ZAGS Wednesday: Spotlight on Chet Holmgren
He was the No. 1 ranked high school recruit of 2021 and the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ highest-ranked recruit ever. He is Chet Holmgren, who might be the No. 1 draft prospect for the NBA 2022 draft.
Chet Holmgren, the Gonzaga Bulldogs‘ highest-ranked recruit, plays with no fear. Don’t let his lanky frame fool you. He will drive into the paint, dive for a loose ball, and block a shot sending it a mile away! Holmgren is a scorer and defender who will undoubtedly lead the Zags to a championship and, this time, bring the trophy back to Spokane.
Where Chet’s from
Holmgren was born on May 1, 2002, in Minneapolis, MN. He hails from the same place as last season’s Zags’ superstar Jalen Suggs, and they were teammates for three years at Minnehaha Academy until Suggs came to Gonzaga. Holmgren’s dad, Dave, also played basketball. The elder Holmgren played at the University of Minnesota until his knees gave out.
Chet has too many awards and accolades to list here, but the one I thought was best was that he led Team USA in the 2021 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in Latvia to victory. At the tournament, he averaged 11.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.7 blocks, earning MVP honors.
So far this season
Chet Homgren brings a 7’1″ frame and 7’6″ wingspan. His first official college game was amazing! The Slim Reaper contributed 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 blocks. Yeah, I said 7 blocks! We’re talking Rudy Gobert blocks here!
🦄@ChetHolmgren pic.twitter.com/KMRFSGdwAh
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) December 15, 2021
Potential NCAA Player of the year Drew Timme pairs with Holmgren in Gonzaga’s frontcourt. They should be a tandem who can go anywhere in college basketball and go toe-to-toe with the best. Unfortunately, Gonzaga has lost two games already this season.
Zags fans shouldn’t be discouraged by the defeats. The best thing that could happen to Gonzaga is to face teams like Duke and Alabama early in the season. They defeated us now, but if head coach Mark Few does his job (and we know he will), those teams won’t beat Gonzaga again.
Ten games into his college career, Holmgren averages 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 3.9 blocks per game. Looking beyond the primary stats, Holmgren shoots 63.9 percent from the floor, including a 33.3 three-point shooting percentage. That’s pretty darn good, considering four of his ten games came against top 15 teams (three in the top five).
Holmgren’s impressive performance so far leads me to believe he will be the number one selection in the 2022 NBA Draft.
This young man is another lucky recruit for Gonzaga. So let’s go, Gonzaga.
Everyone be safe out there, and I’ll see you Monday for a review of Saturday’s Texas Tech game.