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It has been a while since we updated the 2014 recruiting big board but over the past few weeks, there have been a number of encouraging developments. As it stands right now, Gonzaga's staff has put together an incredible pipeline of potential recruits for the 2014 class. We have said it before on this site but 2014 is shaping up to be one of the most crucial recruiting classes in recent memory. Gonzaga will not only need to find immediate impact guys in the frontcourt, but they need to find talented guards that can come in and take over the reins when Gary Bell and Kevin Pangos depart. With that said, let's take a look at which prospects are currently on the staff's radar...
Point Guards
The point guard position needs to be addressed in the '14 and probably '15 classes. With Kevin Pangos approaching his junior year, the staff would ideally like to find someone that can play under him for a year and then take the reins over either as a redshirt freshman or, more likely, a sophomore. We've seen two relatively new names come up recently in Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Tra Holder. Jackson-Cartwright would be an absolute coup for the staff as he has long been considered a Pac-12 lean...
| Prospect | Location | Ranking | D1 Offers | Notes | Commit Odds | Recent Trend |
| Parker Jackson-Cartwright | Los Angeles, CA HS: Loyola HS AAU: Cal Supreme |
Rivals: 4 Star Scout: 5 Star ESPN: 4 Star |
Arizona, UCLA, USC, UW, NC State, St. Johns, ASU, SDSU, etc. | 2/20: In an interview with NY2LA, PJC claimed a GU offer and said that he "loved the program". | 20%. 'Zona and UCLA have long been the favorites but it seems like he will strongly consider GU's offer |
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| Dominique Collier | Denver, CO HS: Denver East AAU: KC Pump N' Run |
Rivals: 4 Star Scout: 4 Star ESPN: 4 Star |
Colorado, CSU, Arizona, Kansas State, Iowa, etc. | 2/20: GU went out to see Dom in late 2012 but it seems like the staff has their eyes set on another CO prospect | 10%. Personally believe that Collier is a strong lean to stay in state and attend CU. |
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| Tra Holder | Los Angeles, CA HS: Brentwood |
Rivals: 3 Star Scout: 3 Star ESPN: 3 Star |
LMU, NAU | 2/20: Gonzaga recently saw Tra play but at this point, he seems like a backup option | 10%. We'll see if the staff decides to go PG in this class. PJC is option 1 but Tra is also solid. |
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Combo Guards
This section has gotten a bit crowded. We previously had Josh Perkins up with the point guards but after watching him several times, I really think he has what it takes to fill a Matt Bouldin-esque role on Gonzaga. He has Bouldin's court vision and a quicker first step and his perimeter shot continues to get better. Like Jackson-Cartwright, getting Perkins would be a huge get for the Bulldogs but with their recent success, recruiting should become that much easier. Bryan Alberts and newcomer Grayson Allen are both still on the radar but it seems like Perkins is a top priority for GU.
| Prospect | Location | Links | D1 Offers | Notes | Commit Odds | Recent Trend |
| Josh Perkins | Denver, CO HS: Regis Jesuit AAU: Colorado Miners |
Rivals: 4 Star Scout: 4 Star ESPN: 4 Star |
Kansas, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Stanford, etc | 2/20: Tommy Lloyd recently visited Perkins and apparently an official visit is being discussed. | 50%. The Kansas offer will be tough to beat but GU has a number of things working in their favor with Perkins. |
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| Bryan Alberts | Sun Valley, CA HS: Village Christian |
Rivals: Unrated Scout: 3 Star ESPN: 3 Star |
Wisconsin, Oregon State, Stanford, and Northwestern | 2/20: Alberts visited unoffically in October but things have been VERY quiet since then. | 40%. We once thought of Alberts as a near lock but with Perkins in the picture, it doesn't seem so obvious |
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| Grayson Allen | Jacksonville, FL HS: Providence AAU: Douglas Brothers |
Rivals: 4 Star Scout: 4 Star ESPN: 4 Star |
Florida, FSU, NC State, Illinois, Texas, BC, Tennessee, etc. | 2/20: Momentum is picking up between the Zag and Grayson from what we hear. GU visited him recently. | 15%. With his offer list, he will be a very tough get. If Duke comes through with an offer than it will be 0%. |
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Wings
With the arrival of Angel Nunez and the pursuit of a junior college option in 2013, one must wonder just what the staff is thinking in terms of the wing spot in 2014. All four of the guys below are exceptionally skilled but, to be honest, I only think Dorsey has a chance to wind up in a Gonzaga uniform. Mark Few has been out to see Donaven recently which means he is still very much on the radar but we will see how all the numbers shake out when the 2013 class is concluded.
