Suggs makes it official, signs with Gonzaga

Vandals land CSI transfer guard

SPOKANE — Gonzaga men’s basketball coach Mark Few announced the signing of Jalen Suggs to a national letter of intent on Wednesday.

Suggs wraps up arguably the best recruiting class in program history, which ranks seventh on ESPN.com and includes fellow guards Julian Strawther and Dominick Harris. Individually, Suggs is the highest-ranked recruit to ever sign with the Zags. The 6-5, 195-pound guard from St. Paul, Minn., ranks fifth in ESPN’s Top-100 list in the Class of 2020.

Suggs also considered turning pro and playing overseas for a season before being eligible for the NBA draft.

Suggs averaged 23.3 points per game during his senior season at Minnehaha Academy. He also averaged 7.5 rebounds, 5.0 rebounds and 3.9 steals per game helping the Redhawks to a 26-3 record and No. 13 national ranking. As a junior, he averaged 24.2 points, 6.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game. Since beginning his high school career in 2016-17, Minnehaha went 111-15 and won three straight state 2A titles. He finished with 2,945 career points, 883 rebounds, 735 assists, 509 steals and 103 blocked shots in 154 career games.

Suggs is the second Zags signee in program history to be named a McDonald’s All-American, joining forward Zach Collins, who left for the NBA after one season in Spokane. Suggs was one of five finalists for the Naismith High School Boys National Player of the Year. He became the first athlete in state history to win the Mr. Football and Mr. Basketball awards in the same year. He was a four-star dual-threat quarterback who had more than a dozen college football offers.

Suggs won three gold medals with Team USA at the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup, 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup and 2017 FIBA Americas U16 Championship.

“We are very excited to have Jalen join the program,” Few said in a news release. “He has a really bright future, and I look forward to working with him. It has been great getting to know his family through the process.”

WASHINGTON

The Huskies announced the signing of 6-4 point guard Nate Pryor, who played the last two seasons at North Idaho College.

“Nate is a true point guard who is a born leader that can run a team and he makes everyone around him better,” Washington coach Mike Hopkins said. These two will not only help us win games, but will have a positive impact on our culture.”

IDAHO

Kendall McHugh, a freshman transfer from the College of Southern Idaho, will continue his playing career with the Vandals’ basketball team.

“We are very excited to add Kendall to our program,” Idaho coach Zac Claus said. “He is a first-class young man that has excelled both in the classroom as well as on the court during his time with coach (Jeff) Reinart. We believe that he can have an immmediate impact with the ball in his hands while adding a level of competitive toughness to our team.”

McHugh, a 6-foot guard, averaged 10.6 points and 2.6 per game as a freshman. He started 29 games and had three rebounds per game while shooting 38 percent from the 3-point line.

EASTERN WASHINGTON

A trio of high school players from the Pacific Northwest will join the Eastern Washington men’s basketball program next fall when classes resume on the EWU campus in Cheney.

They include All-State selection Mutdung Bol, a 6-foot-3 guard from Edmonds-Woodway High School in Seattle, and Isaiah Amato, a 6-5 guard from Portland, and Central Catholic High. The third is Victor Radocaj, a 6-9 forward from Richmond, British Columbia who attended the RISE Centre Academy in Brantford, Ontario.

GONZAGA WOMEN

Abby O’Connor, a transfer from Loyola University Chicago, signed a financial aid agreement at Gonzaga University and will join the women’s basketball team. She will eligible for the 2021-22 season after sitting out the upcoming season due to current NCAA transfer rules. O’Connor will have one year of eligibility remaining.

“Abby is a great fit for our program, and she will play an important role for us,” Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier said. “She is very versatile and can stretch the defense at the forward and dominate inside as a guard. She is a very good shooter who finishes well from the paint, midrange and 3-point line. She is also a really good student and will bring additional maturity to our team in two years. Abby is going to be a really good addition to our team.”

In her three seasons at Loyola Chicago, O’Connor averaged 12.5 points per game shooting 40.6 percent from the floor and 34.5 percent from long range. She added 7.0 rebounds per contest, 1.5 assists per game and 0.7 steals, and she has led the Ramblers in scoring, rebounding and blocks each of the last two seasons. She is a four-time all-league performer, earning first team All-Missouri Valley Conference and all-defensive honors in 2018-19, honorable mention honors in 2019-20 and was selected to the MVC all-freshman team in 2017-18.

The South Bend, Ind., native became the 25th player in Rambler history to surpass 1,000 career points this past February. She is one of two players in program history to have eclipsed 1,000 career points, 500 rebounds and 100 career blocks. Among the MVC, O’Connor ranked 13th in scoring, fifth in rebounding and 11th in blocked shots during the 2019-20 campaign.

Prior to her collegiate debut, O’Connor led Saint Joseph High in South Bend, Ind., to a 3A state championship.