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Rising Gonzaga Bulldogs sophomore Filip Petrusev announced he will return to Spokane to continue his collegiate career.
Some were shocked when the freshman declared for the NBA Draft, which is understandable considering he only averaged 6.5 points in 11.4 minutes per game last season. However, the rules between the NBA and the NCAA are made perfectly for this setup.
Petrusev was hopefully able to glean some real information from the professionals, and now he knows what he needs to work on while at Gonzaga. No surprises here.
Either way, combined with the reported return of Killian Tillie, Petrusev will be a borderline veteran on the squad. Petrusev’s 366 total minutes is the second-highest mark of returning players, only behind rising junior winger Corey Kispert.
Petrusev will help anchor one of the more intriguing frontcourts the Zags have seen in a while. After Tillie and Petrusev, the incoming class of 2019 features Oumar Ballo, Drew Timme, Pavel Zakharov, and Anton Watson. Presumably, a redshirt might be doled out somewhere around there, but there is no denying the immediate talent readily available. Even as the Zags sit right now without a definitive point guard, that frontcourt is going to be fun to watch.