| Prospect | Location | Links | D1 Offers | Notes | Commit Odds | Recent Trend |
| Donaven Dorsey | Lacey, WA HS: Timberline AAU: Team Mocha |
Rivals: 3 Star Scout: Unrated ESPN: Unrated |
UW, WSU, and Oregon State | 2/20: Mark Few went to see Donaven recently and he still remains a target for the Zags' staff | 50%. With the Zags getting Angel Nunez and potentially nabbing Elgin Cook, one must wonder how that impacts SF in '14 |
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| Namon Wright | Los Angeles, CA HS: Pacific Hills AAU: Dream Vision |
Rivals: 4 Star Scout: 4 Star ESPN: 4 Star |
Entire PAC-12 except Stanford and UCLA. Florida State. | 2/20: Wright appears to be PAC-12 bound, and if UCLA offers it should be over quickly. | 15%. See above. |
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| Iziahiah Sweeney | Compton, CA HS: Compton AAU: Compton Magic |
Rivals: Unrated Scout: 3 Star ESPN: Unrated |
Oregon State | 10/23: Per an October '12 Scout article, Zags are coming on strong and are standing out for him right now. | 15%. See above. |
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| Isaiah Bailey | Compton, CA HS: Compton AAU: Compton Magic |
Rivals: 4 Star Scout: 4 Star ESPN: 4 Star |
Arizona, ASU, SDSU, UCLA, UNLV, USC | 10/11: Bailey was recently offered by the Zags and the staff went down and met with him in the fall. | 15%. See above. |
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Versatile 4/3 Forward
A plethora of talent greets us at this position. Led by Malik Pope, the three guys below are going to be big time D1 players wherever they decide to go. The exciting news here is that the Zags are still in play for all three. The staff, likely Donny Daniels, has been all over Malik Pope. Reid Travis was recently visited by a member of the staff and Brekkott Chapman's coach recently claimed GU was among the schools recruiting him the hardest. As a bonafide blue-chipper, Malik Pope is the gem here. He's one of the most athletic players to come along on the west cost and can make a big time impact. At this time, I think GU can get an official visit out of him and if that happens, the staff could have a chance to land him.
| Prospect | Location | Links | D1 Offers | Notes | Commit Odds | Recent Trend |
| Malik Pope | Sacramento, CA HS: Luther Burbank AAU: Team Superstar |
Rivals: 5 Star Scout: 5 Star ESPN: 4 Star |
UCLA, UNLV, USC, UW, Baylor, Arizona, Colorado..pretty much anywhere. | 2/20: Donny Daniels is hard after Malik and it seems like the skilled forward is very interested | 20%: I think the Zags have a fighting chance with Pope as he fits in very well with GU's style of play |
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| Reid Travis | Minneapolis, MN HS: De La Salle AAU: Minne Pump N' Run |
Rivals: 4 Star Scout: 4 Star ESPN: 4 Star |
Minnesota, Iowa St., WSU, Colorado, BC, Northwestern, etc. | 2/20: Members of the Gonzaga staff recently visited Reid who, like Pope, will have his pick of virtually anywhere he wants | 15%: There is still mutual interest but I have a hard time seeing this kid leaving Big 10 country. |
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| Brekkott Chapman | Roy, Utah HS: Roy AAU: Utah Hoops |
Rivals: 3 Star Scout: 3 Star ESPN: Unrated |
Utah, Colorado, Arizona State, BYU, Utah St., San Francisco, etc. | 2/20: In a 247 update, Chapman's coach said GU was one of the schools recruiting him the hardest | 15%. Tough one to nail down but we hear he is currently leaning towards staying in-state |
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Athletic Big
I expect this position (or some other low post spot) to pick up steam as we get deeper into the 2014 cycle but, for now, the cupboard is pretty bare. I think Goodluck is going to wind up staying out East or in the Midwest unless something drastically changes. He will likely fall off the big board in coming weeks but we'll leave him on for now since the Zags were a big player when he was still a member of the 2013 class.
| Prospect | Location | Links | D1 Offers | Notes | Commit Odds | Recent Trend |
| Goodluck Okonoboh | Boston, MA HS: Wilbraham & Monson AAU: Mass Rivals |
Rivals: 4 Star Scout: Unrated ESPN: 4 Star |
Syracuse, Uconn, Minnesota, Mizzou, Pitt, Providence, Seton Hall | 2/20: Not a whole lot of new info on Goodluck lately but I think the ship has likely sailed on this one | 5%. I would expect the staff to dig up some new names (potentially overseas) to fill the low post needs. |
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The current roster for the 2014-15 season (assuming no other additions/departures happen) is:
Guards: Kevin Pangos (SR), Gary Bell (SR), Gerard Coleman (SR), and Kyle Dranginis (JR).
Wings/Forwards: Lucas Meikle (Soph) and Angel Nunez (JR)
Centers: Przemek Karnowski (JR) and Ryan Edwards (Soph)
CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK TO THE SCHOLARSHIP CHART
There are needs across the board if you really dig into it. As I said in the intro, finding guys to backfill the current group of guards and then going out and grabbing some instant impact wings and post players is hugely important. While we expect the above list to change drastically before the pens hit paper, I would say the staff is off to a great start in finding a big time class in 2014.