his AAU coach Marshawn Cherry. " When he was a freshman, he was on our B team as a bench guy and was just a quiet kid. Going into last year, he had made it to our top team and cracked the starting lineup. We could see he was going to be a good player, but recently it went to a whole new level. He got confident and realized how good he could be."

The recent success stems from a strong work ethic, which Cherry says has helped Kell improve dramatically in the past year.

"I would say his explosiveness," Cherry said of the biggest improvement. " He has worked really hard on his first step and his ball-handling. He has always been a good three-point shooter but he has worked hard on his mid-range shot. He is a gym rat."

Despite an expanding recruitment, the SDA head coach insists that the talented guard is just starting to tap his potential.

"I'd say his body still needs developing. He has gained 10 pounds of muscle in the past two months. What you see now is his natural body, but he is going to continue to grow. His dad is 6'3 and his uncle is 6'7, so he is going to continue to get taller and fill out."

Right after the evaluation period, Kell received numerous offers, including one from Gonzaga.

"He has 16 offers on the table right now," Cherry said. "Gonzaga, San Diego St., Utah St, Pepperdine, USD, Oregon St., Nevada, UC Davis, UC Irvine and I'm forgetting some others. He recently started getting interest from Arizona St., UCLA, USC, Boston College and some others."

Since extending the offer, Donny Daniels has taken a lead in building a relationship with the talented wing.

"Gonzaga has been really good," explained Cherry. "Coach Donny is a great guy. He is exciting, funny and very lively. He seems like a really good guy and he is a straight shooter. Trey really likes talking to him and how exciting he is. They have done a good job talking to him so far."

Not surprisingly, Gonzaga is working to get Trey on campus for an official visit in the future.

"I'm not 100% sure when, but they said they wanted to get him on campus and give him the Gonzaga experience," the SDA coach said. "They want him to see the campus and meet the team and everything. They want to get him up there."

With another evaluation period in July, fans shouldn't expect a decision in the near future. However, it's likely Gonzaga will be one of the schools considered throughout the process.

"I would say Gonzaga is up there on the list," Cherry revealed. "He likes the school and the system. As far as his timeline, they (the Kell family) want to look at it at the end of the summer. They want the right fit both on and off the court. His family is high on academics as well. They are going to ultimately make the choice that is the best fit for him."