Northwest Notes May 28, 2020
Zags signee Suggs named
MaxPreps Male Athlete of the Year
Recent Gonzaga men’s basketball signee Jalen Suggs has been named the MaxPreps Male Athlete of the Year.
Suggs, who will be a freshman at GU in 2020-21, became the first athlete in Minnesota state history to win the Mr. Football and Mr. Basketball awards in the same year.
Suggs, a St. Paul, Minn., native, averaged 23.5 points per game during his senior season at Minnehaha Academy. He also averaged 7.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.8 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.
Suggs is the second signee in GU program history to be named a McDonald’s All-American, joining former GU standout Zach Collins. Suggs was one of five finalists for the Naismith High School Boys National Player of the Year.
Suggs is the highest-ranked recruit to ever sign with the Zags. The 6-5, 195-pound guard ranks fifth in ESPN’s Top-100 list in the Class of 2020.
On the football field, he was a four-star dual-threat quarterback who had more than a dozen college football offers. Suggs passed for 2,213 yards and 25 touchdowns and ran for 978 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also played defense, intercepting nine passes, two that he returned for touchdowns.
Five Big Sky football teams earn
FCS preseason
recognition
The Big Sky Conference had five teams recongnized in the HERO SPORTS FCS Preseason Top 25, released on Wednesday.
Sacramento State earned the fourth spot, followed by Weber State at sixth, Montana seventh, Montana State ninth and Eastern Washington at 18.
The Big Sky led the way with four teams ranked in the Top 10, followed by the Missouri Valley Conference with three.
All five Big Sky teams were ranked in the final Top 25 poll of the 2019 season. Sacramento State, Weber State, Montana and Montana State all represented the conference in the 2019 FCS Playoffs, and Weber State and Montana State reached the semifinals.
Defending champion North Dakota State was the top-ranked team heading into the upcoming season.
HERO SPORTS
FCS Preseason Top 25
1. North Dakota State
2. South Dakota State
3. Northern Iowa
4. Sacramento State
5. James Madison
6. Weber State
7. Montana
8. Villanova
9. Montana State
10. Central Arkansas
11. Kennesaw State
12. Illinois State
13. Austin Peay
14. Furman
15. Delaware
16. Princeton
17. New Hampshire
18. Eastern Washington
19. North Carolina A&T
20. Florida A&M
21. The Citadel
22. Southern Illinois
23. Sam Houston State
24. Albany
25. Yale