NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Pros and cons of 5-star SG Isiah Harwell final 4 teams

Gonzaga Bulldogs

Pros

It’s a 9-hour drive from where Harwell is from in Idaho to Spokane, Washington and the Bulldogs are the defacto rooting interest for most from the Pacific Northwest. They’d be the team that allows the family not to move and for one of the most consistent great teams in all of NCAA Basketball. They’d be a near-guarantee to make the Big Dance and potentially go deep.

There also will be a clear path for him to get a big role as a freshman at Gonzaga since both Nolan Hickman and Khalif Battle will be gone a year from now. Coach Mark Few not only has a great history of winning and development but he also can claim success with the two other 5-star freshman commits in recent memory, Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren.

Cons

While many top high school prospects do this for their own respective stocks, Harwell going from a small high school to one of the most prestigious HS programs in the country could be an indication of what kind of league he wants to play in. Although Washington State and Oregon State are joining, the WCC still doesn’t compare to the SEC and Big 12, the leagues of the other contenders.

Besides that, it’s not a complete guarantee that Harwell will be the featured player in the offense. Gonzaga doesn’t land many top-20 players but they do tend to do well in the transfer portal and will expect to land a few once this core of seniors is gone. If Harwell doesn’t have the chance to showcase himself with a ton of usage, he could fly under the radar on the Bulldogs in the WCC.