NCAA Basketball: 5 takeaways from Nolan Hickman committing to Gonzaga
4. Gonzaga has become a premier landing spot for recruits
Just a few years ago, Zag fans were ecstatic about landing their first-ever McDonald’s All-American, and five-star prospect straight out of high school Zach Collins. The funny thing is that he was a longtime commit for the program that had a meteoric rise into five-star status.
Things have certainly changed in the past 24 months. Not only did they land five-star guard prospect Jalen Suggs, but they’ve also since landed top-10 recruit Sallis, No. 1 overall prospect Holmgren and now Hickman, who is consensus top-30 and a five-star in his own right depending on the recruiting service they use.
But how are the Bulldogs doing it? They’ve yet to win a national title, have only made two Final Four appearances that includes this past season, and play in the WCC, a mid-major conference. The naysayers, whether genuine or just trolls at this point, seem to be confused as to why Gonzaga has turned into a recruiting juggernaut. Here’s a piece-by-piece look at the benefits of playing for the Bulldogs.
Winning
Gonzaga is the only NCAA Basketball program in the country that has made the Sweet 16 each of the past six seasons. And it would’ve been seven straight had it not been for covid, as that team was a projected No. 1 seed for that year too. It’s nine years in a row with 28+ wins and 22 seasons of making the NCAA Tournament.
Playing for a team that is almost assured of making the Sweet 16 and an easy path to the Final Four as a top-3 seed in the West Region can make any player happy, even one that has to play on the bench. Even if Hickman has to play behind Nembhard for a year, it’s easier to do that for a second weekend or better program than one whose ceiling is the Round of 32.
WCC competition
It’s a common snipe at Gonzaga by fans of power conference teams, having to play in the WCC. But why is it exactly a problem to play against weaker foes? The contrast between the Bulldogs and the entire Big Ten Conference should put to rest the importance of conference affiliation.
The Big Ten had nine teams make the NCAA Tournament, including four (Ohio State, Michigan, Illinois, and Iowa) as either No. 1 or 2 seeds. By the time the Sweet 16 came, the conference had as many teams all left as the WCC.
And even if the “competition” is about getting better ready for the NBA Draft, the Gonzaga Bulldogs have more consensus top-40 picks (Suggs, Kispert, and Ayayi), than the Big Ten (Franz Wagner, Ayo Dosunmu) combined, with only Aaron Henry of Michigan State being the only other likely candidate.
Development
Ever since the days of Kelly Olynyk, the Bulldogs’ training staff has always been known for the quality development of players. It hasn’t stopped since, with the program now at a point of sending players to the NBA Draft on a yearly basis. Domantas Sabonis is one of the best big men in the game, Brandon Clarke went from a no-name at San Jose State to not a key young piece at Memphis, while Killian Tillie and Rui Hachimura went from raw international players to on the big stage as well.
It’s not to say that the Kentuckys and Dukes of the world aren’t still sending players to the league but now Gonzaga has entered the fray in terms of becoming a pro factory. If Ayayi can slide in, that’ll be three 1st round picks this season. And based on the current roster they have, three could be the same in 2022 as well.