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Chet Holmgren, the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2021, has officially committed to the Gonzaga Bulldogs. He will join No. 6 Hunter Sallis and No. 53 Kaden Perry (and possibly No. 72 Fanbo Zeng if he reclassifies) for one of Gonzaga’s most hyped recruiting classes in school history.
You will read writers refer to Holmgren as the unicorn prospect, and that is largely true. He has phenomenal length and has been called by many national recruiters as the best shot-blocker they have ever seen at the high school level. In addition to his already elite-level rim protection, Holmgren is not a traditional seven-footer with the ball in his hands. He can handle and shoot the ball like a combo-guard. It is not a stretch to say there has not been a high school prospect with his size and skillset before.
His senior year stats are a borderline joke. He averaged 20.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 4.7 blocks, and 4.5 assists while shooting 80 percent from the field. He led Minnehaha Academy to another state title and was named the Naismith Prep Player of the Year (previous winners of that award include: Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart, RJ Barrett, Michael Porter Jr., Lonzo Ball, Ben Simmons, just to name a few).
Holmgren comes into a Gonzaga team just coming off its most hyped season in school history and possibly leading into an even more hyped team next season. He’ll join a frontcourt likely consisting of Drew Timme being used as a more typical post option, with Holmgren slotting in as a Kyle Wiltjer/Killian Tillie floor stretching role.
As expected from a seven-foot-tall high school player, Holmgren’s only real knock is his narrow frame, which should get a little more bulk on it once exposed to the strength training routine at Gonzaga.
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